An Oprah-Approved Ceremony Setting In Kelowna

Sanctuary Gardens in West Kelowna is the brainchild of Kirstin Wakal, a photographer and vineyard owner who set out to build a dreamy chapel-inspired gazebo in 2012. She spent over a year working the grounds, planting trees, flowers and grasses, and hosted her first wedding in September of 2013. As she says in a blog post from the time, “I wanted it to look as though the gazebo just somehow landed in the middle of the meadow.”

Today, in addition to the timber-frame gazebo, there’s also a rustic indoor chapel, called the “rose room,” which is the perfect place for bridesmaids to get ready and can serve as an pretty great rainy-day backup option. It’s got whitewashed wood walls, chapel windows and barn doors. A stone pathway winds its way down to the gazebo, and both spaces can hold up to 60 guests.

The structures are stunningly designed, but it’s the natural setting that really shines: the chapel sits on a cliff that overlooks overlooking Okanagan Lake, and the views are truly next-level. A photo of the property even appeared on a finale of Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday, as Wakal’s “sacred space”. The cost to rent the grounds starts at $2,000 and goes up to $4,000, depending on the day of the week and the size of the wedding. Next year is already totally booked, so we’d recommend getting in touch ASAP to lock in plans for 2020.

Sanctuarygardens.ca