Waldorf Hotel operator's demise kills wedding plans

A couple of residents of London, England, one of whom was born in Vancouver, claims the, er, changes at the Waldorf Hotel have messed up their wedding plans. Caroline Stern and Phil Smith are so upset that they sent out a media statement. Here's how it begins:

January 10th, 2013.  London, England.  Our alarms rang at 7 this morning to signal the start of a normal work day.  Little did we know, that while we were sleeping, news was spreading among friends and family in Vancouver, that the historic Waldorf Hotel would be shutting its doors for good in less than two weeks.  With our wedding set to take place at the hotel on February 23rd, this came as a huge surprise to everyone.  We chose the Waldorf  because wanted somewhere unique, a Vancouver landmark to show off to out of town guests, a place with history and culture, and somewhere affordable to be married and throw a great party. While venues of this description are not difficult to come by in any corner of England, it is damn near impossible in Vancouver.  

Stern and Smith go on to describe scenes from their, uh, most interesting wedding that will not happen:

We pride ourselves in being practical people and, of course, we can get married anywhere as long as our family, friends and wedding commissioner are there.  But (if we can lament just for a minute), the Waldorf houses the only Tiki bar in the West of Canada, and the oldest, but one, on the entire continent.  The wedding we will not have, beings with our little bridesmaids entering through a beaded curtain, walking the curved line in front of the cocktail bar, under the twinkling lights of the dark blue painted sky, down an aisle with bamboo chairs arranged organically on each side, up three small stairs and between two palms, to the raised platform behind where our marriage commissioner stands.  And Phil would be there as the girls fan out across the raised platforms, tealights shimmering on the small ledge in front of them.  Then the bride enters, all eyes on her as she appears finally, through the beaded curtain, into the light, under the stars, to meet her groom, his two fine groomsmen beside him, and the commissioner standing one step above.  It is an intimate space, full of warmth.  Guests are sipping Mai Tais and Blue Hawaiians as the music plays, quieting as the vows are read.  Soon we move to the hideaway downstairs, where dinner is served from Nuba's fantastic Lebanese menu.  Dancing starts as the plates are cleared and the party continues into the early hours of the morning.  

In other big news, Stern and Smith say in their joint bio included with the statement that they live with two nine-month old kittens.