'That's outrageous': Guests unable to attend Bowen Island wedding after unexpected BC Ferries cancellations

Chairs sat empty while a Vancouver bride walked down the aisle on Saturday after BC Ferries unexpectedly cancelled sailings to Bowen Island.

Fionia and Olivier Martin had been planning their dream island wedding for months and did everything they could to prevent chaos on their big day.

"We definitely didn’t think that BC Ferries would cancel all their ferries on a long weekend. That's outrageous," said Fionia.

"We missed out on family and friends, "said Olivier.

Ten guests and the catering company were stranded in West Vancouver after BC Ferries shut down their afternoon sailings due staff shortages.

The newlyweds say some wedding guests and make-up artists were already on Bowen Island, but many hadn’t planned on spending the night and were forced to find accommodations.

"There was a whole lot of kindness and just caring for other people. We were able to get extra tents, sleeping bags and mattresses here and there. It was chaos but joyful chaos," said Olivier.

The couple says they are trying to make the most of the situation but are disappointed they couldn't share their special day with the group left at Horseshoe Bay.

On Tuesday, BC Ferries President Nicolas Jimenez spoke to CTV News Vancouver about the weekend disruptions and what led to the cancellations that ultimately separated Bowen Island from the mainland.

He says BC Ferries has had a challenging few years trying to recruit employees to meet the growing demand. Jimenez says a lack of trained staff is an issue plaguing the entire travel industry, but BC Ferries is working on finding a solution to prevent future disruptions.

"In the over 60 years we've been operating, we've never hired more people in the last 12 months, and still, we know we are very thinly staffed," said Jimenez.

"We have enough staff to run the sailing we've got, but not a lot of resilience in the system if something goes wrong," he added.

BC Ferries is working on recruiting more staff by offering incentives, but Jimenez says having enough employees on hand to help prevent disruptions will take time.