Ruchita & Kunal: Beach Brought Indoors!

So congrats to Ruchita and Kunal who tied the knot this past Saturday August 11th, 2012!

We've been working with Ruchita for several months now and she has been a delight to work with.  So much love has gone into her planning of this wedding - every detail was given careful consideration. 

The original plan was that Ruchita and Kunal would be married on Ward's Island (part of the Toronto Islands), on a gorgeous sandy beach with the waterfront as a backdrop.   Beautiful ivory rose balls on shepherd hooks, a custom asile runner and a rose-and-tulle covered arch were going to set a very romantic stage for Ruchita to marry the love of her life.

But those that were with us in Toronto know that the weather gods were not treating us all kindly this past Saturday as it rained all day long, often with heavy thundershowers.  By 2pm we realized that we could not have the ceremony on the beach and that we would have to move it indoors.

The reception was going to be held in the party room at the Absolute Towers condo complex.  We continued to hold out hope that we could have the ceremony on their amazing patio... but again, the rain wouldn't stop so the ceremony ultimately was held inside the building. 

No matter!  A positively glowing Ruchita kept up her positive attitude and rolled with the punches.... this is essential to the success of any marriage so while not exactly what she had planned, it just shows that their marriage can weather any storm! 

The room was set with red accents, with Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling.  Here the guests are mingling and awaiting the arrival of the bridal party:

With the ceremony now underway, here is the happy couple performing their sand ceremony:

Now Kunal places the wedding ring on Ruchita's finger:

Finally, the officiant gearing up to declare them married!

The receiving table included a decorated birdcage card box, vinyl records for guests to sign, and a vintage typewriter that guests could type their well wishes on! 

The cake was a cupcake tower with a beach theme!  Note the fish net on the table and the little beach chair candles! 

The head table was decorated with seashells, candles and lots of flowers!

Here, the bridal party is enjoying a hilarious reinactment of the way the couple first met...

And the party gets underway! 

Going well into the night, with incredible South Asian cuisine being served (and lots of it!), it was a great day and we're so happy for Ruchita and Kunal.

Best of luck on your new lives together!

Lilies in Bloom!

It's mid-July now and lilies are in full bloom!

If you are going to be having a late June or July wedding, lilies are in season locally and would be cheaper than they would be the rest of the year. 

Here are some of the beauties growing right in my garden! 

Hydrangeas are also in full bloom, and have been for several weeks.  These are great filler flowers and are available naturally in white, pink, fuschia and even blue!

Roses are gorgeous throughout the summer and are always a beautiful addition to any bridal bouquet or centerpiece. 

Enjoy!

Angela & Brad: Botanical Beauty

Wanted to share some photos of a gorgeous Angela who married Brad, the love of her life, this past weekend at the Toronto Botanical Gardens. 

It was such a pleasure to assist Angela with the planning of her Big Day.  She is a very dedicated and hardworking teacher who loves kids and deserved to have the wedding of her dreams.

Her walk down the aisle....

Awaiting the "I Do's"

 The Kiss!

Pretty as a picture!

And the happy wedding party starts the celebrating!

Congrats you two!   Now enjoy that honeymoon in Punta Cana!

Paige & Mario: Downtown Trending

Yesterday's wedding was that of Paige and Mario, two super-sweet and super-likeable people (the world needs more of these!).

Both the ceremony and reception were held at the Berkeley Event Venue, a former church with its hip and urban feel. 

The ceremony was held upstairs underneath the stained glass windows.  Glorious!   Here is the vow exchange.  Mario was overcome with emotion.  Hearts were melting! 

And.... the kiss!

Photos were taken in and around the church property.  The sun was shining and it was hot!  But our happy couple were calm, cool and beaming!

Meanwhile, setup continued inside the main level dining hall. 

The decor was "minimalist chic" with black linens, white orchids, candles and crystals.  Blue was the accent colour of choice. 

The bride's mother created the floral arrangements, and her friend created the cupcake tower and made the cake also.

The overall appeal of the space, perfect for a live band and giving the guests lots of room to eat, drink, dance and be merry!

The couple cut the cake later that night to their cheering family and friends.

And the requisite photo of Karen and I with Paige and her new husband Mario!

Congratulations you two!

Vintage Beachfront Paradise: Sanaz & Andy

So this past weekend was a very busy one for us with two wonderful weddings!  

The first was the wedding of Sanaz & Andy.  The theme was vintage with black damask accented with green.  Sanaz was meticulous in her vision and execution.

The morning weather was looking quite ominous when we arrived to start our setup.

Fortunately however, it rained first thing in the morning and then held up for the rest of the day.  By evening it was glorious! 

Arriving together in their vintage Corvette, the bride and groom exchanged vows in a traditonal Ukranian Catholic Ceremony complete with bandurist choir.  It looked and sounded heavenly!  The vows were exchanged in this magical setting to a packed house of joyous family and friends.

Following the Ukranian ceremony, everyone headed to Sunnyside Pavillion for the remainder of the wedding.

First was the Persian ceremony called the Aghd.   The programs for the Persian ceremony matched those of the Catholic ceremony exactly.

There is a very elaborate spread of items set up on the ground, with symbolic meanings and steeped in tradition.  The couple will sit in front of this spread, facing East, while marrying.

There is also a beautifully made veil that is held over the couple during the ceremony.

Following the Persian ceremony, the guests moved downstairs to the Courtyard area of Sunnyside.

Meanwhile, the upper Observation Terrace was getting ready to receive guests for their reception dinner.

Greeting them at the front was the Welcome Table with seating chart and guest favors.

The dining area, overlooking the waterfront, rivaled anything in the finest Caribbean resort hotel.

The cake and sweet table was a main feature in the decor, set up in the middle of the room.

Sanaz had three cakes, pure white accented with crowns and white hydrangeas.

Around the corner, guests were able to contribute to a instant photo scrapbook memory album as well as have some fun with a vintage green sofa and some props for the photos.

And finally, we were able to get a photo with the busy bride.  What a fantastic day!

Sayma & Jeremy: June 23, 2012

Yesterday we had the pleasure of watching Sayma & Jeremy's dreams come true as they got married under a tree canopy at Todmorden Mills.

A true inspiration of how love conquers all differences and boudaries, their wedding merged two very distinct cultures.

Sayma wanted to honour her homeland (Bangladesh) traditions by wearing a gorgeous flowing turquoise gown.  Jeremy looked dapper in his black suit and matching turquoise tie. 

Here they are exchanging vows in their outdoor ceremony.  Sayma had a chandelier with turquoise candles hanging from a tree branch behind the officiant, with beautiful crystal ornaments hanging from the branches.  Sadly my poor photography skills with my amateur camera doesn't do it justice but hopefully you get the idea!

The reception was held inside the Todmorden Mills Art Gallery.  It's a very lovely space and not many people know about it!  A hidden gem in the city!

A wishing tree and signing table greeted guests as they arrived.  Although simple in concept, with that manzanita tree was full of well wishes by the end of the night and the table overflowing with brightly wrapped gifts.

Sayma is a professional cake decorator and actually teaches cake decorating in her spare time.  She made her own cake and what a masterpiece!  It tasted pretty fabulous too!  :)

Did I mention friend Samantha added to the late night sweet table a sundae bar?

Live music was provided to keep the guests in high spirits.  Sayma and Jeremy did their first dance to the Louis Armstrong classic "It's a Wonderful World".

By the end of the night, we were all pretty tired... but happy!  Congrats Sayma & Jeremy!

Leah & Mike's Wedding - June 9th, 2012

So this wedding season is off to a great start with Leah and Mike!  

This awesome, fun-loving and full of life couple exchanged vows at St. Mary's Church in Brampton.

Leah was gorgeous (but that's easy for her I would imagine!) in her fitted trumpet style lace gown.  Mike wore a black tux while his groomsmen opted for grey suits.  The ladies wore fuschia tea-length dresses with silver high heels.  They rocked!

The weatherman was calling for rain all day but Mother Nature cooperated and the happy couple enjoyed merely a few drops all day... for the most part it was no more than overcast but the sun did peek out here and there for photoshoot time! 

The reception was held at the Apollo Convention Centre in Brampton. 

The reception area was decorated with silver, with a birdcage cardbox.

The guestbook was Leah & Mike's engagement photo, framed with a mat upon which guests would write their well wishes, all framed and resting on an easel.

The hall was decorated with princess tableskirts, exquisite crystals and candelabras, alternating high and low centerpieces of pink roses and peonies and fuschia lighting to die for! 

The cake was a three tier white cake with pink and purple peonies cascading down.  It was YUMMY!

The centerpieces were WOW!

Thankfully, everything went great and we wore sensible shoes to keep up with the day's activities!  Thanks Leah & Mike for letting us be a part of your special day!   (Claudia was busy with the couple at the park when this photo was taken otherwise she would have been there with us!)