I just got our wedding photos back and I can't wait to share them with you. Instead of the typical Facebook album, I thought I'd work them into my blog somehow so I can share the whole wedding planning experience with you.
To start, we got engaged in November in Tulum. For our Tulum engagement story, click here. But Tyler and I met years ago and here's our story:
I was single. He was single. And to be honest I think we were both very happy being single... In fact, a year prior to meeting Tyler one of my best friends was dating one of his room mates and suggested I come meet Tyler, and my answer was NO. I liked being single, I was living it up in the city and establishing myself in my career. Fast forward a few months and some coworkers convinced me to download the Tinder app, and the rest is history. I met Tyler in October (not knowing he was the same Tyler my friend wanted me to meet a year earlier) and by April of 2015 we were "official". Not that romantic, eh? But romance is not really our style...
Wedding Planning
When we got engaged I knew I wanted to get married in June. It's peony season, that's why. When I chose the date, only 7 months from the day we got engaged, my mom told me it was my Grandparents anniversary (65th!). My grandmother passed away 7 years ago, but she would have LOVED Tyler -- everyone does! So it's nice to share that day with them and now I'll always have that reminder.
But yes, you heard right. We had a short engagement so it was a race to the finish line getting everything arranged. The first thing I did though, was book the venue.
The Venue
We talked about having a backyard wedding, but I really wanted a day with ZERO worries, so we decided to book The Northridge Inn for our very small, very intimate, family-only wedding. We had stayed at The Northridge Inn a few years prior and fell in love with its rustic, yet luxe vibe. I wanted our wedding to feel more like an elopement than a formal wedding, so we made sure everything was very chill -- like us!
Guest Count
There were 19 of us (plus Colby!) in attendance, and I can't imagine having any more than that. It was the perfect amount where we could still spend time with guests, and not feel overwhelmed.
The Dress
My dress. It's literally my favourite thing about the wedding. Well, that and my bouquet. How pretty, right? The beaded details, low back and short train were EVERYTHING I dreamed of and more. I saw it on a website a few years ago and had it bookmarked until the day we got engaged. Would you believe it only cost $274 USD. Add in duties, shipping and the alterations, and the total dress cost was still only $800. Which reminds me -- a huge shoutout to Tanis Emmett Wedding Style for taking such good care of my dress during the fittings and alterations stage!
Vision and Theme
I didn't really have a vision or a theme. I knew I wanted a rustic wedding with lots of greenery, which is why I chose this venue. I wanted to do as little as possible when it came to decor, so I figured why not just choose somewhere that already has everything you want. I was obsessed with the dining room at The Northridge Inn, and knew I needed to incorporate their outdoor canoe fixture into the wedding somehow, so I decided on doing hor d'oeuvres outside under the canoe, and dinner inside under the giant antler fixture. Nate, from The Northridge, went above and beyond and surprised me with my table decor.
Table Layout and Decor
I was supposed to call a few weeks prior to the wedding to tell the venue which colours and types of flowers I wanted, but I didn't get around to it. I thought about sending a quick email, but to be honest I have never seen them host an ugly wedding, so I just went with the flow. Nate basically read my mind, because he hit the nail on the head with the white and green florals, and the wooden plate risers were a perfect addition. For place settings, I had the same girl who made my wedding cake make personalized cookies so that guests knew where to sit. I liked the idea of a cookie also being their takeaway as I don't like to create waste, so this way we got to eat it!
The Cake
My cake ended up being much more than I imagined. My initial idea was a plain carrot cake with cream cheese buttermilk icing and a simple cake topper. Another surprise! Nate took apart a floral arrangement from the lobby at The Northridge Inn and glammed up my very plain cake. I was very happy with how it turned out. Sometimes my idea that less is more, is not always a great idea.
The First Look
Because we weren't having a formal ceremony, and I wasn't walking down the aisle, we had a first look photo shoot instead. I loved doing a first look, because it made me less nervous about the ceremony. The Northridge Inn has so many great places for photo backdrops, so we took a walk around the property to get all of these shots. I really love the ones on the dock, they seem so natural and innocent. Plus, our favourite place to be is on the water!
The Ceremony
Our ceremony was short and sweet. I really liked our officiant Wendy. I now know why she had such good Google ratings - ya I shopped for an officiant like I shop for electronics, and reviews mean everything! My favourite part of our ceremony was my nephew running up to bring us the rings. Our photographers captured his energy perfectly! At the end of the ceremony, my mom thought of the idea to have everyone blowing bubbles as we walked by.... super cute!
Details:
Photographer @erinleydon // Venue The Northridge Inn // Decor @nate_francesco // Dress @lulusweddings // Shoes @hm // Hair @rhea_sunshine // Makeup MOI! // Bouquet @incarnations // Cake @isabella_sweet_cakes // Invitations @alwaysbyamber // Officiant Muskoka Weddings - Wendy Oke // Cake Topper @wood_be_lovely
