Inspired by the magic of the season, Philip and I've been reminiscing on the magic of our own wedding day and are overjoyed to share the moments of our day.
Inspired by the magic of the season, Philip and I've been reminiscing on the magic of our own day and are overjoyed to share a few fun (and not so fun) things you probably didn't know about our wedding day. Here's a piece of day of wedding advice: you'll find that like marriage, it's those not so perfect moments that make for the perfect day.
1. It didn't rain, it poured
Philip's dad always said rain on your wedding day was good luck. The weather called for rain and we were well prepared with clear umbrellas for the entire bridal party. What the weather didn't call for was a torrential downpour on our outdoor wedding. I distinctly remember our Day of Coordinator coming to the bridal suite asking if I wanted to move the wedding ceremony inside. Thinking of the greenery adorned on the pergola outside, I made the choice I knew Philip was thinking and we decided to keep the ceremony outside. Us and our guests knew the rain was blessings from above from those unable to be with us in person. So in the middle of a rainstorm, under clear umbrellas, Philip and I said I do.
2. I said yes to the dress
Kleinfeld at Hudson's Bay had opened just as I began dress shopping. Amazed by the experience, my consultant was able to pull dresses that fit the theme and tone of our wedding, and I said yes to the first dress I tried on. Flash forward 10 months later to my first fitting, two weeks before our wedding, I tried my dress on and it ended about 6 inches above my ankles. While I had ordered (and paid for) an extended length, they didn't include it in the details. After a very frank conversation (I'm being nice) with my mother, Kleinfeld submitted a rush order and had a custom dress remade and flown in from Europe days before the wedding.
3. My makeup artist didn't show up
She thought our wedding was the following day. Luckily for me, my mom had her own makeup artist come in to do her makeup and Whaedaa ended up doing makeup for me, my 3 bridesmaids and my mom. And when I thought that was the worst of the day, my hairdresser didn't do her best work, she didn't do the style I wanted and so I took my hair out. With the time we had left, my mom curled my hair with a wand and we left for the venue. Three lessons learnt: 1. The morning goes so fast 2. A contract isn't going to do your makeup. Always have a plan B. 3. My mom is my hero.
4. We're obsessed with our photographers
A few years ago, Philip was introduced to Sasha and Svetla of Purple Tree Weddings when they were looking for studio space. Some time after that, Sasha and Svetla shot our engagement photos and our obsession begun. Since then, they shot our wedding, two culinary photoshoots and now we're lucky to learn photography and editing through Purple Tree School. There's something special about finding photographers who make you feel natural and beautiful and comfortable in being who you are, and for us, Sasha and Svetla are those people and we are lucky to have them by our side, capturing the moments that matter most to us.
5. Philip and his groomsman took the streetcar
On the day of our wedding, Philip, his three groomsman, photographer and videographer walked to Bathurst Street and boarded the 511 and 501 Queen Streetcar to our venue. Philip had the bright idea to take a streetcar over an Uber, and while I tried to convince him out of it, our photographer and videographer LOVED the idea and there was no changing their minds. It was all about the perfect shot.
6. We got married at the Berkley Field House
The Berkeley Field House was the venue of our dreams and the perfect marry of our styles. The main room, is accented by antique chandeliers, white washed wooden walls and french doors that open out on to a outdoor garden patio with its own tree house. For dinner we had passed hors d'oeuvres, a caprese salad appetizer, braised short ribs/halibut and a creme brûlée to finish.
7. Philip's brother-in-law officiated our wedding
Do you remember that Friends episode when Joey officiated Monica and Chandler's wedding? Inspired by this wonderful gesture, we wanted someone we knew, someone we had history with to stand by us as we said I do. I mean, the officiant is an important person and they're probably in the majority of photos not counting the bride and groom. Philip's brother-in-law Mike was the perfect fit although not an official officiant (trust us, there's a way). He's smart and funny, witty and composed, but most importantly he respects love and all it stands for, just as we do. Plus, there may or may not have been a Princess Bride moment. Click here to see more.
8. In his vows, Philip called me by my kitchen name
As we stood in the rain under our clear umbrellas, Philip's written vows surprised me and our guests when he called me by my kitchen name, sous chef. It was a sweet surprise that made his vows even more special and our guests chuckle. Read on to #10 to see how our wedding inspired Chef Sous Chef.
9. There was a fire
During our first dance, we imagined dreamy photos with our guests holding sparklers. While the photos were lovely, our videographer was able to capture the intimate moment dancing with our family and friends sparkling around us. Rewind: while passing lit sparklers out to guests, one of Philip's groomsman tried to speed up the process and lit an entire pack of sparklers. Well, they roared into a huge flame causing him to drop the bunch on the wooden deck. He stomped the fire out leaving a scorch mark on the porch and holes in his rented shoes.
10. Our wedding inspired our blog
Philip and I were engaged for a year and 9 months, and designed and created every component of our wedding from our save the dates to our invites to our center pieces of smoked olive oil. It was during this time that both of our creative tastes and styles melded together to create moments harmonious to us both. Once our wedding was over, we found ourselves yearning for another creative project and conversing over food was another passion we shared. Stemming from my kitchen name, Philip became the chef and together we started our blog, Chef Sous Chef.
See, it's the imperfections of a wedding that make the day the best day of your life. And when you know someone like Philip is waiting for you at the end of the aisle it doesn't matter how you got there, what matters is that you made it.
Bonus: our videographer Eric Yu from Kitchener, Waterloo captured the joy of our wedding and we are thrilled to share our highlight video with you.
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