Joy-filled weddings are kind of our business here at SMP, and this Toronto Island affair captured by Reannan Ross Photography?  It’s delivering all kinds of happy.  Happiness in the form of a cultural love-fest at the dreamy Algonquin Island Association Clubhouse, a nature-filled setting more than perfect for this crafty bride and groom, who DIYed almost every detail (here’s looking at you, pretty, pretty blooms) and set about creating a day of sweet celebration for their devoted friends and family.  See every last love-filled moment in the full gallery.

 

From Reannan Ross Photography… The bride is of Irish and Japanese decent and the groom is from India, but grew up in Italy. From kimonos to sarongs this wedding had tons of culture. A do-it-yourself wedding, the bride arranged her own flowers, bought her dress on Etsy and set the scene for an open, friendly, cultural experience on Toronto Island. By the end, we all knew how to Bollywood dance!

As their photographer, I got some inside information on the bride and groom and their hobbies and learned they love portrait galleries. Having lived in places like London, England and Japan, they had seen portrait galleries all over the world. Since they had a small wedding, I was able to take a portrait of each guest for them making for an incredible menagerie of colour, expression and love from their guests.

Wedding Photography: Reannan Ross Photography | Wedding Venue: Algonquin Island Association Clubhouse, Toronto Island | Wedding Dress: Etsy | Floral Design: DIY by the Bride

I want to live in this wedding.  Like pack up my belongings, grab my passport and head on up to Ontario to set up shop at Still Wood Farm.  I am that obsessed.  Because this wedding?  This beautiful day chock-full of l.o.v.e?  It’s exactly how you want/dream your wedding to be.  Cozy, yet elegant with heartwarming details aplenty.  Oh, and two of the craftiest sweeties you’ll ever meet.  See every last moment captured by Wild Eyed Photography in the full gallery.

 

From the Brides… We had been engaged for a long time, and got the chance to figure out exactly what we wanted our wedding to look and feel like. We are pretty casual but appreciate good aesthetic and a certain look. We did not want anything to be too precious or overly done, we loved the idea of the DIY look and having our friends and family be apart of the process making the event come together with the help of everyone we loved felt really special.

We love weekends away in small cute rural towns in Ontario, in particular Prince Edward County, with the beautiful land, to the wineries and the culinary delights it is a great place to visit, and felt like the right spot to commit our lives to one another. We thought it would be lovely for everyone to enjoy a nice weekend exploring the county and have our wedding be a part of a great weekend away.

When searching for a place to get married we knew we wanted to have most of it outdoors (weather permitting), and in a space that felt private and unique. We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted it to look like. Lots of colour and fun, whimsical touches.

The farmhouse was a perfect backdrop for the ceremony, dinner and dancing. We could do everything on the property but not feel like you were always in the same space. From the ceremony out in the field to the cocktails inside a cozy country house, to dinner and dancing in the magical tent.  We wanted each area to feel special and different, we loved the idea of people exploring the property as well as the house. Having a drink in the gazebo. Or getting warm by one of the campfires we had set up. There was also the opportunity to have some fun with the photo booth, crazy fun props, and a backdrop of torn fabric, pink yarn and white streamers. We love vignettes. We actually have a ton in our house. I think they are a result of our love of books and Chachkies. We knew we wanted to have different areas and make it feel really cozy and personal and kinda like you were in our space. We ended up bring a lot of little touches from our home. Packed up the car full of vases and lanterns, china gnomes and mushrooms. We even brought the table that we signed out marriage certificate on from home, this was important for us to feel like it was ours.

We were lucky to find an event rental company in Prince Edward County that specialized in “Vintage Victorian.” This meant we could rent mismatched old chairs for the tables and the ceremony which was exactly what we were after, a real country feel. All the china was old mismatched items, as well. It was just perfect. They were able to supply us with old dressers and bureaus that really add the character and personality to an otherwise bare tent space.

We hand-cut all the flowers the previous day from a neighbor’s garden who had specially grown us zinnias, black eyed Susan’s and sunflowers for our flower arrangements and bouquets.

It ended up being like a dream and everything better than we could have believed.

Wedding Photography: Alex Neary from Wild Eyed Photography | Wedding Venue: Still Wood Farm in Prince Edward, Ontario, Canada | Event Styling: Tiffany Pratt | Band: The Strumbellas | Wedding Dress: Carol Hannah | Hair + Makeup: Ivy Lam

One of the best parts of a wedding? It’s your day, all yours. To twirl your dress as much as you please and soak in every moment of happiness that you’ve waited for with your one true love by your side. Surely, there was no exception for this gorgeous red-lipped Bride. In fact, it was twice as nice because this lovely lady got to celebrate her birthday at midnight, serenaded with sparklers and her sweetie singing happy birthday. If you ask me, that sounds like the best birthday ever. With Meghan Andrews Photography there to snap the whole thing up, this gallery gives us a whole other reason to celebrate!

 

From the Bride… From the tiny tea lights that lit my way down the aisle, to the room full of sparklers that kissed me goodnight, our wedding was every part of my imagination come to life.  Having people travel from different cities, provinces and countries to help me celebrate my love for the most wonderful man I have ever known was an amazing feeling.

Like most brides and grooms, we wanted our wedding style to be much like our own- both classic and romantic, yet also pretty laid back, no fuss, fun, loving, wannabe-hipsters. What kind of wedding would that be you ask?  An evening wedding in the city with long banquet tables and endless hors d’oeuvres.

Our afternoon began with the girls in their floral kimonos sipping champagne, and the boys deep into their mustache adorned, whiskey filled flasks.  

The ceremony was held in indoors at the Glass Factory which gave a simple romantic, loft-type feel with  old wood floors, brick, exposed piping and the glass cube window that framed the alter.  Kraft paper packaged salted caramels saying ‘thank you’, laid upon the white fold out chairs for the guests to enjoy.  

Opting for a more elegant feel for our reception, we chose The Lounge.  Candles filled the room and art deco chandeliers’ hung, while a projection of Audrey Hepurn’s ‘Roman Holiday’ played on the wall.  Crème colored linens and burlap runners covered the array of scattered tables; each table adorned with burlap-wrapped mason jars filled with white garden roses, hydrangea and baby’s breath.   No seating arrangements at this wedding!  Servers were scattered around the lounge with mini servings of food, easy for non-stop mingling.  

Best part of the evening?  Now, not many brides can say that their birthdays were celebrated on their wedding day.  At midnight, my birthday, my brand new husband grabbed the microphone and said a heart-felt speech followed by everyone lighting a sparkler and singing happy birthday.  With sparklers in hand, we danced our way into a whole new life together.  I can truly say it will be the birthday and the wedding I will never forget.

Wedding Photography: Meghan Andrews Photography | Wedding Venue: 99 Sudbury in Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Photography Venue: Gladstone Hotel| Floral Design: Botany Floral Studio | Catering: The Food Dudes | Wedding Cake: I Do! Wedding Cakes | DJ: DJ Floh Back Productions | Wedding Invitations: Kyra Sproule | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang via David’s Bridal | Bride’s Shoes: Zara | Rings: Say Yes |Bridesmaid Attire: Their Choice | Groom’s Attire: Joe Ramolo Custom Tailor | Groomsmen Attire: Their Choice

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