There is stylish, and then there is the kind of style that’s sitting in this gallery. A style that seriously sets the bar higher than you could possibly imagine. It’s a DIY dream wedding that makes me think there is a whole new type of Bride out there – one that has more craftiness in her little finger than I could ever dream of having. If it weren’t for the fabulous images from Kat Rizza Weddings, I wouldn’t believe it all to be true, but thankfully this gallery is proof that this stylish soiree did indeed happen, and it was indeed fabulous. See it all here.
From Kat Rizza… This was a true modern and stylish affair where 150 people gathered in Toronto’s historic Distillery District for an elegant brunch on a crisp November morning.The amount of thought, care and detail that went into the day was impressive. From locally-handmade jewelry, to each other’s fingerprints engraved inside the bride & groom’s rings, to the ribbon-clad, personalized boxes packed with bridesmaids’ gifts; this bride did not miss a beat. She effortlessly found a way to promote the talent of her friends and family and then personally thank them each in a creative and thoughtful way.
At the venue there was handmade decor everywhere! With supplies from Toronto spots like Creative Bag, Designer Fabric Outlet, Mokuba and The Paper Place, it looked like it might have been crafted by Martha Stewart herself. One of the bridesmaids, Carin, made the fabulous, paper flower wall that the couple married in front of and then later used as a backdrop for a photo booth. The same bridesmaid also made the gorgeous decor for the sweet table. The bride’s cousin made the wedding invitation, including envelope liners and table cards. The bride made the seating chart (with button magnets, spray adhesive, and the help of her sister-in-law), handwrote the place cards and baked over 700 cookies for the favours and sweet table. Incredible.
There were a few other personal touches that made this wedding so very unique. The groom’s friend played guitar throughout the ceremony, and was joined by his wife who serenaded the bride and groom, leading to an impromptu dance. The couple had a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, honouring their parents, printed e.e. cumings quotes on their invitations and favour tags and they decided to skip out on dancing in favour of having more conversation time with their guests. This event was the definition of modern elegance and if there was ever an instance to can call a 150 person wedding intimate, this would be it.
From the Bride… I took loads of inspiration from other bride’s as seen on SMP. Our wedding was quite the DIY project. So many people came together to make the wedding a truly lovely day. I know I am biased as the bride, but when I walked into the venue and saw how beautifully all of our elements had meshed together, I felt so happy. That said, nothing would have shaken my mood, as I was about to marry Jeff. I really wanted to submit these photos to celebrate the hard work that went into this day. I hope you’ll agree that my bridesmaid, Carin (who has not done anything like this before) is pretty fabulous. My cousin Winnie made the gorgeous invitations, complete with a wood grain kraft pocket folder, iridescent envelope liner and baker’s twine. Carin, Winnie and I took inspiration from a Rifle Paper Co. botanical journal for our colour palette. We tried to focus on red, aqua and kraft paper, but we incorporated a variety of bright tones. A group of friends on maternity leave undertook paper crane folding, making hundreds. Bridesmaid Pam meticulously strung each of the cranes on fishing line. Jeff’s aunt did all of our flowers. Adrienne designed our signage. Steve printed it. Colleen not only flew in from Dublin for the wedding; she made a birdcage veil, putting the finishing touches on the day before the wedding. So many of our guests contributed their time and talents to our wedding. Our day was a big celebration of love – ours – and that of our family and friends. How lucky we are!
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Photographer: Kat Rizza Weddings | Flowers: Beyond Flowers | Venue: The Boiler House | Event Design: DIY by family and friends | Cake & Macarons: Bloom Cake Co. | Cookies & Jars: DIY by the bride | Invitations, Seating Cards, and Favor Tags: DIY – Designed, printed and assembled by the bride’s cousin, Winnie Stanley | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Makeup: Jean Liu | Bride’s jewelry: Designed and handmade by Kalpna Patel, Old Weston | Dress: Cabaret Vintage | Birdcage Veil: Handmade by bride’s friend, Colleen Robinson | Flower Comb: Celebration Shoes | Bridesmaid Dresses: Fashion Crimes | Maid of Honour’s dress: BCBG | Ring Bowl: Paloma’s Nest | Guestbook: Lorgee + Me | Rings: Brent & Jess | Personalized stamp: Dear You from Kozue | Live music: Groom’s friends: Robert Carullo (guitar), Judy Karacs (vocals)