Katie & Dominik has a beautiful July wedding and everything for their wedding came together perfectly! They incorporated their love of books and the outdoor into the ceremony and reception! The Watson Porter Pavillion was the perfect venue for them, it was earthy, outdoorsy and GREEN! Their wedding party was their siblings and their best friends, they were so fun for the photo session and came up with some great ideas. We loved how they both walked down the aisle together and also barefoot, they had so many details that they made on their own which was lovely to see and capture! Everything was perfect…. except for maybe Katie breaking her foot on the dance floor 30 minutes after we left! We had a great time photographing everything for you both, congrats!!
-Niki {London Ontario Wedding Photography}
Describe the vision/theme you had for your wedding in 5 words or fewer: Relaxed, eco-friendly, vintage, family and friends
What are your favorite memories of your wedding day? Having all of our family and friends in one place (especially since Dominik’s family came all the way from Germany). Specifically, though:
Katie: Dancing, especially the first dance – we chose Supertramp’s “Give a Little Bit,” and as soon as it started playing I knew it was the perfect song – a little fast and so joyful – and we just laughed all the way through the song. We don’t know how to dance and we had been practicing a bit for during the two weeks before the wedding, but we had no idea what we were doing. We still managed to get in a few twirls and a dip at the end.
Dominik: The fact that everything came together as good as, or even better than, we had planned. There was a lot of anticipation and anxiety before the wedding for us but as the day unfolded, beginning with the ceremony, the entire weight of weeks, if not months, of planning stress fell from our shoulders, and the happiness and joy that everyone promised us started to unfold.
Best wedding related decision: Our caterer. Sustainable agriculture is important to both of us, so we were looking for a caterer who was both affordable and who could use local and organic ingredients as much as possible. Jill at Jill’s Table recommended Heirloom Catering and we are so glad we went with them. Our guests raved about the quality, taste, and selection of the appetizers, the dinner, the cakes on our cake table, and the late-night sandwich bar. And there was more than enough food for everyone to have seconds (and thirds)!
Favourite detail:
Katie: The lighting. The Watson Porter Pavilion has only fluorescent lights, so we knew we had to come up with an alternative plan for lighting. We bought white mini lights and vintage string lights with larger bulbs. I also insisted on buying an antique chandelier, as I couldn’t find one to rent. I promised we would sell this after the wedding but we love it so much I think we’re keeping it! A friend who is an electrician very generously volunteered his time to install everything the day before. We also had beeswax votives on every table and in the fireplaces. The result was incredible – especially the chandelier! It made the room look magical, romantic, and elegant, and brought everything together.
Dominik: The giant sliding doors of the Watson Porter Pavilion. They allowed a nice breeze to go through the building and kept everything at a comfortable temperature, despite all the dancing. The open doors also provided a stunning view of the lake during dinner and the dancing part of the evening.
Advice for future brides & grooms: Accept, and ask for, as much help as possible. We could not have pulled this off without a ton of help from family and friends, throughout the year and in the several days immediately before the wedding. Also, as you plan the wedding, do what you want: don’t worry about whether people will think that it’s tacky or too traditional. We found that if we made choices that felt true to us individually or as a couple, our stress about the overall process went down. And as a result, we threw an intimate wedding that felt unique to us. Finally, do the engagement shoot! It felt strange to us at the time, but it really was invaluable as practice for the wedding. We got to know Niki and she got to know us, and it was so much fun to work with her and her assistant on the wedding day.
Would you change anything if you could do it all over again? Yes – Katie would try not to break her foot while dancing! As a result we had to leave the party at 10:30 (far too early) and we spent the rest of the night in the emergency room, in our wedding clothes. Other than this, though, there is nothing we would change – everything else came together wonderfully.
Best surprise of the day: The flowers. We hadn’t given our florist very much guidance, beyond asking her for local, organic, in-season wildflowers, and asking for a few specific types of flowers that were special to us. But it was as though she read our minds – the flowers she delivered matched the venue and the feel of the wedding perfectly! They were incredible and exactly what we (didn’t know we) wanted.
Anything else you’d like to add: Our DJ, Vince from A&M Sounds, provided a great selection of music that had the dance floor full all night. As well, Kim at A&B Rentals helped us immensely at the beginning of the planning process by suggesting colour schemes and table settings that helped us develop the vague ideas we had of what we wanted.
VENDORS: Ceremony Location: Watson Porter Pavilion, Fanshawe Conservation Area | Reception Location: Same | Officiant: Christine Sharpe, All Seasons Weddings | Cake: An assortment of German cakes baked by our caterer | Dress: Allure 8903, bought at Nicholas & Elizabeth, London | Alterations: Ellen Shute, St. Mary’s | Suits: Joseph’s Clothiers, London | Flowers/Decorator: Janis Harris, Harris Flower Farm and Pastured Pork | Hair/Makeup: Eden Organics Hair Salon | Caterer: Erin Bonthron, Heirloom Catering | DJ: Vince, A&M Sounds | Rentals: A&B Rentals
WEDDING SONGS: Ceremony: Live violin music provided by two friends for the ceremony | Processional: Beethoven’s Pathetique, 2nd movement | Recessional: Handel’s Hornpipe (Water Music) | First Dance: Supertramp, “Give a Little Bit” | Parent Dances: The Temptations, “My Girl” (Father-Daughter) and ABBA, “Dancing Queen” (Mother-Son)
