Perhaps one of the sweetest weddings we’ve had the pleasure of photographing – small in numbers, big in LOVE. Lara & Neil shared their vows in an intimate ceremony with just their immediate families on a weekday in September (more weekday weddings please!). I have photographed many of Lara’s friend’s weddings and it was so exciting that it was finally her turn! We were sad that we couldn’t make it to their Toronto reception, but small world that it is, found out one of our photographer friends was attending and got him to set up a sneaky surprise (photos from this wedding day framed at their reception) a few days later! Congrats Lara & Neil, we will always remember your sweet wedding day and how lucky we were to be a part of it!

– Heather

Describe the vision/theme you had for your wedding in 5 words or less: Relaxed weekday garden wedding.

What are you favorite memories of your wedding day?
Bride: Having a relaxed breakfast at the Idlewyld together on our wedding day. How much my heart was pounding before seeing Neil in his wedding attire for the first time. Taking a moment by ourselves in the Civic Gardens after the ceremony and before we drove back to the Idlewyld for dinner.
Groom: The beautiful, sunny day. Killing time and eating room service before the big moment. When my family arrived and we put on our flowers. Debating whether to scare Lara during our first look. Choosing not to (at the last minute) and just soaking in her beautiful dress! The look of forgiveness in Lara’s eyes when we realized I forgot the marriage license at the hotel! The beautiful small ceremony. Driving away with beer cans on the car. My first dinner as a married man at the Idlewyld.

Best wedding related decision:
Bride: Getting married on a Thursday! Having two wedding events (the Thursday legal ceremony and a party with our friends and family in Toronto on Saturday) allowed us to spread out the festivities and celebrate our marriage the way we wanted to.
Groom: Overall, asking Lara to marry me was a pretty great decision. On the day, wearing funky socks, I guess.

Favourite detail:
Bride: My dress was made by my Gramma. It was originally my Mum’s wedding dress in the 1970s (and had large cape-like sleeves and a bigger skirt) and I had it altered to update it. My Gramma passed away last year, so it was significant to wear something she had put love and energy into.
Groom: The park / gazebo turned out to be a perfect place to get married. We loved that some older folks sat and watched from a bench and we felt lucky to have such a beautiful day.

Advice for future brides & grooms:
Bride: Make decisions that are meaningful to you instead of the way it’s “supposed” to be.
Groom: I second Lara here. Tradition shmadition. Do what feels like ‘you’ and you can’t go wrong.

Would you change anything if you could do it all over again:
Bride: I would eat less at dinner so I could have more room for champagne after our families went home.
Groom: not a thing.

Best surprise of the day:
Bride:  The flowers! They were more wonderful than I had imagined. I had loved the idea of having anemones but our florist Tania told me she didn’t know if she would be able to get them. Then on the day she surprised us with Neil’s anemone bout, and there were some in my bouquet as well. And my flower crown was a last minute-ish decision which Tania whipped up and it was so perfect. She is such a talent.
Groom: I wasn’t nervous. It was peaceful and happy, through and through.

VENDORS: Ceremony Location: Civic Gardens gazebo (it was FREE!) | Reception Location: Idlewyld Inn drawing room | Officiant: Rev. Lori Hisson | Dress: Annie Davis, altered by the brilliant Maegan McWade at Shoppe & Tailor in Toronto | Flowers/Decorator: The amazingly talented Tania Dupon-Martinez |