What a rainy wedding season we had last year! Bellamere is always a favorite spot of ours, and we have had lots of practice making the best of rainy days on their beautiful property! Jessica and Chris are a great couple who took the rain in stride and we had a wonderful day with them!
– Heather {London Ontario Wedding Photography}
Describe the vision/theme you had for your wedding in 5 words or less: Rustic elegance
What are you favorite memories of your wedding day?
Bride: It’s hard to pick a favourite memory because everything was amazing, but I really enjoyed the speeches. Hearing all of the nice stories and memories that our friends and family share with us, the aspects of our relationships they value and feeling the support they have for us was very special.
Groom: Seeing Jess for the first time as she walked down the aisle.
Favourite detail: We were really happy with how our décor turned out! The atmosphere at Bellamere is so cozy and the architecture is so beautiful on its own that it doesn’t need much in the way of décor, so the combination of our lighting, linens, floral arrangements and homemade touches really created exactly the look that we wanted.
Advice for future brides & grooms: No matter how busy you get, how hectic things get, or how much fun you are having, take a moment to step back, take a deep breath and really take everything in. Be proud of the hard work you have put in making the day what it is and be happy knowing that all of your closest family and friends are gathered in one room because they love you! And be excited knowing that, once all of the excitement of the big day is over, you get to spend the rest of your life with your best friend! Most importantly (and you will hear this many times throughout your planning, but it’s true), your guests won’t notice if something turns out differently than you planned, so don’t worry if everything doesn’t go exactly according to plan!The day will be amazing regardless. We attribute the success of the day to our incredible vendors! We would recommend that future brides and grooms choose vendors that have a great reputation, rather than those that are inexpensive. They have that great reputation for a reason!
Would you change anything if you could do it all over again? We wouldn’t change a thing!
Best surprise of the day:
Bride: When I arrived at Bellamere for the ceremony I had some time to spare. Since I had not seen the reception space, Patti secretly took me to see how everything had come together. This was great because it eased my nerves and it was fun knowing all of our guests were on the other side of the doors and couldn’t see me!
Groom: While taking photos outside, Patti brought us a platter of the hors d’ouvres to eat!
VENDORS: Ceremony Location : Bellamere Winery & Event Centre | Reception Location: Bellamere Winery & Event Centre | Officiant – Ken Lofgren | Dress – Allure Bridals, Nicholas and Elizabeth Bridal | Wedding Planner – Patti Lofgren at Bellamere Winery & Event Centre | Flowers/Decorator – Patzees Floral Scapes | Hair/Makeup – Lisa MacLean, Lavish Salon & Spa (sister-in-law) – Amberly Hall, self-employed (family friend) | Caterer – Bellamere Winery & Event Centre | DJ – DJ Kevin Evans, DJ Alpha Productions | Bridesmaid dresses: Sophie’s Gown Shoppe and David’s Bridal | Groom and groomsmen tuxedos: Moore’s Clothing For Men | Chalkboards: Katie Carroll (family friend)
WEDDING SONGS: Processional – “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri | Recessional- “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen | Entrance – “Best I Ever Had” by Drake | First Dance – “From The Ground Up” by Dan + Shay | Parent Dances – mother / son dance: “Days Like This” by Van Morrison / brother – sister dance (dedicated to bride’s father): “See You Again” by Carrie Underwood
