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Whoosh! Just like that, five years have passed since Matt and I said "I do".
October 24th, 2015 was a rainy day, but the weather cooperated. It tended to rain while we were already indoors (getting ready, the church, the venue) and still gave us a chance to have photos taken outside. The air was cool, but the boys were in suits, my dress felt like a thick sleeping bag, and the girls had blanket scarves to help keep warm. After almost a year of planning (we were engaged November the year before), Matt and I were able to celebrate with friends and family while watching our vision of this day come together.
When we thought of our wedding day, we aimed for the day to feel cozy, but elegant. Simple, but special. Matt and I love a good party, so we aimed to have dinner end early and dance the night away. We had all of that and then some.
Matt and I did the "traditional thing" and didn't see each other until we got to the church. The night before, he stayed at his parents house where the boys were getting ready, and I had a sleepover with a couple of the girls from my wedding party. One of my bridesmaids had her baby TWO DAYS after our wedding, and another had a newborn at home, so they both slept in their own beds, but joined us first thing in the morning on the big day.
We spent our morning getting pampered, drinking coffee + mimosas, and snacking our (my?) nerves away. Matt and I each left gifts with the best man and maid of honour to give each other the day of. Mine to him: a signed blueprint of the first building one of his favourite designers built. His to me: a ring dish, swarovski pens, and a business card holder, all with the sentiment for me to continue chasing my dreams. There wasn't a dry eye when I read part of his card out loud explaining the gifts.
While the boys were getting ready, I was putting my dress on. The girls saw it for the first time for very selfish reasons: I wanted that photo of them seeing it for the first time.
We took photos in the backyard, and then waited for the limo bus to pick us up. We (the girls) ended up being 15 minutes late for the church, because the boys were delayed in getting themselves onto the bus which needed to drop them off before getting us. It wouldn't be a wedding without at least one hiccup, would it?
Every nerve I had that morning vanished when I walked down the aisle. It was so exciting to see everyone I loved in the same room! Other than us being late and everyone awkwardly sitting in the church in silence wondering if the bride was a no-show, the ceremony went smoothly and before we knew it, we were taking photos outside and getting back into the limo bus to head to our venue.
When I saw the room set up for the first time, I gasped. For months I was agonizing over every little detail and wondering if it would come together how I hoped it would- it ended up being even better than I imagined. The draping, the lighting, the florals, the warm tones....everything was absolutely beautiful! We had the most amazing dinner, drinks were flowing, and everyone danced until the noise bylaw brought the night to an end.
Gahhh! I don't think I will ever be able to look at these photos and not be transported right back to this magical day. Five years later, and I still feel the butterflies that were in my stomach that morning. I am still in love with the details (did you see those florals?!), and my heart swells looking back on this day. I am *so* thankful that we hired a photographer who captured our day like a fly on the wall. There are some people in our photos who were a big part of our lives that I now miss very dearly, and especially as we are currently navigating a pandemic, I am so glad to have photos that catch the laughter and love of the that day.
Changes I would have made? 100% I wish we hired a videographer. We thought that we would "never watch it again", but I now know that just isn't the case. I'm too sentimental to have tried to save some money here, and I kick myself for it regularly. This next one will probably sound very trivial, but I also would have asked ahead of time for a plate of the night buffet to be made for us to take afterwards. We spent so much time figuring out the late night food that would be served, and neither of us had a bite of it because we were too busy dancing (but were starving when we got back to the hotel). Other than those two items though, I wouldn't have changed a thing. I'm proud that Matt and I planned the details of our wedding day as a team, and were both thrilled with how it all came together. The day was ours, and reflected both of us perfectly.
Vendors
Church | Star of the Sea
Venue | Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery
Photographer | Jennifer Moher
Florist | Lush Florals
Decor | Simply Beautiful Events Decor
DJ | Liquid Entertainment
Hair & Makeup | Mobile Bridal Beauty
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