Photography by: Anthony Manieri of 5ive5ifteen

Here’s their story:

At first we wanted an informal country wedding, but we didn’t want traffic to be what people remembered about our day. Then we thought of Ward’s Island. Since university we’ve headed over to escape the heat, and Dan proposed there on the beach. It’s five minutes from downtown, but stepping off the ferry feels like leaving the city.

Glasses of lemonade awaited our guests as they arrived by boat. The ceremony took place in a grove of willows; Jess’s dad had made the chuppah and draped it with vintage lace from a family friend. Jess carried peonies, and the summer air was filled with white fluff from the cottonwood trees.

A buffet of salmon and potato salad was served under a tent, and guests sat down to dinner at long tables in the clubhouse. As wedding favours, we made lapel buttons from pop bottle caps from Dan’s grandfather’s soda company. After speeches, we served sweets from our favourite bakery. Hours later, there was a soft breeze and a beautiful moon as we stood on the docks, waving goodbye to our guests as they pulled away on the last ferry. Story by: Trish Snyder

Reception The Ward’s Island Assocation Clubhouse
Flowers My Luscious Backyard (bouquets); Kay & Young Flowers (centerpieces)
Photographer  HRM Photography
Jess’s attire Skirt, Brian Bailey; shirt, Jones New York; shoes, Karston
Dan’s attire Suit, drykorn for beautiful people; tie, DiBi; shoes, Aldo
Hair and makeup Shawna Lee
Wardrobe stylist Erin Swan
Caterer Audrey Demers Events & Catering
Dessert Mabel’s Bakery
Rentals Exclusive Affair Rentals
Tent Rental Varsity Tent & Event Rentals
 Deejay Sammy Rewal
Music The Boxcar Boys
Officiant  All Seasons Weddings

Here’s their story:

We celebrated our wedding day with a traditional church service, followed by an unconventional reception for 160 guests in the Holcim Gallery, located at the Evergreen Brick Works.

The Brick Works requires services to be sustainable (something we wanted too), so we served local, seasonal food and wine. We support “The Stop” Community Food Program, so hosting the wedding at the Brick Works was another great way to back urban environmental initiatives.

Reclaimed from ruins last year, the Holcim Gallery stands as a steel-and-brick monument to a bygone era: Toronto’s manufacturing past. We wanted the gallery to reflect its history, but as an event location, it also needed a sense of polish. Adding finishing touches required a great deal of planning and execution — a Herculean effort undertaken by Ted’s mother, Kelly, who sourced all the decor to transform the gallery from a derelict shell into a rustic space with understated elegance.

As an open-air gallery, The Holcim provides a single degree of separation from the outdoors. Given the sublime weather in early September, the evening was nothing short of perfection. Story by: Trish Snyder

Wedding planner Laurie Goldhar
Ceremony St. Clement’s Anglican Church
Reception Holcim Gallery, Evergreen Brick Works
Photographer Bruce Zinger
Flowers Emblem
Holly’s attire Gown, Rivini; second dress, Stella McCartney; shoes, Jimmy Choo
Ted’s attire Suit, Moores; shoes, shirt, tie, pocket square, Harry Rosen
Holly’s hair Bill Angst
Invitations Paper Ideas
Makeup Gee Beauty
Catering North 44
Sweet table Frangipane Patisserie
Music String musicians (cocktails), Chicken and Waffles (after dinner), through Urban Groove
Decor Forget-Me-Not Flowers; Contemporary Furniture Rentals
Tables and Chairs Exclusive Affair Rentals
Linens Luxe Linens
Sound and lighting Visual FX
Wedding day coordination Fern Cohen

At The Wedding Co. we believe that taking the time to hand make something for your wedding or shower makes the celebration even more personal and memorable. In fact the final product isn’t what you will love most about getting crafty, it is the time you take to make it.

So spend an evening with The Wedding Co. and The Paper Place and learn how to make a beautiful bouquet made out of something as simple and inexpensive as tissue paper.

Where: The Paper Place  887 Queen Street West
When: Wednesday February 22, 2012
What time: 6:30-8:30
Cost: $50.00
How to register: Call The Paper Place 416.703.0089 or drop into the store.
Payment methods: cash, debit,  MC, Visa
Please note: In the past this class has filled up quickly, you must pre-register.

DIY Bird Place Card Template

Here is the bird place card template from the DIY feature in the premiere issue of The Wedding Co. Magazine, click here to download.

If you would like to receive The Wedding Co. Magazine visit the magazine link on the website.

Photography by: Joseph + Jaime

Thanks Jennifer!

The *Made with Love* Project from Video Repository on Vimeo.

Here’s their story:

We met in St. Tropez, France where Chantal was on a four-week tour as a professional figure skater. For that month, we were inseparable. After he meet Chantal’s twins, Laetitia and Astrid, it was decided: Laurent would move to Toronto.

Five years later, in December 2010, we got engaged. He had secretly arranged the proposal with the help of the twins and Chantal’s sister Cachelle, a wedding planner. After a ski down their favourite slope in Collingwood, he whisked Chantal off to a bench scattered with rose petals and proposed on one knee, while her entire family waited with champagne at the ski chalet.

Our story was displayed throughout the wedding, from the urban setting at Malaparte, to the French food and wine, to a Can-Can performance. The skating connection came through a cake shaped like a skate. The day was filled with an ambiance of love and family, and we all danced until the wee hours of the morning. Story by: Trish Snyder

Take a moment to watch this beautiful video of Chantal and Laurant’s wedding by LensFlare Films.

Chantal & Laurent from LensFlare Films on Vimeo.

Wedding planner Savoir Flare
Ceremony, reception Malaparte, TIFF Bell Lightbox
Photographer Rebecca Wood
Flowers, custom linens Stemz
Chantal’s attire Gown, Tina Mak
Laurent’s attire Tuxedo, Calvin Klein
Chantal’s hair and makeup Faces by Carla
Cake Nadège
Skate cake City Girl Cakes
Videographer LensFlare Films
Deejay Third from the Sun
Music Kate Rogers Band
Guest book Laura K Designs
Can Can dancers The Dance Company
Custom dance floor Jill Berry floors
Drapery Micki’s
Officiant Enduring Promises

Here’s their story:

Our intent was to give our friends and family a taste of our life in Toronto, as most of our guests were from out of town. The entire wedding was held on Queen St. West, because that’s where we spend 90 per cent of our time working and playing.

Before the ceremony, we traveled around by TTC for photos, including stops at CAMH, Dark Horse for lattes and hanging out at the community gardens. For the wedding itself, our guests knew nothing but the start time: 4 p.m. at the Gladstone bar. Mark led them to the ceremony, a block west, with a ghetto blaster in tow. Liz walked to the site from the Mascot, our favourite café, with her father and best friend. Afterward, we returned to the Gladstone for drinks, dinner and dancing.

We emceed our own wedding, telling a story about each of our guests, as most were from various parts of Canada and the US, and had not yet met in person. We ended our evening by strolling down to Drake BBQ for pulled-pork sandwiches before walking to our home in Parkdale. Story by: Trish Snyder

Reception The Gladstone
Photographer Mango Studios
Flowers Coriander Girl
Liz’s attire Dress, Becker’s Bridals; shoes, Badgley Mischka; sash, Danna Nicole
Mark’s attire Custom suit, tie, Green Shag; socks, Psycho Bunny; shoes, vintage
Hair, makeup, grooming Brennen Demelo Studio
Deejay DJ AMC
Sweet table Yummy Stuff
Invitations Paper & Poste
Rings Platinum Unlimited
Officiant  All Seasons Weddings

The very talented Jennifer Rackham, an event designer at Graydon Hall Manor since 2005, styled the Gardenview Room for the photo shoot. As you can see it was spectacular, so we asked Jennifer to share with us some of her secrets for creating a beautiful environment. Photography by: Ikonica

Q. What colour palette did you start with?
A. I started with a palette of lavender, pollen and peony — something fresh and pretty. I like to base a theme around two or three colours.

Q. How would you describe the overall look?
A. The theme is based on translucency, individual details and the mix of modern and traditional elements. I was inspired by the tea with its colourful translucent hues.

Q. Where did you source the items used for the décor?
A. Rentals: Chairman Mills. Linens and napkins: Around the Table.
Yellow water goblets and ceramic berry baskets: Anthropologie. Flowers: Stemz
Tea: Tealish

Q. Describe some of the products from Chair-Man Mills that you used?
A. We used some gorgeous crystal 3-tiered cake stands with silver handles to serve the tea sandwiches & scones. Individual silver teapots were placed at each setting

Q. Did you use any in an unusual way?
A. The chargers were actually square plexiglass serving trays that I put upside down. I also used them as trays for the sweet table.

Q. Do you have any wedding décor advice for couples?
For small gatherings like this one you can really have fun mixing different linens in various colours to create texture and layers. The base cloth was a pearlized neutral with silver swirl details (Pearl Swirl). Pollen yellow runners (Lemon Drop) were used like place mats, and a central peony pink runner (Dutch Tulip) created a lovely background for the floral arrangements and crystal tiered trays. [Catherine: would be great to point out the detail about the upside-down trays. That’s such a clever idea that I think most people will miss unless we draw attention to it]

Q. What are your thoughts on having a small intimate afternoon wedding?
A. This style of reception allows you to do so much more with décor. You can add those special unique touches, like silver teapots or individual dishes of preserves. You can purchase small quantities of pieces like the berry baskets and later put them into your china collection and bring them out for special occasions. I have a crystal cake stand that I purchased for my wedding and I use it almost every weekend for Sunday morning muffins. It makes the presentation so much more special.

Q. What is your favourite part of about your job?
A. Having the opportunity to be creative with colour, flowers and food while collaborating with a great team. I always love the moment where everything finally comes together and the room is perfectly set.

Watch the Tea With The Wedding Co. for more great advice! Video by: Images Weddings 

TeaWithTheWeddingCompany from Images Film + Video on Vimeo.

If you are looking for one of the exhibitors or you couldn’t make it to the show they are all featured on The List, a curated list of the best businesses in the industry.

The Wedding Co. Show 2012 from Luis Moreira on Vimeo.