Dave and Charlotte of Dave & Charlotte Lifestyle Photographers captured many “Lauren” moments as well as some much needed parent-only portraits. Lauren won’t remember that day but with these pictures she will look back a see how much her mum and dad loved having her with them every step of the way.

Photography By: Dave & Charlotte Lifestyle Photographers

Adele Wechsler is one of Canada’s leading wedding-dress designers, and she’s known all over the globe for her commitment to the environment through her eco-friendly collections. Adele uses organic silks, vegetable dyed fabrics, fair-trade labour (beads are made by skilled Zulu women), and her garments are made in Canada.

“We didn’t intentionally start out trying to have a green wedding,” Collen told People magazine. “But since it’s a natural part of our lifestyle to respect the environment, everything flowed pretty naturally.”

Amy’s mother purchased the beautiful floral summer dress more than 30 years ago for $45. Her parents were married on New Year’s Eve, 1977, at the registry office in Sydney, Australia. There were ten guests at this intimate affair, and the bride carried three red roses.

Fast forward to 2010. Amy and Mark threw a backyard engagement party and shocked their guests during Mark’s speech, when he casually mentioned that after ten years together, this party has just become a wedding.

With Amy in her mother’s dress and Mark in his grey fedora, the couple pledged their commitment to each other in front of their friends and family. Amy, clad in the perfect vintage dress, could not have given her mother a more beautiful gift.

Here are a few more pictures from Amy and Marks exquisitely designed wedding, photographed by Jonathan Ong.

Photography By: Jonathan Ong.

Both Eloisa and Ryan are urban planners and designers in Toronto, but their passions are rock ’n’ roll and the outdoors. They listen to rock ’n’roll oldies at their cottage near Parry Sound and they both play the guitar (Eloisa believes she wooed Ryan with her ability to play better than him).

The theme of their wedding was Blue-eyed boy meets brown-eyed girl, and so blue and brown became their wedding colours, as well. Ryan made the place-card holders out of wood and Eloisa designed the cards. Together they made a card box out of a tree stump and carved their names into it, and they set up their own photo booth so that friends and family could commemorate the day alongside a plastic deer. Table numbers consisted of the names of their favorite bands such as the Beatles and Eloise serenaded everyone with “Grow Old With You” by Adam Sandler (from the movie “The Wedding Singer”).

What was the most difficult part of planning your own wedding?

Trying to balance work, play, and wedding planning. We seemed to stay up late a lot because we were doing wedding-related things. Ryan was a total team player, though, for which I was very fortunate!

In retrospect, would you have done anything differently?

We were so busy with planning the actual event that we didn’t really take the time to write an awesome speech. We should have spent more time on our speech and expressed what we were really feeling. But I think we’ll have a chance to say it in our thank-you cards. Our wedding party members did amazing speeches, but I think my dad stole the show with his speech because he was hilarious and very touching at the same time.

If you had one piece of advice for couples planning their own wedding, what would it be?

Choose your venue wisely and do your research! If possible, have your ceremony venue, reception and photo ops at the same place (or have them within walking distance). This frees up some time to actually mingle with your guests and have some cocktails with them during cocktail hour.

Photography By: Captured Pieces
Photobooth photos:  bride and groom’s camera

Here’s a roundup of what worked well, what needed work (the weather conditions!), plus some shocking revelations about the couple we thought we knew so well:

Karina is pregnant! The couple slapped a “Baby On Board” sticker onto Karina’s back for the recessional, figuring that would be the best way to share the happy news with their guests. It was a total hit and we have a feeling this little story will be told in wedding circles for years to come. (They’re expecting this fall)

Mark has a massive “Karina Forever” tattoo sprawled across his chest! Alright, it’s really just a fake tattoo, but the shock value was still there when Mark ripped open his shirt during the wedding speech to reveal it to the crowd (they, of course, didn’t know it rubs off). “I’ve never laughed so hard in all my life,” says Karina.

Praying for sunshine does NOT equal sunshine. “If we could have changed one single thing it would have been the weather,” says Karina. “It was one of those rare, gloomy California days where the sky was overcast and grey, and the ocean was not the wonderful blue with rolling surf that it had been on our numerous trips there in previous years.” Luckily, it didn’t rain and the ceremony still took place outdoors — a major plus for Karina, who admits she got teary-eyed after looking out the window in the morning.

The band rocked. Hiring a five-piece band (Woodie and the Longboards) felt like a splurge, but having a Beach Boys cover band play note-perfect renditions of the couple’s favourite 60s American surf music served as the ideal soundtrack to their nuptials. For a nice personal touch, Mark chose a song to accompany each bridal-party member down the aisle (The Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby” for himself; The Beatles’ “Here There and Everywhere” for Karina).

Rabbi Barry rocked. You’ll recall that Karina and Mark had a tough time connecting with Rabbi Barry, who would officiate their wedding. In the end, he came through with flying colours, and the couple cannot say enough good things about him. (P.S. They went for the clear chuppah.)

TIP: Always meet with your officiant face-to-face before the big day to ensure a more personal ceremony.

The Internet is our friend… So much of Karina’s wedding research was done online and, as it turns out, she was thrilled with all of her online ‘finds.’ The hair and makeup artist, Katie from Beauty and the Beach, did a terrific job. The cake by Sweet Gems was gorgeous and, incredibly, it was ordered just five days before the actual event (the accompanying cake stand by Raise the Cake was equally as beautiful).

TIP: Splurge on a trial hair and makeup session before your wedding day to determine the exact look you’re hoping to attain.

…But sometimes local vendors are the best. Karina and Mark flew down their own photographer, Douglas Foulds, to capture their event. “He is now a cherished friend and we are so blessed to have had him shoot our wedding and be part of our big day,” she says. They also brought down their own floral designers to work with local wholesalers in another studio. It was a bit of an insane thing to do, admits Karina, but it was well worth it in the end. “The flowers were beyond perfect,” she says. Ditto the linens.

Go with your gut. Karina and Mark ended up with a guest count of 40 — way more than they had anticipated. Sandy at the Surf and Sand Resort felt that they should move the reception to a larger room to accommodate the larger crowd, but Karina felt it lacked charm. As Karina explains: “I had still not decided until the morning of and then, on instinct, I said, ‘I don’t care if it’s tight. Small is good and suits the function. I’m going for intimate.’” The hotel staff thought she was crazy but it was the right decision in the end. “I have a great feel for these things and sometimes, even if the venue [staff] thinks they know best, you’ve got to challenge it.”

Planning a wedding in 30 days is exhausting. Especially a destination wedding. It entailed a lot of hard work, yet Karina and Mark didn’t want to miss out on any of the finer details, nor did they want to surrender control to a local wedding planner. So they busted their butts to make it work (a pregnant Karina slept for just seven hours total in the three nights preceding her wedding!). Was it worth it? “Absolutely!” says Mark, who admits that he’ll never forget the expression of delight on each face as they climbed the stairs to see the breathtaking view of the ocean. Adds Karina: “It was truly the best gift we could have given our families and the finest gift we could have received. Mark’s sister loved every minute of it, and my parents were over the moon.”

TIP: Three months is the right amount of time in which to plan a wedding, according to Karina. “ It remains exciting for the bride and groom and their families, as well as the guests, and prevents that horrible sense of ‘wedding fatigue’ from setting in.”

Keeping it real. At the end of the day, it’s the overall ‘vibe’ that what will make or break a wedding — something that simply cannot be planned in advance. In Karina and Mark’s case, their family and friends made it a night to remember. Guests included comedienne Carla Collins and her husband, Tyrone Power, Jr., and Comic Emo Phillips, who gave a hilarious toast to the bride and groom. Says Karina: “It was a room filled to the brim with love and laughter.”

Photography By: Douglas Foulds Studios

Day 30 - 30 -Day Bride Day 29 -The Date Is Set Day 28 -The Location Day 27 - Brace Yourself For The Unexpected Day 24 – The Photographer Day 23- The InvitationsDay 22 – Dance Lessons Day 21 – Dance Lesson #1 Day 20 – Décor Part 1 Day 17 – The Dress Day 16 – Needs Your Help Day 15 – Sort Of Jewish WeddingDay 14 -Things Change Quickly Day 13 –  Off to California Day 8- Their Back Day 6- The Cake Is Ordered Day 2 – The Hairstyle Day 2 – The Music The Wedding Day- Sneak Peak

Thank-you again Ruffled

When Alex and Cheryl met with Patty and Jerry, an engaged couple that just happened to love the outdoors, they presented them with the idea. Patty and Jerry thought it was a great concept and voila — the first piece of the puzzle was solved. A trip to MEC to rent a canoe was easy, though getting it on Cheryl’s tiny Kia Rio was an adventure in itself. All that was left was a location in the GTA. Off they went to check out Humber Park, which was not only beautiful but which also had a little stream flowing through it. It worked out perfectly, and the proof is in the pictures. Enjoy!

All photos by: Young Hearts Photography

Alexandria and Jessica met while studying at the renowned Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts school in Ottawa and they have since created one of the most sought-after cake companies in Toronto.

Orders waiting to be filled

The day I dropped by they were preparing two wedding cakes: a stunning, three-tiered, butter yellow cake and a five-tiered frosted tower to be topped with hydrangeas when delivered to Graydon Hall Manor the following day. Also on order was a 50^th wedding anniversary cake for a celebration at the Sutton Place Hotel.

Alexandria putting on the finishing touches

Alexandria took a rather unconventional route to becoming a wedding-cake artist. She received a Fine Art diploma in drawing and painting from the Ontario College of Art & Design. Her final project for the program was a sculpture made out of fondant, (icing that is commonly used to decorate wedding cakes). Alexandria quickly realized this was going to be the medium of her choice and if she was going to make edible art, she better go to the best pastry school to learn how not only to make it beautiful but to make it taste extraordinary.

Jessica’s journey began with a degree in history form The University of Western Ontario, where she studied the relationship between food and culture. Jessica then took a more practical approach to learning her culinary skills; she studied at George Brown College before moving on to fine tune her flair at Le Cordon Bleu. She has travelled abroad learning from chefs in Michelin-starred restaurants and here at home at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Together the artist and the pastry chef make an unstoppable team, creating unique edible art for those seeking something exquisitely handcrafted and mouth-watering.

Graydon Hall cake waiting to be completed

Alexandria finishing the Graydon Hall cake

The cake at Graydon Hall

Behind the scene photos by: Catherine Lash
Bottom photo by:  5ive15ifteen Photo Company Inc.

Photography: Sofia Kinachtchouk
Venue: Mclean House
Dress: Pam Chorley Fashion Crimes
Shoes: Aldo
Hair: Michael Rutledge Jalouse
Cupcakes: Miss Cora’s Kitchen
Ketubah: Ketubahketubah.com
Make-up: Myself (former make-up artist)
Wedding Planner: Myself
Suit: Strellson
Shirt, Belt, and Tie: Hugo Boss from Harry Rosen
Aaron’s Shoes: Browns, no socks!