Category — real weddings

Part I- Jessica and Nick’s Wedding

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday! Let’s continue with Jessica and Nick’s Friday the 13th wedding.

Both the ceremony and reception took place at Bellamere Winery in London, ON. The rustic feel of the winery was the perfect venue for this unconventional couple.

courtesy of Jessica

via The Last Forty Percent

Once they were married, the bride and groom walked down the aisle together to “Right Here In My Arms” by HIM.via The Last Forty Percent

Jessica DIYed a lot of the decor including the dogwood table centrepieces. She also designed and made all the paper goods, including the invitations and place cards. In lieu of guest favours, Jessica and Nick made a donation in memory of Nick’s father to the Canadian Cancer Society. Guests were encouraged to take a Together.Strong wristband to honour those touched by cancer.

via The Last Forty Percent

Jessica was kind enough to share some ‘behind the scenes’ details……..

How amazing is this card box? Unable to find something that suited her taste, Jessica decided to DIY a card box herself.

courtesy of Jessica

courtesy of Jessica

Jessica also made her bridesmaids’ jewelery -beaded drop earrings with matching necklaces.

courtesy of Jessica

A month to the day before Nick proposed, both Jessica and Nick each got infinity symbol tattoos on to symbolize their commitment to each other. They used this same symbol on their invites.

courtesy of Jessica

Congratulations Jessica and Nick. Thank you for sharing your wedding with us and showing us that ’strange’ may be different but if you stay true to yourself, you’re guarantee an awesome time.

*A special thanks to The Last Forty Percent.

“There were black and white striped stockings. A black cape. Leather flowers. Black eyeliner. And black and white pinstriped boots. It wasn’t traditional. It wasn’t the norm. But it was perfectly them. It was the story of Jessica and Nick. Exactly as they wanted to tell it.“

I don’t think I could describe Jessica and Nick’s wedding any better than Brianna (of The Last Forty Percent Photography) already has. When LFP posted photos from this funky wedding earlier this week, I immediately contacted Brianna to see if I could re-post the pics. I even bugged Brianna into passing along questions to Jessica. (Thanks Brianna!). Lucky for you and I, Jessica graciously answered my many questions and even provided more photo candy from her ‘unusual’ Friday the 13th wedding.

You’re probably wondering why Jessica and Nick picked Friday the 13th. Jessica tells me there were a few reasons why they wed on such na “ominous’” date. 1) During their first year of dating, in lieu of celebrating their first Valentine’s Day together, Jessica and Nick, neither believers in the ‘Hallmark’ holiday, decided to celebrate the Friday, February 13th instead. 2) Jessica found amazing vendor discounts for a Friday in November (both an ‘off’ day and an ‘off’ month for weddings in Ontario, Canada) and surprise, surprise, there weren’t a lot of other couples sealing the deal on their selected date. 3) Jessica and Nick wanted throw an event that none of their families and friends had seen before, and that ’strange’ can be fun. So this is how Jessica and Nick ended throwing a Victorian/Gothic/Rock n’ Roll inspired-wedding on Friday the 13th.

Getting Ready

If you haven’t figured it out already, Jessica isn’t your typical bride. She may have donned a white wedding gown on her big day but she made sure there were bursts of her personality peeking through, such as her striped stockings and matching platform shoes. Not totally satisfied with her wedding gown, Jessica had the original sash removed and replaced with a black one adorned with a brooch she had found.

Not wanting to spend money on fresh flowers that would eventually die, and looking for a way to incorporate leather into her ensemble, Jessica turned to The English Rose Company in the UK to create this amazing leather rose bouquet. A matching boutonniere was also made for Nick.

The First Look

Ewan Phelan is a genius for perfectly capturing these below intimate moments.

The Bridal Party

Stay tuned for photos from Jessica and Nick’s ceremony & reception at Bellamere Winery (London, Ontario) as well as some ‘behind the scenes’ photos from Jessica herself!

All photos by The Last Forty Percent Photography

The BF and I recently attended a Hindu wedding ceremony. Neither of us had ever been. Timing is everything in the Hindu religion. Based on the bride’s and groom’s horoscopes, a Hindu priest will determine which dates and times are most auspicious for the couple. The Hindu priest presiding over the ceremony we attended determined a 10am start on a Sunday morning was the most auspicious for our bride and groom. Did I mention I’m not a morning person? Luckily, there was so much colourful eye candy (and the Indian food lunch buffet!) to make the early wake-up call totally worth it.

The reception was held in the Distillery District, at the Broiler House. I love the industrial and modern feel of the Broiler House. Plus, they serve some tasty food!

(The above pictures are from the Broiler House – gives you an idea of the space.)

The BF and I had a great time. Since the ceremony and reception were so different (i.e. East meets West), we felt like we went to two different weddings. Are you planning to have a ceremony and reception which are not related in ‘theme’?

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the Stamp Yourself Happy Giveaway sponsored by Barbara Kua Calligraphy.

….with this wedding. The dress, the shoes, the swiss dot veil, the venue (Marvimon), the photo candy (by Sarah K Chen). To see more, click here to tak you to Sarah’s blog. You won’t be disappointed.

via Wedding Bells

Meet Lisa (a friend of a good friend of mine). She’s one of the finalists in Wedding Bells Blogger Search under the “Alternative” category. Lisa isn’t your typical bride. Her engagement ring is not a diamond ring. She’s having a Man of Honour stand beside her on her big day. Lisa is planning a vintage/rock ‘n roll “marriage party” at a rowing club in Toronto. Best all of, Lisa is DIYing everything she can (invites, decor etc.). Intrigued? Well, in order to hear more about Lisa’s wedding plans and DIY projects, we have to make sure she wins the contest! Click here and vote for Lisa now. You do have to register with Wedding Bells in order to vote but it will only take a few minutes and it would mean the world to me and Lisa! You can vote everyday until October 16th! Thank you.

p.s. You can also read about and vote for other blogger finalists in other categories.

Congratulations to Nicole, of Nicole and Jess (Get Married), who, well, got married today! Hope you’re enjoying the party!!