Wow! This wedding is so all about the details that it was unbelievably hard to choose which amazing photos by Calla Evans to include. This is what happens when a bride and groom who own an event planning business (Lustre Event Coordination) decide to throw their own fabulous wedding! They legit thought of every last detail. And the result? A totally swoon-worthy wedding with inspiration for days and days. You do not, I repeat, you DO NOT want to miss out on the detail party that’s happening in the gallery right now!
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From Lustre Event Coordination (The Bride & Groom): My husband and I are both originally from Western Canada, which is where all of our family still lives. We now both reside in Toronto and run an event planning company together. So when planning our wedding (Yay! Is it really my turn?) we wanted it to be intimate and personal so we could show our appreciation to all of our guests for making the trip and to allow them to really get to know us as a couple. The most important things to us were food, fun, making sure all of our family and friends were going to be comfortable, and, most importantly, that the love we have would shine through and be celebrated!
I am so glad I decided to have my wedding gown custom made, I was finding the process to be a bit stressful when it came to shopping for a dress. On the day it made me feel even more beautiful knowing it was made to accentuate me. My designer was able to do a couple extra touches for me, as well. She sewed a blue ribbon in my crinoline that my Mom tied her parents’ wedding rings on to. This served as my something “blue” and “borrowed.” My husband’s mother sadly passed away when he was a teenager, so to acknowledge she was in everyone’s thoughts, I had handkerchiefs made out of the fabric of my dress and a piece of lace from her wedding dress. Her parents, each one of her sister’s, as well as Morgan and his brother each received one on the morning of the wedding.
Our ceremony was held on the rooftop of a cute boutique hotel and we got so lucky with the weather, the sky was bright blue and it turned out to be a nice warm day. When our guests arrived at the ceremony they were greeted with a flute of fresh lemonade with frozen berries and my husband’s handsome young cousin presented a dahlia tied with a ribbon to all the lovely women. We set the mood with a steel pannist who played “Can’t Help Falling in Love” as I walked down the aisle. To honor how much Morgan’s mother would have loved to be there with us and how much she is missed we reserved her seat with her bouquet, which I attached her locket to containing a photo of him and his brother. It was important to both of us that our ceremony be special and fit us, so to have meaning and be more intimate we asked our guests to read aloud a “wedding wish” after our vows, it was so nice to include our families in that moment. Our officiant even personalized a part from the Dr. Seuss book “Oh the Places You’ll Go” to read to us. Once it was official, the festivities began right away with cocktails and comfort food like fish + chips, pork belly sliders with roasted apple, and the crowds favorite, root beer floats! To get everyone to the reception venue without stopping the fun we surprised them by leading them outside and having a vintage streetcar pick us up. We even hired the sweetest accordion player to serenade everyone during a short tour of some highlights of the city.
The reception was held in a downtown loft-like space; we were really looking for a blank slate when choosing venues so we could make it our own and have a bit of freedom when it came to decor and a color palette. The food was definitely one of the most important things to us, so we had a mix of passed and stationary items all evening long. We made the decision to not have a traditional seated meal to encourage everyone to mingle as our families have not gotten the chance to get to know each other that well. We felt that because we had a smaller wedding of only 60, all of whom are our close family and friends, it fit our crowd and our personalities better. One of our favorite dinner hour stations was braised short rib ravioli topped with a seared sea scallop. Some late night options included a poutine station, Toronto’s famous peameal bacon sandwiches, and homemade ice cream sandwiches. The great night even ended off with a gourmet coffee bar with lots of treats, even frozen hot chocolate. We made sure everyone left satisfied and full!
Our sweet table was a special project and highlight of the night that we did together. It was themed after our European honeymoon we were leaving on the next day. We picked out a traditional sweet treat from each of our destinations ranging from Paris, we had a gorgeous macaron tower and salted butter caramels, warm churros with a hot chocolate dipper from Spain, and for NYC we got fresh Garrett’s popcorn shipped to us. The sweet table was definitely a hit with our guests both in terms of aesthetics and taste!
Our wedding day definitely turned out to be the best day my husband and I have ever had. We were so happy and we were able to spend a lot of time together which was important to us. Keeping our guest list limited was the best decision for us as everyone who was there genuinely cares about us and the feeling of celebrating in a room with everyone who loves you is amazing. For us, our wedding could not have been a bigger success – we’re so happy to have these memories!
Photography: Calla Evans / Wedding Planning & Design: Lustre Event Coordination (The Bride & Groom) / Bride’s Dress: Custom Design by Lisa Van Hattem / Wedding Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Venue: The Drake Hotel / Wedding Reception Venue: The Richmond / Wedding Stationery: Love the Design / Wedding Cake: I Do! Wedding Cakes / Sweet Table Design & Welcome Baskets: Bucket & Whisk (The Bride & Groom) / Floral Design: Pink Twig / Macaron Tower: Bobbette & Belle / Officiant: Sarah Bunnett Gibson / Band: Justin Time Band / Catering: Daniel et Daniel