Julianna Collett Photography sent us this little bundle of joy and not only are we smitten with every pretty image but it also happens to be a labor of love; the wedding of her niece in fact. Can you say gorgeous? And it is home-spun in the best possible way with loads of details lovingly crafted by friends and family and a Bride and Groom that are so completely head over heels, it’s evident from first glance. We’re certain it will send you into the weekend smiling from ear to ear. See the full shindig here!
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From the Bride…When it came to choosing a location for the wedding, the traditional approach of marrying in the bride’s hometown seemed most appealing. A vintage garden style wedding was the theme we aimed for. So naturally, we held the event outdoors, right in my parent’s yard. In effort to give our guests, many of whom travelled from outside the province, a real Northern Alberta experience, we had an evening wedding to show off the north’s beautiful summer sunsets that happen as late as 11:30 at night. We also added more to the guest’s experience by having both rhubarb and raspberry wine made by En Santé, Alberta’s first and only organic fruit cottage winery.
For the reception, we wanted to create a relaxed and easy setting where guests could visit and mingle freely. Therefore instead of having guests sit down for a meal, we had cocktail tables for standing around, and food tables filled with appetizers and sweets. Jeffrey’s Café Co. provided the food. Lance, the restaurant’s owner and head chef wowed us with the selection of hor’dourves, some created separate from his usual catering menu especially for us. The finishing touches to the menu were the cakes and petit fours the very talented pastry chef Zoe Broadribb made. My mother-in-law, grandma, and sister also helped by making petit scones, matrimonial squares, and brownies. I didn’t want a great big wedding cake so I opted for a number of different ones: lemon poppy-seed bunt cake, coconut cake, and carrot cake (Jesse’s favorite).
Much of the decorations at the wedding were DIY, borrowed, or purchased from Etsy. We saved money by making lavender toss cups, banners, backdrops, photo booth props, and signs. My father-in-law played a huge part in our big day by not only officiating, but also building the stage, backdrop, arbor, and cocktail tables. Without his skills, we would have spent so much on rentals. When it came to flowers, I ordered dahlias, ranunculus, and garden roses online at wholeblossoms.com. The peonies were provided for free by a lovely family friend who had grown them in her home garden. My talented aunty Julianna created the bouquets, boutonnieres, and ceremony flower arrangements. She also captured so many memories of the day by being our wedding photographer. For the photo booth, I ordered a Fujifilm instax instant camera and had the pictures hung on a line of bakers twine for guests to enjoy. The backdrop was a Boler trailer that was borrowed from my gracious grandparents, along with many other antiques I picked out to borrow from their home. After searching through thrift stores and antique malls, and putting countless hours into DIY projects, the area was ornamented with vintage chic charm. The night was clear and warm, the atmosphere was lovely and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to start of our marriage than to be surrounded by the people we love.
Bridesmaid Dresses: H&M Clothing / Groomsmen Ties + Shirts: RW&CO / Wedding Photography: Julianna Collett Photography / Flowers: Wholeblossoms.com + Julianna Collett Photography / Desserts: Zoe Broadribb / Catering: Jeffery’s Café Co. / Hair: Stephanie Clough of Urban Valley Salon and Spa / Wedding Dress: Sophia Tolli / Bride’s Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell / Invitations: The Groom