Toronto Wedding from Ikonica
Sometimes it's a bouquet, other times it's a cake, and it can even be a simple DIY rosette that wins over my décor-loving heart... and then there are times like this where I get all three. T.H. Jackson Huang of Ikonica captured a wedding that is the complete trifecta of wedding décor and you are seriously going to be floored when you click here!
From the stunning bride... Jeremy and I had been together for 13 years (yes, we are high school sweethearts and yes, we do still exist in this day and age) before we finally decided to get hitched. He proposed to me during a vacation in Paris, in front of the Arc de Triomphe (I have decided since then to not read too deeply into the implicit symbolism). Fireworks did not explode in my head and I did not get teary eyed. It was all very natural and nice. We kissed, we hugged and promptly got food poisoned shortly afterwards. This whole episode cannot better illustrate us as a couple - 1 part romance, 2 parts practicality, and 3 parts pure dorkiness. Being in love with your best friend is probably the most wonderful and natural feeling in this world. It is this intangible feeling of being completely at ease that I really wanted to capture in our engagement shoot and wedding.
For our wedding venue, we chose the McLean House because it reminded us of my old family home in the picturesque West Vancouver, B.C., where we shared our very first kiss. The classical architectural elements and scenic backyard garden (a pivotal set for the romantic movie, The Time Traveler's Wife) of the McLean House evoked a sense of warm intimacy that we wished to share with our family and friends. In a way, the venue truly became our home for the wedding day.
In terms of the wedding décor, the perfectionist in me started off wanting to do everything by myself but quickly realized that I was in way over my head. With the help of family, friends, and vendors (friendors!), we managed to complete several DIY projects in record speed! Some of the more memorable ones included an archway constructed from 200 handmade paper pom-poms (till this day, the word "pom-pom" still gives my poor sister conniptions); handmade satin flower pins which served the dual function of place card holders and fun little favours for guests to wear on their hair or lapels; pink lemonade jars decorated with vintage lace, copper charms and ribbons; paper straw mustaches and lips; fluffy homemade marshmallows to greet the guests; and my very, very favourite DIY project - pearl necklaces and bracelets that I made for each of my darling bridesmaids.
Lush floral arrangements of garden roses and vintage hydrangeas in various shades of soft pinks, peaches and cream played an integral part of our wedding décor. The bridesmaids carried gorgeous bouquets of garden roses tied with long satin sashes and the groomsmen sported dapper boutonniere of ranunculus and hypericum berries. I was giddy with excitement when I saw my bridal bouquet. It was a teardrop-shaped bouquet of the most stunning ranunculus (flew in especially from Holland), lily of the valley and astilbe, which perfectly completed my blush chiffon wedding gown.
We had originally wanted to say our vows in front of the DIY pom-pom archway, in the backyard garden of the McLean House. However, the ceremony ended up taking place indoors (thanks goodness for rain day backup plan) as it drizzled all day. Other than our vows to each other (Jeremy promised to always do the dishes, I promised to occasionally let him have the last cookie in the jar), my fondest memory of the ceremony was us presenting flowers to my mother, Jeremy's mother and my 84-year-old grandmother who flew all the way from Taiwan just to attend our wedding. As the old adage goes, wedding day rain is a sign of good luck and indeed, we were truly lucky to be able to share our special day with those nearest and dearest to our hearts. The rain also painted a veil of vibrancy and softness to the surroundings and brought about a sense of closeness amongst the attendees. We absolutely loved how intimate, charming and fun our wedding turned out to be. We had an amazing team of wedding professionals behind the scenes and we simply couldn't have done it without them!
For our wedding venue, we chose the McLean House because it reminded us of my old family home in the picturesque West Vancouver, B.C., where we shared our very first kiss. The classical architectural elements and scenic backyard garden (a pivotal set for the romantic movie, The Time Traveler's Wife) of the McLean House evoked a sense of warm intimacy that we wished to share with our family and friends. In a way, the venue truly became our home for the wedding day.
In terms of the wedding décor, the perfectionist in me started off wanting to do everything by myself but quickly realized that I was in way over my head. With the help of family, friends, and vendors (friendors!), we managed to complete several DIY projects in record speed! Some of the more memorable ones included an archway constructed from 200 handmade paper pom-poms (till this day, the word "pom-pom" still gives my poor sister conniptions); handmade satin flower pins which served the dual function of place card holders and fun little favours for guests to wear on their hair or lapels; pink lemonade jars decorated with vintage lace, copper charms and ribbons; paper straw mustaches and lips; fluffy homemade marshmallows to greet the guests; and my very, very favourite DIY project - pearl necklaces and bracelets that I made for each of my darling bridesmaids.
Lush floral arrangements of garden roses and vintage hydrangeas in various shades of soft pinks, peaches and cream played an integral part of our wedding décor. The bridesmaids carried gorgeous bouquets of garden roses tied with long satin sashes and the groomsmen sported dapper boutonniere of ranunculus and hypericum berries. I was giddy with excitement when I saw my bridal bouquet. It was a teardrop-shaped bouquet of the most stunning ranunculus (flew in especially from Holland), lily of the valley and astilbe, which perfectly completed my blush chiffon wedding gown.
We had originally wanted to say our vows in front of the DIY pom-pom archway, in the backyard garden of the McLean House. However, the ceremony ended up taking place indoors (thanks goodness for rain day backup plan) as it drizzled all day. Other than our vows to each other (Jeremy promised to always do the dishes, I promised to occasionally let him have the last cookie in the jar), my fondest memory of the ceremony was us presenting flowers to my mother, Jeremy's mother and my 84-year-old grandmother who flew all the way from Taiwan just to attend our wedding. As the old adage goes, wedding day rain is a sign of good luck and indeed, we were truly lucky to be able to share our special day with those nearest and dearest to our hearts. The rain also painted a veil of vibrancy and softness to the surroundings and brought about a sense of closeness amongst the attendees. We absolutely loved how intimate, charming and fun our wedding turned out to be. We had an amazing team of wedding professionals behind the scenes and we simply couldn't have done it without them!