Can we just talk about how seriously gorgeous this Anna Campbell wedding gown is for a moment, please? Like, really take a moment to soak in its incredible beauty? Because this isn’t just any gown… it’s a drop-dead gorgeous stunner that perfectly compliments the breathtaking bride and her amazing romantic meets vintage wedding. See every fabulous DIY (!) moment captured by Joel Bedford right here.
From the Bride… With a year of long-distance planning from Australia, and a lot of help from family, friends and vendors, we were able to pull off our perfect wedding day! As Peter’s family were travelling from Perth Australia, and mine from all over Canada, we wanted to make sure our day was filled with love, laughter, tasty food, and lots of dancing. I think we pulled it off!
Our theme for our wedding day was vintage, romantic elegance, with a soft colour palette of mint, peach and gold. Our ceremony and reception took place in the stunning Restaurant Des-Beaux Arts in the National Gallery of Canada. The venue is perfectly situated in downtown Ottawa and looks out onto the Ottawa river, Nepean Point and Parliament Hill. It was an ideal location to show off my home town to our out-of-town guests.
From start to finish our wedding day went off without a hitch. Our photographers, Joel & Justyna, were amazing! They coordinated all sorts of shots, as we had no clue where to go in Ottawa. They also helped two very camera shy people become relaxed in front of the camera.
Our food caterer, Thyme and Again, were incredibly accommodating and made us feel well looked after. Their food was excellent and their wait staff were attentive. We had arranged to have Pavlova as our dessert (something for the Aussie’s). Not only did Bridget, the Catering Coordinator, provide us with a yummy dessert, she remembered me mentioning, in one of our meetings, that I love dark chocolate and added a truffle onto each plate. It was a small gesture that put a big smile on my face.
The wedding DJ, DJ Mellow Dee, was highly recommended by two friends. He did not disappoint. Days after our wedding guests were still talking about how amazing he was.
To keep our wedding budget down, we really wanted to try and do as much DIY stuff as possible and also get help from our talented family members. My brilliant cousin created our floral arrangements for our tables. For table numbers, we collected vintage themed postcards from all the different cities Peter and I have visited.
My brother is excellent with a camera and was our videographer for the day (only one of his many roles). He captured each special moment on film and two days after the wedding he had already edited and posted our video for all our friends and family to see. It also was something we could easily share with the family members who were unable to attend the wedding.
My graphic design savvy friends helped create the programs, place cards and wedding signage. I also found several free downloadable signs online and used Vistaprint for printing.
My brother-in-law’s family tap their own maple syrup, so they supplied us with eight gallons of syrup for our wedding favours. We never realized how much work goes into bottling maple syrup. The hard work paid off though, as they turned out beautifully! Also, the Australians were thrilled to take a bottle back home.
Peter gave me full creative freedom for our big day. He trusted my vision and put up with my crazy little details. The one and only stipulation he had was he wanted our wedding cake to be his family’s traditional fruit cake. My Mom took on that challenge and made this family favourite recipe. In case people didn’t want fruit cake, we had three additional smaller cakes (vanilla, chocolate and red velvet) from a local bakery. I then found the ‘Mr & Mrs’ cake topper on Etsy from Paper Treats.
We can’t say the lead up to the day wasn’t without any stress; two weeks before our wedding, we received the news that my mother might not make it to our wedding. She has been battling cancer for years and had recently taken a turn for the worse. With unbelievable support from family and friends, we made it through and so did she. One of our favourite wedding moments was seeing my mother on the dance floor dancing late into the night.
We are so very grateful for all the love and support we received from all those around us. We will cherish this day forever.
Photography: Joel Bedford | Florist: Toast Events | Wedding Gown: Anna Campbell | Cakes: Artistic Cake Design | Bridesmaids' Dresses: RenzRags | Make Up: Pro Makeup Group- Sommer Mhbonu | Hair: Lori Dyck Showpony | DJ: Dwight Grant (aka DJ Mellow Dee) | Tuxes: Moore's Clothing | Celebrant: Patti Koeslag | Ceremony Musicians: Capital Strings | Decor Rental: Amy & Jen | Floral Arrangements: Elizabeth Munro | Flowergirl Dress: John Lewis | Reception Venue + Ceremony: National Gallery Of Canada