And of course, the reception... give us the 411!

After the ceremony, guests headed to the courtyard where they were greeted with Black Currant Spritzers upon arrival. A Victorian-inspired lounge area complete with a French daybed, ornate candelabras, gauzy linens, and antique-framed paintings cast on the trunks of sweeping Austrian pine trees, offered a mesmeric old-world place for guests to sit and mingle. The once-upon-a-time outdoor setting was solely curated by my mom who ardently collects antique furniture and exquisite family heirlooms. She has an impeccable vision when it comes to creating magic!

When the reception started, guests were directed to their tables by a hand-calligraphed seating chart on a large antique mirror resting on an easel. Our tent entrance opened to an alluringly layered scene of nature and nostalgia. There were so many lovely details to be delighted by. Vintage crystal chandeliers, sparkling with the spirit of past celebrations, hung from high and wild foliage grew up tent posts to intertwine the worlds of the outdoors and indoors. Chiavari chairs pulled up to long tables that were adorned in linens with growing florals and trailing garland, blush-tapered candles, gold silverware, and taupe glassware edged in gold. Guests had views from all angles of the surrounding cherry trees and vineyards. We toasted and celebrated meaningful words from our families. Dinner was designed to incorporate lots of seasonal vegetables and for dessert, we devoured strawberry short cake with coconut whip, local sparkling from Kew Vineyards, and our all-time favourite *rosé from Henry of Pelham Estate Winery.*

Our wedding cake and cake pop favours were created by the outstanding Nadia & Co. The cake was a three-tier blush fondant, pink vanilla cake with *rosé* ganache and strawberries. (Strawberries were a recurrent theme as they were ripe and in season at the end of June!).

During golden hour, Andrew and I had our sparkler-lit first dance to ‘Kiss Me’, by Ed Sheeran. We had been going to dance classes for 4 months prior but did not foresee the large obstacle of dancing with a tulle-layered gown! Nonetheless, I got my ‘princess moment’, with a fairy-tale lift and spin while our family and friends cheered us on.

To follow our dance, we were greeted by Obi, the white horse, for a stroll through the vineyards at sunset. We danced the evening away and ended the night curled up next to fire pits, drinking champagne and singing our hearts out to an acoustic set list under the stars, by our fantastic band, The Mad Hatters. Our guests loved this intimate component to our wedding and felt as though the it was perfect conclusion to such a spectacular day.