IT IS DEFINITELY NO SECRET THAT INTIMATE WEDDINGS ARE MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE

Something about saying your vows surrounded by only a handful of people who have been so vital to the strength of your relationship has always seemed so appealing to me. Ashley and Mat did exactly that during their Vineland Estates Winery Wedding! This day was one of the most thoughtful and intentional wedding days that I have ever been a part of. When taking those first steps into the chapel just moments before the became husband and wife, it was absolutely impossible to ignore how much warmth and love was present in the room.

 

FROM THE BRIDE, ASHLEY…

Looking back on our wedding day, I’m immediately brought back to all of the most colourful and rich moments of my life. My husband, Mat, and I opted for a very private and intimate wedding amongst only a handful of our loved ones in the most beautiful setting of Vineland Estates in Niagara, Ontario. Being a proud florist myself, I made so many decisions throughout the planning process that I am so thankful for and that really made our day more special than I could have imagined!

Our ceremony and reception space was beautiful but very dark, with stunning timber beams, stone walls, and ornate chandeliers, giving it a seriously nostalgic quality. I knew bright, or contemporary colours would clash with the vibe, so throughout planning our decor I tried to keep with a more muted colour palette and subtle gold accents to bring out the warmth in the space!

 

BEING A FLORIST MYSELF, I HAD A REALLY CLEAR VISION OF WHAT MY DAY WOULD LOOK LIKE.

I ended up creating all of the arrangements myself with the help of my incredibly talented mother and colleague Taryn and couldn’t have imagined them more beautifully if I tried! The hanging flower circles at the window of our ceremony and reception space were an ambitious project I had been contriving for months, and I they turned out exactly as I had imagined!

I tried to put my own spin on things with tiny shoe flowers for myself, and sexy flower cuffs instead of corsages for our sexy mamas. I am proud to say that I designed and constructed my 3 wedding signs using old frames, cheeky words, a bit of paint (and a LOT of patience). The wedding cake was a special gift my mother-in-law ordered from Sweet Philosophy for us. It was absolutely stunning and so perfect! Everything tied together so beautifully with the addition of my wedding dress, which was a Patricia Bonaldi dress I ordered online and then had customized in alterations by removing the back and adding a train!

 

SINCE OUR WEDDING WAS SO SMALL AND INTIMATE, WE PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT AND INTENTION INTO WHO WE SELECTED AS VENDORS FOR OUR DAY.

We absolutely loved having Kayla as our photographer. She was so down to earth, easy, breezy, and sweet. She even held my thousand pound bouquet while I tied the silk ribbon around it because everyone else was busy in the heat of the moment. My husband, (it’s still fresh and thrilling to say it out loud) famously doesn’t like getting his picture taken. It’s a sweet quirk and I love him for it, but Kayla was so good with him, and he was so relaxed, that you would never know it! Your photographer is one of the vendors who will spend the most amount of time with you on the wedding day, so making sure that they are a good fit is so important!

The most standout moment for me was walking down the aisle during our ceremony. The doors to the old stone and mortar Carriage House burst open to reveal a slow-motion spectacle. The flowers softly illuminated every space they inhabited. The violin string duo pulled my heart towards my handsome groom, and also pulled the tears from our eyes. I could feel my father’s strong arm in mine, but couldn’t take my eyes off my own heart standing in front of me. The love of my life. It lasted only a few seconds, and I breathed it all in. I will never forget the weight of that moment and even though we had a first look, it was still such an impactful moment that I will always cherish. Everybody always told me the day would fly by. So, I made a concerted effort to soak in every moment. And I did. And the day didn’t fly by. It was wondrously long. I made sure I appreciated every second.