I love the romantic feel of this wedding. From the softness of the wedding dress, to the warm glow of candles to the abundant ivory colored flowers. Nicolle and Steven’s night was gorgeous, warm and inviting. Here’s more to inspire the Romantic in you.
Nicolle and Steven | October 10, 2009 |Toronto, Ontario
How he proposed
I’m not one for surprises – it makes me nervous not knowing what’s going on! So when Steve said he was taking me out for a nice dinner for my 30th birthday, I had a feeling my birthday wouldn’t be the only thing we’d be celebrating that night. After a lovely dinner, Steve drove to the spot where we first met, the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition (a yearly fair that takes place in Toronto). I can’t say I was completely shocked when he got out of the car and got down on one knee, but it was still one of the happiest moments in my life.
The ceremony
We were married in a beautiful local church that I’ve been attending now for over 5 years. It was a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony.
The reception
We got married on October 10, so the air was already crisp and cool, and it was dark by 6 p.m. at night. I knew I wanted the look and feel of our reception to be warm, inviting and elegant, however I’ve never been a fan of traditional ‘fall’ colours like red, orange, yellow etc. I really like brown, and decided that this was going to be my main colour, accented with greens and ivory.
I also decided to do something a little non-traditional for the head table, and went with a design called ‘Kings Table’, meaning the table was a large square with seating on three sides, and the cake table at the front. I asked my decorator to fill the table with green and ivory flowers and candles to give it that warm glow. The centrepieces were tall vases with a ball of mixed hydrangeas and roses at the top, and ivory-coloured hanging amaranthus.
I’ve been to Cuba a number of times, and it’s one of my favourite places. Couple that with the fact that my husband loves to smoke cigars, we decided to hire a local cigar supplier to come and handroll cigars for our reception guests.
The moment from your wedding/reception that you will never forget
I would have to say my favourite moment was our first dance as husband and wife (to Sade’s ‘By Your Side’). It’s been a song we’ve loved for years and it was a wonderful moment to be able share together.
What was it about your wedding dress that made the “the one”
I knew that my Monique Lhuillier dress was for me the moment I tried it on because I know my body
type and know exactly what suits me. I have zero curves, and knew I needed something that tied at the natural waist and flowed slightly from this point. Also, because I’m very petite, I couldn’t get something that was too pouffy and overwhelmed my frame.
But what sold me on my dress was the back. The satin tie, the gathers, the buttons, the beading…it all just fit. Plus, I”ve always been a fan of Monique Lhuillier’s designs and ALWAYS gravitated towards her wedding designs in magazines.
Advice for other brides
I only have two pieces of advice for other brides. The first would be to do your research when it comes to vendors. I hastily booked my photographer right away because it was the same photographer who did my sister’s wedding. However, after I saw a friend’s wedding pictures, I absolutely fell in love with her stylish photos that looked like they could have been in a magazine, but couldn’t bring myself to paying more for another photographer and losing my original deposit. Don’t get me wrong – I’m happy with my photos, but if I hadn’t jumped the gun I might have seen the other photos first and been aware of everything that was out there.
My second piece of advice would be to write your speech, or at the very least jot down notes to keep you on track of what you want to say. My husband and I thought we could wing our thank-you speech but the day gets overwhelming, you have a glass of champagne or two….and you inevitably end up forgetting some very important people.
