A French Canadian wedding for the books! Real Stella York bride Valerie said “Yes” to her groom Guillaume in a sweet and emotional ceremony. Read on for more of the details!
The Proposal
After 8 years together, my husband organized a trip to Quebec City to ring in (pun intended) the New Year. After four magical days of cobblestone streets, sparkling snow and twinkling lights he asked me to marry him shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve. We went for a nice dinner and then went to watch the fireworks. Once the fireworks were over, we walked back to the hotel. I opened the door to find a trail of rose petals and candles leading to the bed. On the bed was a set-up with the custom engagement ring we designed using a heritage diamond passed down from Valerie’s great-great aunt and a picture frame from our home with a quote that read “Grow Old Along with Me, The Best is Yet to be”. He got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. We popped some champagne and toasted to a New Year and a new chapter.
Finding the Wedding Dress
As soon as we booked our vineyard venue, I knew I wanted a lace dress to keep my look soft and romantic. I must have tried on 30+ dresses, Princess, A-line, Fit & Flare, you name it – before finding THE ONE. My entourage knew #6238 was the one as soon as I put it on but I needed more convincing. I didn’t think I wanted any beading or bling but once this style was on, I couldn’t deny how the beading at the waist gave me a beautiful hourglass shape. I dreamed of a scalloped lace neckline and while this dress didn’t have it, my consultant suggested I customize it and held up a lace appliqué against the dress for me to see. At that moment, I knew that would make it perfect. I started crying the moment I saw my face in the mirror and I knew it was the one.
The Wedding Details
We were inspired by the rolling hills and lush greenery of the vineyard/orchard venue and wanted to play up the romantic theme. With this in mind, we opted for ivory, blush pink, greenery and touches of antique mauve and gold as our wedding colours. We selected a beautiful soft pastel floral print for the bridesmaid dresses that incorporated all of these colours. For decorations, we used a lot of greenery, glass, and mirror to keep the feel light, airy and whimsical. We knew we wanted the wedding feel very personal and be a reflection of who we are down to the smallest details. With this in mind, we set out to bring a personalized DIY-touch to every element. In the months before the wedding, we spent countless hours customizing everything from invitations and favours to table numbers and signage. Two of our favourite details was the seating chart and the wedding favours. For the seating chart, we opted for a wine bottle seating chart where each bottle has a custom label with the table number and the guests’ names. We loved that it was another excuse to infuse beautiful florals into the space and a touch of whimsy for the romantic vineyard theme. For our favours, we cut wood coasters from old trees on the groom’s family’s land and our guests really appreciated them.
The Best Part?
We both agree that our ceremony was the most special part of our day. From the bride’s emotional entrance, the tearful vow exchange, the tradition of the warming of the rings and the carefully selected passages – everything about our ceremony was deeply personal. One of our best friends officiated the ceremony so we were super involved in the entire process of drafting the ceremony, choosing the readings and penning the script. Every word and detail reflected us as a couple and the bond that we share. We loved the idea of involving our guests in our union so we passed our wedding bands around for our friends and families to warm them with their love and wishes for a happy marriage before placing them on each others’ finger. We also chose to have a bilingual (English/French) ceremony to honour both of our families. Everything was perfect.
