Sometimes you see a wedding and feel really jealous that 1. you weren’t invited and 2. aren’t the bride herself and real Stella York bride Krista is just that! A clean, classic and dreamy vibe were her style notes and we think she pulled it off perfectly. With the help of photographer Monique Pantel, Krista and Bret’s gorgeous wedding took flight. A simple yet very chic wedding dress by designer Stella York complimented her version and let her personal style shine on her big day. We love how this Canadian wedding feels personal, inviting and filled with love – three things every wedding should be. Congrats to the beautiful bride and her handsome groom! Oh and PS PLEASE invite us to the vow renewal!
From the bride:Â The most special memory was the ceremony- it was held outside and decorated by these beautiful lace and rose gold/gold dream catchers that I made with my wedding party (with guidance from my friend & designer/party planner Laura Fitzpatrick). A beautiful macrame backdrop adorned by the most breathtaking florals by Broadway Florist added to the classic, fresh and dreamy vibe. When I walked out with my parents to Garrett Neiles singing, the sun shining I just took a moment to look out at everyone I loved; my bridesmaids (lifelong friends- some from Kindergarten!) looking like beautiful angels at the end of the aisle, our puppy Norman (who walked down the aisle), Bret smiling and looking more handsome than I have ever seen him (and he is VERY handsome) was standing with his groomsmen (including my two brothers) beside him and it truly all felt like a beautiful dream and a moment I will never forget. The ceremony was officiated by a dear friend so her words were so personal and deep. My best friend Jaime read a passage from my favorite novel, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Bret’s vows blew me away. I have always thanked the universe for bringing Bret to me and being able to say those words in front of all the people I love was truly magical.
The wedding was just the dreamiest celebration of love! We both love nature and being outside so we wanted a venue that was full of greenery & luckily Bret’s aunt & uncle agreed to host our day on their beautiful property with horses and a picturesque tree line framing our reception tent. We wanted our love for each other and our gratitude to “our people” to shine through so we tried to add special touches for our guests, like beer koozies with our puppy Norman’s face & our wedding date as favours, along with Bret’s mom’s “famous” habanero jelly, we had custom made (wood) games for the guests to play during cocktail hour (Jenga and a giant connect 4), a scotch and cigar bar along with live music and LOTS of food and drink. We had Garrett Neiles and his band play for the first portion of the night and a DJ play for the second- this way our dance floor literally stayed packed the entire night. In keeping with our nature theme we had Rudy’s create a farm to table family-style meal that consisted of (when possible;e) fresh, local delicious items such as cauliflower gratin, pickerel with Brussel sprouts house-made sausage, beef tenderloin with braised cabbage and a matcha cheesecake (food and music were very important to us as we wanted our guests to have a great evening celebrating with us!).
We both knew that we wanted our wedding to be first and foremost a celebration of love and not only love between the two of us but also for everyone who attended. When possible, we chose to use vendors/people that we knew for our wedding day so that we were surrounded by friends and family throughout the entire process. Our amazing photographer, Monique Pantel, our incredible DJ Karli Colpitts, the outstanding caterers Rudy’s Food and Drink, my best friend Jaime Nosworthy who designed all the stationary leading up to and on the day of the wedding, my dear friend Tess Klachefsky who officiated our day and even the location at aunt Karen and uncle Ron’s beautiful property, Kelli Miller of Sugarblossom Jewelry who made the bridesmaids gifts (custom made bracelets) – these were all close friends or family friends and this truly made all the difference in the world. Everywhere we looked on the day of we felt so much love and saw people who were so full of joy- we had the utmost of confidence in every single person involved in our wedding and we would recommend this to any bride and groom to be as it adds an extra layer of love to your special day. The two comments we heard from all our guests were that it was “so us” and “so full of love”. That was the hugest compliment as you never want to get so lost in the process that the day gets away from what it is truly meant to be- committing to the love of your life in front of all the people you hold dear to you.
Another bit of practical advice I have is to hire a wedding planner. We utilized Melanie Parent Events for partial wedding planning- she was there to execute our vision and take the stress off of us; for a wedding on private property (meaning we had to do everything from scratch) this was a must and also helped us to keep the day as pure and as joyful as possible.
