Real Wedding, Alex + Matt, Kingston, Ontario

Seriously you guys, I feel so blessed to have developed relationships with several of the brides that I worked with this past year.  I wish I lived closer to these ladies so it was more feasible to meet in person, but regardless, I feel like I've come to know them well enough that when we do meet one day it will be like greeting an old friend. 

Alex is no exception. I need to convince her to come back down to the South for vacation (she honeymooned in Savannah, GA) and visit. I promise to have some Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka waiting for you (after baby P comes, of course). Thanks so much for sharing your day with us, and for being so patient in how long it took me to post up here. :)

From Alex: 

I work as a festival/event planner full-time so I came into wedding planning, luckily, with a good understanding of what had to get done and in what order.   This worked out to my advantage but also changed some things about the way I approached my wedding.  Because I plan and carry out events every day, I wanted everything to be as stress-free as possible.  I didn’t want to feel like I was working the day of my wedding – I wanted to be able to relax and enjoy the day.

I am a big believer in leaving as many things as possible to the pro’s.  I don’t design flowers everyday – the florist does.  I don’t take photos everyday – the photographers do.  The same goes for cake baking, invitation making and any of those other things that I was hiring people to do.  I had a pretty good/specific idea of what I wanted and then let them take the lead.  For my flowers I said I wanted “tight” bouquets.  I described the overall shape and let her figure out what flowers best fit with that vision.   She was amazing.  Leanne (the florist) asked me what colour the bridesmaids and groomsmen were wearing, what my dress looked like, where the wedding was taking place, etc.  From this it was obvious she knew what she was doing and after seeing her mock-up bouquet, I knew I was dealing with someone who would not let me down.  The end result was spectacular!

A lot of weddings tend to look the same.  They follow a pretty set pattern of church/dinner/dance.  We were okay with our wedding looking like others for the most part (as long as it was easy!) but we did want to incorporate some details into the day to make it more our own.  It all started when Matt and I fell in love with a wedding topper on Etsy.  All you have to do is find one thing on Etsy and about a dozen other things will follow.

When it comes to “leaving it to the pros” I can not encourage this more than when choosing a photographer.  Our photographers, Winding Violets, went above and beyond in everything they did.  From making us feel more comfortable in front of the camera during the engagement session, to meeting with us before the wedding to go over the day, to capturing everything absolutely as it unfolded.  Every time I flip through our wedding photographs I am transported back to that exact place, time and feeling.  Winding Violets captured it perfectly and for that I could not be more grateful.  My biggest piece of wedding planning advice?  Find the best photographer in your area (or beyond – Winding Violets will travel!) and hire them right away.  You will never regret a cent spent on your wedding photos.

The best part of the day was just spending time with people we loved.  I was so happy we were able to go around to each of the tables during dinner.  Because our table was served first, we were able to eat and then mingle for the rest of the course.  Our guests may have appreciated it but we enjoyed it more!  It was so nice to see everyone… we spent that time mainly cracking jokes and getting more hugs.  You can never have too many hugs!

Matt and I had an amazing day.  The next morning we were lying in bed and he turned to me and said, “I did not expect to have that much fun.”  We had a blast. It was all of our favorite people in the world in one place – how could we not?  Everyone says “it’ll all go by so fast” and “you won’t have time to catch your breath” but I disagree.  We had a fantastic day full of great moments.  We had time to ourselves and we had time with friends and family.  We relaxed and enjoyed every moment.   We even managed to get a little tipsy and dance the night away!  I wish I could go back and do it all over again.

Thank you so much for sharing, Alex!!! Best wishes on your future together! xoxo
{all photos courtesy of Winding Violets}

Vendors:

Dress:  Mikaella Bridal purchased at Bridal Creations

Shoes:  Nine West & Birkenstock

Fur Stole: Vintage – borrowed from a dear, dear friend.

Groom’s Suit:  Chris James

Photography:  Winding Violets 

Wedding Cake:  Pan Chancho Bakery Fun fact!  Alex worked at this place for almost 7 years.

Flowers:  LSP Designs

Bride’s Jewels:  My friend Emmy at E.PIC made them for me. (She has some nice shots of the detail including the clasp with A+M on it)

Etsy Finds:

Clutches: Oatmeal Lace Design

Hair Comb:  Sara Libbey’s Jewelry 

Custom Cake Topper: Mud Cards

Ring Bearer Bowls:  Say Your Piece! 

Wedding Tree Guest “Book”:  LovliDay Wedding Designs

Kids Gifts: What Is A Grit & Lucy Jane Studio