Minimalist Montreal Loft Wedding

Pre-pandemic a classic weddings began at around 120 guests upwards. But when the pandemic occurred we had no choice but to look into the future and re-image what a small intimate wedding would look and feel like. It was a lot of change in a small period of time, and at some points it challenged our industry to the breaking point.

It’s been three years now and we’re through the thick of it. The pandemic gave us small and intimate lavish affairs that burst with embellished details and weddings tailored to each couples own identity which made each wedding unique in its own right. Brides and Grooms invested in higher quality vendors and because of their smaller guest list embellished in gorgeous floralscapes, transformative event furniture and event strayed from the usual wedding format embracing rooftop cocktail parties, alfresco dining and estate events.

It doesn’t quite register with me that it’s now been 3 years since the pandemic. Enough of a time gap that it’s seriously changed the way brides and grooms plan and envision their weddings. I am sensing a new shift, but how it will materialize is still a mystery to me. Will it change our landscape forever? Or is this another transition into our new normal. All I know is that it’s 2023 and we’re here for the small intimate weddings and I want to see more creative weddings. And with that being said Im taking a look back at one of my favourite micro weddings from 7 years ago. It’s timeless and the location is still one of Montreal’s best kept secrets for small intimate loft-like weddings in the heart of Montreal. And I'm particularly proud to share it’s feature on Ruffled. 

Styling and Coordination: TOAST Events
Photography: Laura Kelly Photography 
Hair: Topknot 
Makeup: Klava Zykova 
Dress: The Handmade Bride 
Hairpiece: White Ribbon Accents
Earrings: Sarah Walsh Bridal Jewelry
Florals: Floralia 
Menswear: L'HEXAGONE
Rings: Stór by Margot 
Invitation Suite and Live Painting: LaFabère
Decor: Makin'It Lovely
Cake & Sweets: OSSO Sweet 
Videography: Up North Wedding Films
Models: Savanah and Kyle from Angie's Models 

BRITANNIA BEACH POP-UP PICNIC ELOPEMENT

This past week the lovely Intimate Weddings featured our Britannia Beach Pop-Up Picnic Elopement. And the story behind this shoot is really a true testament on how some of our best work comes together in the spur of the moment.

7pm the night before Laura Kelly Photography called me.

24hrs. That's all she gave me. 24hrs to come up with a last minute beach styling concept because the lovely Presh had extra blooms left from one of her gorgeous weddings. 

So I scrambled together my favorite props, made a bunch of phone calls for attire and jewels. Did we know exactly where at Britannia we were going to shoot? No. Did we bring any furniture with us? No. We simply brought all of our jazz onsite and literally- magic happened. I even made the stationary from scratch.....

I love these little collabs because with the right team it takes limited effort, the creativity is contagious and on the spot designing so much more thrilling. It's like opening a tickle trunk of treasures and making something beautiful with limited resources. 

So, I hope this last minute creative provides you with endless inspo! 

Emjoy :) 

COLLABORATORS

Styling: TOAST Events
Photography: Laura Kelly Photography
Makeup: One Fine Beauty
Dress: The Handmade Bride
Florals: Presh 
Decor: Amy & Jen Decor 

Minimalist Montreal Loft Wedding

Pre-pandemic a classic weddings began at around 120 guests upwards. But when the pandemic occurred we had no choice but to look into the future and re-image what a small intimate wedding would look and feel like. It was a lot of change in a small period of time, and at some points it challenged our industry to the breaking point.

It’s been three years now and we’re through the thick of it. The pandemic gave us small and intimate lavish affairs that burst with embellished details and weddings tailored to each couples own identity which made each wedding unique in its own right. Brides and Grooms invested in higher quality vendors and because of their smaller guest list embellished in gorgeous floralscapes, transformative event furniture and event strayed from the usual wedding format embracing rooftop cocktail parties, alfresco dining and estate events.

It doesn’t quite register with me that it’s now been 3 years since the pandemic. Enough of a time gap that it’s seriously changed the way brides and grooms plan and envision their weddings. I am sensing a new shift, but how it will materialize is still a mystery to me. Will it change our landscape forever? Or is this another transition into our new normal. All I know is that it’s 2023 and we’re here for the small intimate weddings and I want to see more creative weddings. And with that being said Im taking a look back at one of my favourite micro weddings from 7 years ago. It’s timeless and the location is still one of Montreal’s best kept secrets for small intimate loft-like weddings in the heart of Montreal. And I'm particularly proud to share it’s feature on Ruffled. 

Styling and Coordination: TOAST Events
Photography: Laura Kelly Photography 
Hair: Topknot 
Makeup: Klava Zykova 
Dress: The Handmade Bride 
Hairpiece: White Ribbon Accents
Earrings: Sarah Walsh Bridal Jewelry
Florals: Floralia 
Menswear: L'HEXAGONE
Rings: Stór by Margot 
Invitation Suite and Live Painting: LaFabère
Decor: Makin'It Lovely
Cake & Sweets: OSSO Sweet 
Videography: Up North Wedding Films
Models: Savanah and Kyle from Angie's Models 

ERIKA & JASON : MUSEUM OF NATURE

What's this I see? Erika + Jason's 2015 wedding in my blog "drafts"?. Impossible I think to myself...

I will admit it's been a while since we've been at the Museum of Nature, once our stomping grounds a few times a month. So falling across this gorgeous wedding shot by Joel & Justyna of Joel Bedford Photography made my day! And come to think of it the first wedding we planned at the Museum of Nature was way back in 2012 was with these same awesome photographers. 

I remember Erika emailing me in the March before her wedding. Her email was simple. "I'm freaking out, am I forgetting something? I feel like I'm not doing enough." Naturally I laughed and said, "Welcome to the world of having a wedding planner!". My best and happiest clients give me complete trust. The trust that I will design, plan and execute their wedding with quality vendors that inspire them. They also don't overthink or overcomplicate. And these two cat loving hipsters embodied what I wish every Toast planning experience would be. 

Champagne, Roses & Love Notes

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way -Pablo

I've been teasing my Instagram followers for a little over a week now with teasers from a shoot I styled back in spring with was just released as a 6 page spread in the Ottawa Wedding Magazine.

For this shoot to be published, the Editor had some specific requirements which she wanted to provide readers.

So as you can well imagine, I and all collaborating vendors had quite the task at hand. Since this shoot was primarily laid out before us, the real devil was in the details with the main question of - how do we convey a romantic feeling with the request of a more youthful shoot? And how do we tie two very different stories together? Let me tell you it wasn't easy and I still begrudgingly feel like I somewhat missed the mark. So let me break it down as to how we chose to represent these 4 requirements at hand.

Champagne Saucer Known by champagne aficionados as the Coup, to me, evokes connotations of popular romantic eras and luxury. With this detail I hopped to create a feeling of remoteness from everyday life and a little bit of an aristocratic influence.

Naked Cake was an initial ask by the Editor as a "new cool non-traditional" cake. To me, I've had clients for the last three years request and have naked cakes. So how can I take this "relatively" new idea and put a fresh twist on it? Lightbulb! Semi naked cake with a sculpted fondant base adorned with hand painted calligraphy quote... Rosie from Osso Sweet delivered just that! 

next...

Como White Washed Charger. Craftmanship is also very important to me as a designer when selecting pieces. These handcrafted and hand-painted charger plates are made in Italy with techniques that date from the 13th century. An addition to envoke a more romantic feel by Plate Occasions.

Gold Cutlery The perfect pairing to continue our theme of a more mature sense of design aesthetic. 

Eclectic Chairs I always like to use a bold accent to grasp immediate attention from it's onlooker. I find chairs are a great conversation piece.  I often use different chairs when designing floor plans. Especially if my bride has expensive taste like me!

Floral Embellishment This detail is one of my standard go-to's when looking to soften the look of a stark object. I find small floral additions can add design continuity throughout any wedding or style shoot. Current obsession: Floral Drink Picks. Floral Reef 

Furniture is what I used to tie the boudoir to reception snaps hoping that it would make the shoot more congruent. 

Stationary.... another element I'm really crushing on. My clients will tell you, I always say, "Your invitation is your weddings first impression. This set's the tone for what your guests can expect on your wedding day". Working with Jessica from Ink Blossom is such a treat. She's always on point and I literally think she can read my mind. Not to mention, she exclusively hand draws most components in her invitations for a truly custom invite.

The transitional fashion pieces needed to be "one-of's". So naturally I call Meg from The Handmade Bride...  Our fashion pieces comprised of the boudoir rhinestone & tule overlay robette & custom dupioni raw silk bustiere, Maureen Patricia halter wedding dress, finishing with a dupioni cigarello pant & top. 

Linen can make or break your look. It can either look too heavy, no existent, busy or way too metallicy. (that's probably not a word).. So for this shoot I grabbed 6 different table linens and napkins from Mastermind Events. I spent 30 minutes staring into the abyss before the shoot contemplating linen colours and coordination. I'm telling you, colour pallets are HARD! Naturally I chose Ivory sequence with the Icy Pink polyester napkin. Side note it's okay to use polyester! not everything has to be silk!! 

Hair & Makeup was flawlessly executed by Stephanie Richardson & 2BU Esthetics to embody a fresh, clean and simple effortless look. 

For this shoot we were also very fortunate to have Up North Wedding Films capture some great behind the scenes footage which I've uploaded before vendor credits.

Photographer: Jemman Photography

Stylist: Elise Schmitz, Toast Events

Florist: Floral Reef

Hair: Richardson Hair Design

Makeup: 2BU Esthetics

Accoutrements: The Handmade Bride

Venue: Le Belevedere

Stationary: Ink Blossom

Cakes & Sweet Table: Osso Sweet

Props: Amy & Jen Decor

Linen: Mastermind Events

Tuxedo: Surmesure

Models: MIM

Video: Up North Wedding Films

Table Top: Plate Ocassions

POP, FIZZ, CLINK!

It's kinda my thing. So any chance I'm extended the invitation to curate a party, well you don't have to ask, the answer is already, and always, YES!

And so the adventures of planning The Handmade Bride's grand opening of their gallery inspired flagship store began. Our main goal was to throw a chic party without the fuss and logistics of dealing with caterers, serving staff, bartenders, crazy rentals  etcetera, etcetera. But we needed to keep in mind not only what these fashion attendees would expect, but the fun factor, creative factor, charitable factor and the wow factor!

We decided to stay classy with a simple champagne bar, live mannequins - fun factor, a floral accouterment- the wow factor, a "Beyond the Veil" photobooth- fun factor  and an interactive painting station- the charitable factor,  where guests could, for a donation paint a live mannequins dress in support of Unicef's campaign against child labor.  

The evening was flawless. Over 40 attendees in the fashion & wedding industry perused our gorgeous live models, sipped champagne and left with a Beyond the Veil snap from MDNR photobooth.

Meaghan Brunetti, Owner of The Handmade Bride 

PHOTOGRAPHY: Jonathan Kuhn Photography

MAKEUP: Klava Zykova

HAIR: Top Knot 

GOWNS: The Handmade Bride

FLORAL ACCOUTERMENTS: Presh Florals

PLANNING & STYLING: Toast Events

PHOTO BOOT: Modern Photo Booth

CATERING: Gourmet Cuisine

RENTALS: Mastermind Events

Comfy & Cozy Boudoir

Recently I've been doing a lot of styling. I just can't help myself - I love beautiful things, sprucing up areas and just all around refreshing everything and anything. So when Meg from the Handmade Bride told me she was doing a Boudoir shoot, I just had to get involved. 

The thing I liked most about this particular shoot was the emphasis on building a "comfy and cozy" environment to allow participants to feel more at ease and among friends. There was champagne, fruit & croissants upon arrival, with a professional makeup artist Klava Zykova, jewelry and lacy embellishments to enhance their experience from The HandMade Bride and of course the lovely Katie Soulier or KJS Photography.

Fingers crossed that The Handmade Bride will be hosting many more of these!

Photographs provided by KJS Photography