D & B THEATRE ST JAMES MONTREAL WEDDING

This past summer we were privileged to have meticulously planned and designed Dana’s exclusive wedding in Montreal’s Old Port at the Theatre St.James’ Imperial Ballroom. The venue was like none I had ever seen before, formally being the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce built in 1907. The St James Theatre has been transformed into one of Montreal’s most prestigious event venues, complete with 70ft walls, marble floors and suspended stained-glass ceiling. My favourite feature includes the former bank vault where we hosted our champagne bar.

Owners Ezio Carosielle & Luisa Sassano have protected this heritage gem, restoring and impeccably maintaining it over the years. Among the St James, Ezio and Luisa also have Theatre Rialto and are currently renovating a gorgeous church- newly minted as the Theatre Cartier due to open sometime in the near future.

My first site visit was in winter of 2017, this gorgeous brunette arrived draped in a beautiful vintage fur coat. #Queen. We toured the property, looked at all possible event spaces, staging areas and chatted logistics on lighting such a large space and designing a proportionate floor plan. During our conversations she point to the balcony on the second floor overlooking the main reception space and said- “And that’s where we are going to do our thank you speech and bouquet toss.” #died #queenx2 #areyoumystwin? Suffice to say this venue was a blank canvas with endless possibilities. In the end we deiced to fill the entire space with only candles. In person it was a scene out of a 1940’s Vogue Magazine and was beautifully captured by Joel & Justyna Photography . To be honest I’m not sure any guests realized there wasn’t a flower in sight as our main objective was to highlight the architecture of the building through the twinkle of the light reflecting through our 100 crystal candelabras.

Logistically the design was challenging in terms of- we flipped the main event space in 45mins. It’s these types of weddings I live for…. and also almost die for lol…. since I typically have multiple mini heart attacks while planning a seamless transition. Only the best vendors can accomplish the tasks I set forth before them and Wedecor came through without skipping a beat. This all goes to show- we can plan, design, decorate etc literally anywhere, no matter the logistics or complexities. So if you’re planning a wedding in another city-if you have the right planning, design and installation team of vendors, anything is possible.

Dana’s wedding day was absolutely perfect. We arrived onsite at 10am to begin set-up for a 4pm ceremony. Our core planning team of 3 were on our toes until 1am while working with over 15 vendors with a total over 120 staff to manage throughout the day. I’d like to personally thank Wedecor, Brera Catering from Montreal, the wonderful tech & event specialist team at Theatre St.James, Joel & Justyna Photography, Reno Video, Makeup Artist Jaquie Pogue, Hair Stylist Tara Kieran and Primetime Entertainment for their commitment in making Dana’s dream come true. Your dedication for perfection does not go unnoticed and I am forever grateful for having worked with such a great team of vendors.

So without further ado, enjoy the collection of images bellow.

xo

Elise

E + R PICTON WEDDING AT THE DRAKE DEVONSHIRE

This blog post is pretty fitting being International Women’s Day, as Erin is one of the most unique souls I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. To me, Erin represents what it means to really know yourself and to be true to yourself. She owns her uniqueness which I find so much more admirable in a society that tells you to be a certain way.

She’s the only person I know that can pick the ugliest sweater off a rack, tie it with a belt and look so chic. - sister of the bride

If I looked in my magic ball right now I would probably see Erin siting in-front of her computer working on a landscape design sipping herbal tea with her Siamese cat Greg by her side or out and about vintage shop hopping.

I’ve known Erin since she was 13- my younger sisters best friend. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the once young girl grown into an amazing woman who I not only call a friend but a “sister”. I have to admit that there was a time where there was a little bit of jealousy that Erin wasn’t my best friend. #truth. Erin, I know you’re reading this- I love you sis! (wipes single tear from eye) lol

Okay- so back to what y’all are here to see!

Erin & Ryan chose 30 of their closest family and friends for their intimate wedding in Picton, Prince Edward County.

I arrived in Picton at around 10 am to find all her favourite people getting ready with her in her suite. It was really refreshing to see her surrounded by only the ones she loved, my sister Caroline doing her hair, my other sister Engelina doing her makeup with close photographer friends Viktor capturing every moment. Sadly I missed the bridal parties morning yoga session on the balcony but quickly busied myself by displaying her custom wedding dress on the bodice I had brought and arranging her flat lay’s to be photographed. Among Erin’s details- her wedding invitations where hand drawn by my sister, she had a gorgeous dried floral crown and fresh floral ring designed by Minim Designs. I should note here that Erin is extremely creative and talented- she designed her own wedding dress and afterparty dress with Tracey of Tav Creations cutting the patterns and bringing her vision to life.

Their ceremony was held aside the shores of Lake Ontario on the foundation of what used to be Lakeshore Lodge on the southend of Sandbanks beach. It was once the most popular lodge and dance hall in the 1950’s until it burned down 1983. This space held special meaning for Erin as vacationed in the area during her childhood and often walked past this site as a little girl.

Her reception was held in The Cube at the Drake Devonshire. Her flowers were hand-picked perennials from Kristina of Minim Designs garden. For months leading up to her wedding Erin collected eclectic coloured vintage glasses and vases for her tablescape with the exception of purchasing auburn komboucha bottles. Everything about Erin’s wedding was custom and personal to her in a way that can never be duplicated.

In my experience, personalized intimate weddings like these are very rare. The attention to detail, the intention and forethought in the whole experience is unique in itself and can only come to fruition on a small scale. The insight provided in this brief blog post only begins to describe how special this wedding was and what the true meaning of celebration is. It’s something I wish for all my clients. So, without further ado, here is a collection of images from Erin & Ryan’s intimate wedding.

DO YOU WANT TO WORK ON YOUR WEDDING DAY?

Do you want to work on your wedding day? Or would you rather feel like a guest at your own wedding?

That's the only question you need to ask yourself when considering a planner. I bet I know the answer, and you do too. Don't become the stereotypical bride which after the fact, wishes she had had a planner. And I have to be honest. I cringe every-time I hear those words.

BUT MY GIRLFRIEND JUST GOT MARRIED AND SHE'S GOING TO HELP ME

You aren't your girlfriend. Her wedding also shouldn't be anything like yours. You have different priorities, likes and dislikes. Although your girlfriend is doing you a huge favour, she isn't working for YOU and her advice will only scratch the surface of what a planner really does behind the scenes.

 

MY MOM SAYS I DONT NEED ONE

Mama knows best right? But she won't be hanging up your decorations, checking to make sure your table linens aren't upside-down with the seams showing or making sure your rental company didn't short you on chairs. And if she says she'll step up, I'll tell you right now, everyone had good intentions and thinks they have more time then they actually do. As all the small tasks and oups's add up the week of your wedding, your mother, groom and bridal party may not be taking the added stress with grace. 

 

MY FIANCE THINKS WEDDING PLANNERS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE

A huge benefit in having a wedding planner is peace of mind so you're not constantly thinking- did I forget something? Which has it's trickle down effects to the people around you. Especially those who you naturally go to for support. Cue fiance. Yup, it's normally his job to calm the waters, reassure you everything is going to be okay when it's not. But what happens when he's sick of hearing about your wedding planning? Or has a small tinge of- we should have just eloped, type of vibe. It taints the whole process, and darn it! - wedding planning is supposed to be fun! And with a planner, it's our strict mandate that you ONLY get to do the fun stuff. Our team is here to support you, send you 3d mock ups of your floor plan because your mother in law just can't understand your vision or take that late-night call when you've had a mini bridal party meltdown. 

THE RECIPE 

Stress of that nagging to-do list + the feeling that your always forgetting something + last minute errands to run on time you don't have + family asking you too many wedding questions... NOW throw in a few sleepless nights and a bad dream and voila!

You now wish your wedding day would just be over, before it's even begun.

So I ask you..

DO YOU WANT TO ORCHESTRATE THIS, ON YOUR WEDDING DAY?

Watch the video. You're welcome. And girl, just pick up the phone and call me ;) 

H+S WEDDING AT HORTICULTURE BUILDING W/ KYMBERLIE DOZOIS

ieHOLLY + SHAWN

What a dream client to work with. Holly's cool and chill vibe lasted from planning right through to her wedding day. Unlike any other venue in Ottawa, The Horticulture Buildings' unique industrial look and feel is always an opportunity to design something out-of-the-box that truly reflected Holly and Shawn on their wedding day. Simple, unfussy details with just the right amount of intrigue. There was an understated elegance about the day that Kymberlie Dozois captured so beautifully.

BEFORE & AFTER INDUSTRIAL WEDDING AT THE HORTICULTURE BUILDING

In popular demand, the Horticulture Building has been one of the toughest venues to reserve. Other than Zibbi, the Hort is the only other trending warehouse venue to accommodate a 200+ guest list.

This space leaves a lot to the imagination and with little to no help from the booking department at the City of Ottawa- a planner is almost essential in navigating permits, rentals, catering, space access and liaison to city staff and security on your wedding day. 

We're no stranger to Landsdowne, as we've planned their largest wedding to date in the Aberdeen Pavillion as well as several other weddings in the Horticulture Building.

So here's the space you have.  And it comes with some tables and chairs and no garbage bins-note to catering ;)

A gorgeous blank slate where you can hold your ceremony and reception with cocktails on the patio. Separate catering entrance and work stations located at the back of the space. All patio doors open.

HOLLY & SHAWNS TRANSFORMATION

We started planning H+S's wedding back in late 2015. The perfect example of a client who stated their vision then said -- run wild! Now I wouldn't say we went crazy by any means, but we kept the decor chic and minimalistic.

 

INITIAL VISION

LAYOUT

We included a ceremony in the front half of the space which had never been attempted before which left city staff skeptical. The ceremony turned out perfectly and were able to re-purpose the ceremony floral arch behind the head table.

BEFORE

AFTER

PHOTOGRAPHY: Kymberly Dozois

R+J Wedding at Le Belvedere

As the wedding seasons ramps down we can't help but look back and reflect on all our weddings this year. We were truly spoiled by working with some truly amazing clients and industry friends. I'm sad this 2016 chapter is closed but I am so excited for our 2017 and 2018 brides! 

R+J's wedding was oh-so romantic with a cliffside ceremony at Le Belvedere accompanied by a dream team of vendors. The execution was flawless and every thoughtful detail accounted for. But before I go all out about why this wedding was so amazing and the team behind - lets take a peak at their video! 

xoxo Elise

Further photo's and blog post to follow...

Planner: Elise of Toast Events
Photography: Union 11
Venue: Le Belvedere 
Floral Design: Erin at The Design Co Florals
Makeup: One Fine Beauty
Hair: Show Pony 
Sweets Table: Osso Sweet & Osso Beautiful 
Entertainment: Oxygen Entertainment  Videography: Up North