Tuscan Inspired Wedding at Chateau Laurier

We are so excited to feature our very own lead planner Brittany’s wedding which was recently on the front page of Style Me Pretty!

Wherever she ventures, Brittany always carried a touch of Italy in her heart, and her wedding day was a true testament to this. The fusion of her love for Tuscany's charm and the pursuit of life's exquisite pleasures permeated every aspect of the event. From the beautifully whitewashed wooden furniture to the enchanting floral arrangements, linen textiles, and meticulously crafted invitations, every detail reflected a sense of romance and sophistication. The imported tableware added an authentic European touch, leaving the guests with a feeling of being transported to the heart of Italy.

We collaborated tirelessly with Brittany and Pollen Nation to carefully select the precise floral ingredients for her arrangements, aiming for an abundant display of delicate, lace-like textured blooms. Her vision encompassed an array of Queen Anne's Lace, Astilbe, Heather, and freshly cut Savila Lace Hydrangeas. These unique flowers were not readily available from flower farms, so they were skillfully foraged from gardens, adding a touch of exclusivity to the arrangements. The resulting designs featured fluffy, airy compositions that resembled the organic act of strolling through one's own garden and hand-picking blooms, foliage, and vines along the way. It was a beautiful amalgamation of seasonal flowers, deliberately crafted to capture a perfectly imperfect aesthetic.

In a heartfelt tribute to their beloved companion, Lenny, Brittany and Scott commissioned a talented sketch artist from Wish Tree Invitations to craft a charming illustration of their cherished puppy. This endearing portrayal of Lenny became an integral part of their special day, adorning their cocktail napkins and embodying his presence in spirit. It was a touching gesture that allowed them to honor their furry friend and infuse their wedding celebration with a sense of warmth and love.

Brittany firmly embraces the philosophy of indulging in life's luxuries, cherishing each moment and sparing no expense in the pursuit of joy. This mindset permeates every aspect of her life, including her profound love for fashion, evident in her meticulously selected attire and accessories for the day. From her exquisite Miu Miu clutch and elegant Manolo Blahnik heels to the meticulously engraved ring boxes, every detail has been carefully chosen to align with the storyline of her special day. Brittany's wardrobe changes throughout the evening further exemplify her passion for fashion and her desire to curate a memorable experience for herself and her guests.

Venue: @fairmontlaurier Coordination: @toast.events Photography: @laceandluce Cinematography: @upnorthweddingfilms

Floral: @wearepollennation

Decor: @wedecor_tm

Decor: @joesprophouse

Tabletop Dinnerware: @simplybeautifuldecor

Cake: @thegirlwiththemostcakeottawa

DJ: @rayray_oxygen_entertainment Hair: @showponyhair

Makeup: @onefinebeauty

Invitations: @wishtree_invites Wedding Attire: @galialahav

Before & After: A Ottawa Wedding Transformation Like No Other

I first met with Samantha and Amin back in the summer of 2013 at small coffee shop in New Edinburg. Little did I know this potential client was about to give me carte blanche for what would be the most amazing concept to creation a planner could have ever dreamed of at a super exclusive venue. A space which will only ever see one wedding. Samantha & Amin’s.

When I first walked into the reclaimed church Amin & Samantha has chosen for their wedding venue I could immediately see the space transforming in front of my eyes. I've been asked about my creative process, and it's something I can't quite put into words. The best I can explain, it's like walking into a space- closing your eyes, and reopening them to see the space completely transformed by my creative vision. As I walk through spaces I can see them transforming almost as if I am in the future present wedding day.

The church itself had been gutted with no immediate plans for any renovations or improvements. Patchy paint, green stained parliamentary looking carpets, 60 scattered unhinged pews, no washrooms or running water. The church in day-light looked weathered. But at night it emanated character of an age gone by and an old world ambiance almost as if you were in transported to little Italy. 

The opportunities this church in shambles provided were endless and by the time we walked out of the space I knew exactly every design element and the vendors needed to make this an absolutely gorgeous wedding. The work in front of me was tremendous. It would take painters, carpet cleaners, movers and a dedicated team of vendors to transform this space. And the parents of the Bride and Groom were skeptical, and I was up to the challenge!

CURATED DESIGN PROFILE

Before I take you on the journey of this wedding transformation and we delve into the before and after pictures, we should begin with the vision. Our Design Profile we created for Samantha & Amin in 2014. This was great way to provide a glimpse into the future of how our initial style boards come translate to "the day of". 

I do have a very specific process of how we plan and design a wedding. The very first thing we do is establish concept and priorities, solidify venue, then move into design, choose a photographer who will document the wedding according to the clients overall design and style, and lastly secure reputable vendors to ensure a strong cohesive look and feel based on intention and fore-thought can be brought to life. For this we need strong visuals to convey our thoughts. And that's just the beginning. Below is a small snippet of what our Design Profile looked like in 2013. As you can imagine- things are very different 10 years later in 2023.

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About our design

CHURCH PEWS

Since the "church" was now desacralized everything was fair game. This meant we could use the space however we wanted. During our meeting Samantha said something that really resonated with me which unintentionally became the driving force behind our design. She said, her grandmother always wanted her to have a church wedding, but that she herself did not want a traditional "churchy" wedding. It was almost like a light bulb when off inside my mind.......no nuptials inside the church.....we're going to bring all the pews outside on the lawn and we’ll mary on the steps leadings up to the church. She loved the idea! Little did I know the groom was a New Yorker and didn’t enjoy the outdoors and more specifically bugs.... good thing I'm a great convincer!

BANNERS

I tend to pride myself in incorporating a unique design element which I like to call the "Piece de Resistance" that will leave a lasting impression with guests. Something slightly extravagant and unlike anything else you've seen at a generic wedding. on the furthest right picture below you will see unsightly purple banners. I turned these into suspended waterfall florals with hanging candles. An ethereal floating element that would not only enhance the space but capture the guests attention in the evening with its glowing candlelight.

SUBTLE GRAND ENTRANCE

As our official altar and entrance to the venue was a bit baren. I didn’t want an extravagant floral arch as we too commonly see. So we created an asymmetrical climbing vine to soften and accentuate the doorway. It was so perfectly designed, guests thought it was part of the landscape and had been growing there for years.

LAST MINUTE SURPRISE 

Two weeks before the wedding the groom spontaneously requested some sort of entertainment.. “like maybe some fire dancers."

My reaction.... "Ummm what?!. lol let me ponder on that for a bit!". 

My thought process thereafter: fire + old church divided by insurance = what better options may we be able to incorporate… interpretive dancers in glow in the dark costumes- was that even a thing? Aerial Silks.

But this generated a new problem; space was tight and I needed to find a creative way to incorporate a 20ft structure into the venue without it looking like an eye-soar. It also had to be dismantled before the night was over with guests still milling about and I personally hate moving things while guests are using the same space as it’s disruptive. This structure was a couple hundred pounds and took 45 mins to set up and would equally take as long to be taken down. If you look closely in the picture to your right, you will see that I situated the acro structure at the back of the venue right in front of the main doors. I took a huge risk in its ultimate placement but I also felt like a genius when every guest walked into the space underneath this structure but only noticed it's presence when it was show time.

Below you can see more of the the space before and after our transformation.

FUTURE RECEPTION AREA

ALTER BEFORE DANCE FLOOR TRANSFORMATION

RECEPTION AREA WITH PEWS REMOVED

ALTER WE REMOVED FOR DANCE FLOOR

Fast forward to the wedding day, dinner is coming to a close and the skeptical parents I mentioned before presented themself at our vendor table graciously imploring our efforts as they could not believe their eyes and how we had transformed the space. They thanked us for making them feel as though they had taken a flight and were celebrating their children’s wedding in Europe.

Full gallery captured by Joel & Justyna below

THEIR STORY UNFOLDS

WEDDING PLANNER: Toast Events, Elise Schmitz, Madison Kelly, Victoria Denofrio, Allie Darwin

CONCEPT & DESIGN: Elise Schmitz Toast Events 

DECORATOR & FLORIST: Wedecor

PHOTOGRAPHER: Joel Bedford Photography

CATERER: Tulips & Maple

OFFICIANT: Exceptional Ceremonies

LIMOUSINE: East Coast Limos

INVITATION: Minted

TABLE STATIONARY: Wedecor

CAKE: Thimbles Cakes

MAKEUP: Natalie Peachy

DJ: Marco Ferri Entertainment

AERIAL SILKS: Quality Entertainment (Montreal Acrobats)

SAN DIEGO STYLE ROOFTOP WEDDING AT OTTAWA ART GALLERY

A planned wedding in Greece. That reality started slipping away in the early stages of the Pandemic. All their dreams of a sunny elfresco wedding in Europe was but a glimmer. It was inevitable, the wedding had to be cancelled. Both Anastasi and Saam were respectively devastated and disheartened. Lost deposits and a painful feeling in their hearts they didn’t realistically feel that they could recreate their vision, and in, of all places- Ottawa while also living in Toronto.

Amidst the pandemic Anastasia & Saam re-grouped and started contacting vendors to help them celebrate their wedding day the best they could. But they were up against a Covid and the world had other plans. Newly updated restrictions without notice, grey areas of interpretation and guest safety was a major concern. Dancing was officially banned, while food and beverage was being served guests were to remain at their seats, masks to be worn if a guest left their designated seats, live performers had to be placed far from guests, 1 meter physical distance had to be maintained at all times, tables needed to be spread far apart, guests had to be seated in their own bubbles, contact lists needed to be formulated for contact tracing for guests and vendors alike, security was tight etc which continuously posed new challenges Anastasia and Saam didn’t have the strength to get through. The obstacles mounted and the murky logistics seemed like a never ending battle they weren’t prepared for. How could you possibly celebrate in such circumstances?

When Saam and Anastasia contacted us we could feel the tension in their voices, the mourning for their beautiful wedding in Greece. We had large shoes to fill. With the unknown ahead of us, we began planning their wedding in stages with a 2 month head start. The date changed numerous times, the amount of guests permitted changed based on our local health regulations and the work put forth was as if we were planning 4 weddings at once. There was a plan A-Z and I think at the end we were on plan W. Covid provided its own set of hurdles to overcome with short supply in vendor availability, constant price changes, scarce furniture rental ability, short supply of floral product, staffing shortages, and new costs associated to Covid cleaning procedures and food safety. All of these things played into how we would be able to design and plan their wedding. A spiderweb of complications which left all of use with extreme highs and lows. A roller coaster ride no one want to be on. Where was this silver lining everyone talks about?!?!

In over a decade of working in this industry, I had never had to deal with so many unknowns. In some respects it felt like this was the first wedding I had ever planned. Nothing was the same and every day had a new surprise which was completely out of our control. It took a lot of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, major discussions that were hard to have and a lot of personal favours called in to make this wedding happen as close to the clients vision as possible.

We personally had sleepless nights, mini anxiety attacks and mini fits of disbelief. But we pulled through and it made us strong for it. It’s an experience my team and I will not soon forget and a huge learning opportunity. It pushed us to the brink- but the reward of hearing “It was the best day of our life”made it ALL worthwhile.

I remember meeting with Saam and Anastasia after the wedding and the sheer joy they emitted was palpable. They explained that throughout the whole process they were skeptical of how they would actually feel on their wedding day having been robbed of the privilege in having their dream wedding in Greece. But, they explained, it was everything and more then what they would have expected for their dream wedding. It was incomprehensible how the day all came together and that their day was truly special in every way. Cloud 9.

And this only begins to scratch the surface of this wedding story….

Vendors:

Planning & Design Toast: Events

Photography: Lace & Luce

Venue: Ottawa Art Gallery

Florals & Decor: Wedecor  

Makeup Artist: Klava Z Beauty

Hair Stylist: Hair By Adamo

Cake: Girl With The Most Cake 

Caterer: My Catering Group

Entertainment: Luxe Duo 

Videography: Up North 

Entertainment: Shawn Marino 

DJ: Matt Ferguson 

Transportation: Antique Limo Services & Maestro Limousine

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K & M WEDDING CHATEAU LAURIER WEDDING

She’ll light up your life as soon as she walks into the room. Her inspiration and sunny outlook on life is infectious. But it has been a long and arduous road that led her here. But the path less taken is always one thousand times more fulfilling once you’ve finally arrived.

2016 was both the best and worst year of my life. I co-founded my second company, premiered a feature-length documentary film at the Obama White House, was named to Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul 100 list, moved to New York City and got engaged.

But behind the highlight reel, I was sick.

I had been diagnosed with cancer, and after my surgeries, just as I thought I was on the road to recovery, a neurological illness hit. I had to make the most difficult decision of my life. I left the company and I moved my life back home to Canada. I started from scratch.

It was the kindest thing I’ve ever done for myself. It was the first moment I fully took ownership of my life and health. I honoured the severity of my experiences, I investigated the stresses and traumas that contributed to my physical state, and I showed up for myself and for the healing. I began to transform my habits, and ultimately my future. I began to do the work I needed to do to realize my true potential — I was no longer chasing the external validation that New York and startup life gave me.

Sometimes I need to pinch myself. I am so honoured and grateful to have had such an amazing woman walk into my life. She gave more then she took and left me with immense gratitude and a new outlook on life. Ugh, why do I always get teary eyed when I write these posts!?! Pardon me while I grab a tissue.

Komal has a unique skill set of bringing purpose to peoples lives. She’s a cheerleader for your soul and sets fire to your passions leading you to discover unforeseen potential.

"What breaks your heart?" Glennon Doyle Melton asked this question at an event I attended a few years ago, and it's stuck with me ever since. She explained that what breaks our heart is the single best identifier of the work we’re meant to do in the world. She suggests that we should move toward the heartbreak, not away from it. 

What I realized throughout my year of healing is that what breaks my heart is unrealized potential. The unrealized potential of millions of girls and women around the world who don’t have access to the same privileges that lift me up as an Indo-Canadian woman. The unrealized potential of people of colour who struggle to navigate complex social, political, and economic systems built without them in mind. The unrealized potential of everyone who has been conditioned to view success in the most narrow and conventional of lenses. 

That question gave me the fire I needed to change my own life, and to devote my work to changing others’ lives in the same way. What broke my heart last year was my own unrealized potential, and the barriers that were in place in my mind keeping me from my destiny. Through this process, I realized that I’m here on this earth to remind you of your potential, and I’m here to reflect the excellence that’s already inside you.

I still remember the day this accomplished young entrepreneur sat in front of me as we chatted about her crazy plans for her luxurious Indian wedding(s). A two part celebration spanning cross-country with family coming from all corners of the world for one purpose- to honour the journey Komal and Mitch has shared and the new chapter in their lives together.

Planning her weddings was a huge undertaking. One you can never really fully comprehend until your in the midst of planning it. Komal had no problem throwing in a few curve balls leading to wonderful surprises. She told me once that there is no harm in asking, because you never fully know how far you can go unless you try. And let me tell you, she asked. I must say she gave our team the opportunity to accomplish tasks that at first glance seemed impossible. But she surrounded herself with vendors that went the extra mile and felt much more accomplished having done so. She literally unlocked our unforeseen potential ;)

Komal & Mitch’s first wedding was held in Grand Prairie, Alberta. A one week celebration with multiple events. Our set-up began at the beginning of the week remotely with myself and Madison in Ottawa communicating from afar with our team on the ground in GP, a 700 person wedding day.

We flew in 12 hours before her first wedding day event which started at 7:30am with a catered breakfast followed by the Milni. In the sikh culture the Milni begins the celebrations with Komal’s family greeting the groom and his bridal party at the gates of the venue, a gesture of welcoming Mitch into the family. There’s music, dancing and singing as they enter the venue.

Once inside the marriage ceremony begins an lasts about 1-2 hours. As the hymns are sang and the live instrumental music is played, a sense of transcendence filled the air literally transporting you to another place. Some of the words spoken during Komal’s ceremony - I’ll never forget.

There will be days, sad days…

There will be days, which we call, bad days in life…..

If there is sun and light out there, there will be night also….

So you must not live in an illusion that there is not ever going to be pain, or bad days in life….

You embrace those…

When you do this with love and attention…

No pain can remain in ones body…

Its just simple love.

With Komal’s struggles, these sentiments are all too fitting. (just grabbed another tissue). Here is a video of those exact words.

After the ceremony lunch is served and the grooms shoes are at some point stolen before the next set of traditions begin. Mitch literally had no shoes during his bridal party photos!

Once photos were completed, Komal returned home for a quick break and the “Doli and Vidaai”, the tradition of the bride formally leaving her parental home. The bride throws rice grains over her shoulders and into her mother’s outstretched hands, thus wishing her parent’s eternal prosperity. She gets into a beautifully decorated car with her husband and drives away towards her new home aka the hotel, where the ”welcoming of the bride” tradition takes place with the grooms parents and family before finally arriving at their reception.

Reading this now, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but we were on our toes from 7 am to 1 am without time to spare.

I even compiled a list of Komal’s statistics to help you see the bigger picture:

• 15 hair and makeup artists from 3 different salons

• Traditional musicians from England

• Videography team of 3 travelling from Winnipeg

• 2 separate photographers from Toronto

• 2 Caterers from Edmonton, serving 12+ events (3 fully catered meals on the wedding day alone)

• Brides personal makeup artist from New York

• 4 Transportation companies

• Decorator

• Cake baker

• DJ from Vancouver

• 3 Entertainment companies

• Traditional drummer form Toronto

• 3 Rental companies with one from Edmonton

• Over 10 flight bookings

That makes 34 separate vendors coming from across Canada and the States, amounting to a team of over 250ppl to manage, direct and assist for Komal’s weddingday. The lengths of detail we went through to ensure the logistics were tight- you won’t easily believe. We went as far as counting rentals from 3 different agencies while calculating the length of time it would take to wash specific items to be used again in a matter of just a few hours before they were needed again. In pre-planning we quickly found out through many discussions with the caterer that there are many menu items with sauces and Grand Prairie didn’t have enough bowls or spoons to meet our needs. On another level of logistics, our caterer from Vancouver only prepared the food, so we had a completely different company provide rentals and a third company manage the serving of the food, clearing and washing. Despite these logistics- we didn’t miss a beat:)

When I think back, it’s hard to believe we were only physically on the ground for 72hrs before flying home and preparing for her Ottawa wedding only 4 days later at the Chateau Laurier with a whole new set of vendors.

I must add that Madison took lead on logistics for the 700 person Alberta wedding, and I focused on overall project management of both weddings while taking the lead on the Ottawa wedding. With this being said, leading up to Komal’s wedding we met bi-weekly for a good year and 3 months before the festivities began, we were working 8am- 7pm daily on her weddings alone.

By the time we got back to Ottawa, it was like time didn’t even exist anymore and everything was a big blur. There was no time to revel in our huge accompaniments as we had so much more work ahead of us for Komal and her celebrity list of guests flying-in, in just a few days. Notable guests included Poet Rupi Kaur who read at her wedding and Tim Baker from Hey Rosetta, who sang at her ceremony and for her first dance. Needless to say this day started at 8 am with 3 hours of tech time debugging the Chateau Laurier of any of those screeching mic sounds preparing all technical requirements for Tim Baker and our filming team flying in from Winnipeg. We even went as far as adjusting our floor plans to accommodate their 20ft camera rig so that it could move freely around the event spaces.

And when the night came to a close, Komal with a bottle of Moet in her hand, said. “We did it! I can’t believe it’s the end!!!”. A bittersweet feeling that this was the end of our chapter with such an amazing couple. Withdrawal hit us hard the following days as the we archived her files and looked forward at the rest of our season.

The experiences we shared together will always be cherished in my heart.

Komal. Thank you for entrusting us in bringing your vision to light. Thank you for bringing me into your life and making me feel like family. It was truly a humbling experience and I feel so honoured for it. As you continue to shine light into the lives in others I hope you remember these days fondly.

xo

Elise

OTTAWA VENDORS:

Fairmont Chateau Laurier

Joel & Justyna Photography

Wedecor

Primetime Entertainment

Dj Shilpa of New York

Michael J Scott Productions of Winnipeg

MDRN Photobooth

Klava Zykova Makeup Artist

Showpony Hair

Priyanka Babriya Makeup Artist of New York

Tim Baker

Sannah Kahn Henna Artist

My Catering Group

Tim Baker of Hey Rosetta

Poet Rupi Kaur

Officiant: Meena Rajulu & Adam Miron

Tim Baker of Hey Rosetta Band singing for Komal’s first dance

TORI + TRISTAN ZIBI INDUSTRIAL WEDDING

I first met Tori 2 year ago in a quaint little coffee shop off Wellington. Blonde, bubbly and bright-eyed she chatted away about her wedding vision in an industrial wedding space we all know as Zibi. She said:

"I want to turn Zibi into a Berlin night club...

know what I mean?!"

Excuse me while I die and go to designers heaven. This past weekend we transformed this chic industrial space into just that. Here are few sneak peaks of Tori + Tristan's wedding right here in Ottawa from Ali & Batoul Photography. 

Full gallery and Before & After transformation blog post to follow ;) 

Planning & Design: Toast Events
Decor & Florals: Wedecor
Photography: Ali & Batoul Photography
Makeup: Natalie Peachy
Hair: Showpony
Catering: Tulips & Maple
DJ: Oxygen Entertainment
Limousine: East Coast Limousines
Tent: Rebel Tents
Venu: Zibi

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

SO YOU THINK YOU MIGHT WANT TO BE A WEDDING PLANNER

PROTEGE PROGRAM 

We've heard you loud and clear! In answer to an overwhelming demand in internships with Toast and a waiting list 25 deep for 2018, we're thrilled to announce our new Protege Program in partnership with Wedecor.

So you think you might want to be a wedding planner, huh? Well let me tell you- you're in for a ride! This industry isn't for the faint-of-heart and sitting in a classroom learning the basics on paper will never prepare you for what it's really like in real time. 

Chances are you’re more than a little wary of launching a new career in an industry where the most experience you’ve likely had is helping your cousin Sarah hang seven hundred fairy lights for her wedding. Don’t worry, we’ve got you!

This program is aimed at those who are seriously considering working in the wedding industry, but don’t quite know where or how to start. This opportunity gives participants an intense, exclusive behind the scenes experience of what you can expect your new career to look like, without the stress and uncertainty of having to quit your day job first.

You’ll have the opportunity to pick their brains, observe and participate on the front lines of two luxury weddings; all with a safety net knowing you’re working under the guidance and coaching of highly skilled professionals.

planning + styling + design

The program is split into three parts:

PLANNING: Join the industries highly sought-after wedding planner, Elise Schmitz as she manages the flow and orchestration of her most detailed weddings in some of Ottawa's most exclusive venues. Witness first hand how Elise handles in-the-minute decision making while coordinating up to 13 vendors at any given time.

STYLING: Collaborate with Elise on her next styled shoot where you'll gain comprehensive insight into her design process and business philosophy which has shaped her identity and elevated her brand to what it is today. 

DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION: Shadow Nancy Tremblay, owner of WEDECOR as she prepares for a weekend of weddings. You'll have the opportunity to work side by side with her floral designers, learn the tips and tricks behind over-the-top designs all while learning the art of transforming spaces.

Each student will complete the Protégé Program with a reference letter and a head start in the industry thanks to its invaluable on-the- job training. 

Interested? Send us a note! Only a few dates for 2017 remain!