K+D Horticulture Building

One of our favourite spaces in Ottawa is the Horticulture Building at Landsdowne Live. With concrete floors, floor to ceiling windows an subtle wood elements, this space provides a blank canvas for any style of event.

We started planning and designing Kathryn + David’s wedding back in 2016. Their overall vision was to have a relaxed atmosphere that encouraged their guests to mix & mingle, peruse food stations, play a few larger then life games like Jenga and simply have fun. No assigned seating, bar always open and only a few speeches.

With this in mind we created an experience which revolved around an un-traditional seating layout, minimalistic floral details with an emphasis on sleek modern furniture and a mexican taco food truck station. All this being said- their wedding was a hit!

PHOTOS: AMY PINDER

DECOR & FLORALS: WEDECOR

CATERING: MY CATERING GROUP

VENUE: HORTICULTURE BUILDING

BRITTANY & ZACH HORTICULTURE BUILDING

I almost pinched myself when I walked into the Horticulture Building at 9 am to check in on set-up. There were no words. Even with partial decor I knew every design detail we worked tirelessly on was about to live it's own life.  It's one thing when you're designing on paper- but to see it all come full circle, is truly special. 

We first met Brittany when we're invited to plan her surprise proposal by Laura Kelly Photography. I had never met the bride or groom until just shortly before the proposal, when I shouted from a bush "Zach- show me the goods". (aka the ring) before I walked him to where his unsuspecting fiance-to-be was waiting. And I didn't know it then- but we were in it for the long run. 

Almost two years later Brittany and Zach tied the knot at the Basilica Notre Dame with their reception at the Horticulture Building. Brittany chose her vendors well, investing in the best of what she loved and trusted them to take her wedding from what she envisioned to something which was more beautiful then she could have ever expected. 

It was an absolute honour to plan and work with such a talented team on behalf of Brittany & Zach. 

FROM THE BRIDE:

“I can’t believe this is the subject of this email - i’m still a crying wreck today, I can’t believe how emotional I’ve been about all of this.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, from the very bottom of my heart, for everything you (and your team) did for us. Not just on Saturday but throughout the whole engagement. I’m still beyond overwhelmed at the perfection that was Saturday. Walking into that venue was a serious highlight for me.

Not only the set-up/vision (which i know included so many little touches from your own stash, which were truly breathtaking), but also the timeline, organization, and going to bat for me with the crazy people at the church - i cannot thank you enough!

I can seriously say that i look back on Saturday with zero regrets. There is not a single thing i would do differently. I honestly felt like I lived the Toast motto - i felt like the most special guest at my very own wedding reception! I let go of all of my anxiousness, nerves and stress and was able to just fully enjoy all of it!! I cannot thank you enough. Every single one of my family/bridal party who interacted with you and your team this weekend had glowing things to say. We could NOT have done it without you.

I’m so so proud of my wedding day - thank you so much, this is the best feeling!!

xox
B
”

— Brittany Dinardo

Planning & Design: Toast Events 

Photography: Laura Kelly Weddings

Video: Matt & Kat Wedding Videography

Decorator & Florist: Wedecor

Makeup: Klava Zykova

Hair: Top Knot

Stationary & Invitations: La Fabere

Cake: Serendipity Cakes

Dress: Hayley Paige 

Jewelry: Sarah Walsh Bridal

Minimalist National Art Gallery Wedding

I'm going to hold this one dear to my heart for a very long time.

Even as I sit here in front of my computer, months later writing this, I still get a little teary eyed. It was so sooooo beautiful. It was such an honour working with Melanie & Charlie as we planned their Ukrainian wedding.

Weddings rich with culture and tradition always leave me with so many more meaningful memories. I'll never forget it when the priest, unscripted, sang grace.....with a choir. The building echoed. It was overwhelmingly magical. 

But instead of writing about this wonderful day, let me show you.

Photography by Joel & Justyna Bedford

OBORN AT THE NATIONAL ART GALLERY WEDDING

I'm a lover of clean lines, cool tones and crisp aesthetics with just the right amount of minimalist details. Our weddings are planned concept first. This means the discussions about priorities, budget and vision come first. Only then  can we begin to create a dream team of vendors to perfectly execute your desired look. 

Our new Toast bride Sarah, booked her wedding in the newly minted OBorn room at the National Art Centre. Envision 30ft ceilings & windows, 180 degrees view of the Chateau Laurier, Canal, Old Train Station and Parliament.  Now add a creamy pallet of hardwood-mimic tile, marbled tables and beige linen seating in your cocktail area. I could live in that space. So naturally a designers dream.

While working with Sarah's great taste and special requests of no blooms - we unveiled the following design profile, giving her the bigger picture of what her wedding could potentially look like.

MOMENTS WITH JOEL & JUSTYNA PHOTOGRAPHY

I've had the pleasure of working with Joel & Justyna for over 5 years on some of my most intricate weddings. Their work stands out above the rest with ultra moody and romantic undertones, capturing those small intimate gestures between couples, we, on the daily never really notice. 

LIKE IT'S 1950 VOGUE 

I'll never forget reading an article which referenced their work as- being shot as if their images would grace the pages of a 1950's Vogue magazine. And for me, this rings true. 

So I've decided, this time next year I'll be knocking at Joel & Justyna's door for our now annual wedding anniversary shoot. 

Thank you Justyna & Joel for capturing these special moments. 

Photographer: Joel & Justyna Bedford
Hair: Kylie Cheshire
Makeup: Faces By Noah
Dress: Norde Bridal
Mens Apparell: Hugo Boss

BRITTANY + ZACH URBAN ROOFTOP ENGAGEMENT

We were there when she said yes, and we'll be there for her on the biggest day of her life. 

You don't need to go far with Laura Kelly Photography for stunning photos. I'm totally coveting this love-nest engagement shoot as an alternative to the mainstream. And might I say it would make a cute 1st wedding anniversary shoot as well. 

Photographer: Laura Kelly Photography
Hair Stylist & Colorist: Top Knot
Makeup Artist: Klava Zykova Makeup

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

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

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. 

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 

V+S WEDDING AT RESTAURANT 18

My absolute favorite exclusive downtown venue for the luxury bride.

When I think of this place it reminds me of mid week European wedding where the reception is more of a long meal with non-intrusive live music. Drinking and eating and drinking some more. As soon as you step into Restaurant 18 you can rest assured you will be wined and dined with hospitality and care like no other. The ambiance alone leaves little to decorate leaving only small design details for consideration. 

This was the perfect spot for V+S's wedding. When I originally met with this couple, we chatted about unique industrial wedding spaces in Ottawa while still keeping an organic look and feel. We explored Zibbi, Museum of Nature, Aquatopia, Le Belvedere and Restaurant 18. 

Zibbi's was a logistical nightmare (although certainly do-able) but rentals alone would eat half or more of our budget, Museum of Nature isn't the best for photography, Aquatopia was too small and too hot, Le Belvedere was a bit far for her elderly guests which left us with 18. 

The next challenge was keeping the organic look with 18's glitzy mirrored ceilings, gold tree trunk tables and their "Beetlejuice" chairs I love soooo much! And with Erin from the former Full Bloom - this was easily achievable. 

Using garden flowers and a transparent Eiffel stands we pulled the gold through the glass table from the ground up. Arrangements were designed to look loose and natural with a whispyness- almost like you could see a breeze. 

Dark maroon foliage was a stunning element carried throughout the design and decor ending with a sprig of greenery or bloom on each place setting.

Tucked away in the wine cellar corner was a long estate table for the bridal party, with those classic "Beetlejuice" chairs I love so much! Hedges of garden roses with black floating candles filled the gap between taller florals. This was a stunner for sure. We kept the design simple and to the point. Like I always tell me clients:

"Choose vendors that inspire you, then let them handle the rest."

Because in reality, a true professional will likely know what you want, before you even really know. 

S+A AT LE BELVEDERE

When you walk onsite it's like a wave of calm slowly sinks in, and this planner is legit relaxed. The view is something I can't really describe. Le Belvedere is like a secluded Muskoka resort, better yet- something you'de see on the cover of a B.C tourism magazine. But I'm not there for the ambiance. I'm there for the exclusivity, five star service, world class cuisine, on-pointe amenities, guest accommodations and well, truth be told, Jessica. That's right, Jessica. The powerhouse  that has made Le Belvedere what it is today. Working in tandem with her is an absolute pleasure. She is one of a few I consider to be a top notch professional.

This past long weekend I had the pleasure of coordinating 2 weddings, one oh which was Sarah & Andrew's wedding at Le Belvedere. This couple melts my heart right down to the core- and for 24hrs I felt like family. 

Now I can't take ANY credit for styling Sarah's wedding, although I wish I could ;) This was all the amazing work of Rebel Petal. If you followed us on Snap Chat (eliseschmitz) last Saturday, you would have been privy to a video walk-through of the space decked out. We also posted pictures in stages to showcase the thought behind this gorgeous design. 

So let me break it down for you. Sarah had no idea what to expect. She provided Michelle & Gary aka "mastermind-florists-taking-over-the world" with her vision, color palette, budget and told Michelle to surprise her. 

Michelle got to work a dreamed up a three stage design concept. She highlighted each estate table with three completely different centerpieces as seen bellow.  

ESTATE TABLE ONE: Long garlands of Sallal and Eucalyptus leaves adorned with mercury vases w/  posy of creamed spray roses

ESTATE TABLE TWO:  Tall Hydrangea centerpieces with cascading Ivy 

ESTATE TABLE THREE: Low pedestal arrangements with Hydrangea, cascading ivy with peach and ivory roses.  

This cake is so dreamy. With Tulips in July and the sweet sent of strung Jasmine, I was LITERALLY in heaven people. FYI Jasmine in the floral world is RARE like a blue moon. First time I've ever had real Jasmine on this scale in over 500 weddings.

Now drift your eyes to the right-hand side of the page. The horseshoe...... I just died. The special attention Sarah's sister and Maid of Honor Jessica took in painting these in the "right" tone of gold......I stole one. I full on popped one in my purse and I'm hanging it on top of my front door. (for the record, there was one at my place-setting... I'm so not a shady wedding planner)

Cascading Ivy and Jasmine in this 10ft tall entrance piece. I love first impressions, especially when this is what you see when you first walk in the reception. 

And last but not least a video of our beloved couple on their wedding day by Up North Wedding Films. 

DREAM TEAM

Planning & Coordination: Elise Schmitz, Madison Kelly & Intern Allie Darwin
Venue: Le Belvedere
Floral Design: Rebel Petal
Cake: Take Another Bite
Hair Stylists: Salon Silk
Makeup Artist: Sarah Clayton
Wedding Video: Up North Wedding Films
DJ: Chris Lunardi
Solo Singer: Ryan Tansley
Officiant: Dr Alan Viau
Photography: Union 11, Derrek
Transportation: East Coast Limousines
Stationary: Ink Blossom

NATALIE & SHANE June 27th 2015 -Shaw Center-

Although it's November, the wedding season isn't over just quite yet! But at the season comes to an end, we finally start seeing gorgeous photography trickling in. So lets take a time machine and hop back to spring with the lovely Natalie & Shane. 

Wedding Planner: Toast Events

Photographer: Photolux

Videographer: Photo & Films by Eduardo

Florist: Full Bloom

Linens & Rentals: Mastermind Events 

Rentals: Creative Edge

Retals: Lou Lou Lounge

Stationary: The Paper Studio

Band: Eric Eggleston

Piano Soloist: Eddie Bimm

Hair: Show Pony

Makeup: Ottawa Makeup Artists

Transportation: Elite Limousine 

Dj: David Atherton

Ceremony: Basilica

Reception: The Shawn Center Trillium Ballroom

Audio: Wall Sound

Cake: The Girl With The Most Cake

AS COOL AS A CUCUMBER

I'm a people person, and it's blows me away how I always manage to  luck-out with amazing clients. If you can believe it Annaliese and John were our 296th wedding...

" We worked with Elise (of Toast Events) to coordinate our May 2015 wedding at the Museum of Nature. From the very first e-mail, Elise was prompt, professional and an absolute pleasure to work with; we knew we were in good hands!

Her advice was always en-pointe and her experience in the industry was invaluable to us as we navigated the world of wedding vendors and décor. When the big day finally rolled around, we were relaxed knowing Elise had a handle on everything, all we needed to do was show-up. The venue looked stunning, the vendors/guests/wedding party knew where they needed to be and through-out it all Elise was cool as a cucumber, keeping everyone calm.

Elise’s bubbly personality and attention to detail are a big part of what makes her so good at what she does. From noticing and removing two guests (read wedding-crashers) who didn't quite 'fit in', to having pins on hand to fix my bustle on the fly, or stopping traffic so we could get the perfect photo, if you are looking for someone who goes above and beyond to make your wedding day absolutely perfect, I would not hesitate to recommend Elise!

- John & Annaliese Cassidy [May 9th, 2015 - Museum of Nature] "

Castle Hoping in Germany

Destination Deutschland... Chateau hopping elfresco. Need we say more? 

It's hard to explain how much I love this couple and the journey we had together. I count my blessings for having the opportunity to celebrate a truly European wedding without the hassle of overly fussy details, and where sipping champagne and eating cake superseded dinner in the courtyard.

The ceremony and reception were held in two separate castles, in two separate villages near the gothic city of Dresden. The second reception castle "Schloss Scharfenberg" is a rustic medieval rock castle in the Palatine Forest built during the first half of the 12th century. 

The estate was exclusively ours with traditional accommodations conveniently located in the tallest tower with an endless spiral of stairs. As night fell and the festivities continued, the castle became illuminated by hundreds of candles with a free invitations to roam the maze of rooms and if you dared, the basement dungeon. 

This experience was like non-other I have ever had. Truly the most romantic destination wedding we’ve ever encountered. This couple and their wedding will be forever in my heart.