After more than a decade together, Rayna and Eric finally celebrated their love with a stunning Art Deco-inspired wedding at the Stoneridge Inn. Their August celebration blended vintage elegance with a touch of DIY creativity — from gold accents and sage-green details to hand-crafted bouquets made by family. With the charming Rose Chapel setting, heartfelt moments, and a packed dance floor powered by their personalized playlist, their day perfectly reflected their fun-loving, down-to-earth relationship. Captured beautifully by Trish Anderson Photography, this wedding was the perfect mix of nostalgia, laughter, and love — proving that timeless style and personal touches never go out of fashion.

COUPLE: Rayna & Eric

DATE: August 3, 2024

GUEST #: 100

CEREMONY LOCATION: The Rose Chapel

RECEPTION LOCATION: Best Western Stoneridge Inn "We found the Stoneridge Inn through word of mouth. My mother was asking around and a co-worker of hers was also getting married there. We also heard it had great food (and they did!). Stoneridge Inn had everything we wanted: a separate, unique, ceremony space, a hotel attached for out of town guests, and it was all-inclusive." - R

PHOTOGRAPHER: Trish Anderson Photography "We found Trish on Facebook. I was looking for someone highly reviewed that was a reasonable price. We both knew we weren't big photo people but we still wanted to capture the day. Trish made us feel comfortable, and not too staged. Our favourite photos are definitely the ones of us in our family friend's gold 1970's Oldsmobile Cutlass; that or the ones from the dance floor!" - R

COLOUR PALETTE: "Our theme was based off my dress, which I found early on, and had a renaissance/1920's art-deco look with the dramatic sleeves. I have always loved the early century look, so I knew right away that was going to be our theme. We chose green and gold for the colour palette, including picking sage green for the bridesmaids' dresses. Otherwise, we used a lot of hexagonal shapes, gold accents, such as gold mirrors and gold signs, and lots of greenery. The Dollar Store and Facebook market place were our best friends. I scoured Facebook daily looking for deals that fit our theme. My bridesmaids did a lot of the work setting up the decor. Props to my sister in law for hand making each bouquet!" - R

TELL US YOUR STORY: "We met over 11 years ago in first year of Western University, through a mutual friend. We shared a history course together, and one party and one midnight movie screening at Western and the rest is "history". We bonded over our shared love of board games, bad TV, and beer. Over the next several years, we each lived at our respective parent's houses while we finished University.

I would drive over to his house and we would watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in his parent's basement. Things improved at the end of 2017, when we moved to Shanghai, China, finally moving in together. Eric was doing his PhD in Engineering, and I was teaching English. In China, we really became a couple, including having to start cooking for ourselves. After exploring Asia, including traveling to Japan, Tibet, and Thailand, we moved back to London in 2019.

When we moved back, I went to teacher's college and Eric finished his PhD and started working for Western. And just like that it's been 11 years since we started dating. Our relationship has thrived through all the trials and tribulations.

We talked about getting married for a while, but between Covid and finances, it never seemed like the right time. Finally, after a death in the family, we realized life was short and we wanted to celebrate and party with all our loved ones. Although the wedding planning was stressful, the wedding went off without a "hitch" and was one of the most fun times we've ever had dancing in front of everyone.

We are happy to say we're about to move into our first house together - something we didn't think possible until recently. And yes, we will continue to watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" together in OUR basement." - R&E

CAKE: Cakes by Susan

DECOR: DIY and Tulle Tyme

FLORALS: DIY

BRIDE'S ATTIRE: Bijou Boutique 

GROOMS ATTIRE: Moores Clothing

BRIDESMAIDS ATTIRE: Azazie

HAIR & MAKEUP: Samantha Blatnicky Makeup & Lash Artist

HAIR: Desiree from The Hair Collective

BIGGEST CHALLENGE:
"The biggest challenge for us was organizing everything. We wanted to keep things lower cost because we were saving for a house. We didn't have a wedding planner, so we did everything, and I mean everything, ourselves. From invitations, to schedules, putting together music playlists (no DJ), bridesmaid's dresses, bouquets, seating charts, and more. Stoneridge Inn made it easier in that they took care of the bigger things, like food, beverages, set up/take down, and the larger decor. A big thank you to everyone who pitched in and helped, including our parents, my sisters, my sister in law, and our aunts. And even though it was a ton of work, I liked customizing everything. Plus, we just bought a house with all our extra savings!" - R&E

BEST MEMORY:
"The dance floor! We got so many compliments on how lively our dance floor was. I don't think I sat down all night. Because we didn't have a DJ we were able to tailor the songs and make a playlist suited to us and our wedding. We knew the songs our friends and family liked and everyone was grooving. Another special moment was that my Aunt was our "officiant" for the ceremony, and was able to tell so many personal stories, jokes, and made the whole experience less nerve-wracking." - R

ADVICE FROM ONE COUPLE TO ANOTHER:
"You do not need a DJ! I promise you. It is a ton of work to make a playlist to suit your needs, but after that all you need is a laptop and speakers and someone to press play. We loved being able to customize the music exactly to our tastes." - R

As seen in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of The Wedding Ring Magazine

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BEST WESTERN STONERIDGE INN | To speak with Best Western Stoneridge Inn about your wedding options, you can reach them using the form below.