"Following the ceremony, guests were invited to the glass reception tent for cocktail hour where they were greeted with the personalization of the couple's crest, which channeled the princess vibe Andrea was hoping for. The warm glow of real candlelight combined with comforting neutral tones, greenery and shades of white florals created an inviting setting. A few personal touches from the couple included a polaroid guest book table, maple syrup wedding favours (that really pulled together the fall wedding feel), and a wedding cake surrounded by assorted cupcakes and topped with wooden ducks." - Catherine - Matilyn Bespoke Events

COUPLE: Andrea & John

DATE: October 28, 2023

GUEST #: 135

CEREMONY LOCATION: Holy Spirit Parish, Barrie

RECEPTION LOCATION: Heritage Estate Winery and Events "Heritage Estate was perfect for us. They took care of all the catering, the grounds were stunning and our guests could enjoy both indoor and outdoor elements of a wedding. It was also not too far from the GTA where most of our guests live. They had excellent communication and were attentive to our needs before and during the wedding." - A

PHOTOGRAPHER: Furtado Photos "I found another photographer on a local wedding Facebook group. They were unavailable for our date, so they gave us a few referrals. We liked Janine's work the best because her candid photos were amazing. She understood that we wanted a mix of both posed and candid photos. She didn't give us too many directions, allowing us to be ourselves. As a result, our photos were beautiful and truly captured us as a couple. She was the perfect choice to capture our cozy fall wedding." - A

COLOUR PALETTE: "The colour pallet was fall themed. We envisioned cozy fall wedding with a lot of neutral tones, with pops of reds and greens." - A

TELL US YOUR STORY: "We first met in December 2019 after matching with each other online. Our first date was at a coffee shop in Guelph and went far longer than we expected. A simple coffee quickly turned into dinner and there was never a dull moment. After a few more dates, including a board game cafe, shooting pool, seeing a comedy show, and a night out dancing to live music, we made things official in February 2020.

We got about one month of being carefree and in love before the COVID lockdown happened. There was a lot of uncertainty at that time for people our age who were just starting their careers. But we managed to weather the storm by providing each other with support and companionship. Overcoming this challenge will remain a memorable and formative part of our relationship.

In the summer of 2022, I decided that I was ready to propose to Andrea. I planned a little picnic on the waterfront in Oakville. I proposed to Andrea during sunset, and she said yes! Afterwards, a flock of swans swam by us, which we took as a sign of good luck." - J

CAKE: SophistiCakes

STATIONERY/FLORAL/DECOR/PLANNER: Matilyn Bespoke Events

BRIDE'S ATTIRE: Best For Bride

GROOMS ATTIRE: Spier & Mackay

DJ: Andre Clarke

HAIR & MAKEUP: MakeoverbyJess

WEDDING PLANNER: Rhea’s Events

CATERING: CaterTrendz Culinary

PHOTOBOOTH: Reflections Photo Booth

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: "The biggest challenge for us was planning our wedding while balancing full time jobs. A lot of our evenings and weekends were spent in meetings with our vendors, marriage classes, and planning. We tackled it by keeping to a schedule, splitting our responsibilities and communicating." - A

BEST MEMORY: "Our best memory was our first look. We did it before the ceremony with just our bridal party. It was nice to be with each other and enjoy the moment before the day got really busy and hectic." - A

ADVICE FROM ONE COUPLE TO ANOTHER: "Wedding planning was a really fun project to do with each other. Enjoy the journey and don't be too stressed out about the end result." - A&J

This cozy fall wedding article can be seen in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of The Wedding Ring Magazine

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MATILYN BESPOKE EVENTS | To speak with Matilyn Bespoke Events about your wedding options, you can reach them using the form below.