Danielle and Daren’s whimsical fairy tale Guelph Arboretum wedding was nothing short of magical. With plum and burgundy tones, Lord of the Rings details, and even a sword bouquet, their day was a perfect blend of fantasy and romance. Surrounded by 89 loved ones, the couple celebrated their love story with personal touches—from a chocolate cookie table to a surprise horse and carriage—that made their September 21, 2024, wedding unforgettable.

COUPLE: Danielle & Daren

DATE: September 21, 2024

GUEST #: 89

CEREMONY & RECEPTION LOCATION: Guelph University Arboretum "My mom & wedding planner found the Guelph Arboretum and it matched the aesthetic of the wedding. Dawn was great to work with, she was always happy to answer any and all questions. We loved the many different little gardens for many different photos ops." - Danielle

PHOTOGRAPHER: Simply Wedding Photography "We met Jacquie at The Wedding Ring Kitchener Wedding Expo in 2023. She was the first vendor we spoke to. We spent 45 mins just talking to her about anything and everything wedding related, she put us at ease with her bubbly and easy going personality. She wasn't trying to sell us on her, but to give me as much guidance as possible while attending the expo. We had gone to a few expos after that and used her tips from there on out. When finally making the decision on out photographer, Jacquie was our first choice. We were ecstatic when we found out she was available. The day of the wedding we got to meet her assistance Janine, right then I knew I picked the right team. They were part of the family and not a vendor at that point. They were the perfect choice to capture our Guelph Arboretum wedding." - D

COLOUR PALETTE: Plum and burgundy. "Whimsical fairy tale was the wedding theme. Danielle loves fairytales and we love fantasy. Danielle had a sword for a bouquet. The sword was from Lord of the rings which we had in the men's boutonnieres to match and in our monogram. I love chocolate chip cookies so we made a chocolate cookie table with the princess bride." - Daren

TELL US YOUR STORY: "We had met like many other couples did at that time, with a swipe right. We had agreed to meet for dinner and a movie. In the days leading up to the date there was lots of texting and nerves. But once we finally met face to face all those nerves went away. What was suppose to be a simple night of dinner and a movie turned into an all night talkathon at a Tim Hortons and outside Danielle's home. It had gone so well that we spent all of the next day together as well, talking well into the wee hours of the morning.

From then on we were pretty inseparable spending as much time as we possibly could together, though we were usually relegated to weekends. We bonded over our love of all things nerdy, going to different comic cons, walking around parks playing Pokemon GO, and filling our nights binging movies and tv shows. We attended family events, met all our relatives, and even got to know our soon to be step children.

Eventually, after 4 years of dating, attending a few friends weddings and possibly the Danielle making it clear she wanted to be engaged before 30, I proposed on Father's Day of 2022. The race was then on in planning a wedding we would both be happy with.

Working on finding the perfect balance between something we could afford and something we could look back on years later with no regrets. In the process, we bought a house and moved, added a chunky corgi to our family and 2 years later on September 21 finally said I do. Surrounded by all of our loved ones we had done something at the start of the journey we were unsure we could ever do." - Darren

CAKE: Sweets by G   

FLORALS: Floral Dreamin Design    

BRIDE'S ATTIRE: Sophies Gown Shoppe

GROOMS ATTIRE: Collins Clothiers          

BRIDESMAIDS ATTIRE: Azazie

GROOMSMENS ATTIRE: Moores

HAIR & MAKE-UP: Amy Bo-Bamy Beauty  

OFFICIANT: Nathan Grieves Weddings & Danielle's Uncle, John Dunning 

HORSE & CARRIAGE: Clark Carriages

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: "Me! I would have to say that I was probably the biggest challenge. I'm not a bridezilla in anyway but I got overwhelmed very quickly. My mom and aunt took on a lot of things that made me overwhelmed. I'm not a center of attention type of person so to have a whole day where I was the center of attention was hard to grasp." - Danielle

BEST MEMORY: "My best memory of the day was the surprise from my parents which was a horse and carriage. It was my dream for as long as I could remember to have a horse at my wedding. It wasn't something I ever thought would be in the budget but my mom found a way. Very few people knew it was going to happen and I was over the moon when I saw this big white horse coming towards me and my parents hiding in the carriage.

Darren’s best memory was just the whole day. He can't pinpoint one thing about the day, there were so many little things that made the whole day special." - Danielle

ADVICE FROM ONE COUPLE TO ANOTHER: "Don't hesitate to take the time to plan, take as much time as you need. You will need a few people in your corner to assist when you get frantic or overwhelmed. Things are going to go wrong, it happens but don't let it ruin your day.

When people say it goes by quickly they are not lying. You plan and plan but it's just one day and that day moves fast.

You don't need to break the bank to have a good time. It's your day, invite who you want to be there. If people love you they will understand your choices." - D&D

You can see this Guelph Arboretum Wedding in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of The Wedding Ring Magazine

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SIMPLY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY | To speak with Simply Wedding Photography about your wedding options, you can reach them using the form below.