MARRIED SEPTEMBER 22, 2018
Chris and I met each other through mutual friends at University. At the time, his best friend was living with my best friend, but somehow we hadn’t crossed paths until one particular night when our friends threw a party. In the midst of talking and catching up with people, I caught Chris’ eye from across the room. I must have had the same expression of interest on my face that he did, because for the first half of the night, we both tried to get close enough to each other to start a conversation. However, other people kept getting in the way and starting new conversations, so Chris and I were left to continue sneaking glances at each other. Eventually, after what seemed like most of the night, we finally managed to meet. Our conversation seemed to flow effortlessly and immediately I knew that there was something special there. The night flew by and ended with Chris asking me out on our first date!
We go hiking quite frequently, so when Chris suggested we go on a hike on that soon to be special day, I didn’t think much of it. Usually Chris lets me pick the location, but when I mentioned a few places, he surprisingly suggested that we explore the Halton Conservation on Mount Nemo as he had heard it was a great hiking area. It was a really nice sunny day and as we started our hike, Chris insisted on carrying the backpack. Throughout the hike, we would stop at lookout points along the trail so I could take some photos. As we were searching for the perfect location to take a break, there were constantly other people around and Chris was becoming frustrated, which I didn’t understand until later. I re-assured him we would find another spot that would be even nicer and then continued on our way. Sure enough, we came to a very scenic, secluded lookout point that was unmarked and tucked away behind a few trees. In order to get to the edge, you had to jump over a crack in between two big rocks. Once we made it to the edge of the point, it was just the two of us, alone, with an incredibly beautiful view. After a few minutes, Chris suggested I take some photos. So, I walked up to the edge of the rock, took a picture and when I turned around, Chris was down on one knee, proposing. I was so surprised that I dropped my phone and didn’t even realize it until later (but we did end up finding it!). Of course, my answer was “Yes!”.
Heading into the wedding planning process, we really weren’t sure where to start. There was so much to consider and looking at wedding venues seemed to be the first logical step. Chris and I both agreed that we wanted to get married in the fall, as it was our favourite season, and we knew that we wanted a rustic themed wedding. It was also important to us to find a venue that could accommodate everything in the same place – the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, reception, and photos. That way Chris and I, our wedding party, guests and vendors only had to travel to one location for the entire event. With all of those things in mind, finding a venue to accommodate all that we were looking for became a seemingly daunting task, until we met Ashton at St. Mary’s Golf and Country Club.
When we met with Ashton, Chris and I immediately felt comfortable, taken care of and at home. She has such a warm, inviting and positive presence that really makes you feel like anything is possible. She reassured us that SMGCC would be able to accommodate all that we were looking for in a wedding venue and that we would be able to have everything, all in one place. Ashton also reassured me that I would have support and guidance throughout the whole wedding planning process, which put me at ease, since I knew there would be a ton of planning and had no idea where to even begin.
As soon as we told Ashton about our rustic-inspired vision, she told us about their new Hideaway room. She mentioned that the space was just completed (May 2017) and invited us to the upcoming SMGCC Bridal Open House where they were going to unveil the room – and I really appreciated both the ease of making our decision and the ability to see the room in person before finalizing our booking. At the end of our tour, Ashton introduced us to Courtney, who would be helping us with the wedding planning process while Ashton was on maternity leave. Courtney was just as lovely, supportive and helpful, and I immediately knew we were in good hands. I left the first meeting feeling really excited, relaxed and calm about planning a wedding, which I never thought would be possible!
When Chris and I walked into the Hideaway for the first time, at the Open House, we fell in love with the room. I loved the rustic aspects, like the exposed wood beam ceiling and vineyard chairs, and Chris loved the industrial components, like the black-paned glass garage doors and concrete floors. The overall feel of the room was eclectic, romantic and intimate. It was more beautiful than any venue we had ever seen, and it was exactly what we were looking for. We were so excited that before leaving the Open House, we confirmed our wedding booking with Ashton and Courtney.
Our wedding day was the most beautiful fall day! We couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was sunny with a few clouds and 17 degrees. In addition to the perfect weather, the whole day just flowed so smoothly – one thing literally ran seamlessly into the next. There is such an amazing team at SMGCC, making sure everything is in place for you. I didn’t have to worry about anything except enjoying the moment, which was something that was really important to me. Throughout the whole day, I felt so at ease knowing that Courtney would make sure everything we had planned became a reality. She even helped to ‘fluff’ my dress right before I walked down the aisle, which she did perfectly in one big swift motion. I’ll never forget walking down the aisle with my dad, seeing Chris for the first time, and the look on his face when he saw me in my dress.
My wedding dress was a Mikaella Bridal off-the-shoulder lace gown in the colour natural, from Kleinfeld Toronto. It fit my personality and my body so well, and was extremely comfortable, which was a very important detail to me. Before I tried it on, I didn’t think a dress like that existed. I felt amazing in it!
The bridesmaid dresses were floor length After Six burgundy dresses, from Valentina Bridal & Couture in Waterloo. All of the girls looked so beautiful walking down the aisle, and the colour of dress was the perfect pop of colour for our fall date. Both myself and my bridesmaids had our hair done at Expressions Hair Design in Stratford, and our makeup done by Hair.Makeup by Amanda Zack – who were both so wonderful to us and made us look gorgeous. The groomsmen, and of course Chris, all looked handsome in their dark grey suits tailored by Moores. Chris even had each of the groomsmen’s initials sewn into their suit jackets, which was such a thoughtful and personal touch.
Lyric Flowers did our floral, and I cannot say enough about how beautiful all of the arrangements were. Everything from the bridal party bouquets and boutonnieres, to the centerpiece arrangements and head table garland, right down to the floral piece on top of our cake was absolutely stunning. The floral designs were more than I ever imagined, completed the final look of the room, and added life to our rustic décor. Lanny and Jay were amazing to work with. There were many times that I visited their floral shop or called to change or add elements to our order, and they always made sure to spend so much time and care with me, ensuring I would be getting exactly what I was envisioning. To this day, I still hear from family and friends about how beautiful our floral was!
Elizabeth Clark from Chair Décor styled our ceremony space and reception area with romantic candles, rustic crates, rose petals, burgundy napkins, and other décor details that perfectly complimented the venue. My aunt and uncle built us an incredible rustic barn board backdrop that we accented with string lights, and this tied all of the décor together as a beautiful focal point behind the head table.
Our wedding cake and cupcakes were made by Jen Wagenknect from Juniper Baking Company. They were so delicious, and were gone in no time! Cherrey Bus Lines and First Student provided transportation for our guests to and from the wedding, and Festival Inn in Stratford as well as Westover Inn in St. Marys provided accommodations for our guests and wedding party. DJ Terry McKone from Partytime Music Services did an amazing job with our music and kept everyone on the dance floor all night long!
We chose Michael Steingard Photography to capture our wedding photos and chose to add the moving portraits option for a wedding video. We met Michael at the SMGCC Bridal Open House and instantly fell in love with his work. His photographs were just so creative, held light in just the right way, and captured intimate moments so beautifully – so much so that you could feel every emotion in his photos when looking at them. Upon talking to Michael further we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we had the option of also having his wife, Kailyn, work alongside him so that we’d have two photographers. Of course we opted to have both of them for our wedding day, and they exceeded all of our expectations and more! Michael and Kailyn are not only talented and creative photographers, but they are wonderful people as well. We loved spending the day with them, capturing all the special moments and being a part of their creative process for our wedding photos. Our photos are absolutely stunning, and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve watched our moving portraits wedding video.
Following our ceremony, we took photos with our wedding party and let them go enjoy cocktail hour, which gave us some time just to ourselves to enjoy our first moments together as husband and wife. The photo locations on the golf course at SMGCC are so stunningly intimate and beautiful, and they were the perfect backdrop for these special moments together! We were even lucky enough to get some sunset shots – upon the suggestion of our amazing photographers – which turned out to be some of our most favourite photos. Having that quiet time together, and then coming back to our reception where we were greeted by all of our family and friends was such an amazing feeling that we will never forget.
Looking back, what we loved most about our wedding day was being able to fully enjoy all of the special moments between the two of us, and being able to share the day with our family and friends. We are so thankful to all the SMGCC staff and especially the Special Events Team – Ashton, Courtney and Kaitlyn (our Maître D) – for helping to make our wedding day truly unforgettable. Every detail of our wedding was thoughtfully planned and carried out with so much care. From the initial start of the wedding planning process that Ashton helped us with, to all the organization and guidance throughout, to going over the final details with Courtney before the big day – everything, including the smallest details, were considered and executed beautifully. Our day-of Maître D’, Kaitlyn, kept the entire event running as it was suppose to and continuously went out of her way to ask us if we needed anything throughout the night, which was so attentive. She even kept my brother (our emcee for the night), on track with the timeline, which is no easy task to achieve!
And the team at SMGCC added so many extra personal touches that did not go unnoticed, and that just made me feel so special and excited for the day. They brought personalized cookies to the Bridal Suite for my bridesmaids and I to enjoy, and even labeled the Bridal Suite ‘Mrs. Crozier’s Bridal Suite’. Through Pelee Island Winery, they also had custom wine bottle labels made for each table, which was a really nice touch. They honestly think of everything! I can’t picture us having been married anywhere else. It is clear that the entire team at SMGCC really care about you and your wedding day, and they truly want to make sure you have the best day of your lives. Their attention to detail, personal touches, caring nature and ability to transform your ideas into a reality really set them apart from any other venue, and we will forever be grateful to them for hosting a day we will always remember.
Story by Nadine Crozier
Photography by Michael Steingard Photography
