MARRIED SEPTEMBER 21, 2019
THE BEGINNING
How did you two meet?
Matt and I met briefly at a mutual friend’s party in university. We chatted and sipped whiskey, but no sparks flew right away. Fast forward six months to a night out at Jack’s (a bar in London, Ontario), when we spotted each other across the dance floor. It may not have been love at first sight originally, but it was love at first dance.
THE PROPOSAL
How did Matt pop the question?
We spent the first few years of our relationship rope swinging into creeks, snowboarding, traveling, becoming dog parents, buying a house — and then in February 2019, Matt proposed on the lookout deck between two black diamond runs, at Beaver Valley Ski Club. You’d think that I may have been tipped off to the engagement when friends and family kept showing up to the chalet to join in on the skiing that weekend, and even more when some of our friends who had only skied a handful of times happily got themselves down the black diamond to the lookout deck. But truly, I had no clue that the surprise of a lifetime was coming.
THE PLANNING
What made you choose St. Marys Weddings as your wedding venue?
Matt and I are decisive people and once we were engaged, we wanted to get married as soon as we could! I spent a weekend searching for venues online and stumbled upon the SMGCC Hideaway space. It was the exact industrial chic, indoor/outdoor venue that I had imagined. We called to schedule a tour for the following week, and found out that they only had one available date remaining for 2019 — September 21st (cue the song ‘September’ by Earth Wind and Fire)! After walking the venue with Ashton and Courtney, we knew that the search was over, and booked on the spot. Some of the main selling features were the fact that Matt and his groomsmen could golf leading up to the wedding, the lovely and helpful people at the venue (Ashton, Courtney, and Taryn - who went over and above to keep our planning organized and fun), and the fact that almost everything we wanted was packaged into a stress-free, well-oiled wedding operation (venue, food, drinks, organization, day of coordination, photo locations). Plus, Ashton and her team recommended vendors to us that were familiar with SMGCC and who worked well with their team, allowing behind the scenes communication that did not have to involve Matt and I — which made our planning a breeze.
Not to mention, the menu tasting night that SMGCC puts on for their engaged couples is a blast, and it helped to make wedding planning seem exciting rather than daunting. That was one of our favourite parts of the whole wedding experience!
Which wedding vendors did you work with?
We booked with Above & Beyond Event Design (Kim) for our décor, Red Button Photography (Eric Rockburn) for our photos, Picture Perfect for our photo booth, our friend Chris Evans for videography, and my Aunt Mary provided our florals.
For decor, there really was no other choice than Above & Beyond. Kim is so well-versed in outfitting the Hideaway space, and she was able to make recommendations that were completely in-line with the rustic elegance vibe that we wanted. She added an industrial metal backdrop behind our harvest head table, drapery accents throughout the space that softened the rustic elements, a beautiful chandelier at our ceremony space, and she dispersed hundreds of candles for our dinner reception ambiance — and it was all executed to perfection.
We are so thankful for Eric of Red Button Photography, who hung out and took photos of us for the whole day, from our first look at The Flatts in the town of St. Marys, right through to our incredible smoke bomb night shots out on the golf course. He found the best lighting and angle for every single shot, and captured the beauty of our day and the venue perfectly.
THE ATTIRE
Tell us about your TWO dresses!
One of the first things I knew when we started planning our wedding was that I wanted a different dress for the ceremony and the party. I first fell in love with my Bex ceremony dress from Wtoo, because I loved the mix of traditional and bohemian styles, with it’s flowing head-to-toe Drosia Lace, A-line skirt, and low cut of the neckline, backline and sides. For our dance party, I wanted something fun and unique, so I chose a sparkly and sheer illusion dress from Anna Campbell. I excitedly changed into my second dress right before our first dances, and it basically stole the show on its own!
What did Matt and the wedding party wear?
The ladies got their ready-to-wear floral bridesmaid dresses from Nordstrom, and Matt and his groomsmen got their suits from Indochino.
THE BIG DAY
What are some of the moments from your day that stand out?
The St. Marys team was incredible at communicating with the vendors, and coordinating a day that felt perfectly seamless for Matt and I. We were never worried about what should be happening, or who was directing the next portion of the night, because Taryn (our Maitre D’) was always one step ahead. Taryn ensured that everyone was where they needed to be, and everyone was genuinely having the best time, including Matt and I. All of our guests raved about the venue, the food, and how kind and accommodating the staff were from start to finish.
The glass garage doors in the Hideaway gave so much flexibility with setting the outdoor feeling of our wedding. Especially since the doors could be opened or closed to accommodate the comfort of our guests on a hot September day like ours, it made this unique feature of the space extra memorable.
We included lawn games out on the patio during cocktail period (including foosball!), and these were a huge hit. They really lended to the relaxed and fun feeling we wanted running through our day. And actually, because SMGCC has timing completely mastered, Matt and I got to enjoy time alone after the ceremony to take some photos out on the golf course AND time during cocktails to mingle with our guests.
Our dance floor was full all night because of our amazing live band, Supersonic Hearts Band. The dance party was so intense that my father-in-law split his pants trying to belly slide across the floor to Meatloaf! However, I can truly say that no one had more fun at our wedding than Matt and I did. We closed the venue down!
How would you describe your wedding experience?
Matt and I can’t say enough about the St. Marys Golf and Country Club. From the moment we went to view the Hideaway location for the first time, right until the day of our wedding, we were met with friendly service from the entire team. Our planning team was available to field any questions that we had along the way, easily adapted as we navigated our way through planning a wedding, and translated every small detail into a reality with help from the rest of the incredible SMGCC team. SMGCC, you made our day SO beautiful, memorable, and effortless, and we truly cannot thank you enough!
