MARRIED SEPTEMBER 14, 2019
Tim and I met in the summer of 2014, while we were students at the University of Waterloo. Many of our spring-term days were spent in the sunshine playing beach volleyball with friends. Tim says that from the moment he saw me through the net, he knew I was the one! I can’t say the same, but I certainly noticed him (tall, handsome, and good at volleyball!), and by the end of the summer, I worked up the courage to text him. Although Tim moved to California for an internship that winter, we exchanged letters and messages. When he moved back in the new year, we picked up right where we left off, making our relationship ‘official’. But Tim had a full-time job offer waiting for him upon graduation, and he would be moving back to California. Watching Tim drive away from me that night was difficult, but we’d committed to each other and to giving long-distance a try. We were in love, so what else could we do?
The three years that followed were filled with lots of letters, FaceTime dates, holidays together, and unforgettable trips. Some of the best memories of my life will be from our long-awaited visits, where months of a relationship would be condensed into days. We had a serious talk about the future of our relationship on Alcatraz Island, our first fight was at a pizza place near Yosemite, and we shared our dreams while driving along Highway One.
In May 2017, I headed out to visit Tim in California, during a short break in my master's degree. Tim knew he wanted to propose in California, because so many of our best memories had taken place there. I arrived Friday at midnight, and he woke me at 7am the next day to hit the road (eager much?). We drove to Point Reyes, reminiscing on our past together along the way. When we arrived at the Cypress Tree Tunnel, I remained clueless as to what was ahead, even though Tim mentioned how similar this was to our first date. He asked me to go stand where he could grab a photo of me (sneaky) and when I turned around, he said the words he’d prepared and got down on one knee — and in a blur (and a lot of happy tears) we were engaged!
Tim had arranged to move back to Canada for Christmas 2018, but that meant that I’d be spending the initial months of wedding planning without him. I was in the thick of my master’s degree in Toronto, thousands of miles away from my fiancé, while trying to plan our wedding. I was born and raised in Waterloo, and I knew I didn’t want to get married far from home. I had a massive list of venues that I started to explore in the region, and my Mom and I started visiting venue after venue, when I would come home on the weekends. I knew I wanted to have an outdoor ceremony, a location where we could capture stunning photos, and a bright, elegant, beautiful space where we could celebrate with our large guest-list. It seemed like an impossible task, and I was starting to get discouraged and overwhelmed, because the venue hunt was consuming time that I didn’t have amidst the demands of school.
Through what I can only describe as fate or divine intervention, my Mom heard about the St. Marys Weddings Bridal Open House and she decided to go. I wasn’t able to attend on such short notice, but I still remember getting a call from my Mom that afternoon. She said, “Jess, I found your wedding venue! The people who run it are incredible and you absolutely need to see this place". With that, I called Tim to tell him about SMGCC. We looked at the website, got really excited, and I booked a tour for the following weekend. From the moment I met Ashton and walked through the Hideaway doors, I had already made up my mind that this was the venue for us. Ashton made us feel so incredibly special and cared for. The grounds really speak for themselves, but Ashton laid out the flow of the wedding day, helping me to instantly envision Tim and I saying “I Do” at SMGCC. From the bridal suite to the ceremony pergola, I was in love. The Hideaway ticked all my boxes — it was bright, beautiful, airy, and filled with stunning details (that ceiling, WOW!), which really set it apart from other spaces we’d seen. If the venue itself wasn’t enough to sell me, I quickly fell in love with charming St. Marys, a town just 45 minutes out of Waterloo that I’d NEVER visited before! I called Tim that night and we emailed Ashton right away to book our date — September 14, 2019! I’m still so thankful that my Mom went to that open house, because SMGCC made all my wedding dreams come true.
One of the first wedding decisions I made (okay, technically I’d decided long before Tim and I even got engaged…) was that I wanted my girls to wear Park & Fifth mauve bridesmaids dresses. Park & Fifth is a Vancouver-based company that I fell in love with on Instagram, and they had a specialty collection of ties, which let me match Tim’s tie and our ring-bearer’s bow tie perfectly to the girls’ dresses. I found my dream wedding dress at Kitchener’s Ballett’s Bridal, and I owe everything to my seamstress Iliana (Nocce Bridal Alterations) — she saved the day multiple times, as we realized that the dress was going to be a more complicated alteration than anticipated.
SMGCC has a wonderful relationship with tons of local vendors, which helped make my vendor decisions easy. I knew florals were going to be a big part of my décor plan, and I decided to go with Lyric Flowers after my first meeting with Lanny and Jay. I knew that I wanted lots of bright whites, gold accents and greenery — but it was Above & Beyond Event Design who gave me endless support and guidance in solidifying my vision. They used their stunning pieces, integrated a few of my own, and truly went above and beyond to make every corner of the Hideaway space better than I had imagined.
I rented my unique frosted glass signs, which we scattered throughout the venue, from Kat Event Rental Signs. We booked DJ Charlie Clean for the evening dance, and my childhood pastor Ken Taylor from Creekside Church performed our wedding ceremony. The incomparable Macy of Rooted Photo took our incredible wedding photos. I can’t say enough good things about Macy. She made Tim and I feel so comfortable, and she produced photos I’ll be proud to display for a lifetime. I used Shutterfly to display her stunning engagement photos in our guestbook, as I’d made many Shutterfly books to document and remember the numerous trips to California Tim and I have shared over the years. These books were on display at our wedding for our guests to look back on the journey that led to the wedding day.
The day before our wedding dawned with rainy forecasts and a fair bit of panic from me. My girls and I got our nails done, packed up, and headed to St. Marys to set up a few corners of the venue. When we arrived at the venue, it already looked stunning, with tables and décor already falling into place courtesy of Above & Beyond and the venue. My bridesmaids and I headed over to the beautiful Transvaal Farm (B&B), where we spent the night before the wedding. We had found this lovely property when visiting the town of St. Marys, in the months leading up to the wedding. It was a rental property run by the friendly owners of Smidgeon Kitchen, a cute little riverside bakery that we always stopped by during our visits to town. Not only did the farm provide our accommodations for the wedding weekend, but it also set the backdrop for the gentlemen’s getting ready photos on the wedding day.
When it was time for the rehearsal, it was pouring rain and we couldn’t rehearse in the actual venue space. About this time, I was also starting to feel a bit feverish, which I chalked up to being overwhelmed and stressed. Taylor, our day-of SMGCC coordinator, was such a comfort to me. She efficiently ran us through our wedding rehearsal inside the reception space, and despite the weather difficulties, we finished the rehearsal on schedule. I left feeling confident that Taylor would be there to keep the day running smoothly and as planned.
On September 14, 2019, I woke up at Transvaal Farm sick as a dog. I had the most atrocious head cold and fever, and could hardly believe that I could be so sick on my WEDDING DAY. The show must go on, so the girls and I made our way to the SMGCC bridal suite where we prepared for the day. The ladies of SMGCC fawned over me, bringing me endless tea, water and meds. They took SUCH incredible care of me, as I spent most of what should have been ‘getting ready’ excitement lying on the couch in the bridal suite, chugging lemon tea. I cannot say enough good things about Taylor, Ashton, and Courtney (Event Manager). Despite having a second bride to think of next door in the Ballroom space, they continuously checked in on me and made me feel so cared for — and I still managed to enjoy the morning.
For our hair, the amazing Porsche took care of us. And two beloved family friends, Mikayla and Cheyenne, did our makeup. They made me and my girls feel so incredibly beautiful, and I’m so grateful for their incredible work!
My lovely Mom helped me put on my wedding dress, and it was a memorable moment! Unfortunately, as I sat to put on my wedding shoes, the dress ripped at the waistline. The St. Marys gals came to the rescue yet again — Courtney appeared out of thin air with a sewing kit, and my hero of a Mom sewed me into the dress for the day. I shared a first look with my best gals once we were all dressed, and then I shared a special first look with my Dad. At this point, adrenaline had kicked in, and I was feeling happy and excited as I anticipated seeing my soon-to-be HUSBAND! Tim and I shared our first look in the town of St. Marys, on the beautiful historic bridge of Grand Trunk Trail. After that magical moment, the wedding party took some group photos along the riverside. Then, it was back to SMGCC to hide away and get ready for the official “I Do’s”.
At ceremony time, Taylor cued everything to perfection, and the processional went forward without a hitch. Before I walked down the aisle with my parents, Ashton was there with water and words of encouragement. It meant so much for Ashton to be the last face I saw before walking down the aisle, as she truly guided Tim and I through the entire wedding planning process. Then, in a blur of beautiful sunshine, a fly-away veil, live music, family prayer, meaningful vows and a memorable kiss, Tim and I were married!
We celebrated with our families, took family photographs, and were zipped away on a golf limo with a plate of hors d’oeuvres to enjoy the grounds with our photographer. Tim and I both reflect on this time as one of the best parts of the wedding day. We spent our first hour as Mr. and Mrs. Dyck alone together, exploring the beautiful St. Marys golf course, and snapping our favourite photos of the day with Macy. It was pretty magical, and we appreciated how SMGCC facilitated and prioritized creating this moment for just the two of us to share as newlyweds.
Then, it was party time! There’s nothing more magical than the Hideaway lit up with warm candles, glowing light, and the laughter of our cherished family and friends. Despite feeling a bit under the weather, I had the most incredible evening with my husband by my side. We visited our guests, listened to beautiful speeches from loved ones, ate a delicious lambshank dinner, cut the cake, played our shoe game, and ultimately spent the evening feeling incredibly celebrated. We escaped with Macy for some beautiful golden hour photos on the grounds. We shared a meaningful first dance, and I waltzed with my Dad (a dance we’d been practicing non-stop for a week leading up to the wedding day). Then, with an insane amount of determination to enjoy the wedding day to the fullest (despite feeling pretty terrible), I danced the night away until last call! I have zero regrets, because your wedding day only happens once, and I wanted to soak up every moment of the perfect day.
As Tim and I approach our third wedding anniversary, we often look back on our beautiful wedding photos and remember our perfect day at SMGCC. The St. Marys team made every decision leading up to the big day so easy. They made every wedding day (would be) ‘disaster’ just a memorable blip that was immediately handled. They were there to make every moment worry-free and picture-perfect. We are so grateful that we found the venue of our dreams, and that we got to start our forever together truly enjoying our wedding day. We would choose SMGCC over and over again, every time. Thanks for giving us a wedding day that was a fairy-tale better than we could have imagined. Needless to say, we’re living happily ever after.
Story by Jessica Dyck
Photography by Rooted Photo
