Real Weddings: Averie & Bled's Booklovers-Themed Wedding
This blog was originally created by Madeleine Villa.
Averie and Bled tied the knot on a crisp fall day, their wedding celebrated their love for each other and shared love of books and literature. Find out how they incorporated karaoke, pizza and a Jane Austen inspired venue to complete their big day!
Can You Tell Us a Bit About the Two of You?
How much time do you have?! We’re best friends who have been together almost our whole adult lives (9.5 years). We are arts lovers and huge nerds. We met when I was just about 19 and Bled was 20 as volunteers at Canada’s national improv theatre tournament for high school students (did I mention we are huge nerds?). We did long distance for our first three years, but we both ended up in Toronto in 2012. We spend a lot of our time here seeing music events and concerts (Bled is an artist manager at an indie record label). We also read a LOT. I’m a word nerd (I work as an editor), but Bled is the way bigger book hoarder. We like to drink tasty coffee, play board games, and go to movies with our friends. Y’know! Boring and normal stuff!
Who Proposed, Can You Describe the Moment?
I was back in my hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan visiting family and friends and getting super excited about an upcoming trip to Europe. I would be meeting Bled in Portugal, and I was pretty sure he was going to propose there. Little did I know, Bled had actually flown to Saskatchewan a few days after me and was planning the ultimate surprise proposal for me with my best friend! My friend said she wanted to go for a girls’ night dinner at a fancy restaurant. When we arrived, we were led through the restaurant to a private area with a pretty view of Regina’s Wascana Lake. As we rounded the corner to our table, Bled was standing there, all dressed up! At first, I was so confused. I was like, “What are YOU doing here…?” Then it all kind of clicked and I started bawling! Bled was adorably awkward. He wasn’t sure whether or not to get down on one knee, but then he did and asked me to marry him. And I said YES! (at least I think I did… I was crying a lot so I might have just nodded vigorously!)
Where Did Your Wedding Take Place?
At the Estates of Sunnybrook in the daytime, and The Jam Factory T.O. at night.
Could You Describe Your Day and How it Came Together?
Our main event was a daytime ceremony and brunch reception at the Vaughan Estate (main house) at the Estates of Sunnybrook. The place looks like it’s basically right out of a Jane Austen novel, which was perfect for us, as we were (loosely) going for a books and literature theme. About 110 people ended up attending, which was a perfect size for us and the venue! We started off with a small ceremony, then there was a coffee/tea hour while we did family pictures outside in the beautiful stone courtyard at the Estate. After that, Bled and I had a little bit of solo time while everyone got seated for brunch, and then we went downstairs and ate delicious food (eggs benny/veggie frittata) and listened to amazing speeches!
After our guests left, we hung out and took pictures with our bridal party. Then we headed back with the gang to our Airbnb for pizza and champagne. Around 8 pm, we strolled over to our nighttime venue (only a few blocks from where we were staying), where our dance party had already begun! The party had everything: booze, tunes, a candy and snack bar, cookies (I work for the Girl Guides of Canada), an awesome photo booth, poutine delivery, and when it was mostly just us and our friends left, we fired up the karaoke machine and sang our hearts out! It was the best day ever!!
What Was Your Favourite Moment or Most Memorable Detail?
There are so many! Here are a couple: We had our rings passed to us through each other’s family members so Bled’s family blessed my ring and my family blessed his as they got passed along to us. We weren’t sure how it would work out, but it was very special in the end!
It was a sunny and crisp fall day, but a light dusting of snow began as we started taking our family portraits, which gave everything a super magical feeling.
Pizza time: hanging out with our closest friends between events and chilling (without my dress on) was probably one of my favourite parts of the day. I remember sitting there with Bled and my best friends and just staring around at everyone and feeling so incredibly lucky and happy (also… there was pizza!).
Why Did You Choose Henkaa?
I had a slight problem in that only one of my bridesmaids was here in Toronto with me. The others were in Regina, Guelph, and Arkansas!! So, we couldn’t go out and try on a bunch of different dresses together. I knew I wanted a consistent look but also wanted my gals to feel comfortable and have something they could make work for them and their individual style.
Choose your colour fabric swatches here!
I had heard great things about Henkaa on a local Facebook group (shout out to Wedding Bunz!!) and when I looked into it, I was impressed at the quality of the swatches I got from Henkaa! I also thought the price point was very reasonable, especially considering the dresses don’t really require much alteration. What sealed the deal was talking to Henkaa’s staff on the phone about my order. The customer service was so outstanding, and I was glad to be supporting a Canadian company!
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