Real Weddings: Gina and Matt's Big Wedding Day
This blog post was originally written by Madeleine Villa.
After proposing on a drawbridge at a castle in Germany, Gina and Matt set on a medieval quest to have a fairytale wedding.
Spoiler alert, they lived happily ever after!
Tell us a little about how you both met...
We met August 30, 2008, we were both students at the time. I decided to skip the first week of my final year of university to go to Cuba and apparently Matt had the same idea. We met on our resort and hung out all week. When we got back to Canada he made it “official” on my birthday and the rest they say was history.
Tell us all about the proposal!
We were traveling in Europe in July 2013 and we were visit yet another castle since I have an obsession. On July 16 we went to Lichtenstein Castle and did the tour inside. Afterwards Matt convinced the staff to let us take pictures of us on the draw bridge. Little did I know it was not a picture he was setting up with a timer but instead it was a video and he captured the whole proposal. Needless to say I was in major shock and took awhile to answer since I did not believe it. I have the video to prove it!
When and where was your wedding?
On August 30, 2014 in Toronto. The church was Holy Rosary Church then we did photos at the Spadina Museum and then the reception followed at Destiny Banquet Hall.
Tell us about the big day and how it all came together
It was a traditional Italian wedding with a church ceremony and a banquet hall reception.
- The theme was castles/medieval/fairytale since we got engaged at a castle in Germany on a draw bridge we decided to carry that theme throughout. We definitely went with the "go big or go home" model, big bridal party, big family and lots of sparkle - it’s the one day you can.
- We ended up going with August 30 as it was 6 years to the day we met so it would make our anniversary extra special.
- My fiance was very involved in the process with the details, the decor and the planning which is rare as most guys don’t get too involved. It was nice for him to care so much and be involved.
- To make it extra enchanted we made little trees with flowers and lights to decorate the hall with the crowning jewel being a 15ft-high birch tree that my fiance custom wired and lit and added floral. It was such a hit the hall bought it off us to use for future weddings!
Can you recall your favourite moment from the day?
In between the church and the reception, after doing all of our photos with the wedding party we took some time to let it all sink in and enjoy our moment as new husband and wife. We had the photographer and videographer just follow us around the photo grounds and we really just were ourselves and were able to capture just genuine feeling and it was nice to separate from everyone else just to let it sink in.
By doing this the day did not fly by too fast and really enjoyed every moment. At the end of the day all the family, friends etc. are great but it is really important to enjoy the moment just the two of you because this is truly what the day is all about, you two coming together as one in your own new family.
Why did you choose Henkaa for your bridesmaids dresses?
I chose Henkaa because I had 10 bridesmaids ranging from a size zero to plus size and everything in between. I knew it would be hard to find a dress that they would all be happy with, feel comfortable in, and didn’t break the bank. When I brought them to Henkaa they liked how they could customize it to their own style and they all felt really comfortable in the dress.
Also my family is very traditional Catholic so I loved that during the church ceremony all the girls could wear it as sleeves to be modest at church so my Nonna and family were happy. Afterwards, when we went to do the photos and for the rest of the day onwards they were able to be themselves, wrap it the way that made them feel best. Which as a bride with this many girls is really what you are hoping to achieve.
Vendors
Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal from Jolie Boutique
Bridesmaids Dresses: Henkaa
Groom & Groomsmen Suits: Calvin Klein from The Bay
Florals : Sobeys
Hall: Destiny Banquet Hall
Photographer: 11elevnpmd
Videographer: infloproductions
Hair: By Julia at Long and Lush
Jewelry: Blue Nile
DJ: D2 Entertainment Group
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