When you read Wendy & Steven's description of their wedding, it sounds like a casual and intimate celebration, that they sort of threw together in four months, and didn't quite have the time to plan it as they might have.
But then you look at the pictures!
Their Lake House wedding in Calgary, Canada, was the most elegant affair, beautifully styled, seamlessly put together, and laced with personal touches and romantic details.
Wendy & Steven are being modest, and their gorgeous pictures by Kristyn Harder Photography show just how special their day truly was.
A girl after our own hearts, Wendy wore two beautiful wedding gowns (and showed restraint not wearing a third!) along with a glamorous red Zac Posen dress for the couple's traditional tea ceremony.
Steven was a dapper groom, with a custom black tuxedo – and just wait until you read his story about falling in love with Wendy, it's so poetic!
The venue was styled to perfection with hues of gold, rose gold, blush and white (you won't believe where they sourced their DIY floral centrepieces!), while their florist created a stunning hand-tied bouquet of blush Juliet roses, white peonies and lots of loose eucalyptus.
From a plotting an elopement to planning a stunning event for 60 in just four months is no mean feat, and this pair pulled it off, and then some!
Wedding Day Snapshot
Our Love Story
Steven: It all started with a simple introduction in the summer of 2008 and a first meeting at a little coffee shop that rhymes with “Car Ducks”.
We had talked the afternoon into the evening, giving the summer mosquitoes ample fill of our blood before ending the night with a promise of a second outing.
We had continued seeing each other, showing our strengths and weaknesses and finding that the world was so much brighter and bigger when we were with one another. From mini golf to circus shows, midnight movies with pizza dinner, we began falling in love with each other.
Wendy loved me so much that she even considered moving to the hill side with me so I could pursue my forensic dreams. I loved her just as much that I couldn't let her waste her nursing talents on a lonely ski hill.
We would not be separated by my red serge so I had left the calling of my beloved country and came back to my home town in search of something more with her, my true love.
She loved me with all her heart and I loved her back with all my heart and as the years passed we started building the roots of a family we wanted together.
I found the perfect ring and at a picnic in Banff I asked her if she would marry me to which she said yes!
Our Wedding
Our wedding in its humble beginnings was to elope and pledge our love to each other in private. But alas, the heart wanted more and family pressures gave in to a more traditional wedding venue.
A small intimate wedding of 60 guests was planned in a very short time of four months which was quite an accomplishment from what we had originally envisioned.
In Three Words
Timeless – Hopefully nothing looks tacky in 20 years!
Romantic – Colors and overall theme
Focused – We planned our entire wedding in four months!
The Flowers
Lush bridal bouquet of Juliet roses, white peonies with sprays of eucalyptus.
Table centerpieces of white hydrangeas with white baby’s breath.
Boutonnieres, with pink spray roses.
The Wedding Dress(es)
Due to our short wedding timeframe, I was only able to purchase a wedding dress off the rack.
As fun as it is to play dress up, it was difficult to single out one dress! I loved the playful romantic feel of flowing tulle but also loved a stream lined mermaid.
With no regrets, I ended up with two wedding dresses. In retrospect, I showed restraint having not went with a third!
The Venue
The central feature of our venue was the grand classic fireplace. This was a beautiful backdrop to our nuptials and family/guest photos.
We also loved that the space was lined by large windows that provided a grand view of a lake and an abundance of natural light.
The Music
Processional: River Runs In You (Yurima) and Canon in D
Signing documents: Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)
Recessional: Clocks (Coldplay)
Favourite Moments
Wendy: Actually being able to make it down the aisle! This was a huge feat for an introvert who had disliked any social attention.
Steve: Exchanging vows and hearing one another speak their hearts.
The Photography
We fell in love with Kristyn’s photographic eye.
Funny note, we actually reserved Kristyn prior to even confirming our venue. Seeing her previous work at our venue reassured us of the image quality we likely would receive.
As important as images are, a video forever immortalizes our memories. We weren’t comfortable with just anyone capturing such precious moments.
Ixchel and Justin’s work was breath taking. They created a short edited video that we were able to provide to friends and family as well as an unedited extended uncut version for us to relive the day and laugh over.
The Budget
$35 000. It’s important to be realistic of a set budget.
We were fortunate enough to be financial capable of our budget. Make no mistake, a wedding is an expense, we treated our budget as an investment with the expectation of no financial return.
Be prepared to learn to say “No, Thank You”. Differentiate between “must haves” and “nice to have”.
The Refreshments
We loved the idea of having three wedding cakes, with three different flavors!
We were able to order a personalized cake topper that was laser cut with our pet-names.
We now have framed this and plan on topping subsequent anniversary sweets.
The Decor & Details
Our short time line (four months to plan) limited our DIY projects. We however created a monogramed large mirror and had our guests sign the mirror in lieu of a traditional guestbook.
This mirror is now on display in our home office and a visible everyday reminder of our wedding.
Our floral table centerpieces were a labour of love. We took a risk by bulk ordering hydrangeas and baby’s breath from Costco and arranging these the night prior.
They were time consuming but turned out nicely. It also fulfilled the florist wannabe in me!
Advice for Other Couples
No couple will have the ‘perfect wedding’.
Don’t stress over every detail, remember the day is a celebration of a union, if you’re worried guests will not enjoy the food, décor, seating arrangement, etc.
Worrying about these things will just cause you more grief than perfection with undue stress.
The Honeymoon
You betcha! A couple days after our nuptials, we scooted off for nearly two weeks in beautiful Prague, Czech Republic.
We basked in the history and culture and really had the opportunity to decompress from all the wedding planning.
We hardly even thought much about the wedding itself! If couples can, we would definitely suggest ‘getting away’.
Such a sweet couple! Did you read Steven's love story? He should be a writer, it's so romantic. Their reception styling was beautiful, and I just love the cake trio, the mixed textures are so pretty!
Thanks so much to Kristyn Harder Photography, and of course our newlyweds Wendy & Steven for sharing their Lake House wedding with us.
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