Minimalist Montreal Loft Wedding

Pre-pandemic a classic weddings began at around 120 guests upwards. But when the pandemic occurred we had no choice but to look into the future and re-image what a small intimate wedding would look and feel like. It was a lot of change in a small period of time, and at some points it challenged our industry to the breaking point.

It’s been three years now and we’re through the thick of it. The pandemic gave us small and intimate lavish affairs that burst with embellished details and weddings tailored to each couples own identity which made each wedding unique in its own right. Brides and Grooms invested in higher quality vendors and because of their smaller guest list embellished in gorgeous floralscapes, transformative event furniture and event strayed from the usual wedding format embracing rooftop cocktail parties, alfresco dining and estate events.

It doesn’t quite register with me that it’s now been 3 years since the pandemic. Enough of a time gap that it’s seriously changed the way brides and grooms plan and envision their weddings. I am sensing a new shift, but how it will materialize is still a mystery to me. Will it change our landscape forever? Or is this another transition into our new normal. All I know is that it’s 2023 and we’re here for the small intimate weddings and I want to see more creative weddings. And with that being said Im taking a look back at one of my favourite micro weddings from 7 years ago. It’s timeless and the location is still one of Montreal’s best kept secrets for small intimate loft-like weddings in the heart of Montreal. And I'm particularly proud to share it’s feature on Ruffled. 

Styling and Coordination: TOAST Events
Photography: Laura Kelly Photography 
Hair: Topknot 
Makeup: Klava Zykova 
Dress: The Handmade Bride 
Hairpiece: White Ribbon Accents
Earrings: Sarah Walsh Bridal Jewelry
Florals: Floralia 
Menswear: L'HEXAGONE
Rings: Stór by Margot 
Invitation Suite and Live Painting: LaFabère
Decor: Makin'It Lovely
Cake & Sweets: OSSO Sweet 
Videography: Up North Wedding Films
Models: Savanah and Kyle from Angie's Models 

SAN DIEGO STYLE ROOFTOP WEDDING AT OTTAWA ART GALLERY

A planned wedding in Greece. That reality started slipping away in the early stages of the Pandemic. All their dreams of a sunny elfresco wedding in Europe was but a glimmer. It was inevitable, the wedding had to be cancelled. Both Anastasi and Saam were respectively devastated and disheartened. Lost deposits and a painful feeling in their hearts they didn’t realistically feel that they could recreate their vision, and in, of all places- Ottawa while also living in Toronto.

Amidst the pandemic Anastasia & Saam re-grouped and started contacting vendors to help them celebrate their wedding day the best they could. But they were up against a Covid and the world had other plans. Newly updated restrictions without notice, grey areas of interpretation and guest safety was a major concern. Dancing was officially banned, while food and beverage was being served guests were to remain at their seats, masks to be worn if a guest left their designated seats, live performers had to be placed far from guests, 1 meter physical distance had to be maintained at all times, tables needed to be spread far apart, guests had to be seated in their own bubbles, contact lists needed to be formulated for contact tracing for guests and vendors alike, security was tight etc which continuously posed new challenges Anastasia and Saam didn’t have the strength to get through. The obstacles mounted and the murky logistics seemed like a never ending battle they weren’t prepared for. How could you possibly celebrate in such circumstances?

When Saam and Anastasia contacted us we could feel the tension in their voices, the mourning for their beautiful wedding in Greece. We had large shoes to fill. With the unknown ahead of us, we began planning their wedding in stages with a 2 month head start. The date changed numerous times, the amount of guests permitted changed based on our local health regulations and the work put forth was as if we were planning 4 weddings at once. There was a plan A-Z and I think at the end we were on plan W. Covid provided its own set of hurdles to overcome with short supply in vendor availability, constant price changes, scarce furniture rental ability, short supply of floral product, staffing shortages, and new costs associated to Covid cleaning procedures and food safety. All of these things played into how we would be able to design and plan their wedding. A spiderweb of complications which left all of use with extreme highs and lows. A roller coaster ride no one want to be on. Where was this silver lining everyone talks about?!?!

In over a decade of working in this industry, I had never had to deal with so many unknowns. In some respects it felt like this was the first wedding I had ever planned. Nothing was the same and every day had a new surprise which was completely out of our control. It took a lot of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, major discussions that were hard to have and a lot of personal favours called in to make this wedding happen as close to the clients vision as possible.

We personally had sleepless nights, mini anxiety attacks and mini fits of disbelief. But we pulled through and it made us strong for it. It’s an experience my team and I will not soon forget and a huge learning opportunity. It pushed us to the brink- but the reward of hearing “It was the best day of our life”made it ALL worthwhile.

I remember meeting with Saam and Anastasia after the wedding and the sheer joy they emitted was palpable. They explained that throughout the whole process they were skeptical of how they would actually feel on their wedding day having been robbed of the privilege in having their dream wedding in Greece. But, they explained, it was everything and more then what they would have expected for their dream wedding. It was incomprehensible how the day all came together and that their day was truly special in every way. Cloud 9.

And this only begins to scratch the surface of this wedding story….

Vendors:

Planning & Design Toast: Events

Photography: Lace & Luce

Venue: Ottawa Art Gallery

Florals & Decor: Wedecor  

Makeup Artist: Klava Z Beauty

Hair Stylist: Hair By Adamo

Cake: Girl With The Most Cake 

Caterer: My Catering Group

Entertainment: Luxe Duo 

Videography: Up North 

Entertainment: Shawn Marino 

DJ: Matt Ferguson 

Transportation: Antique Limo Services & Maestro Limousine

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PRIVATE ROCKLIFF ESTATE WEDDING

In the middle of a Pandemic and we had huge plans. Plans for a unique botanical take of The Great Gatsby. Ceiling of greenery and twinkle lights, oversized chandeliers, and a midnight champagne tower…. but as we all say now, the world had other plans. Quickly we pivoted and pitched the idea of hosting Emilie & Simon’s private wedding at their family home in Rockliff with their reception still to be hosted for the date of their one year anniversary. As their petite wedding drew near, we were in official lockdown- yet again. Gatherings of 10 only. And thankfully their bubble was just that.

I have to say- a small wedding is almost- in my eyes, a styled shoot. We have time to capture every little detail of the day to truly string in the story line through photography. I can narrow my vision into the tiniest details on a scale I could never do for a 150 person wedding. I was even able to set and style the dinner table myself. One of my favourite things to do. Needless to say, I really hope the trend of smaller weddings continue.

Before their backyard wedding, we hopped in the car and drove a few streets over to the Rockcliffe Park lake for a first look and pictures with my dear friends and photographers Joel & Justyna.

Dinner for the evening required chopsticks and enough Chinese food for an army. Emilie & Simon ordered every single item from the take-out menu of their favourite restaurant and had custom bamboo chopsticks designed for the occasion.

And all you need to know is that at the end of the day, I left with egg rolls. The rest is history.

K & M WEDDING CHATEAU LAURIER WEDDING

She’ll light up your life as soon as she walks into the room. Her inspiration and sunny outlook on life is infectious. But it has been a long and arduous road that led her here. But the path less taken is always one thousand times more fulfilling once you’ve finally arrived.

2016 was both the best and worst year of my life. I co-founded my second company, premiered a feature-length documentary film at the Obama White House, was named to Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul 100 list, moved to New York City and got engaged.

But behind the highlight reel, I was sick.

I had been diagnosed with cancer, and after my surgeries, just as I thought I was on the road to recovery, a neurological illness hit. I had to make the most difficult decision of my life. I left the company and I moved my life back home to Canada. I started from scratch.

It was the kindest thing I’ve ever done for myself. It was the first moment I fully took ownership of my life and health. I honoured the severity of my experiences, I investigated the stresses and traumas that contributed to my physical state, and I showed up for myself and for the healing. I began to transform my habits, and ultimately my future. I began to do the work I needed to do to realize my true potential — I was no longer chasing the external validation that New York and startup life gave me.

Sometimes I need to pinch myself. I am so honoured and grateful to have had such an amazing woman walk into my life. She gave more then she took and left me with immense gratitude and a new outlook on life. Ugh, why do I always get teary eyed when I write these posts!?! Pardon me while I grab a tissue.

Komal has a unique skill set of bringing purpose to peoples lives. She’s a cheerleader for your soul and sets fire to your passions leading you to discover unforeseen potential.

"What breaks your heart?" Glennon Doyle Melton asked this question at an event I attended a few years ago, and it's stuck with me ever since. She explained that what breaks our heart is the single best identifier of the work we’re meant to do in the world. She suggests that we should move toward the heartbreak, not away from it. 

What I realized throughout my year of healing is that what breaks my heart is unrealized potential. The unrealized potential of millions of girls and women around the world who don’t have access to the same privileges that lift me up as an Indo-Canadian woman. The unrealized potential of people of colour who struggle to navigate complex social, political, and economic systems built without them in mind. The unrealized potential of everyone who has been conditioned to view success in the most narrow and conventional of lenses. 

That question gave me the fire I needed to change my own life, and to devote my work to changing others’ lives in the same way. What broke my heart last year was my own unrealized potential, and the barriers that were in place in my mind keeping me from my destiny. Through this process, I realized that I’m here on this earth to remind you of your potential, and I’m here to reflect the excellence that’s already inside you.

I still remember the day this accomplished young entrepreneur sat in front of me as we chatted about her crazy plans for her luxurious Indian wedding(s). A two part celebration spanning cross-country with family coming from all corners of the world for one purpose- to honour the journey Komal and Mitch has shared and the new chapter in their lives together.

Planning her weddings was a huge undertaking. One you can never really fully comprehend until your in the midst of planning it. Komal had no problem throwing in a few curve balls leading to wonderful surprises. She told me once that there is no harm in asking, because you never fully know how far you can go unless you try. And let me tell you, she asked. I must say she gave our team the opportunity to accomplish tasks that at first glance seemed impossible. But she surrounded herself with vendors that went the extra mile and felt much more accomplished having done so. She literally unlocked our unforeseen potential ;)

Komal & Mitch’s first wedding was held in Grand Prairie, Alberta. A one week celebration with multiple events. Our set-up began at the beginning of the week remotely with myself and Madison in Ottawa communicating from afar with our team on the ground in GP, a 700 person wedding day.

We flew in 12 hours before her first wedding day event which started at 7:30am with a catered breakfast followed by the Milni. In the sikh culture the Milni begins the celebrations with Komal’s family greeting the groom and his bridal party at the gates of the venue, a gesture of welcoming Mitch into the family. There’s music, dancing and singing as they enter the venue.

Once inside the marriage ceremony begins an lasts about 1-2 hours. As the hymns are sang and the live instrumental music is played, a sense of transcendence filled the air literally transporting you to another place. Some of the words spoken during Komal’s ceremony - I’ll never forget.

There will be days, sad days…

There will be days, which we call, bad days in life…..

If there is sun and light out there, there will be night also….

So you must not live in an illusion that there is not ever going to be pain, or bad days in life….

You embrace those…

When you do this with love and attention…

No pain can remain in ones body…

Its just simple love.

With Komal’s struggles, these sentiments are all too fitting. (just grabbed another tissue). Here is a video of those exact words.

After the ceremony lunch is served and the grooms shoes are at some point stolen before the next set of traditions begin. Mitch literally had no shoes during his bridal party photos!

Once photos were completed, Komal returned home for a quick break and the “Doli and Vidaai”, the tradition of the bride formally leaving her parental home. The bride throws rice grains over her shoulders and into her mother’s outstretched hands, thus wishing her parent’s eternal prosperity. She gets into a beautifully decorated car with her husband and drives away towards her new home aka the hotel, where the ”welcoming of the bride” tradition takes place with the grooms parents and family before finally arriving at their reception.

Reading this now, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but we were on our toes from 7 am to 1 am without time to spare.

I even compiled a list of Komal’s statistics to help you see the bigger picture:

• 15 hair and makeup artists from 3 different salons

• Traditional musicians from England

• Videography team of 3 travelling from Winnipeg

• 2 separate photographers from Toronto

• 2 Caterers from Edmonton, serving 12+ events (3 fully catered meals on the wedding day alone)

• Brides personal makeup artist from New York

• 4 Transportation companies

• Decorator

• Cake baker

• DJ from Vancouver

• 3 Entertainment companies

• Traditional drummer form Toronto

• 3 Rental companies with one from Edmonton

• Over 10 flight bookings

That makes 34 separate vendors coming from across Canada and the States, amounting to a team of over 250ppl to manage, direct and assist for Komal’s weddingday. The lengths of detail we went through to ensure the logistics were tight- you won’t easily believe. We went as far as counting rentals from 3 different agencies while calculating the length of time it would take to wash specific items to be used again in a matter of just a few hours before they were needed again. In pre-planning we quickly found out through many discussions with the caterer that there are many menu items with sauces and Grand Prairie didn’t have enough bowls or spoons to meet our needs. On another level of logistics, our caterer from Vancouver only prepared the food, so we had a completely different company provide rentals and a third company manage the serving of the food, clearing and washing. Despite these logistics- we didn’t miss a beat:)

When I think back, it’s hard to believe we were only physically on the ground for 72hrs before flying home and preparing for her Ottawa wedding only 4 days later at the Chateau Laurier with a whole new set of vendors.

I must add that Madison took lead on logistics for the 700 person Alberta wedding, and I focused on overall project management of both weddings while taking the lead on the Ottawa wedding. With this being said, leading up to Komal’s wedding we met bi-weekly for a good year and 3 months before the festivities began, we were working 8am- 7pm daily on her weddings alone.

By the time we got back to Ottawa, it was like time didn’t even exist anymore and everything was a big blur. There was no time to revel in our huge accompaniments as we had so much more work ahead of us for Komal and her celebrity list of guests flying-in, in just a few days. Notable guests included Poet Rupi Kaur who read at her wedding and Tim Baker from Hey Rosetta, who sang at her ceremony and for her first dance. Needless to say this day started at 8 am with 3 hours of tech time debugging the Chateau Laurier of any of those screeching mic sounds preparing all technical requirements for Tim Baker and our filming team flying in from Winnipeg. We even went as far as adjusting our floor plans to accommodate their 20ft camera rig so that it could move freely around the event spaces.

And when the night came to a close, Komal with a bottle of Moet in her hand, said. “We did it! I can’t believe it’s the end!!!”. A bittersweet feeling that this was the end of our chapter with such an amazing couple. Withdrawal hit us hard the following days as the we archived her files and looked forward at the rest of our season.

The experiences we shared together will always be cherished in my heart.

Komal. Thank you for entrusting us in bringing your vision to light. Thank you for bringing me into your life and making me feel like family. It was truly a humbling experience and I feel so honoured for it. As you continue to shine light into the lives in others I hope you remember these days fondly.

xo

Elise

OTTAWA VENDORS:

Fairmont Chateau Laurier

Joel & Justyna Photography

Wedecor

Primetime Entertainment

Dj Shilpa of New York

Michael J Scott Productions of Winnipeg

MDRN Photobooth

Klava Zykova Makeup Artist

Showpony Hair

Priyanka Babriya Makeup Artist of New York

Tim Baker

Sannah Kahn Henna Artist

My Catering Group

Tim Baker of Hey Rosetta

Poet Rupi Kaur

Officiant: Meena Rajulu & Adam Miron

Tim Baker of Hey Rosetta Band singing for Komal’s first dance

BRITTANY & ZACH HORTICULTURE BUILDING

I almost pinched myself when I walked into the Horticulture Building at 9 am to check in on set-up. There were no words. Even with partial decor I knew every design detail we worked tirelessly on was about to live it's own life.  It's one thing when you're designing on paper- but to see it all come full circle, is truly special. 

We first met Brittany when we're invited to plan her surprise proposal by Laura Kelly Photography. I had never met the bride or groom until just shortly before the proposal, when I shouted from a bush "Zach- show me the goods". (aka the ring) before I walked him to where his unsuspecting fiance-to-be was waiting. And I didn't know it then- but we were in it for the long run. 

Almost two years later Brittany and Zach tied the knot at the Basilica Notre Dame with their reception at the Horticulture Building. Brittany chose her vendors well, investing in the best of what she loved and trusted them to take her wedding from what she envisioned to something which was more beautiful then she could have ever expected. 

It was an absolute honour to plan and work with such a talented team on behalf of Brittany & Zach. 

FROM THE BRIDE:

“I can’t believe this is the subject of this email - i’m still a crying wreck today, I can’t believe how emotional I’ve been about all of this.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, from the very bottom of my heart, for everything you (and your team) did for us. Not just on Saturday but throughout the whole engagement. I’m still beyond overwhelmed at the perfection that was Saturday. Walking into that venue was a serious highlight for me.

Not only the set-up/vision (which i know included so many little touches from your own stash, which were truly breathtaking), but also the timeline, organization, and going to bat for me with the crazy people at the church - i cannot thank you enough!

I can seriously say that i look back on Saturday with zero regrets. There is not a single thing i would do differently. I honestly felt like I lived the Toast motto - i felt like the most special guest at my very own wedding reception! I let go of all of my anxiousness, nerves and stress and was able to just fully enjoy all of it!! I cannot thank you enough. Every single one of my family/bridal party who interacted with you and your team this weekend had glowing things to say. We could NOT have done it without you.

I’m so so proud of my wedding day - thank you so much, this is the best feeling!!

xox
B
”

— Brittany Dinardo

Planning & Design: Toast Events 

Photography: Laura Kelly Weddings

Video: Matt & Kat Wedding Videography

Decorator & Florist: Wedecor

Makeup: Klava Zykova

Hair: Top Knot

Stationary & Invitations: La Fabere

Cake: Serendipity Cakes

Dress: Hayley Paige 

Jewelry: Sarah Walsh Bridal

Minimalist Montreal Loft Wedding

Pre-pandemic a classic weddings began at around 120 guests upwards. But when the pandemic occurred we had no choice but to look into the future and re-image what a small intimate wedding would look and feel like. It was a lot of change in a small period of time, and at some points it challenged our industry to the breaking point.

It’s been three years now and we’re through the thick of it. The pandemic gave us small and intimate lavish affairs that burst with embellished details and weddings tailored to each couples own identity which made each wedding unique in its own right. Brides and Grooms invested in higher quality vendors and because of their smaller guest list embellished in gorgeous floralscapes, transformative event furniture and event strayed from the usual wedding format embracing rooftop cocktail parties, alfresco dining and estate events.

It doesn’t quite register with me that it’s now been 3 years since the pandemic. Enough of a time gap that it’s seriously changed the way brides and grooms plan and envision their weddings. I am sensing a new shift, but how it will materialize is still a mystery to me. Will it change our landscape forever? Or is this another transition into our new normal. All I know is that it’s 2023 and we’re here for the small intimate weddings and I want to see more creative weddings. And with that being said Im taking a look back at one of my favourite micro weddings from 7 years ago. It’s timeless and the location is still one of Montreal’s best kept secrets for small intimate loft-like weddings in the heart of Montreal. And I'm particularly proud to share it’s feature on Ruffled. 

Styling and Coordination: TOAST Events
Photography: Laura Kelly Photography 
Hair: Topknot 
Makeup: Klava Zykova 
Dress: The Handmade Bride 
Hairpiece: White Ribbon Accents
Earrings: Sarah Walsh Bridal Jewelry
Florals: Floralia 
Menswear: L'HEXAGONE
Rings: Stór by Margot 
Invitation Suite and Live Painting: LaFabère
Decor: Makin'It Lovely
Cake & Sweets: OSSO Sweet 
Videography: Up North Wedding Films
Models: Savanah and Kyle from Angie's Models