Engaged at the end of 2019, engagement session on October 6th 2020 then bam, covid. But on October 6th 2022, Kathryn and Chris finally got to have their perfect fall wedding at Strathmere, here’s how it went.
My day started off with the ladies at Kathryn’s parents home in Nepean where I was greeted by Binx (yes after Hocus Pocus) the cat, and a bunch of lovely ladies popping mimosas. They showed me to Kathryn’s dress where I was surprised and so happy to see that it was a Maggie Sottero gown I’d fallen in love with when I was a bridal consultant. A gorgeous champagne silk slip layer and a beautiful lace layer over it to finish the look. Romantic, elegant, so perfect for Kathryn. Her mum, Milo, also had fall décor around the home already which made for the perfect little extras in our detail photos to amp up our fall wedding game. Hello little pumpkins, I love you.
Once Kathryn was all done, she had a little solo dance party in the living room in anticipation of what was to come next, dress time. The girls and her mum got dressed and Kalyn, her Maid of Honour came in to help her slip into her dress and do up the 1million buttons. As I was taking photos of her, Kathryn reached out and I thought she was wanting to fix something but no, she wanted her champagne, and so I handed it over to her and it was held in her hand until the end. We had no plans to do a reveal with anyone but knowing that her dad would get emotional, I opted to do an impromptu reveal to him, and I’m happy I did.
As soon as he saw Kathryn, he started to cry, in turn making her cry, and then everyone was crying. He even shared his tissue with his little girl. Our last steps before heading over to Strathmere was Kathryn’s earrings. She went to the dining room where there was a cute little mirror to put on these beautiful pearl earrings on. Turns out, they were her mum’s earrings which she offered to her the morning of the wedding and they were actually gifted to her by her husband, Kathryn’s dad. So it was actually quite sentimental. And just like that, it was time to head on over to Strathmere.
Driving up, it started to rain a little which I hoped wouldn’t stress Kathryn and Chris out. The weather network had called for 1mm of rain around 3:30 so I was hoping it would be this and that’s all. I arrived at Strathmere and went straight to find Chris and his guys. When I got to their room, they were just kind of hanging around. No music, no alcohol, just hanging out with one of our lovely gents laying down in the bed, getting comfy haha. I took a few details of Chris’s items and him fixing himself up and then I spotted them, his socks. They had pugs on them which I thought was so freaking adorable because he and Kathryn have two little dudes, Spike and Rex. We then made our way over to the lodge to start greeting guests as they arrived for the ceremony which would be starting shortly.
Guests were slowly arriving and taking their place outside as Kathryn awaited patiently in the back room… well patiently is a choice of words. She was standing in front of the AC unit dancing to keep her busy and her nerves at bay. Finally, our last guests arrived, and it was time to finally get these two down the aisle and married after 6years of being together.
The ceremony started as any would, Chris walking down the aisle with his mum and dad followed by our wedding party, which is when the rain started. I brought over a couple umbrellas just in case and told Chris, if it gets bad, grab one. I was hoping the rain would lighten up but it actually started to rain harder. The priest said they would move the ceremony indoors if it got too much but that we weren’t made of chocolate and so guests stuck it out and everything thankfully happened outside. Right before Kathryn walked out, their two nephews walked out with the sweetest little sign to announce her arrival. And so, the double doors opened and Chris’s composure went out the window. His eyes welled up and the tears started to roll down his cheek. Kathryn was all smiles as she looked around at her guests and of course her handsome fiancé awaiting to hold her hand. He greeted her dad with a handshake and a hug and took his lovely brides’ hand to guide her the rest of the way.
Rain didn’t stop anyone. It came and went, lightened up, got a little heavier, but nothing that ever made Kathryn and Chris waiver or think of moving things inside. Guests were also very in the moment, and I genuinely think no one really cared, they were just so happy to be in the moment with them. They wrote their own personal vows to one another that made them both tear up and even had the guests, a lot of them might I add, in tears. My favourite are always the parents, especially Chris’ mom and Kathryn’s dad. They were both tearing up from the start until the end. With a beautiful ceremony officiated by their Anglican Pastor, Father Stephen, the time came to pronounced them husband and wife, Sealed with a kiss, and signing of official legal documents, they were finally Mr. and Mrs. Hull.
We spent the time between cocktail hour and the reception wandering around Strathmere’s lovely property, finding spots that gave us those vibes we were looking for. Starting off in the main garden for family photos where we were met with, drum roll please…….. SPIKE AND REX. That’s right, the lovely folks at Dayna’s pet sitting brought over their little guys for a quick family photo because who doesn’t want photos with their dogs on their wedding day? Honestly, now that I have my dog, I wanted to do more photos in my wedding dress and have her tag along haha. Spike was chill as he was during their engagement session but Rex, he’s a new little pup and he’s full of crazy pug energy so getting his attention was a tough one but we were successful in the end.
After family photos, I took the wedding party around the gardens and then off to the ‘’apple orchard’’ by the Garden house. Now if you’ve ever been to Strathmere for a wedding on the weekend, you know that they usually host 2-3 weddings at a time. When this happens, you aren’t allowed to go where the other weddings are happening and essentially are to remain in your area outside of the common area such as the garden. Obviously, this is something everyone respects BUT this was a Thursday wedding and so no one else was at the venue but Kathryn, Chris and their guests. Meaning we had freedom to roam around as we pleased. Once we were done with our lovely wedding party, Kathryn, Chris and I finished things up with private time away from everyone just focusing on them and their portraits. Really wanting fall colours, we wandered in our final space being the field behind the retreat and were able to get those fall colours in the background for her. We laughed a lot and just enjoyed the time before heading back for their grand entrance.
Back at the Lodge, guests were mingling as they awaited our bride and groom in anticipation. The décor in the rom was simple but so beautiful. My favourite having to be the seating chart which was an old window from a family home they’d kept and put in small mirrors then wrote each guest’s name by hand. They also had a Jenga guest book which I thought was so cool. I even signed a block with a few words of love for them. Hopefully when they play, they’re nice about it when someone crashed the tower 😉. They had beautiful greenery on their head table with little wooden signs indicating Mr. and Mrs. with flower stems to add that pop of fall colour. As guests grabbed a cocktail or two, Kathryn and Chris waited in the back room holding hands, kissing, cuddling, just enjoying their private time. They were then announced into the space and all their guests stood up and cheered as they entered the room, arms in the air with the biggest smiles on their faces.
They walked straight into their first dance where they erased the world around them and laughed the entire time they danced. They looked like they were in heaven which I can only imagine after the time they had to wait to get to this day. I turned to see both of their mum’s and Chris’ sister standing at the back of the space, watching them with huge loving smiles on their faces. You could genuinely see and feel the love everyone had for them throughout the entire day.
Our evening went so smoothly, honestly besides the rain, the entire day was amazing, no delays, nothing catastrophic, just a perfect fall wedding. Between courses were speeches by both sets of parents, the Best Man (Chris’s brother) and the Maid of Honour. All of them had lots of humour included in their speeches but also a lot of heartfelt moments which brought Kathryn and Chris to tears a couple times. They were also so social during the entire reception, walking around to every table separately and talking to all their friends and family. Kathryn took extra special attention to all the kiddo’s making sure they felt included by dancing with them and walking around with them in her arms. She’s the ultimate auntie.
Once dinner was over, Chris and his mum made their way onto the dance floor to open up the dancing. It was so cute to watch because of their height difference and how she looked up at him. She’d done a lot of crying today and during the dance she just took it in, her son was married and allowed herself to dance in his arms peacefully. Kathryn and her dad Kevin on the other hand were chatting and laughing the whole way through. It was a different dynamic between both dances and I loved to see it. After that, it was party time! Kathryn wasted no time getting out there with all of her friends as Chris took his time to hang out with a few people outside by the fire.
A special surprise was that Kathryn’s grand-mother made an appearance on the dance floor which was so special and fun! She stayed for a few songs and danced with Kathryn, her brother David and a few more people along the way. Honestly, this crew knows how to party, including the kiddos. That dance floor was popping from the moment it could until after I left.
Kathryn’s dad here was finishing his speech and accidentally smacked the mic, giving us this meme worthy moment and Chris’s mom also had a moment as you can see. I liked the dynamic of them being side by side haha.
Kathryn and Chris, it was a long time coming, an interesting road to get here but dang it, it was so worth it. Your day was so perfect and special and I’m grateful to be able to call you clients and friends. We’ll have to set up a doggy date with all of our pups soon to see each other again. Until then, I hope you enjoy your honeymoon xox
Vendors:
Hair: Bombshell Hair by Allison
Makeup: Makeup by Yelena Perunov
Wedding Dress: Alliance Bridal
Groom’s Suit: Jimmy Suits
Groomsmen: Moores Clothing
Flowers: Love in Bloom
Officiant: Stephen Silverthorne
Venue: Strathmere, The Lodge
DJ: Driftwood Music
