Real Wedding: Alicia & Michael

Floral fantasy and beauty of minimalism

Alicia and Michael's minimalistic but lovely and aesthetic wedding was a real summer highlight. A beautiful floral decor, elegant looks for the bride and groom, a fabulous wedding cake and the best memories — the couple's celebration of love went off in the best possible way.

Tell us a little about yourselves. How did you meet? What do you do for a living? What are your hobbies?

Michael is originally from Sydney, Australia and I’m from Toronto, Canada. We were introduced by my friends who spent a week on a yacht in Croatia with Michael. We started talking and immediately realized we had a very special connection. A few months later, Michael flew across the world to meet me in Toronto and the rest is history as cliche as that sounds. Over the past few years, we have built a life together in Toronto with our dog, Elsa. Michael works as a Videographer & Editor and I work in Brand Marketing. When we’re not working, Michael’s taking film photos or skateboarding, and I’m probably starting our next interior design project. Aside from that, we love to travel together and explore new restaurants in our neighbourhood.

Did you have any pre-wedding events, like a rehearsal dinner or bridal shower?

We had a lot of family and friends flying in from Australia and other countries. So rather than opting for a rehearsal dinner, we invited all of our close friends and family to gather at a pub the night before. It was a great way to introduce all of our loved ones prior to the wedding and kept us both busy to avoid any pre-wedding nerves!

Where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue?

Our wedding took place at Album Studios in Toronto. We wanted an intimate space in the city that had a lot of natural light and gave us the freedom to make it unique to us. With this came a lot of decisions, but we loved how we had the ability to choose and customize every single component that went into our wedding — from the tableware to catering, and everything else. Also, the venue is a photography studio so it felt very “us” given our passions and hobbies!

What was the concept behind your wedding and how did you find your inspiration?

We are always hosting our loved ones at our home, so it was important that our wedding provided a similar atmosphere and warmth. Every single part of our wedding was very intentional and carefully thought through. We even brought several items from our home to bring in our unique style into the venue, including the travertine pedestals at the ceremony, Maison Margiela Replica Jazz Club candles, coffee table books and vases.

How long did it take to plan your wedding? Did you encounter any challenges during the planning process?

We somehow managed to plan our wedding in seven months! As far as challenges go, we were very fortunate that we were able to lock down our preferred venue and vendors on such a tight timeline.

How many guests did you have? And what was the seating arrangement at the wedding like?

It was important to us that our wedding felt very intimate and that we were close to everyone in attendance. We had 76 guests for dinner and about an additional 20 joined us for cocktails, dancing, and dessert later in the evening. For dinner, we wanted our seating arrangement to feel very inclusive so we opted for a u-shape layout with two tables in the center.

Tell us about your outfits. How many different styles have you tried?

Alicia: I wanted a dress that suited our wedding theme and was an extension of my personal style. However, I was on a tight timeline, so I didn’t have time to try on many dresses and had to make decisions quickly. I ended up wearing an off-white Vivienne Westwood dress up until cocktail hour. Just before dinner, I changed into a custom dress by The Law. As much as I loved my ceremony dress, I wanted to change into something that was shorter and more relaxed for the rest of the night! As for accessories, I opted to keep it very simple and plain white with Senso heels and a Jacquemus purse. I also added lots of delicate yellow gold jewelry, including our matching wedding bands from Cartier.

Michael: I wore a custom suit from Harry Rosen in a deep navy shade. To make the suit look more relaxed, I didn’t wear a tie. Other than my wedding band, the only accessory I had was a camera in my pocket all night.

What was your first dance song? Did you choreograph or improvise?

Our first dance song was 'Fingertips' by Brian Jonestown Massacre. However, due to certain circumstances that put us behind schedule, we ended up skipping our first dance. We didn’t practice ahead of time and neither of us are traditional, so we didn’t have any issues skipping it.

What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?

Reading our vows during our ceremony was definitely the most special moment. It was a very emotional experience for both of us and everyone in attendance.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Our photographer, Sammie Chan, was amazing to work with and made us both feel so comfortable. We originally chose Sammie as it was important that the majority of our wedding photos were shot on film and that we had super 8 videography. However, she really blew us away with her ability to capture unseen moments throughout the day. Also, our florist, Isabel Mendoza from Floret, truly exceeded anything we could have imagined. She poured so much love and creativity into the flowers for our special day. Lastly, we used Kwento for our wedding cake, cupcakes, and tarts. I’ve ordered cakes from Kwento for many occasions and milestones in the past, so it was special to use them for our wedding too. We had so many compliments on not only the look of the desserts, but they were so delicious that one guest had five tarts!

What advice would you give to couples who are currently planning their wedding?

Don’t worry about the small stuff during the planning phase. You are so wrapped up in the emotions and feelings throughout your wedding day, and it’s all that matters in the end.

Did you have any special or unique elements (such as a signature cocktail or a fragrance) at your wedding?

We are both passionate about film photography so we purchased several film cameras in advance for the tables with instructions and photo-taking lists. We were really surprised and happy with how the photos from each table turned out! It ensured that every guest was included in at least one photo. In addition to that, it was very important that the food and beverage was enjoyed by all, so we put a lot of effort into this and created a lengthy curated cocktail menu that was available from start to end. Lastly, music is very important to us both and we really didn’t want a traditional wedding playlist. We were very lucky to have a friend be our DJ, he was able to turn our unique playlist into what felt like an intimate dinner party followed by a dance party. The ambiance created from hearing all of our favourite songs throughout the night really made the night special for both of us.