Kortright Centre for Conservation Wedding

A few yummy peeks before I jump into the ‘in order’ photos of the day:

… And now some of my faves from the flow of their day. Geeze, it was hard to narrow this one down!

 

I’ve always wanted to photograph a Kortright Centre for Conservation wedding. The forest of tall, skinny trees is so darned majestic!! I distinctly remember saying out loud how happy I was – that I loved it there so much! The vibe of a forest wedding is so relaxed. The sounds of the birds singing and wind blowing, rustling leaves, is enough to give me goosebumps.
But add into that a couple like these two… *sigh* … You can see what I mean from just their smiles and how they look at each other. There is a big, beautiful love shared between them. They may love so big in part due to their families – you could really feel the warmth and support from everyone who was in attendance that day.
They had a Kortright Centre Ceremony and a King’s Riding Golf Club Reception – some highlights below (it was hard to narrow down!)

And some words from the couple themselves, written before they said ‘I Do!’:

Tell us about your love story!
Erik and I met at York Muay Thai, 7 and a half years ago. At the time I was a receptionist and Erik was a member of the gym. I was not supposed to date anyone, to keep things formal and professional, but that went out the window when I saw Erik enter the gym. Erik knew of my instant attraction but played it cool for a few weeks. He finally asked me out and we’ve been together since. Turns out he returned to York University after finishing his B.A to look for a wife. Mission accomplished. Regarding the proposal, Erik proposed at his cottage, a place that we both love and where we’ve had many happy memories and conversations regarding our future.

What is your wedding theme / style / colour palette? Why did you choose this?
Our wedding will have a lot of white, green, pink, with gold accents. The colour palette/design for our centerpieces evolved from these gold candle pillars from Michaels that I really love. I also think less is more, so instead of a big flower arrangement with these already beautiful pillars, we’ve decided on mini vases and delicate flowers. Our wedding theme is chic, minimal, classic and unapologetic. Every detail for the wedding has been personally decided by us and our likes.

What 3-5 words best describe your wedding?
Family, Nature, Delicate, Negronis, Dancing and very us/me.

What have you been looking forward to most about your wedding day?
I look forward to our first look at the ceremony, seeing my vision come to life and dancing the night away.

Venue: What made this venue the one for you?
For the ceremony, it was super important for us to be married in a forest. Being in nature and our love for nature means so much to us individually but it is also something we enjoy as a couple as well. For the reception, I really wanted an outdoor venue but because of unknown weather conditions, it was best to find a venue that was indoors but still had an outdoor feel. The cocktail hour is on a balcony.

Photographer: How did you know you had found the right photographer?
Your positive aura over the phone sold me right away. It was just an added bonus that Erik’s cousin Jesse Korgemaa referred us to you and that my brother recognized you from middle school.

Any words of advice for couples planning their wedding?
This may be cliche but I think it is really important to know your intentions before you plan your big day. For example, are you planning a party to please others or are you planning a party because you want to celebrate a special moment in your life with the man/women you love, or is it both? When Erik and I decided on a big(ish) party, our intention was to have fun and to create something that was personal to us, therefore, when I found my self worrying about what others expected or wanted to see instead of asking what we wanted and loved, Erik asked me the question above and it’s helped me to enjoy the journey and to not sway off that path. Therefore, live in the present, be grateful, remember its YOUR day/party, do what you want (but set a realistic budget)and don’t be apologetic about it.

VENDORS: 
Bride’s Dress Designer: Allure
Bride’s Dress Shop: Ferre Sposa
Other accessories: Engagement ring inherited by my grandmother.
Groom’s Suit: Toms ( would rather not promote this vendor)
Bridesmaid’s Attire: Lulus
Wedding Planner/Stylist: The Bride
Ceremony Venue: Kortright Centre
Reception Venue: King’s Riding Golf Club
Flowers: Telli from Hunt and Gather Floral
Hair: Jen Evoy Makeup Studio
Makeup: Jen Evoy Makeup Studio
Photographer: Olive Photography
Other: Flower girl dresses designed by me and custom made Ida Fillipelli

Enjoyed this outdoor wedding? You may love this one at Earth to Table Farm too!