An I Love Fall Rustic Wedding Day In Canada
With the bride's childhood home up for sale and she and her husband-to-be looking for a meaningful location to say "I do." Our next couple decided to throw one last big bash in this most familiar place. With the help from both of their families, they created one heck of a gorgeous late Fall event as well as some beautiful memories
Keep scrolling to see how they transformed this special space into a rustic fall paradise. And be sure to stop by the full gallery, we have even more photos from this day thanks to Olive Studio.
A Meaningful Venue
From the bride: From the very beginning, Connor and I wanted to have a wedding that wasn't just about us. Of course, it was our big day but we wanted to celebrate marriage, commitment and love in all it's forms. We wanted to bring family and friends together and create moments for people to feel what we get to feel every day.
Right away, things started falling into place. My parents had sold my life-long home in Toronto's High Park area and moved to Fenwick, Ontario. Connor and I knew we wanted to get married outdoors, somewhere meaningful, and ideally...well, somewhere free. So when my parents announced the move, it was perfect. Connor grew up in California, and despite the distance for his family to have to travel, he was on board for a Canada wedding - but this meant long-distance planning. That is where family comes in.
Family Effort
I used Pinterest to keep my Mum, my Aunt and myself on the same page through the planning process. One thing we found is we had to find a balance between wanting to be original and using the inspiration from other weddings to create one that was completely ours. In the end, it was all our families (which are huge) coming together that made it our day like nothing we'd ever seen. Each place was set, favors made, lanterns hung by a family member who came early to help pull our day off. It was an incredible experience.
We decided on early fall because we love the weather and the colors and the general feel of the season. My Mum and Aunt began collecting antique, mismatched plates, vases, mason jars, fabrics etc. from thrift stores. A special touch was that my Aunt is an artist, she has been collecting beautiful things for as long as I can remember, there is a lot of her in my wedding: such as a collection of over 50 salt and pepper shakers, or the countless beautiful blankets our guests wrapped themselves in as the temperature dropped that night.
Wedding Theme Not A Themed Wedding
One tricky aspect of our decor was how to capture a warm autumn feel without having a "Thanksgiving Themed Wedding", which we didn't want. That basically required chilling out on the falling leaves, leaving out the pumpkins (I really wanted the pumpkins) and keeping the colors in one or two tones rather than going with ALL the fall colors.
Our wedding day was the best of my Family and the best of Connor's Family coming together and throwing the best party ever. It was a warm, cozy, fire-lit evening surrounded by everyone we care about. It provided guests with a chance to walk in the woods, talk with old friends, eat some great food and remember how great it is to fall in love and celebrate that Connor and I did.
DIYs We Love
I was all about the Altar, my Father found an old scratched up fireplace mantle, we worked with flowers, reeds and berry branches found on the farm to create layers upon layers of all the natural warmth of autumn that we loved.
Oh! The chandeliers! There were two chandeliers hung above the reception tables. My dad picked them up at Habitat for Humanity, a great spot for affordable focal pieces for a "rustic wedding".
- Wedding Photographers: Olive Studio
- Cakes & Catering: Pig Out Catering
- Flowers: United Floral Distributors
- Groom & His Men: J Crew
- Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Beyoutiful Brides
- Paper Goods & Calligraphy: Paper Source
- Rentals: Party Shoppe