Where: Bride & Groom's Backyard
When: October 16, 2021
Bridal Gown: Spencer - Willowby by Watters
Photography: Amanda Elizabeth Photography
Florals: Dhalia Thalia
Food: Tulips and Maple Catering
The Inspiration: Originally, we were going to do a destination wedding in Costa Rica. That was our dream wedding. When the pandemic happened, we waited it out a bit. We quickly came to the realization that we had two options - postpone the destination wedding for an indefinite amount of time or get married at home. I decided I didn’t want to wait since we had already been together for 11 years! Then Andrew suggested that getting into a contract with a venue might be sticky with Covid so he suggested getting married at our home. We had spent the year doing major renovations and we moved into our house in May. As a bonus, he had proposed on the property by carving into a tree and asking me to go for a walk so that I’d happen upon the tree. The property is so beautiful in the fall with all the changing colours that I decided that would be the perfect aesthetic for our photos! With the fall colours as our background, I wanted a neutral colour for the girls to wear so that they wouldn’t clash - and I’ve been obsessed over a dark hunter green for a long time. I thought that would fit the foliage perfectly.
Moments to Remember: As a bride planning an outdoor wedding there is one thing you worry about - the weather! As soon as we were two weeks out from the wedding, I was checking the weather daily. 100% chance of rain! We bought umbrellas and embraced the idea that we would be getting married in the rain, that’s lucky right? Well, even with 100% chance of rain, it held off for most of the ceremony with just a quick downpour during the ceremony. Just enough for luck. I remember looking at Andrew and not caring, actually being a little bit excited that it rained.
Jasmine's Dress Journey: I had a very specific boho vibe I knew would suit me best. It helped that I knew Emily (my LBB consultant) and she had an idea of what I would like! I brought my mom, mother in law and best friend/MOH. I tried the first dress on and thought 'wow this is almost perfect'. I hoped that the next dresses would fill whatever I felt was missing from this one. A few dresses later the first was still my favourite and I was ready to say yes and make it my own some other way. Well my mom knows me and vouched for me. One of the dresses I had shown her for my inspiration had sleeves. She showed Emily and Emily said that unfortunately there weren’t any dresses with sleeves available. BUT I could customize it!! I could order extra fabric and have it added to the dress for my own custom flutter sleeves. She brought out extra material and placed it on the dress to give me an idea of what it would look like and bam! That was what was missing! I was in love and so excited.
Jasmine's Advice: Definite lesson for other brides is not to settle - if you can’t find the perfect dress, find out what’s missing and make it your own. Don’t be afraid to say what your gut is telling you - that something is missing. Each bride is unique and her dress should reflect that.
