Where: St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
When: January 2021
Bridal Gown: Allure Bridals purchased at Lovebird Bridal Boutique
Photography: Vanessa Crocco (e: myweeluggage@gmail.com) - Since they could only have 10 people inside the cathedral, Mikaila's brother-in-law took photos inside the church while acting as Daniel's witness
Flowers: Loyalist Flowers - were amazing!
Cake: Warrior Cakes - did our amazing cake and was very accommodating to the COVID wedding.
Alterations: Rufina's Bridal / Gowns for Mission - was spectacular and got all my alterations done within days, so it was ready.
Reception Venue: St. Lawrence College - even though our reception at St. Lawrence College was cancelled, their staff (Laura & Patrick) were wonderful to work with!
The Inspiration: My theme was elegance...I always wanted a wedding that was timeless and classic so that I could look back years from now and still love every detail. We always knew we wanted to get married in a Catholic church as our faith is very important to both of us. Other than that, COVID dictated the rest of the details. We were originally planning for a Spring 2021 wedding but once restrictions started being put into place (we were a long-distance couple - me in Kingston and him in Ottawa) we knew that the most important thing was for us to get married and be together so that's what we did. I am so happy that we still got to be able to have the traditional elements of a wedding (outside of the ceremony) in addition to the ceremony like our attire, limo, flowers, cake and first dance (which we did back at our hotel room to Shania Twain's "From This Moment").
Moments to Remember: My favourite memory was walking down the aisle to meet my groom. We were only allowed to have 10 people present and though it sounds cliche, I honestly couldn't tell you if there were 5 people there or 500. My friends also surprised me by waiting outside the cathedral to throw confetti once we came out of the church...that was a welcome surprise! Everyone went above and beyond to make us feel so special even under such unusual circumstances. I was also so touched to see that many friends and family drove several hours to watch the live-stream in their cars and wait for us to come outside the cathedral when it was over. Even Daniel's 4 sisters got dressed up despite not being permitted inside the church due to COVID restrictions and waited outside for us. That was especially meaningful!
Mikaila's Dress Journey: I had a definite vision and the dress I ended up with was not it. I am glad Emily didn't 'listen' to my vision. In fact, when I saw it on the hanger, I told my maid of honour that I didn't want to bother trying it on. Luckily, she convinced me to keep an open mind and as soon as I put it on, I just knew. Much like when I met my husband on our first date - I just knew he was the one! I can't say I believed this until I met Daniel but for me, the phrase, "when you know, you know" rings true!
The only advice I would offer any bride is to remember that who you are committing to that day is more important than any other detail. Love will always win.
