Cozy Autumn wedding at Grandma Lambe's in Meaford
COUPLE
Heather & Kilian
LOCATION
Grandma Lambe’s, Meaford
FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER:
I love the heart that was put into this wedding. This wedding was held outdoors on a day that most people would have preferred to huddle inside. Being outside was so important to Heather & Kilian, I loved that they went for it regardless of the dropping temperatures. Kilian & Heather made sure all their guests were taken care of. Cozy blankets & heaters kept everyone warm and their love for their families (and each other) stole the show. I think huddling under the blankets in a totally UNPLUGGED ceremony created a very intimate and unique experience for the guests. - Jennifer Van Son
FROM THE COUPLE:
How did you choose your venue?: I knew that I wanted to get married in a barn, but we explored a lot of venues at the beginning. We initially fell in love with a (pricey) barn in the Beaver Valley that was having some trouble getting approval from the Niagara Escarpment Council. Needless to say, we were put on hold for quite some time waiting for the go ahead. We finally got fed up after months of waiting and decided to check out a couple more venues. It was late in the season at this point and not many dates were available but we fell in love with Grandma Lambe’s barn and Steph Lambe. They were so good to us and so accommodating!
What was the most important thing for you for your wedding day?: The photography was my number one most important thing for our wedding day. I wanted to spend the money on an experienced professional so that I could look back at our wedding photos and re-live each moment through their lens. Jennifer van Son absolutely rocked it, in fact we both cried our eyes out when she sent us our initial slide show.
Please describe any unique details from your day and why they were special to you: I come from a very musical family and I wanted to incorporate that into our wedding. I love to sing and have been playing guitar around a campfire since I was 7 years old. I had my 13th birthday party at a karaoke bar and naturally, had to have a karaoke wedding. My nieces have also been taking an interest in music over the last several years. More specifically, my oldest niece Jessie Gosling. She’s a 15 year old singer/songwriter and I asked her to sing with me at our wedding. She absolutely killed it, and let me tell you - this girl is going places! It’s an amazing memory to have.
What was the atmosphere you were trying to create?: I had a very clear vision of a rustic, bohemian, all white and greenery wedding.
What area of your wedding did you save on?: After a few unsuccessful dress shopping adventures, I decided to hire a friend and very talented designer, Jordan de Ruiter. I wanted a simple dress that I would be comfortable and happy in all day. Jordan designed the most perfect dress for me. It was an organic modal gown with lace trim and lace detailing on the sleeves. She even threw in some pockets! It ended up being very affordable in comparison to the boutique store price tags!
What wedding advice would you give to someone planning their wedding now?: I would say to block out everyone else’s opinions and hire a good event planner. My good friends Michelle Green and Tim Reid own Black and White Events and did the most spectacular job keeping me sane. There were so many times throughout the wedding planning process that I thought to myself, ‘this is never going to come together’. Michelle and Tim were always there to pick up the pieces, offer advice, and just comfort us when I was stressed. They are the reason that wedding came together and when I saw it all set up for the first time I truly couldn’t believe my eyes. They are worth every penny!
What area of your wedding did you splurge on? (what was your top priority): My mom really only had one request and that was... drum roll please.. good food. She recommended ‘Justin’s Oven’, a farm to table catering company out of Kimberley, and described him as magic. I took her word for it and went ahead and hired them without doing a tasting. Let’s just say that people still talk about how amazing the food was. I remember we had a few last minute cancellations a couple of weeks before the wedding and about a week before the big day I asked if it was too late to change the numbers. I remember Justin apologizing and saying ‘sorry Heather, it’s too late now - the chickens were slaughtered on Monday’. I thought it was a joke at first but he wasn’t kidding - that’s how fresh the food is!
What was your biggest challenge in the planning process?: My biggest challenge was the fact that we chose a barn. There are so many unknowns and so much involved in planning a wedding in a barn like Grandma Lambe’s. I certainly feel like I’m a professional wedding planner now, that’s for sure. It was worth all of the hard work and obstacles we had to overcome. It was perfect.
What was your most memorable moment of the day?: There were so many memorable moments but the first one that comes to mind is when we cut the cake. We cut the cake to the beautiful music we picked out and as soon as we went to put it on the plate it fell on the floor. Jennifer van Son got a good shot out of that one and everyone got a good laugh!
What was your first dance song?: Millionaire - Chris Stapleton
VENDORS:
Photography: Jennifer van Son
Planner: Black & White Events
Flowers: Fresh by Leanne
Food: Justin’s Oven
Rentals: Happenings Party Rentals
Rentals (Decorations): Gettin’ Hitched Wedding & Event Rentals and Croft & Barrell Rustic Rentals
Custom Dress: Jordan deRuiter
Venue: Grandma Lambe’s
Invitations & Stationary: Minted.
Band: The Trevor Mackenzie Band
Facilities Rentals: A1 Toilet Rentals
DJ: Fred Dawson
Cocktail Hour Entertainment: Jessie Gosling
Cake: Lauren Patchell, Seconds Catering
Hair: Leish Grenier, L’Attitudes Salon in Collingwood
Makeup: Courtney Pigeau