Couple:

Paige & Arend

Location:

Lion’s Head, Ontario

From the Photographer:

Ohmyheart! Where to even begin with Paige & Arend? These two are such beautiful souls. They’re thoughtful and kind and clearly love each other very much. They put so much heart into their wedding and prioritized honouring their families and friends with personal touches and capturing candid photos of them having a great time. It was clear that being surrounded by their loved ones and making sure they had an amazing time was number one for them. Lion’s Head is a breathtaking location for a wedding, and I love that the ceremony took place just a stones throw from where people were picnicking and playing in the park. There were seagulls flying overhead, and the sun was just brilliant. I was super thrilled when Phyllis, Paige & Arend’s dog, showed up as a special guest for a short time. She is just the sweetest and it wouldn’t have been the same without her. One of the most memorable moments for me was capturing Paige & Arend as they travelled by tractor to the venue. This was an important detail, as Arend was honouring his grandpa by driving his tractor on his wedding day. It’s incredibly special when you’re able to incorporate people and memories into your wedding day. zI’m so happy for these two! Just reliving this day has brought a smile to my face!!

Also… That dance party was !!!!!!

From the Couple:

How did you choose your venue?: I grew up in Lion's Head, so it was all about being close to home. I am a bit of a nervous person, and never would have chosen to have the ceremony outside because of weather, but the lighthouse in Lion’s Head is something that I think of when I think of home. I'm also a hobby painter and have painted it so many different times. I just love that spot. So I knew it was the perfect place. The reception was at the arena in town, classic Lion’s Head wedding reception actually. Relaxed and central, it made for a fun night with family and friends.

What was the atmosphere you were trying to create?: I'd say comfortable but still artsy, and fun. We wanted people to notice the little quirky details, just like our personalities. we also cared about the location a lot, and loved how it was walking distance to most accommodations. Which means more time to celebrate together and then a walk under the stars home.

Please describe any unique details from your day and why they were special to you: Hmmm. That one is tricky. Lion’s Head is a village, and our day was uniquely usual for the area. Outdoor wedding, and then reception on the arena floor, where all the neighbours are invited to what we call an 'open reception' for a party. In that way it's pretty unique when compared to weddings in other communities, but we chose the beaten path in that sense. I love art and beautiful things, I know the arena isn’t beautiful but home is, and so are family and friends. Arend, my husband is from Listowel and to bring a piece of home to the wedding for him we also took a ride on his grandpa’s antique tractor. We had intentions to sail in a small sailboat that his Opa built, but ran out of time for it that day. It was special to have artifacts from his childhood there too.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?: Most memorable moment was probably the ceremony. Or just right after it! It felt so good to be married.

What was the most important thing for you for your wedding day?: For me, the most important thing was to have all of our friends and family there. It would have been so much easier to do something smaller but I don’t regret a thing.

What area of your wedding did you splurge on? (what was your top priority): Photography, and it was worth it! We knew that not every detail needed to be perfect, all that really mattered was that we had pictures to capture the day beautifully and to capture images of us and our families too. We also had a live band. This band plays at community dances that I was raised going to. They also get the gig for most of the locals weddings (because they're awesome). They've seen me dance a lot, with a few different guys over the years LOL. It was a blast having them play our reception, a no brainer. You can’t beat live music.

What wedding advice would you give to someone planning their wedding now?: Do what you want. Don't worry about catering to your guests. I know you can’t help yourself, but just keep it minimal. Spend on the things YOU care about. Spend on your photographer, choose whatever details you want no matter how unconventional, and buy the overpriced ribbon for your bouquet LOL. At the same time, you don’t always have to spend. Don’t consume just for the sake of it. Think 'when I think about our day, will I care about this detail?'.

What area of your wedding did you save on?: Oh gosh, venue, likely decor too. Arend and I wanted to look our best, we wanted to have fun memories and laughs with friends and family, and we wanted those memories captured well. We wanted the location to mean something to us.

What was your biggest challenge in the planning process?: Everything. I hate planning. If we didn’t want to include our family and friends so badly we would have chosen our closest family and had a small elopement! I hate planning. Maybe get a wedding planner is my advice!

What was your first dance song?: Keeper of the Stars by Tracy Byrd