Elegant Backyard Wedding in Lora Bay

Couple:

Christie & Duncan

Location:

Private Residence, Lora Bay

From the Photographer:

This was a simple, elegant and beautiful wedding full of local vendors! The groom's parents own a home on Lora Bay property so this took place in their backyard. The mother of the groom did a lot herself so this was very much a budget friendly wedding using mostly all local vendors. This was also the first wedding I had scheduled after covid so that is exciting. Since it was a smaller wedding due to restrictions and Lora Bay Golf was not hosting weddings yet, we were able to travel all around the Lora Bay property for photos including a cottage just off the property with waterfront view, Nippising Ridge and the Georgian Trail.

Marie, Marie Scholz Photography

From the Couple:

How did you choose your venue?:

Our venue was Duncan's parents backyard. We knew if we were going to plan this wedding during covid that we did not want to put money into a venue. We wanted to have some flexibility and not be locked into a contract. We did not want to have a lot of money sunk into a venue that could potentially cancel on us. We are also really lucky that they have a beautiful backyard that had tons of space for us to be able to have the wedding safely!

What was the most important thing for you for your wedding day?:

The most import thing for us is that we wanted to have a good time and enjoy our day with our friends and family. Having such a small (and fantastic) group made it really easy. I did not have to worry once that day, we had so many people helping to make everything run smoothly.

Please describe any unique details from your day and why they were special to you:

We had photos from my mother on her wedding day on our signing table. This was really nice because the photos were prominent during an important part of our ceremony. I think that could be really nice to do regardless of whether you are honouring someone who has passed away or if all your parents are there with you.

What was the atmosphere you were trying to create?:

We wanted a casual and fun wedding. Once the ceremony was done we just wanted to have a good time and party with our family and friends!

What area of your wedding did you splurge on? (what was your top priority):

Our biggest priority going into wedding planning was finding a fantastic photographer. Your wedding photos are something that you will have forever so I wanted to find someone we loved who captured our vision. Since we had the wedding at a private home we had a lot of flexibility in choosing the date. We actually decided on our date based on Marie's availability!

What area of your wedding did you save on?

We obviously saved the most by not having to pay for a venue. Besides that, having a small wedding (whether due to covid or not) really helps to keep costs down. Since it was a small group, we also did not need to send out paper invites, we sent a digital invite to those joining us on zoom. I think there are many traditional things that can be cut to lower costs.

What wedding advice would you give to someone planning their wedding now?:

I would say that it is really important to pinpoint what is the most important to the two of you. Once you know what items are the most important you can have a better idea of balancing your budget and deciding where to start with your vendors. Also for the brides- I viewed getting makeup and hair done as an unnecessary expense but it is something that I think is really worth it. Due to covid rules I could not get either of those services done, but I think it would be a really nice splurge on your day if it can fit into your budget.

What was your most memorable moment of the day?:

I think one of our favourite moments of the day were the speeches. It was a great moment to slow down, and listen to the beautiful (and funny) words written for us. I also thought sneaking away for some sunset photos was awesome. It gave us a chance to be together just us, plus the photos are fantastic. We were more relaxed for these photos since the ceremony was done, so we just got to have some fun!

What was your biggest challenge in the planning process?:

I think for any wedding over the last year and a half the clear answer is Covid. You constantly have to have an eye on the numbers, and see how restrictions are changing.

What was your first dance song?:

We did not really do a first dance, but the song that played during the kiss in our ceremony was Fire and the Flood by Vance Joy!

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