Date

Guests

100

March 29, 2014

Shaun and Daniel both love rustic Canadian design so it was only natural that they decided to go with a Canadiana theme. The couple picked red, yellow, green and blue as their theme colours. "Our motif also reflects our cultural union, which is a mix of francophone, anglophone, Western Canadian and Eastern Canadian," Shaun explains.

Each table had a jar of red licorice to commemorate Daniel's father. "He always made sure to buy licorice on long car trips," Shaun explains. "It only seemed fitting that we have licorice to remember that he's there for the start of our journey together."

For favours, Shaun and Daniel repurposed Christmas crackers from Hudson's Bay and filled them with maple candies, a nod to the couple's wedding theme and their shared love of Christmas. "We removed the toy and Christmas jokes and replaced them with candy and wrote a personalized note to every guest," Shaun smiles. "Everyone had fun popping them at the start of the reception, reading the messages and donning the paper crowns."

After dinner, individual bumbleberry and apple-caramel pies were served alongside lemon cake and French toast cake. "I prefer pie, while Daniel loves cake," Shaun laughs. "It only seemed fair to compromise and get both!"

The couple's wedding song was "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" by Daniel Bedingfield. "We loved how the lyrics symbolize the personal journey in finding each other and some of the speed bumps on the way to a gay marriage," Shaun says.

Vendors
Ceremony and reception location: Hotel Ocho
Bridal party attire: David's Bridal, Tom's Place
Grooms' suits: Tom's Place
Cake: Rainy's Cookie Cafe
Caterer: Hotel Ocho
Favours: Hudson's Bay, Bulk Barn
Wedding planners: Weddings Jubilee
Music: Peter Lazar from Urban Room Design and Production
Florist: Sierra Flower Trading, Ashton Creative
Stationery: DIY
Videography: Derek Chan