Archeo wedding Archives | Olive Photography

Archeo Wedding: Bridget & Nick

June 29, 2017

Quite possibly the most adorable couple you will ever see.
They exchanged vows in their first home together – the party room of their condo building (what a neat idea!).
TTC travellers, they hopped on the Cherry St. streetcar. Fitting, since their last name is Cherry!
Then in the Distillery District, and they had an intimate Archeo wedding reception – complete with loads of laughter and emotion.
This couple and their family wear their hearts on their sleeves in the best kind of way.
Here are some highlights from their wedding, along with reflections from the happy couple themselves at the end.
I dare you to try not to smile.

SO adorable, right?
Here’s a bit more about them & their special day, from the Bridget & Nick themselves!

Your Love Story: How did you meet? Do you have a sweet proposal story?
Nicholas and I met on a blind date in our last year of university. Sci Formal is a very exclusive, exciting event at Queen’s University. It is the kind of event that people don’t want to miss and anyone who knew me had listen to me talk about it since my first year of university.

In order to attend, each graduating engineer is required to complete forty hours of volunteer service toward the design and creative work of transforming the space. All other attendees are by invite only.

Luckily for me, Nicholas had an extra ticket and I had been vocally expressing my “I don’t care who takes me attitude,” to anyone who would listen and a mutual friend connected us on the day of the event. Between my six roommates and I, we managed to pull me together in record time. And my dashing date? He showed up in a kilt and offered me his sgian-dubh (aka. sock knife) to help me at our pre-event dinner and insisted that I didn’t need to carry a purse around all night because he had a sporran (aka. kilt purse). To be honest, it all started off a little weird.

We had a great time at the event together: we danced; we drank; we kissed. When it came time to head home, Nicholas insisted that since he was wearing a skirt, that is was only appropriate that I walk him home. He said he was feeling sick and didn’t invite me in (I took the hint, insisted that he take the money for the ticket and wished him well for the future). We both woke up with strep throat (yay!) and a hangover. I immediately felt bad for how our night ended and texted Nicholas.

Texts turned into run-ins, run-ins turned into planned dates, and planned dates brought us through two years of long-distance and eventually we moved in together and are where we are today. It wasn’t love at first sight, but we grow more in love each day.

Our Proposal:
In February of this year, after traveling up in a crazy snowstorm (cue a pit stop at Sawdust City Brewing Co.) we romantically skated around the skate trail at Arrowhead Provincial Park surrounded by freshly fallen snow. Nicholas pulled a ring out of his pocket and in his usual “stick it to tradition” way, he asked me if I would be his best friend forever. We’re pretty cute like that. So it’s been a pretty exciting year for us!

What is your wedding colour palette? Gold – White – Navy

What 3 words best describe your wedding? Intimate – Loving – Fun

Venue: What made this venue the one for you? We wanted to celebrate close to home in a place where we could invite our friends and family on the perfect date with us. It was very important that we showcase some of the everyday fun and beauty we have access to in our neighbourhood.

Photographer: How did you know you had found the right photographer? I knew we had the right photographer before we had really seriously started talking about getting married.

Any words of advice for couples planning their wedding? Anyone can recreate a beautiful picture-perfect wedding, but make sure you plan a wedding that reflects you as a couple…or your guests may one day remember attending the wedding, but not remember that it was yours!
Vendor List
Venue: Archeo
Dress Designer: Truvelle
Dress Shop: Sash & Bustle
Makeup and Hair: Fancy Face Inc
Flowers: The Rose Mint
Getting Ready Robes: Modern Kimono
Paper Flower Backdrop: Confetti & Bows
Stationery: Paper & Poste
Suits: Indochino
Groom’s Shoes: Ted Baker
Groom’s Tie: NACreates (Etsy)
Bride’s Jewellery & Wedding Band: Maison Birks
Groom’s Wedding Band: Belonged to Grandfather
Cake: Prairie Girl Bakery
Photography: Me! Olive Photography

P.S. If you can’t get enough of their cuteness and want to see more, revisit their Dutch Dreams ice cream/picnic engagement session!

Archeo Distillery District Wedding – Jen & Ben

April 30, 2016

Jen & Ben had a lovely intimate wedding at the Distillery District’s Archeo restaurant.
It was a super low-key day surrounded by their nearest and dearest – and it happened to fall on one of the first Spring-like days of the season. (Thank you Mother Nature!)
During their portraits the wind hilariously lifted Jen’s looong veil completely vertically! And it stayed there for several minutes!

Here are some snapshots from their special day, along with some words from the couple themselves at the end about their love story <3

Your Love Story:
We met on E-Harmony. We were both looking for a serious relationship but also weren’t willing to settle. We knew very early on we were very different. Ben is an intellectual, he can spend hours reading and playing Chess. I, on the other hand, spend a lot of time online shopping and reading running magazines. We also learned very quickly that we share all the same core values and we have two very important things in common. We love running and we both love adventure. We ran our first Marathon together, have travelled to exotic places together, bungee jumped together and the list goes on.

Ben proposed on Wards Island on a very chilly October evening. We were the only two people on a small beach overlooking the Toronto skyline at night. We were so excited after he proposed we almost missed the ferry back to the city. We ran back to the ferry and I screamed out that we just got engaged. The ferry operator spoke almost no english and had no clue what I was talking about.

What is your wedding theme / style / colour palette? Why did you choose this?
We love Toronto. I moved to the city very shortly after meeting Ben and fell in love with it and him 🙂 The Distillery District is classic, rustic, and represents the city well. Since our wedding is in the spring our bridesmaid dresses are floral and the flowers range in colour. Very little in our wedding matches. I wanted it to look very organic and natural while still elegant like the city.

What 3 words best describe your wedding? Spring, Classic, Romantic

Any words of advice for couples planning their wedding?
It’s a lot of fun planning a wedding. I think you have to know what you want, or at least have an idea, before you start planning. Indecisiveness creates stress for everyone. If you stay true to who you and your fiancé are others will support you along the way.

Thank you for inviting me to be a part of this special time in your journey together, Jen & Ben! I wish you soooooo much happiness in your marriage!

Vendors:

Distillery District Archeo Wedding – Niveen & Rob

March 28, 2015

Toronto Wedding Photographer Olive Photography Distillery District_0173

Niveen and Rob struck the perfect cultural balance, incorporating their two diverse backgrounds into a beautiful, impactful wedding celebration at their Distillery District Archeo wedding.

They had an intimate home ceremony to make their marriage official in Niveen’s culture, then had a beautiful ‘Western’ wedding reception at Archeo in Toronto’s Distillery District (which I had the honour of photographing) with a jaw-dropping floral arrangement above their head table, super cool sweet table with chocolate-dipped Oreos (their favourite cookie), baklava (a nod to Niveen’s culture), and surprise entertainment in the form of belly dancers and other dancers who impressively balanced candelabras on their heads!

They also had a ‘love lock’ engraved with their initials and wedding date to secure to a love wall near their venue – one they can visit and smile at for years to come.

Niveen sported a super cute stole to keep her warm (can you believe it’s H&M?), an eye-catching headpiece, and blue velvet shoes as her ‘something blue’. Rob had a nifty and totally dapper tie clip along with a custom-tailored suit.

Check out the bottom of the post for words from the newlyweds!

And now, some words from the newlyweds themselves!

What made you choose a winter wedding?

N: We were actually hoping for a summer outdoor/garden wedding. But, life happened and we ended up buying a house. My family is traditional and preferred that I move in after we are married. So we planned the wedding in 6 months because we’d rather be together than wait for the summer sun! Luckily, its a less busy time and it was possible for us to find some fantastic artists, venue, and vendors on such short notice. Other than taking photos in the cold, It was perfect! And I wouldn’t change the time even if I had the chance to. In the end I got the garden wedding I wanted, thanks to our brilliant Florist at Coriander Girl. We knew we wanted something lush and romantic and more colorful than a typical white winter wedding and she made it happen. We had all the lovely vintage touches through the fantastic Krista Jane and the awesomeness that is Archeo.

What were your favourite wedding day moments (each of you, or one of you)?

R: the first look was definitely something I was waiting for and was one of my favourite moments of the day. The speeches were also great!

N: I can’t pick one, I know it’s a cliche. But maybe catching rob tear up at the speeches, he never cries! Something about knowing that I’m not the only blubbering fool the entire time and that on the inside of that solid exterior there’s a man with a ton of feels.

Were there any noteworthy challenges to planning your wedding?

R: not really, Niveen planned everything so well. She has a great eye for detail and made sure the day would turn out as well as it did. The only thing that worried me leading up to the day was the weather but other than being cold, I think we lucked out.

N: Trying to blend our two very different families. I’m of Middle Eastern heritage and Rob is Canadian, and I wouldn’t say it was so much of a challenge as much as being conscientious and respecting both aspects of each other’s culture. Oh and on a more logistical point, order your invitations way in advance and order extras…long story ha!

Now that you’re wedding planning pros & newlyweds, do you have advice for engaged couples planning their wedding?

R: the day does really fly by. It’s over before you know it. We had a relatively small wedding with just over 100 guests and it was hard to get quality time in with each one. Make sure you take the time to go around to each table and connect. I ended up meeting a lot of the guests on Niveen’s side and I’m glad I took the time to say hi. And try to get the tasting done early. We had to reprint some menus after the tasting because the desert sounded great but we ended up changing it after the tasting.

N: Just because its winter it doesn’t mean that it has to lack life or color! We ran in the opposite direction of silver and white, and went with gold, navy and deep pink and purple jewel tones. Another tip, no matter what your budget is, hire a day of coordinator! I didn’t want to think of a thing during that day besides having the time of my life. Last one, use your gut/instincts, I met with a few photographers, and florists, and something just clicked with who we ended up with. Everything felt natural, and honest, and I couldn’t have met greater and more talented people!

Other thoughts/reflections you’d like to share?

N: Take a minute to yourself and stand in a corner of the room and appreciate it. I did that once, and I wish I took more time to just take it all in because it goes by so fast!

R: once the day starts just go with the flow. Some things will go wrong and not work out but in the end the small stuff doesn’t matter. Enjoy the day and each other and don’t forget to eat the cake. I only had the one bite and now I have to wait a whole year to try it again (we kept the cake top for our 1 year anniversary)

Vendors:

Photography: Olive Photography (www.olivephotography.ca)
Flowers: (www.coriandergirl.com)
Vintage Rentals: Kj& Co. (www.kjandco.ca)
Veil: VeilsofArt (http://www.veilsofart.com)
Cake: I do Wedding Cakes (www.idoweddingcakes.ca)
Prairie Girl Cupcakes (https://www.prairiegirlbakery.com)
Jelly Modern Donuts (www.jellymoderndoughnuts.com)
Homemade oreo cookies dipped in chocolate, coconuts or walnuts!
Dress Designer: Tara Keely by Lazaro (www.theknot.com/wedding-dress/tara-keely)
Shoes: Nine West (www.ninewest.com)
Suit: Custom – Indochino (www.indochino.com)

This wedding was featured on RuffledBlog! See the feature here!