Berkeley Church Wedding – Irini & Marshall

To say that photographing this couple has been so much fun would be un understatement.
From the day we met, I knew we’d get along famously. They are so much fun. And just such great people.
I photographed their engagement session at their epic Muskoka cottage, and their wedding was held at the beautiful Berkeley Church in downtown Toronto.
A beautiful Winter wedding that warmed my heart right up.
Here are some highlights from their special day, along with some insights from the couple themselves at the bottom of the post!

Here are some super awesome reflections from the newlyweds! 

Your Love Story: How did you meet? Do you have a sweet proposal story?

Ri says:

Marshall and I went to Western together and finished the same business program. We knew each other in university but we only really connected about 3 years ago when we both moved to Toronto post graduation. We were both newly single and both swiped right on OK Cupid. We are an OKC success story! I thought it was all hilarious. 

We went on our first date and I thought Marshall remembered me from university (like I remembered him from class) and about 30 min into our date I realized he had NO idea who I was. 3 bottles of wine into our date we sorted it all out. 3 months into dating I went up to Muskoka to his family cottage, met his family, and on our drive back in his 1990s bright yellow mustang I decided I’d marry this guy…as he was singing John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ from the top of his lungs. 3 years later Marshall proposed and we started planning our wedding.  ​

Marshall says:

When thinking back, I do remember Irini from class together, but I will admit, I had no clue who she was on our first date. But when a cute girl “hearts” your profile, it can only mean good things! After realizing we had mutual friends, I couldn’t help but bring it up on our first date… only to begin the journey down the rabbit hole of what was the origins of our modern love story! 

Irini says she fell for me when we were driving back from the cottage later that summer, but the truth is, she first fell for me at the end of our first date together. We were walking back to her apartment at Church and Wellesley (the heart of the village), and there were a lot of  unsavory drunk individuals wondering the streets. I turned to her and grabbed her hand and said “I’m never letting you walk home alone again”! From there our adventure took off together as we began to discover what made each other tick.

For me, it was the moment I fell in love with her baby cows (little dogs, Milo and Elsa). You see, I’m not a Dog person. In fact, I’m not an animal person in anyway. When Irini first told me she had dogs currently staying with her mother, I was skeptical to say the least, putting that emphasis on “her” dogs. I thought maybe they were just her childhood pups who I’d only have to see when visiting the in-laws. When Milo and Elsa finally moved back in with her a few months later, I realized how wrong I had been and that one of my worst nightmares was coming true… falling for someone with dogs! But that was also one of the best moments of my life too. For one, it’s the day I met my amazing puppies! But more to the point, it’s the day I decided that this was the girl to conquer my fears with; that this was the person who I wanted to go on life’s adventures with, and this was the soul that I wanted to share a family with.

• What is your wedding theme / style / colour palette? Why did you choose this? The wedding theme is whimsical. We didn’t specifically choose it- we started building a wedding that felt authentic to who we are as individuals and to our relationship and it evolved into a very romantic whimsy affair. We wanted our guests to feel the love in the air and to be relaxed and enjoy the celebration and love in general. The color palette we selected is steel blue with raspberry accents to compliment the time of the year but also bring in some warmth where possible (because we don’t want the whole wedding to be focused on the snow outside).

• What 3 words best describe your wedding? Whimsical, romantic and chic.

• What have you been looking forward to most about your wedding day? Oh my god- everything! Getting ready with the girls, seeing my whole outfit come together (finally), the reveal (!!!), the ceremony! And the party…but we’ve thrown parties before. I’m excited for everything before. Marshall is pumped to get ready with the guys at the barber shop, to see me (duh), and for the party (couse he lives for hosting and loves seeing people enjoy themselves).

• Venue: What made this venue the one for you? I found the venue online and I KNEW it was the one for us. It has so much character and charm I fell in love with it right away. I wanted something that could speak on its own and didn’t need decorating and pretty’ing up. The lighting in Berkeley is incredible, the acoustics as well and the space is just so magical that we knew getting married there would capture the essence of what we wanted our wedding to be.

• Photographer: How did you know you had found the right photographer? We looked far and wide for a photographer and we wanted someone who would take an interest in us as a couple and as individuals, someone that was passionate about the craft and someone who’s photo style we liked. This proved to be quite a difficult feat. After meeting with approx. 15-20 photographers in the city we shot an email to Anastasia and hoped for the best. As soon as she welcomed us in her kitchen and we had a quick chat (and by this time we were just about ready to start looking at photographers in different cities) we looked at one another and knew she was the one for us. We could tell right away that photography wasn’t just a job to her- it was her passion, and that translated clearly into all of the photos we had seen in her portfolio. Our conversation with her was easy and carefree and we agreed that she not only understood the direction we wanted to take our wedding and memories, but also that we could entrust her with the job and that she would be a calming guiding presence on our wedding day (when spirits are high all around).

• Any words of advice for couples planning their wedding? Have a short engagement period – the longer it is, the more choices and obstacles will come up (in all aspects- family, logistics, etc.) that you will have to address. And enjoy every part of it because it flies by and you don’t get to do it again!

• Anything else you’d like to share? A wedding is a LOT of work.

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VENDORS:
Photographer: Olive Photography
Ceremony Venue: The Berkeley Church
Reception Venue: The Berkeley
Videographer: Elle&Be Films
Bride’s Dress Designer: Theia Bridal
Bride’s Dress Shop: Sash & Bustle
Veil: Etsy- Rebecca Walker Designs
Bride’s Shoes: Christian Loubutin
Other Accessories: Fur Stole- Luxury Vintage Girl (Etsy)
Stationery: Captain Printworks
Groom’s Suit: Indochino Groom’s Tie: Tie Bar
Groom’s Shoes: Steve Madden
Bridesmaid’s Attire: Etsy- Ren’s Bridal
Church Planner: Kathy Lee (day of)
Flowers: Hello Midge
Cake: The Rolling Pin
Hair: Studio 67
Makeup: Makeup by Olena

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So much love,
Anastasia
Anastasia Giaouris

olivephotography.ca
@OlivePhotoTO
facebook.com/olivephotographyTO

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Love downtown weddings? You may want to check out this one and this one!

Looking for a Toronto wedding photographer? Getting married? Get in touch! I’d love to hear from you!