Real Wedding: Lana and Marc

Today's wedding is seriously gorgeous! Ok, I'll admit I'm a little partial because my wedding was black and white damask too, but it is still really fabulous! Classic, stunning, and personal, weddings don't get much better than this! Plus, this bride is beyond stunning! The amazing images come from Radelle of Eternal Reflections.

Our bride Lana shares:
We were engaged for almost two years. So my entire planning process was stress free. I allowed myself a lot of time to get things done, as we had a large wedding. I started with booking my venue and second most important was my photographer. My husband and I agreed on pretty well everything right from the start, he just asked for no pink, hehe! From there everything fell into place. I stayed with what my vision was and tried not to stray, as that can get overwhelming. I chose my vendors based on peoples recommendations. It really helps if you know someone who has used them.

I wanted our wedding to have a lot of touches that were very personal and to carry on traditions. We were married in the same Church as my husband's parents, Grandparents, and other family members. That was really important to us to carry on that tradition. We chose a venue that was close to where everyone lived. No sense in making people drive all over the place. My Dad and my Brother are musicians, so we incorporated that in to our entire wedding. From singing at the Church to joining our Band on stage, it was truly magical. Our ceremony programs featured pictures of our Parents and Grandparents wedding photos, this is a great way to honor your elders. After all they are the reason we are here right, and their marriages are what make us want to be married. To be able to follow in their foot steps is a true honor.

As far as DIY projects went I only had a few. I did set up our candy buffet with the help of one of my bridesmaids. I used vases that I already had around my home and borrowed a few from friends and family. Any one can do this, and it was a lot of fun. We bought all the candy at Costco. 

My Damask pattern were curtains from Walmart actually. I had started working with a vendor out of the U.S. and it turned out to be a nightmare. So whenever I was out and about I was always looking for things for our wedding. I happened to come across these curtains at Walmart. I brought them to my event rental lady immediately to see if we could use them and then bought all that I could. I will be hanging these curtains in my basement some day, so they are not going to waste at all.

Our traditional wedding cake featured a cake topper that was my Grandparents. It is nearly 50 years old, and now we share that. It's nice to ask Grandparents or Parents for things they had on their wedding day. You don't need to buy 'New' things when you can carry on a tradition and have way more meaning that way. Marc is a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan, so we had a special grooms cake made for him as well. This was a very personal touch that I really enjoyed. And a great conversation piece.

So all in all our wedding was everything we had ever imagined. We had a great venue with delicious food. We had a live band, that allowed my family to join them on stage. We found the most fabulous, amazing, talented photographer that exists, as well as videographer, and they both have captured our day for us in a way that I could have never imagined. There was so much love throughout our day, and that is what a wedding should be all about. 

To all the brides out there I would say enjoy every minute of your day. When people tell you it goes by fast, listen to them, because it really does. Do not stress about anything, because in the end you and your Husband are married and that is all that really matters. When it comes to a budget, spend your money on things that will remain with you, ie: Food, entertainment, photographer, and a videographer. Having someone video tape your day, whether it be a professional, family member or friend is very important. There are a lot of moments you are going to miss and to be able to re live your wedding over and over is just so special.

Photographer | Eternal Reflections
Reception | Nisku Inn
Cake | Cakes by Trina
Flowers | Flowers in the Park
Video | Q Digital Design
Dress | Bridal Debut
Tuxedos | Hugo Boss
Hair | Verve Salon & Spa

A big thanks to Lana and Marc for sharing their beautiful day with us!

And to Eternal Reflections for a awesome photos!