Official Wedding Photos: Part I (The Ceremony)

We (excitedly) received the photos from our June 21 wedding yesterday!

Our venue was the idyllic Reader Rock Garden and Reader Garden Cafe in central Calgary.

Our photographer, the lovely and amazing Genevieve Renee, captured our dreamy day so beautifully.  

Our wedding day was perfection - I could not have ordered more perfect weather.  The temperature was mild, neither hot nor cold (around 21C/70F), and the light was gorgeous after several days of rain (and light rain the morning of the wedding).

So without further ado, here are the photos of our ceremony and the champagne toast that followed (we cut our cake right after the ceremony, and had champagne and hors d'oeuvres before our formal photos and our dinner reception)

~ Before the Wedding ~

My dearest Mom and me, in the bride's room, before the ceremony:

My bridal bouquet, a soft composition of white and blush peonies, pink garden roses, ivory claire du lune spray roses, sahara roses, pink astilbe, blushing bride flower, jasmine vine, scabiosa and sweet peas:

My dress and veil, with fine satin edging:

Pale pink patent shoes:

Meanwhile outside, David waits for the festivities to begin:

The little box in his hand (with an orange kitty on the wrapping paper) is a little gift for me...

David having his lovely boutonniere pinned: 

 I wanted a slightly overscale boutonniere - ivory spray roses accented with pale pink miniature wax flower and dark foliage, all wrapped in muslin:

David's tie is a pale ivory, to match to my dress - but it appears lighter in the photos

We're ready to get married!  

I chose a simple lace dress for it's heirloom/vintage quality, which suited our historic venue, my traditional tastes, and our "warm garden elegance" theme.  Also the 3/4 (or half) sleeve look is a bit of a signature in my wardrobe:

I liked how the clean, slightly more modern lines of the veil created a counterpoint to the detail of the lace. I think I needed simplicity in the veil for 'balance'.

The entrance to our garden ceremony, with a charming small vintage sideboard, tall floral arrangement in a footed urn, and a pale pink velvet guest book to welcome guests:

Velvet guest book: Anthropologie

The ceremony site, with our classical guitarist Jason Delaney getting ready in the background:

Our stylist, Alexandra, draped our focal tree with panache in stunning white fabric.  The gentle breeze made it flowy and dreamy:

Ceremony chairs with wedding programs for arriving guests:

Roses, for our mothers.  We included a "mother honoring" part in our ceremony, to honor the amazing women who raised us and enrich our lives every day:

The Ceremony Begins

David's brother and his wife - our best man and matron-of-honour: 

I. wears a champagne satin A-line dress, nude pumps, and gold and glass earrings from Anthropologie

David and I arrive together (our processional was The Beatles,"In My Life"):

The ceremony begins:

I thee wed (the ring exchange):

With the power vested in me, I now pronounce thee:

Husband & Wife!

(Our recessional was to the Beatles "Here Comes the Sun", which was sooo pretty!)

~ Champagne & Wedding Cake ~

After the ceremony, we returned to the veranda of the Reader Garden Cafe for champagne, wedding cake and hors d'oeuvres:

Our wedding cake, a gift from my mother, was a stunning confection of lemon (3 layers) and chocolate cake (4 layers), filled with vanilla and chocolate buttercream respectively.  The outside was frosted with vanilla buttercream and decorated with tiny white sugar flowers.  It was delicious, as well as delightful to behold:

The charming veranda was so prettily styled with a gorgeous vintage white sideboard we found, perfectly framed and backlit by an archway overlooking the garden:

Champagne for everyone!

A toast to us, by David's brother:

A variety of gorgeous (and delicious!) gourmet hors d'oeuvres arrive, courtesy of the venue's amazing new chef, Merritt Gordon:

Visiting with guests:

And now time to relax with a little cake:

Mmmmm cake!

*

Making our day perfect were all our amazing vendors, who I cannot thank enough:

location reader rock garden & reader garden cafe (proprietor katherine moore)
photography: genevieve renee
decor styling by alexandra of pink and honey (and a very involved bride!)
florals by blue hydrangea
paper goods by mon voir
wedding cake by crave
vintage furniture rentals by vintage loved
ceremony chair rentals by special event rentals
officiant tamara jones
guitarist jason delaney

Clothing, accessories and hair:

bride's dress: sonia's bridal 

bride's veil: david's bridal

bride's shoes: Nine west

bride's earrings: Adorn boutique

bride's bracelet: nordstrom

groom's suit, shoes, shirt, tie, cufflinks: all henry singer (suit and cufflinks hugo boss)

matron-of-honour's dress: the bridal centre

bride's hair: jennifer mcfarlane

bride's makeup: ashley gill

I hope you've enjoyed the photos from our ceremony!  

Please stay tuned for my next post, where I'll share some of our formal photos and also our dinner reception photos!

xo Terri