Just when I thought I was ready for Spring, Rachel Peters Photography comes along with this wedding and has me immediately wishing it was Fall again! I love every bit of it–the colors, the flowers, the gorgeous forest setting. This is perfect for all of you Fall brides who might still be looking for inspiration!  I also love any wedding that includes a bride gathering her family and friends to craft every detail. Just wait until you hear from Susan herself on all the projects she undertook. Oh, and don’t miss the cutest dog ever wearing a tie!

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

I always knew I wanted a fall wedding with a rustic theme, I called my vision “Rustic Elegance”, and we had just that. I have to admit I was that person that had a “Someday” file on my computer and a folder in my junk drawer stuffed full of various pics of ideas that I liked. I had come across such ideas while helping all my close friends plan their weddings over the past 10 years. I am very thankful I had accumlated these MANY ideas, it made the planning that much easier. After getting engaged I easily become addicted to looking up ideas on theknot.com and Pinterest.com, both of these sites were very beneficial in finding decorating ideas and DIY projects. I did spend a lot of time with DIY projects the months prior, but it was so rewarding knowing that I had come up with and produced all the decorating elements such as programs, guest libs, centerpieces, pew marks, church decorations, guest favors (my mom’s famous poppycock), cookies for the cookie bar (with help from my mother and mother-in-law), seating plan, flower girls’ jewelry, table numbers, wooden candle sticks, web hanging lanterns, hanging signs, etc. I am thankful for my sisters, bridesmaids and close friends for all their help with all the last minute DIY projects and decorating the day before the wedding, without whom I don’t think I would have been able to pull off my vision. Without my friends Allison Doughart and Jane Bradford my day would not have been complete, I knew I could rely on the two of them to make sure everything was perfect the day of the wedding, and they well surpassed our expectations. They were the key elements to finalizing and organizing decorations at the church and then again at our venue. It was so nice knowing that I wouldn’t have to worry about a thing the day of the wedding, knowing that they would do everything to make every aspect just perfect and they did just that.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

The first time I had seen pictures taken by Rachel Peters I was sold and knew that she would be the person to do our wedding pictures. Our wedding date was based upon her availability and luckily the church and venue were available the same day! The Confederation Centre of the Arts was the venue we chose based on previous positive weddings attended at this venue.

Did any of your vendors do anything special for you before, on, or after your wedding day that you would like to share?

We were very thankful that Rachel Peters requires her brides and grooms to do a engagement photo shoot prior to the wedding, it was really nice to get to work with and know her prior to our big day. Without a doubt that fact that she was willing to share our photos with ELD means a lot, I loved that she was over the moon with our decorations!

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

We can honestly say we had the PERFECT wedding day, everything about it was more than we ever anticipated, I wouldn’t have changed a thing about our day. If I were to pick a favorite thing about our wedding it would be having spent our perfect day with all our remarkable family and friends, without whom the day would not have been complete.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

1) Don’t be scared to ask for help, you’re the bride and all your friends and family should be more than willing to help, so delegate!!!

2) If you do not hire a decorator make sure you have a reliable friend that you can trust to complete your vision so you do not have to worry about it the day of!

3) Make sure you take mental pictures throughout your day, the day will pass by so fast and without taking the time to enjoy your day it will pass by as a blur!

 Great advice, Susan. And I love all your exclamations–this is important stuff! A big thank you to Rachel Peters Photography as well. Simply stunning photos that tell the story of a beautifully thought out and executed wedding.

Tell me this wedding doesn’t have you wishing for Fall again!

xo-Kristine

Vendors who made it all happen…