Holly & Aaron: Going to the Chapel
August 9 2008 :: Cranberry Creek Gardens, Lyndoche & Emmanuel Bible Church, Simcoe
Photography by re:action photography
Story by TheWeddingRing.ca
Holly Heinrichs and Aaron Johnson describe their wedding day as fresh, fun and all about the details. The gorgeous couple exchanged vows on a sunny August 9th afternoon at Cranberry Creek Gardens in front of a gorgeous, old, rustic church with a bell at the steeple.
"Even before we were engaged, we knew we wanted to get married outside. This property was our first choice. It's a masterpiece complete with an old rustic church... an aisle way surrounded by boxwoods, sunflowers and evergreens, and spots for amazing photos around every corner - including an archway that is about seventy-five meters long, cut out of two rows of cedars."
Holly is a hair stylist and Aaron, a youth pastor - both working in Mississauga, though Holly's home town is Port Rowan. The couple had been together for four years before their wedding - two of which were spent at long distances from each other as Aaron trained at a Pennsylvania Bible school. "Our relationship has changed so much since we first started dating... It was tough at times but so worth it!" The couple agree that the one thing they say about their relationship and their lives is how truly blessed they are. "We have great families that we love and miss, we have our health, our love and our God to praise for everything that He has given us."
Holly and Aaron wanted their wedding to be fun - for themselves and for their guests. They also wanted it to be different in ways, to be "not like every other wedding you go to." For the 2 pm ceremony, Holly and her father surprised guests and groom alike by arriving on Dad's freshly waxed Harley. "Only my parents and our photographer, Scott McQuarrie, knew about it," explained Holly. "We wore our sunglasses. I sat side-saddle with bare feet." They rode half way down the aisle - between rows of classic white folding chairs - then dismounted and walked the rest of the way to meet the groom. "People still talk about it!" Holly continued to be barefoot for the rest of day and into the night.
"We wanted our guests to get a good sense of who we are and what we believe in. Our guests heard our testimony and our hopes and they witnessed our love for each other and our God."
They chose fresh looking colours - white and green - so that their wedding would be fresh and eye-catching. Holly's bouquet was filled with white tulips ordered in from Paris, France by their florist, Marianne Klassen of Pretty Flowers in Port Rowan. "I have always loved tulips," says Holly. Hostas added the perfect amount of green to her bouquet.
After the ceremony, guests were treated to a table filled with skewers and platters of fruits and vegetables, bottled water and homemade grape juice that Holly and Aaron's moms had made together.
The reception was held at Aaron's home church, Emmanuel Bible Church in Simcoe, Ontario. "With the help of my parents, Larry and Charlotte Heinrichs, the gym was transformed into an elegant banquet hall..." Charlotte's keen eye for décor "and a lot of items from her store, Cranberrie Lane in Port Rowan," transformed the space - complete with ceiling canopy, chandeliers and hanging lanterns. "She made a masterpiece," said Holly.
The couple turned to Holly's Uncle Chris and Aunt Sonja Neuman for their wedding favours. Chris and Sonja own a soap making company, Lake Erie Soap Works. "Together we picked the mould, scent and colour," which were small white soaps with a Celtic pattern in a soft strawberry-kiwi scent.
Throughout the day, Holly and Aaron made sure to capture as many memories on camera as they could, hiring Scott McQuarrie of re:action photography. "We got along really well with Scott right away. He's pretty laid back but pays great attention to details. We loved how he captured private moments without us even knowing he was there. He also got great shots of the details - our flowers, my earrings, our favours... We are definitely a big fan of his!"
And at the end of the day, Holly and Aaron got what they wanted most - to be husband and wife. "We had such a good time on our wedding day. It was laid back like we are, fun and enjoyable. There was nothing that we were stressing out about or concerned about. And our guests had a good time too!"
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