A Truly Green Wedding: Sherill & Nathan

August 29 2008 :: Toronto Music Garden & Harbour View Estates, Toronto

Photography by IrinaPhotography
Story by TheWeddingRing.ca

Nathan Beranger met Sherill Chapman in Toronto in late 2004. "From the moment I first met her I felt more at ease with her than anyone else. It is very easy to talk to her about almost anything." Within six months, they went from sharing heartbreak stories to dating and talking about their future. "Sherill is such a compassionate person. I have never met anyone who cares for others more than she does," says Nathan. "She is also able to laugh at herself, which is something I think too few people are able to do."

It was while they were vacationing in Scotland that Nathan proposed to the woman he describes as his "best friend, and the love of my life." When Nathan got down on one knee, he says he fumbled with the ring, but Sherill says she doesn't remember anything except saying 'yes' to her best friend, who she says "has a great sense of humour and makes me laugh."

"On a day when you will be celebrating your love and unity with each other, it is so fulfilling to also show your love of the Earth."

Both Sherill and Nathan are vegans and very environmentally conscious. Sherill also follows a pagan spiritual path and says, "The Earth is of particular importance to both of us for spiritual reasons as well as the simple fact that it's our home." It's this love of the environment and each other that inspired Sherill and Nathan to apply their green lifestyle to their intimate wedding on August 29, 2008. "We felt that on this special day when we were going to celebrate our relationship and love for one another, we absolutely had to celebrate one of the major reasons that we are together," says Sherill.

Sherill and Nathan wanted to keep their wedding day intimate and felt it would be nice to only have immediate family attend the wedding. "They are the ones who love us the most so the day would be even more special," says Sherill. Invitations weren't really necessary for their thirteen guests, but Sherill designed her own group blessing cards - a reading for guests to do at their ceremony, which she printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper from Grassroots, an eco-friendly store with two locations in Toronto.

Their ceremony began at 11 am in the Toronto Music Garden - a beautiful, natural getaway in the heart of downtown Toronto. "[It] has sentimental value for us since we have spent a fair amount of time there," explains Sherill of the park that's only a block away from their condo. The convenient location added to the eco-friendly theme since most of their guests walked to and from the ceremony. "We also felt that it reflected our urban lifestyle and love of nature simultaneously, which was perfect."

"From the moment I first met her I felt more at ease with her than anyone else. I just feel comfortable around her. It is very easy to talk to her about almost anything. She is my best friend, and the love of my life."

Nathan and his best man (and brother) were outfitted in rented kilts. Sherill admits that her wedding dress and accessories were non-green purchases due to the difficulty in finding a place that sold environmentally responsible dresses, but she is planning to donate the dress to charity and she borrowed her veil from her sister (and maid of honour). The boutonnières and bouquets were made from locally grown and/or organic flowers by Eco Flora, a local fair trade and eco florist.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a scenic walk through the cityscapes back to the Harbour View Estates at Cityplace, Sherill and Nathan's condo, for a lunch reception in the party room, The Superclub. "It was a perfect size for a small wedding like ours and we could book it at a really reasonable price. We were allowed to really customize the event to our tastes."

After a lot of internet research, Sherill found Lesia of LPK's Culinary Groove (who she describes as "the fantastic artist and pastry chef extraordinaire") who was able to create a vegan cake of coconut lime for Sherill and Nathan. They say, "It was not only gorgeous, but it was one of the best tasting cakes any of us had ever had."

Sherill also discovered GTA caterer, Hearty Catering, that specializes in vegetarian, vegan and raw cuisine. "Evelyne at Hearty Catering... catered an amazing plated meal and hors d'oeuvres for us, complete with coffee and tea service... and handled all the linen and china rentals and delivery."

The menu included hors d'oeuvres such as apple and fennel julienne tossed in lemon and fresh thyme, mini tofu feta and fresh herb-filled spelt pastry, raw chocolate and coconut truffles and giant, fun cookies with pecans and white chocolate, among others. There was also a plated meal of quinoa salad in a radicchio cup and tarte paysanne (roasted tomato tart) with a side of carrot-beet salad.

Guests also received plantable favours that the bride and groom ordered from Botanical Paperworks, and enjoyed four divine flavours of organic, fair-trade vegan truffles from Kakayo Chocolate Company.

The story of the day was captured by IrinaPhotography. Sherill says, "We found them through The Eco Wedding & Lifestyle Show... I can't imagine that any other photographer could have even come close to capturing our special day as well as Irina and Mihkel." She adds that they "... loved how they managed to capture the best of everyone present at our wedding, not only us."

Sherill and Nathan say about planning a green wedding, "It is much easier than you might think and it is absolutely worth it in the end. On a day when you will be celebrating your love and unity with each other, it is so fulfilling to also show your love of the Earth." Sherill adds that she and Nathan "wouldn't have had our wedding any other way."