Dana & Adam: Northern Ontario Wedding Style
October 4 2008 :: Algoma Mills
Photography by Two Tone Studios
Story by TheWeddingRing.ca
Dana Arkilander and Adam Lauder met six years ago while sharing the late shift at a Waterloo coffee pub. After work, they often found themselves playing cards into the wee hours of the night. After Dana first asked Adam out to on an official date - to a movie - that was it. "We've been together ever since."
They both knew early on that they were meant to be together. "Our relationship has always felt right and has never really been a lot of work." Dana explains, "It sounds cheesy, but I love everything about Adam... We are a team in everything we do. He's always there to support me... He has a way of making people feel comfortable and he can always make me laugh!" For Adam, Dana is the one who can always lift his spirits. "She is a great friend to all who know her. She's the most caring person I know..."
Adam asked Dana to marry him four years later. "To tell you the truth, it wasn't all that romantic. I was so damn nervous!" But that didn't prevent Dana from saying yes. "Adam had already called my mom and my grandmother to ask them for their blessing," said Dana, "... Pretty much my whole family knew before I did..." Dana is sure her family avoided her for about a week, saying, "None of us are very good at keeping secrets!"
"We really wanted a ceremony and reception that meant something to us." They didn't want anything super flashy or extravagant. They picked the fall for their date. "It's a beautiful time of the year in Northern Ontario." Turning the season into their wedding theme, Dana and Adam's wedding colours were red, burgundy, yellow and gold. The colours played out in everything from the decorative silver tins filled with yellow blooms to the stylish red bridesmaid gowns.
When it came to the details, they tried to do most of it themselves from their Kitchener home which was roughly seven hours away. Dana, now working as an engineer, and Adam, as an urban planner, were lucky to have lots of help and great advice from their parents! They made their own centrepieces, put together their own music playlist (opting out of a DJ), rented all the tables and equipment and even made their own wine. "We set everything up the day before the wedding," Dana said. And while most would find that stressful, this couple had fun with the process. "... and it was rewarding to see how everything turned out in the end."
Dana had always hoped her mom would be able to make her wedding cake. "My mom is an amazing baker." But since she'd never baked an actual wedding cake before, they opted for a fun cupcake tower. "The cupcakes were red velvet and pumpkin spice with cream cheese icing. We decorated them the day before the wedding." They even made fondant leaves by hand for the tops. "They were delicious. People are still talking about them!"
Dana describes her own style as simple, with clean lines and elegance. Her gown was one of the first she tried on. "I loved it right away." She added a thick gold sash around the waist to tie it in with the fall theme. Flowers ‘N Such in Blind River did all the floral design. The couple gave them only their colours and theme for guidance. "The florists took it from there. They did an amazing job."
Fifty guests attended the Northern Ontario wedding, a sweet and elegant ceremony, taking place beside the lake. The chaplain was a cousin of Adam's, making it more personal, and they customized their ceremony beforehand to fit their personalities and beliefs. There were a total of eight in the wedding party - a mix of childhood friends and family.
Throughout the day, Kurt Brown, Owner of Two Tone Studios, captured the event and its guests on camera. Dana and Adam said they chose Kurt because they loved his creative style. They also loved that he was as excited about the trip up north as they were. "We were thrilled with the photos and Kurt made everyone feel so comfortable. He also made us laugh a lot!"
"...What I love the most about Dana is the commitment to family she has. I think great marriages are built on that."
The reception was held in a room surrounded entirely by windows within the huge house - which itself looks like a chalet or large, log cabin - set atop a hill overlooking the water. Guests ate at round tables, feasting on an Italian menu that was served up by Rico's Catering in Sault Ste. Marie and that was inspired by the Italian side of Dana's family. One of the things Dana remembers most about the evening was the speeches at the reception. "They were very touching… It was so nice to hear all the people we love saying such nice things about us." Guests toasted with wine out of bottles that were personalized with the couple's names and wedding date.
After dinner the floor was cleared and the dance began. "My favourite part of the day was the first dance," admitted Adam. "More than any time in my life, it was as though only the two of us existed. It's something I'll always remember."
Dana and Adam admit their day had its share of problems - the bartender called in sick, their music provided some technical difficulties for the MC at first - but they rolled with the punches. Thankfully, Adam eventually got the music to work and they managed to get someone to fill in for the bartender.
"More than anything we wanted to have fun. We wanted our wedding to have a flow to it, where people (including ourselves) were comfortable. We wanted to have a night to celebrate with our close friends and family. We were able to do that."
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