Kitchener-Waterloo wedding was home-grown and focused on fun

July 18, 2009 :: St. Agnes Catholic Church, Waterloo; Concordia Club, Kitchener

Story by Carla @ The Ring

The summer of 2009 was a whirlwind of weddings that I went to and was a part of - four beautiful weddings of eight amazing friends of mine and Tony's (that's my boyfriend, in case you were wondering). I've always loved weddings, even before I found this dream job where I get to write about them, so even though it was super busy, it was also really fun. It's even more fun now that I'm on the inside of the wedding industry because I get to take note of all of the moments, details and unique ways that people personalize their weddings.

Wedding number two was the first one I was in since I was a flower girl in grade two. I was extremely excited (and humbled) when my high school friend, Kathryn, asked me to be her Maid of Honour. Tony was privileged enough to make the wedding party cut, too. 

The day started pretty early, but my fatigue was soon forgotten by the luxury of the limo that drove us literally everywhere. He picked me up at 8:15 am and took all of the girls for our up-dos and mimosas. 

We headed back to the bride's parents for lunch and make-up while the guys went out for breakfast and to get a professional shave (which, due to time constraints, ended up being performed by Tony).

Everything was shockingly relaxed and laid back, until we realized that we all still needed to get dressed and take photos before getting to the church – and who knew tying up a bustier was so hard and time-consuming?

But it was worth it – Kathryn looked amazing in her Maggie Sottero gown. So, with her bridesmaids beside her, we took a few fun shots with Ashia McKaig – a family friend – from McKaig Photography, whose photos are throughout this story.

The ceremony was so sweet. This is the first time I got to see a couple write and recite their own vows (though it wasn't without arguments with the priest that they were allowed to) and by the end, the whole church was wiping their eyes. Personalized and heartfelt, we got a glimpse into the love that Kathryn and Andrew share and the strength that their relationship has built throughout some of the trials they've been through. I had no problem being a witness to their marriage.

After the ceremony, the wedding party and both sides of the family headed to Heidelberg for a photo shoot in a family friend's gorgeous backyard… but not before toasting the newlyweds with some champagne in the limo.

The weather was perfect for outdoor photos – overcast so we didn't squint and the perfect temperature for the men in their tuxes. We splashed our feet around in the pool and got comfy in the hammock, then cruised around in the limo for a bit before heading to the reception at the Concordia Club in Kitchener.

The naturally rustic reception room was simply decorated by M&R Weddings in greens, silver and ivory with lucky bamboo and river rocks in square vases on the tables. Candies in the wedding colours and scratch tickets at each seat were for guests to take home, and hand written drink tickets and place cards showed guests where to sit.

We enjoyed homemade wine, traditional German food – including Rouladen, the bride's favourite – and I made it through my speech without shedding a tear (though that's partially because I purposely didn't make it emotional because I knew what the outcome would be). Throughout dinner we heard some heartfelt and entertaining advice given to Kathryn and Andrew in order to see them kiss.

Andrew surprised Kathryn with his newly learned dance moves and the newlyweds dazzled us with a seemingly flawless first dance. But the highlight was Kathryn and her father dancing a rehearsed choreographed dance to 'I Loved Her First' – a line he used in his speech that made more sense during this moment.

Throughout the evening, Joel, the DJ from Complete Music & Video had the dance floor full and even played a special request for us girls to perform a chair dancing routine we learned at the bachelorette party the week before at Impact Movement Studios. He also got the guys to dress up as the Village People and do the YMCA. It was the most fun I've had at a wedding.

Then, we finally got to eat the cake I'd been smelling sweet aromas from all night – an elegant four-tiered white fondant square cake that was off-set and made by Too Nice to Slice. I tried the marble cake with chocolate filling. Delish!

After the garter and bouquet were tossed, the last song played and my feet were officially three sizes bigger, we sent the bride and groom off in their limo and on their honeymoon out West.