Reality Wedding Story | Chic style and world class dining
Lesley & Vince, August 8, 2009 | Jump Café and Bar, Toronto
Photography by IrinaPhotography
Story by TheWeddingRing.ca
Lesley Wong and Vince Foo met through a mutual friend, but it wasn’t until a couple of years later, on New Year’s Day in 2002, that they officially started dating.
Their first summer together was when Lesley first thought that their relationship could be something special. “We walked from my apartment near the Eaton Centre to Yonge and Eglinton and chatted the entire way there and back,” she told us. “We popped into the Art Shoppe on Yonge Street and looked at furniture together.”
Lesley loves that if she tells Vince something is bothering her, he takes it to heart and tries to make things better, which shows her that he cares. “He is also extremely supportive and affectionate,” she adds. “I love that he can be playful and innocent and I love that we can laugh together until our bellies ache.”
Vince isn’t as sure of an exact moment that he knew he wanted to be with Lesley forever, but says that sometimes in relationships there is “a degree of bending and compromise, to give something up in order to gain something greater… sometimes when I’m lost in my own thoughts, I realize that doing this for Lesley comes so easy.” He adds that he thinks they balance each other out by “simultaneously challenging and accepting each other in ways unique to our relationship. I know that the love we have for each other is bigger than all the small differences.”
Vince says he loves Lesley’s passion and determination to accomplish her goals. “Her sense of adventure has brought a completely new dimension to my life that never existed before her… I entirely appreciate all that she is.” And those are just the big things. He adds that he also loves that she puts up with his moody moments and silly comments; “she’s just perfect for me and I feel we fit each other especially well. Really, it’s everything she brings into my life.”
In July of 2008, while vacationing in Montréal, Vince proposed to Lesley. They hiked up Mont Royal on a hot and sunny day and stopped to take a break. When they were sufficiently well-rested, Lesley decided that they should try to find La Croix. “I was performing some intense math calculations near the base of the cross, and, when I finally looked up, Vince was down on one knee.”
The wedding date was set for August 8, 2009 and planned with their guests in mind. “We wanted it to be low key, relaxed, and enjoyable for everyone – including us,” say Lesley and Vince. “We didn’t want to stress about the wedding; we wanted to sleep in a little on the morning of the wedding, take our time getting ready, enjoy most of the day together, and have a wonderful meal with loved ones.”
Blue and raspberry/pink turned out to be the colour scheme, even though the couple didn’t set out with specific colours in mind, so they didn’t go crazy with it. “We wanted something fun, but simple.”
Since Lesley and Vince weren’t having a traditional Chinese dinner, they wanted to incorporate tradition elsewhere in the wedding. Including Chinese wording on their invitations was quite important to Lesley and Vince, while still having modern invitations, which they say Stephita Wedding Invitations and Stationery provided.
The bride’s dress, quite possibly a bigger bargain than the flowers, was an Oleg Cassini, which she originally found at a U.S. gown store but didn’t want to travel to the U.S. to buy. Luckily, she ended up finding the same dress in Toronto. “I loved everything about the dress... the detailing, the colour (champagne), the fit, the crinoline, the train, everything,” says Lesley. “Plus it fit so well – no alterations required – and I also got the matching veil included in the price.”
Vince had bought Lesley a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes for one of their anniversaries, which she hadn’t yet had an opportunity to wear and decided their wedding was the perfect opportunity. He also bought her Tiffany earrings, which she accessorized further with a simple crystal headband and a homemade fascinator to wear with her dancing dress later in the evening.
Vince’s tux was purchased at Winners, requiring a few alterations, but still amazingly priced.
The bridesmaids wore beautiful burgundy coloured gowns. The wedding party consisted of maid of honour, Belle, best man, Patrick, and bridesmaid and groomsman, Tracy and James. Vince’s niece, Rachael, was the adorable flower girl.
Leslie and Vince decided to have their wedding party photo shoot before the ceremony, which was done at Cherry Beach and the Waterfront Industrial area of Toronto. The shoot was done by Irina and Mihkey Fortey of IrinaPhotography.
P
hotos were very important to Lesley and Vince and they knew when they met Irina and Mihkel that their search was over. “I can’t say enough about Irina and Mihkel. Kind, supportive, and talented people, they were the perfect choice for our wedding photographers,” says Lesley. “They made us feel extremely comfortable in front of the camera and captured beautiful moments as a result.”
The ceremony began at 6 pm at Jump Café and Bar. “We wanted the evening to flow smoothly without a long gap between the ceremony and the reception,” say Lesley and Vince, which is why they had the ceremony and reception in the same place. “It was the most convenient for us and our guests.”
Jump Café and Bar was a perfect choice for the reception for Lesley and Vince as they had dined there for Vince’s birthday when they first started dating and loved the food and atmosphere.
Instead of a wedding cake, Lesley and Vince had ordered lemon, tangerine, strawberry and blueberry cupcakes from Circles and Squares bakery.
Little sticky notes with Lesley and Vince’s caricatures on them from Vistaprint were what guests took home as favours. They also included their favourite cookies from the Honolulu Cookie Company, which Belle brought back from Hawaii – 160 of them to be exact. Their engagement photos and each guest’s names were also printed on Moo minicards for personalization. On the back was a quote from William Wordsworth: “Fill your paper with breathings of your heart”.
Instead of centrepieces at the reception, Lesley and Vince made a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of Lesley’s biological mother.
Since Lesley and Vince really wanted their guests to have a great time, they hired who they thought to be an excellent DJ for the job – Dan Forbes of Sounds of Distinction. Lesley even choreographed a group dance.
As a keepsake for Lesley and Vince, they had a photo booth where each guest had their photo taken and placed inside the guestbook beside their written message.
During their engagement and wedding planning, Lesley and Vince were told by a friend that “in trying to please everyone, no one would be happy – including us. She told us to just do our own thing, and we did just that.”
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Thank you for sharing.