Sarah and Aaron wanted a wedding day that was romantic but not too serious and showed their personality. That’s exactly what they got with lot’s of DIY and a super fun wedding party! With help from the Best Western Brantford Hotel (bestwesternbrantford.com) they were able to do everything they wanted…
Bride & Groom: Sarah Hutcheon and Aaron Elliott
Wedding Date: August 5, 2018
Ceremony & Reception Location(s): Ceremony: Farringdon Church. Reception: Best Western Brantford Hotel & Conference Centre (bestwesternbrantford.com) “We chose this location because I have attended a few events here, including a wedding and was very pleased with the service. We also had a lot of family and friends coming in from out of town and having the reception at the hotel made it easier on those guests.” – S
Colour Palette: Royal blue with silver accents
Theme: “We wanted the wedding to be romantic, but still personalized to us – and not too serious. The colours that we chose and the silver accents that we added throughout the décor really brought this theme together. We made sure to add in personal touches throughout the day in the speeches which were touching but not too long.The photographs that we took were proper at first and then entertaining to say the least with Sarah’s beauty being captured in a park setting followed by the Aaron giving his best GQ cover photo sipping whisky on a park bench.” – S & A
Flowers: “I made the bridal bouquets. We used royal blue and white calla lilies. I included a photo of my grandmother on my bouquet as she was not well enough to travel, and also a photo of Aaron’s grandmother who has passed so that they could both be included on our special day. ” – S
Décor: “We did not hire anyone as a decorator. We bought some items, such as mirrors and votives, from previous brides to save on costs. Other things we purchased new, such as chair covers, table runners and vases for our centrepieces.” – S
Fav décor element: “The centrepieces caught everyone’s eye which were done by Sarah, and the card box was masterfully created by my aunt using old wood and nails from a recently renovated 19th century house.” – A
DIY: “Yes. We made the seating chart featuring one of our engagement photos. We also made our own bridal bouquets, centrepieces, invites, and wedding favours.” – S&A
Limo: “We rented a limo for the day of so we could arrive in style and treat our wedding party a bit! We rented from Mermaid Limo (mermaidlimo.com) in Hamilton.” – S&A
Invitations/stationery: “We created our own invitations, RSVP cards and wedding programs and had them printed through Vista Print. This way we could add in personal details and make them our own.” – S&A
Cake: ABC Cakes (facebook.com/ABCcakes.ab)
Wedding favours: “We used Ferraro Rochers as our wedding favours because everyone loves chocolate!” – S&A
Groomsmen and Groom’s attire: “All suits were rented from Moore’s (mooresclothing.com) with Aaron wearing a different style shirt from the rest.” – S
Bridesmaids attire and accessories: “All of the bridesmaids wore the same dress purchased from David’s Bridal (davidsbridal.ca) and matching necklaces and earrings that were given as wedding party gifts the morning of the wedding.” – S
Bride’s dress and accessories: David’s Bridal (davidsbridal.ca)
DJ: “Murray McLean, he did an excellent job of playing awesome songs one after another all night long. Our entrance to the reception was unique with Aaron entering with his groomsmen by shaking then opening cans of soda water with quite the splash zone while the bride and her bridesmaids entered the reception dancing it up to ‘Everybody’ by the Backstreet Boys. The father/daughter dance was eloquent and touching while the mother/son dance turned into an improv. of funny story telling and both chugging a beer. We wanted our quests to have a memorable time and of course a ton of fun!” – S
Hair & make-up: “Hair was done by Amy Visser from Wedding Hair and Makeup by Amy and Anita (instagram.com/amyandanita), and makeup was done by a good friend of mine; Jenn Rayner” – S
Wedding Planner: “We didn’t hire a wedding planner. We did a lot of the planning on our own with a lot of help and guidance from Melanie Mackay at the Best Western.” – S&A
Photographer: Christopher Zizzo Photography (zizzophoto.ca) “Aaron works will both of our photographers; Chris and Paul. It was so much fun to work with them. Chris came and spent the morning with me and my bridesmaids as we got ready and it was nonstop laughs until it was time to leave for the ceremony. Chris paid close attention to details and made sure that he captured all the special moments of the day from start to finish. Paul had a great time with the groom and groomsmen as they got ready at the hotel and captured some great moments from the day.” – S
Biggest challenge: “The biggest challenge was organizing all of the small details and making sure that everything fell into place. You don’t realize how much work it is to plan a wedding until you actually have to plan one! We made a lot of lists and worked together to make sure that everything got done.” – S&A
Fav wedding memory: “The best memory was sharing the day with loved ones and making sure that everyone left having had an amazing time – a wedding that they wouldn’t forget. The day is now an even more special memory since my uncle Brad passed away unexpectedly shortly after the wedding and this was a happy family event that everyone was able to attend and I am so thankful that he was able to attend and be a part of our day.” – S
Advice from one couple to another: “Enjoy every moment of it. The planning is a lot of work and can be stressful, but when everything comes together the day of, it’s so worth it! The day goes by so quickly so be sure to make it special and memorable. We highly recommend as many videos be taken as possible if you don’t have a videographer because the day goes by so quick that it’s hard to remember it all. A photo booth is also a nice touch for remembering family and friends that day.” – S&A
MORE ABOUT BEST WESTERN BRANTFORD | Best Western Brantford Hotel & Conference Centre’s gorgeous banquet rooms, décor, wedding packages, menus & amazing service makes them one of Brantford’s most sought-after venues for weddings, showers and events (more details in their review in The Ring, here). To find out more, email Best Western Brantford Hotel & Conference Centre directly using the form below. 🙂
