CLASSIC RAVINE VINEYARD AUTUMN WEDDING // PHILOSOPHY STUDIOS

Nov 28

Full of classic details and a timeless colour palette, Amanda and Marco’s wedding day was a beautiful celebration of their 19-year love story.

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Venue: Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery | Photographer: Philosophy Studios | Decor: Set The Mood Decor

How long had you and your partner been together prior to the wedding? We had celebrated 19 years, 1 month and 10 days together before we got married!

How did you feel the morning of your wedding? SO excited! It was overcast with light rain but I couldn’t stop staring at the vibrancy of the leaves and remaining so hopeful for the rain to stop so we could have our first look in the vineyard and ceremony outside (which we did!!!)

What drew you to your venue? Marco and I went to a Canada Day event at Ravine before the event space was even built and immediately we fell in love with the landscape and hospitality - not to mention the most incredible fireworks we have ever seen! We continued to attend events, visit the restaurant, wine tastings and watch the event space get built - I started daydreaming about an autumn wedding someday there! So when Marco popped the question, we both knew Ravine was special for us and didn’t even look anywhere else!

After choosing your wedding venue, did it impact the direction you took for styling and decor? Ravine Vineyard is a breathtaking landscape and with full vines and fall foliage I always knew that only minimal enhancements would be needed. Simple, elegant and timeless was always the direction we wanted to highlight the natural beauty that surrounded our venue.

What inspired your colour scheme? We prefer minimalistic looks and would usually gravitate towards black for the suits and bridesmaids dress but opted for some colour with choosing navy as a base with crisp whites/creams with hints of pink/blush and gold accents to elevate everything.

How difficult was it to decide on your colour scheme? Easy. We stuck with what we are normally drawn to in terms of colour palettes. It was tempting to go outside of our comfort zone and choose more on trend looks and beautiful vibrant jewel tones and colour but we are happy we stuck with what we love. We are those weirdos with wardrobe capsules LOL!

Were your florals exactly how you imagined them? More than I dreamed of. Our florist and team brought our vision to life. The freshness, fullness and absolute beauty of our florals were jaw dropping. I’ve had so many compliments!

Did you incorporate any personal accents into your day? If so, what and why? I had a piece of Leavers lace pinned to my dress which was from the original lace machine invented by my great-great-great grandfather in England in 1813. Each bride on my mothers side of the family has a piece. We also featured our Siamese cat (daughter) Mia at the bar with cocktail napkins, a signature cocktail - the “Mia Fuzz” and photo book since she is so important to us and most of guests are well aware of her! We also had some nods to our love of travel like the travel coffee table book we used as a guest book.

How did you include those who couldn’t be with you on your special day? A memorial table for Marco’s parents with a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society and their wedding photo.

Did the day go according to plan? For us, ABSOLUTELY! It went by so fast and we were very mindful about trying all of our food, sharing a private toast and staying together as much as possible throughout the day and evening. As far as we were concerned everything went off without a hitch… we also requested our planner to take any issues with her to the grave. In our minds, it was perfect.

Did you hire a wedding planner? Yes! We were blessed to have Katrina from Ravine assist us through most of our planning journey and then drew in Brianne, from A Divine Affair event services to assist the month of and for day of coordination which I am so grateful for. There were so many things we didn’t have to worry about.

Would you have done anything differently planning-wise? We had approximately 3 years to plan and once the venue was booked there was a waiting period and then everything seemed to happen all at once. I wish I had started a few things a little earlier at the 18 month mark rather than feeling pressure year of. But for the most part everything was on track timeline wise and all the vendors we worked with were reassuring and helped keep us accountable with check ins, check lists etc - so helpful!

Did you take on any project(s) of your own that you wish you had hired a professional for? (ie. making your own cake, florals, invitations, etc) Absolutely not. I knew I would regret it. I am not patient or creative or have talent when it comes to DIY.

What advice would you give to a couple who are in the process of planning their wedding?

1. Budget. Have a slush fund, if you really have your heart set on something, see if you can scale back somewhere else to make it happen. No regrets.
2. Make a vision board with colours, themes, wishlists, menus etc…
3. Everyone has an opinion, it’s you & your partners day forever… no one else’s. Respect and listen to each others needs, wants and exceptions for the day and managing stress and emotions throughout the planning process - it can be a rollercoaster!