Real Weddings: Janice & Enrico

All photos courtesy of Seize the Moment Photography

One of the best parts of what I do is getting to know my clients while helping them plan their special day. I've been really blessed with all the couples I have had the chance to work with - whether it is for day of coordination or full coordination, I always have a bond with my clients and usually miss them after the wedding because we don't connect on as regular a basis. Somewhere along the ling through all the meetings, emails and telephone conversations I become friends with my couples which makes it that much more special for me to see everything come together in the end on their wedding day!

The beautiful bride getting ready, captured by the amazing Jerome Scullion of Seize the Moment Photography!

One of these special couples that touched my heart was Janice and Enrico. They had been together for many years with no real intentions of ever tying the knot. Then one day, a close family member was diagnosed with cancer and passed away very shortly after. It definitely changed their perspective on life and Enrico proposed a few weeks later!

Handsome Enrico before the ceremony!

Janice and Enrico have an amazing sense of humour and made me laugh on a daily basis. Planning a wedding can be stressful, but I want all my couples to have fun throughout the process! When I first met them, Janice told me that she would have been happy to get married by a JP at City Hall. However, it turned out to be a beautiful ceremony and reception at the Museum of Civilization - Enrico had never been married before and he said since he waited so long to tie the knot he wanted to do it right!

Here are some highlights from their special day:

The ceremony was held in the Southern Salon of the Museum of Civilization - All the gorgeous decor and flowers were from Wedecor.

It was very important for Janice to incorporate Heather (the flower) into her wedding bouquets which was for her mother who had passed away. On the day itself, she felt like her mom was there with her. It was very special, and meant a lot to her.

Family is very important to them, so it meant a lot for Janice to have her son walk her down the aisle and give her away. Her daughter and her sister were her bridesmaids, which also meant so much to her! They walked into the beautiful melodies of a live harpist.

They had a beautiful ceremony, which incorporated their sense of humour at times, surrounded by their family and friends.

Presented for the first time as husband and wife! Congratulations Janice and Enrico!

Me with the happy couple!

This was a photo that I took to showcase the "Eat, Drink and Be Married" shot glasses. Immediately following the ceremony, guests lined up for their recieveing line in the Southern Salon to congratulate the couple and were offered a shot to celebrate with them before heading to the Grand Hall for the reception. Having a shot after the recieving line is an Italian tradition that was a huge hit with their guests!

The gorgeous five-tiered cake was created by Joe from Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana. It tasted even better than it looked, if you can believe it! We also got trays of traditional Italian desserts which was served to their guests after dinner.

Because we were surrounded by such beauty in the Grand Hall of the Museum of Civilization, we decided to keep it simple when it came to the centerpieces. We had three vases of varying heights with floating candles, in which we put black and yellow ribbon to incorporate the wedding colours. Very simple and elegant.

As you can see, the view was spectacular!

We had two large screens located on the stage, in which we had a photo montage playing when the guests entered the room. They tried to include pictures of as many of the guests as they could. It was a huge hit with everyone. At the end of the night, Jerome from Seize the Moment put together a slideshow of some of the pictures he had taken throughout the day. It was incredible that he had over 80 pictures that he was ready to show at the end of the day. That is a testament to the quality of photographer that he is - being able to take so many amazing pictures that he could show on the same day! Great job Jerome! For a couple that didn't want a photographer when I first met with them - they were so happy they changed their mind!!

Their grand entrance down the escalators! Most people don't get the opportunity to do this, so it was really special when the Museum asked if we wanted to do. The last time it had been done was when President Obama was there for a visit! You can't tell in the picture, but I was actually tucked down behind Janice holding her dress in the back so that she wouldn't trip on it.

Enrico really wanted to have a special mix of Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion singing the Power of Love for their first dance. Quality Entertainment came to the rescue and was able to put the two versions of the song together so that each verse was a different singer. They even had a part where they laid the versions on top of each other so that it sounded like Andrea and Celine were actually singing together. They went above and beyond to make Janice and Enrico's first dance so special. It was magical! After dinner, Quality Entertainment got the party started and kept it going until 2 am!


I had so much fun helping Janice and Enrico plan their special day! Hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed planning it with them!