wishes come true
Charu and Bryan were married on August 2, 2008 at the Queen’s Landing Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake. The couple, both Radiologists, first met during their last year of residency training. One of their final exams was in a common location and Bryan describes seeing Charu for the first time there. He wanted desperately to talk to her but couldn’t find the nerve. Ten months later, after graduation, the two started their fellowship programs where both ended up at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. Since there were only three fellows in the program, (Charu and Bryan being two of the three), he finally had a chance to say hello. The rest is history.
Their wedding day was a true celebration of their two cultures. Charu is East Indian and Bryan is Scottish. “We wanted the day to feel romantic and elegant. It was important to us to incorporate both of our cultures without having one dominate the other. We also wanted to make sure all of our 100 guests felt pampered and catered to since they were all very close family and friends,” recalls Charu. The couple worked with Melissa Samborski of One Fine Day Event Planning to create a hybrid celebration that reflected both of them. To set the tone of what was to come, each guest received luxurious silk invitations custom-created by Corina Van Sluytman of Bella Invites.
The Hindu ceremony was the first of two. The decor by Church Street Flowers included a beautiful Mandap (ceremony background) which was inspired by the majestic palaces of India. It was decorated in vibrant colours and included floral swags of red roses, hydrangea, dahlias and orchids.
part two
The Western ceremony took place in the afternoon. Charu wore an ivory coloured, mermaid style Vera Wang gown with silk organza overlay. The gown featured handmade Chantilly flowers on the skirt and a swarovski-encrusted bodice. The bridesmaids also wore Vera Wang. All were from Vera Wang Toronto. Charu carried a bouquet of lush pink cymbidium orchids with blush and soft pink roses, hand tied with satin ribbon. The ceremony decor featured gold Chiavari chairs embellished with multiple strands of blush and white dendrobium orchids and soft pink ribbons tied with oversized bows. The chandelier was also covered in orchids. Charu remembers the floral and decor as the most luxurious part of the wedding day. “The day before the wedding, Bryan and I walked into the room in the hotel where the florists were preparing the flowers and the entire hallway was infused with the scent of that one room. The room itself was overflowing with fresh cut flowers and it was only half of what we were actually going to use as the second truck of flowers had not arrived yet! It was truly an impressive sight...”
a warm reception
The reception featured long tables decorated with tall glass vases trimmed in gold lace detail. Each vase had a floral topper of cream and pink hydrangeas and cream and pink roses. Inside each vase was a suspended garland of white orchids anchored by a single blush rose. Six foot high water walls placed along the back of the room with floral embellishment and soft white draping resulted in a romantic and lush setting. At each place setting, guests received an individually wrapped box containing heart-shaped shortbread cookies in honour of Bryan’s Scottish heritage from Churchill’s Fine Gourmet Gifts.
dining and dancing
Aside from the two unique ceremonies, each culture was also represented at the reception in various ways. Guests enjoyed both Indian and North American cuisine as well as performances by both North Indian and Scottish dancers.
takes the cake
Allyson Meredith of Allyson Meredith Cakes created a magnificent five-tiered confection which featured
hand-crafted sugar cherry blossom branches between each tier. The cake had alternating tiers of chocolate cake with Lindt chocolate buttercream and French vanilla cake with raspberry buttercream. More cherry blossoms and hand-made sugared butterflies were draped over the top two tiers. Two miniature sugar bunnies were nestled at the base of the 300lb creation.
The most surprising part of the wedding day for the couple was the level of energy displayed by friends and family at the reception! “We thought that since most of our friends were a little older and had kids, they would turn in early, but we were wrong…so many people were dancing and having a good time right up until the end. It was something we could not have planned for and we were thrilled with the way it turned out.”
|
Re:SOURCE IT
Wedding Planner:
One Fine Day Event Planning
Gown Boutique:
Vera Wang Toronto
Gown Designer:
Vera Wang
Bride's Accessories:
Vera Wang
Fine Jewelry:
Tiffany + Co
Vera Wang
Shoes:
Manolo Blahnik
Formal Wear:
Harry Rosen
Bridesmaids Dresses:
Vera Wang Toronto
Invitations/Stationery:
Bella Invites
Cake:
Allyson Meredith Cakes
Florist & Decor:
Church Street Flowers
Hindu ceremony, Bollywood Mandaps
Make-up Artist:
Renee Francoeur
Hair Stylist:
Anna Bambola Leal
Music/Entertainment by:
Maximum Music DJ Service
Favors:
Churchill's Fine Gourmet Gifts
Honeymoon:
Jamaica - Ochos Rios - Royal Plantation
Greece - Crete - Elounda Mare Hotel
Mykonos - Cavo Tagoo
Santorini - Mystique
Athens - King George Palace
|
