From Corina V Photography…A Gorgeous Wedding Ceremony under a cathedral of tall trees on the Bride’s parents Estate, hand crafted split-log benches for 160 close friends and relatives.
Andrea (from Ontario, Canada) and Aaron (from Ohio) met at a church conference in the US and very quickly became friends, finding they had a very similar sense of humour and both enjoyed sarcasm. Over the two years following their first meeting, they casually corresponded – Aaron from Stanford University, where he was working on his PhD in Engineering, and Andrea from University College Cork, Ireland where she was studying Medicine.
Aaron came to Canada, and on New Year’s Eve 2010 he took her out to Tim Horton’s and declared his interest in getting to know her better. Despite the 8000km between them from Ireland to California, and the 8hr time difference, they corresponded and very quickly their relationship deepened.
While visiting his family during American Thanksgiving, they set out on Aaron’s family’s annual trip to cut down a Christmas tree. It was declared that the Canadian was going to be responsible for the role of lumberjack, so when they found a tree that passed the test, Aaron crawled under to “clear out some of the branches” before handing Andrea the saw.
When she crawled under, in the clearing she found an envelope with her name on it. In the card was a message asking her to do Aaron the “hono(u)r” (a diplomatic compromise between American and Canadian spelling) of becoming his wife, and at the bottom of the envelope was the ring! At this point, she was on her knees on the ground beside Aaron (him expectantly asking “Well, are you going to put it on?”) … but after a suggestion that they should reverse positions and he should be the one to put the ring on her finger, they got ourselves sorted with him on one knee, the ring on her finger and she said yes. Then they had her crawl back under to cut down the tree.
Andrea’s Top 3 Wedding Memories…
1. Invitations & programs – Our stationery was designed by my talented sister (maid of honor) with great attention to detail. She sketched the lace on my dress and used the pattern for the silouhettes of leaves on the invitation and program. In honour of Aaron’s love of math and academics, she used math operators in the stationery and introduced the bridal party with humorous multiple choice questions. She honoured both American and Canadian spelling (“The hono[u]r of your presence is requested”).
2. The nest carried by our ring bearer – Aaron proposed to me at a Christmas tree farm in his home town in Ohio. After some searching, we found the “perfect tree”, and in it, an abandoned nest. Aaron told me that the Canadian should be the lumberjack and cut down the tree. When I knelt down to begin sawing, I found that he had hidden the ring under the tree. He proposed, I accepted and we went home with a very special Christmas tree. I kept the nest as a memento, and felt it was very appropriate to use to carry our rings down the aisle on our wedding day.
3. The trees and our clear-top tent – For many years, I have dreamt of being married outside and hosting a wedding celebration in the woods. One of my favourite details of the day was the cover of the tree canopy, and particularly the way it was lit at night with spot-lights. Our clear-top tent for the reception allowed us to enjoy the illumined canopy during dinner. The Ceilidh at the end of the night was held out in a clearing in the woods, where we danced to Irish music with the canopy overhead illuminated with lights.
What Andrea loved about working with Corina V. Photography…I loved working with Corina. She was very forgiving of my scattered-ness. She drove all the way out to my parents’ house before the wedding to take a look at the property and discuss goals of the day in advance. On the day of the wedding, she was a pleasure to work with – everything from helping tie “the perfect bow” to plunging into the river to take photos of the wedding party. I am so thankful that I entrusted her with the job of capturing the day – I couldn’t be happier with the photos I now have!
What the Bride said about the Location of her Wedding…The trees and our clear-top tent – For many years, I have dreamt of being married outside and hosting a wedding celebration in the woods. One of my favourite details of the day was the cover of the tree canopy, and particularly the way it was lit at night with spot-lights. Our clear-top tent for the reception allowed us to enjoy the illumined canopy during dinner. The Ceilidh at the end of the night was held out in a clearing in the woods, where we danced to Irish music with the canopy overhead illuminated with lights.
The Bride talking about her Planners…Wedding Planners…Make My Day Count. Lana Glasgow and Denise Morris are true gems. They were very forgiving members of our wedding planning team, and very patiently dealt with my hectic schedule to help implement the day. They were very organized, task-oriented and efficient. They took initiative in investigating ways to make my ideas come to fruition. Where I had ideas and thoughts about the way I wanted things to be, they were facilitators, and made planning a great deal easier!
The Bride is a Doctor and the Groom is a Math PHD…the entire bridal party was comprised physicists, mathematicians, architects and engineers, hence the Math Equations as Table Numbers.
Photography: Corina V. Photography | Wedding Planner: Make My Day Count | Flowers: Make My Day Count | Cake: Paulette's Original Donuts | Bridesmaids Dresses: Anita Giesbrecht | Catering: Make My Day Count | Make Up: Minerva's Spa | Hair: Jane Williamson | Groom's Attire: Studio Suits | Venue: Private Residence | Bridal Gown: Sottero & Midgely