An artful day: I am always very grateful to our couples who take the time to answer my blog questions. I enjoy reading through the answers, reflecting on their day and there are always tidbits of great information for other couples to glean from. As I put together the blog posts, most of the “titles” comes easy, but with Jessica and Adam, I was struggling! So I quickly texted our wedding manager Ashley (from Fiore Fine Events) and it went something like this…

Me: “I need a blog title for Jessica and Adams’s wedding, I can’t figure it out, got any creative ideas? Their wedding was just so cute and special but I can’t find the word that encompasses it.”

Ashley: “intentional, heartfelt, artful, creative, personal, handcrafted.” – Just off the top of my head, theirs was one of my favourites as well!

Me: “Ooo I like Artful” But thanks that helps!

Google’s definition of artful is; “showing creative skill or taste”. – uh well that’s a paltry definition of what I’m trying to convey here google!

The point is, this wedding day was full of tender moments, special touches, and endless joy. Each wedding we host so perfectly reflects the couple as they personalize the space, it’s always amazing. I hope you read through the post to see this “intentional, heartfelt, artful, creative, personal and handcrafted wedding!

WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE MOMENTS OF THE DAY?

The whole day was a dream. After a couple of years of not being able to gather together, to spend such a special day with so many people we cherish was truly amazing. Looking out from our sweetheart table at all of our loved ones, I remember leaning over and saying to Adam “can you believe this is REAL? All of these people are here for US! We are so loved!”.

DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY PROJECTS FOR YOUR WEDDING?

This is not a true DIY, because I did not complete this myself, but I designed my dress and picked out all the fabric and materials that went into it! After unsuccessful dress shopping trips, I decided to reach out to an amazing designer based out of Sherwood Park. Kelly designed and created my grade 12 grad dress in 2012 and I knew I could trust her with creating my wedding gown. She is always amazing to work with and I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect dress for myself!

WHAT DID YOU LOVE ABOUT HAVING YOUR WEDDING AT THE GATHERED?

Everything! The whole experience from our first meeting to our wedding day was amazing. Alysa and Elaine were so accommodating through the whole planning process and being able to work with Ashley made our day perfect. They were always very reasonable and responsive whenever we had questions or requests. We planned our wedding in ten months and I truly believe the Gathered was the reason everything went so smoothly. This venue and the people who own and operate it are astounding. If given the opportunity to have our wedding again, we would always choose the Gathered. We love you Alysa, Elaine and Ashley!

IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR WEDDING PEOPLE KEEP TALKING ABOUT?

All of our guests loved the relaxed environment and everyone was obsessed with the food. If you are planning your wedding with the Gathered, you and your guests will have the happiest tummies by the end of the night. You’ll dream of prairie sunsets, warm potato salad and donuts for the rest of your life! 

DID YOU INCORPORATE ANY PERSONAL MEMENTOS OR FAMILY HEIRLOOMS IN YOUR WEDDING? IF SO HOW?

Adam and I have lost some grandparents and it was extremely important to us to incorporate them into our day. We did so by creating a memory table with pictures of them.

Additionally, both of our wedding bands are family heirlooms! We booked our wedding before knowing this, but Adam’s great great Opa and Oma got married on September 4, 1912. During our planning process, Adam’s Oma came across a gold ring that was engraved. It turned out to be his great great Opa’s wedding band. She gifted him the ring and we got our initials and year engraved beside theirs. My parents also gifted me rings to use in order to create my wedding band. Both of our bands mean everything to us. There is just something so special about always having our family with us on our fingers! 

DO YOU PLAN TO REPURPOSE ANY OF YOUR DECOR, IF SO HOW?

We used a lot of frames to display signs and pictures of loved ones and we kept my beautiful bouquet fresh by displaying it in a vase on our sweetheart table. The day after the wedding I got to work by taking apart my bouquet and drying it. After about a month I could arrange my dried flowers and greens in the frames we used for signs. We have pressed flower frames throughout our apartment and it is such a beautiful reminder of our day! 

WHAT ARE SOME TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE PLANNING AN OUTDOOR WEDDING?

Let go of rigid thoughts regarding the weather and come to terms with the fact that you are not in control of nature but whatever weather is given to you, your day will be so special. We planned our wedding for early September because we wanted to avoid the high heat of June-August, but of course the weekend we got married there was a heat warning and the temperature came close to 40! To be honest, it was such a magical day even the extreme heat was forgotten. If you are planning an outdoor wedding you have to accept the idea that you might not have a “perfect” day weather-wise, but the day will be perfect regardless!

DID YOU ALWAYS WANT AN OUTDOOR WEDDING?

Adam and I grew up spending a lot of time outside. When we started wedding planning, there was never even a thought to have an indoor wedding. However, we are realists so we knew we couldn’t have an outdoor wedding without a tent. You never know what mother nature will have in store for you! Once we found the Gathered we knew it was the perfect place for us because it provided us with the outdoor experience we wanted but also peace of mind with the gorgeous clear top tent!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO COUPLES IN THE PLANNING PROCESS?

Coming from a couple who planned their wedding in ten months, the best advice we have is to surround yourself with an amazing team and be diligent in your planning. Find vendors that align with your vision and have great communication. Once you have all the big things planned, it is easy to remind yourself when the nerves creep up that everything will fall into place. If everything is planned and you’re working with an amazing team, on the day of the wedding things will be so smooth and there will be no stress! 

Photographer: Grey Lily Photography

Cake: Lemonberry Pastries

Wedding Manager: Fiore Fine Events

Music: Andrew Glover

MUA: Makeup by Katina

Hair: RJ Styles Co.

Florist: Pretty Petals

Dress: Kelly Madden Clothing