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Rainy Day Ontario Wedding

Rainy Day Ontario Wedding

Who says the rain needs to spoil your wedding day? Luckily Amanda and Kyle forged ahead with their beautiful wedding day plan, despite a bit of damp weather. Barb Simkova for Tara McMullen and BBBlooms helped the couple create their lush, inspiring day around the natural beauty of their surroundings in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Needless to say, we’re captivated.

Rainy Day Ontario Wedding - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

From the bride, Amanda: The venue and its natural, story-book landscape which included stunning views of vineyards, orchards and the Niagara escarpment were the main source of visual inspiration. We wanted that to be the main focus visually and so planned all details and decor as an accent to the natural beauty that surrounded us so as to not compete with it. Overall we wanted to achieve a laid-back feeling and look that was elegant, romantic and whimsical.

garden wedding invitations - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

bridal accessories - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

bride getting ready - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

pink red bouquets - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

fuchsia wedding bouquet - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding
Bouquet recipe: Dahlias (they were huge and my favourite!), Garden Roses, Silver Dollar Eucalyptus, Seeded Eucalyptus, Cedar branches (a nod to my husband’s Muskoka roots), Succulents, Veronica. Wrapped in long ribbons (for a bit of a playful/whimsical feel) and a piece of lace from my Mothers Wedding Dress. We also tied on my late Grandfather’s wedding band (which he gave me before he died) so I could feel that a piece of him was there with us.

pink bridesmaid bouquets - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

pink bridesmaid dresses - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

Niagara-on-the-Lake wedding - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

The rain brought a lot of positive aspects we didn’t ever imagine. It brought people together, sparked impromptu conversations amongst guests and made for some amazing memories (slow dancing in the rain holding each other tight, cuddling to stay warm and dry under an umbrella during our photo session, and getting wet as we ran back to our hotel hand in hand through the vineyard at the end of the night). One nice surprise was when Barb thought of the option of doing our first look at the original ceremony spot under the tree I had styled with all of the ribbons. I was pretty bummed about spending the entire morning steaming cutting and styling the ribbons in the tree that was supposed to be our ceremony site only to have it rain. I wasn’t bummed about the rain as much as I was bummed about knowing something I worked hard on (and did a pretty kick ass job on!) wouldn’t be used for anything and no one would see it. I never thought it would double as a backdrop for our first look – it honestly made my day when we did that!

bridesmaid processional - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

wedding ceremony - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

wedding ceremony - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

bride and groom - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

Niagara-on-the-Lake wedding - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

Looking back, our day was filled with so much love, fun, enormous amounts of laughter, great music, lots of dancing, delicious food and all of our favourite people! It raining on our wedding day was a tiny detail, not a major catastrophe. It of course helped that we are both easy going and positive people who never let uncooperative weather get in the way of our fun. Also, that we had a solid, thoughtfully designed rain plan. Sure the weather was not exactly what we wanted, but it didn’t stop us from having the best time ever and embracing our day to the fullest.

pink wedding flowers - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

pink wedding flowers - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

peach wedding favors - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

greenery receptions - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

Niagara-on-the-Lake wedding - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

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elegant tablescapes - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

Rainy Day Ontario Weddingg - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? It’s your day and a celebration of your love! Stay true to what feels right for you both and what is most important to YOU. Don’t cave to outside pressure to do things a certain way or do certain wedding traditions that didn’t mean anything to you just for the sake of doing them. Set a budget and stick to it, let your vendors know what you’ve allotted for their service and negotiate! Work with vendors who you like, who listen and contribute to your ideas, not replace them with their own. Work with people who are genuine and will add positivity and beauty to your day. Do a first look! (It’s so nice to have more time to spend with your guests.) Do everything in one place! (the day is waaay more relaxed and easier on everyone involved). Have fun! Celebrate! You’ve just said I do to the love of your life, enjoy the rush and try to slow down and take it all in. Everyone told me the day would fly by and it flew by faster than I ever would have imagined.

elegant tablescapes - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

fruit plate desserts - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

sophisticated wedding ideas - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

rainy first dances - photo by Tara McMullen https://ruffledblog.com/niagara-on-the-lake-wedding

View all images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Music:
Processional: Acoustic “Here Comes the Sun,” The Beatles (Very ironic because it rained the whole day. It made me a giggle as I walked down the aisle)
Recessional: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” Stevie Wonder
First Dance: “I See Love,” Passenger
We are big music people and played an eclectic combination of Funk, Soul, Oldies, 80s, 90s, Electro/Dance and Indie music. Our DJ did an amazing job at mixing old and new songs together, it got everyone up dancing – even my Grandma was busting a move!

Wedding Location: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada / Photographer: Barb Simkova for Tara McMullen / Florist: BBBlooms (St. Catharines) / Table Garland: Bride / Venue and Caterer: Gracewood Estates at Kurtz Orchards / Wedding Dress: Nicole Miller “Elizabeth” via MRS. / Wedding Shoes: Ted Baker London / Earrings: Vintage Sherman Swarovski Crystal Earrings from my Mom / Groom’s Suit and Tie: Banana Republic / Groom’s Shirt: Hudson Room / Groom’s Socks: Floor Play / Rings: Greg Sims / Wedding “Cake”: Made of assorted cheese wheels of our favourite Canadian Cheeses. We collected them from our favourite cheese shop and self assembled the wheels into a cake shape. (Salt Spring Island Goat Blue Cheese, A triple cream Brie from Quebec, Oka from Quebec, “Niagara Gold” from Niagara) / DJ: Absolut DJ, Lee Herrera (Toronto) / Wedding Invitations: Junction Paper Co. or Amanda Billark Design (Invitations were done on 100% cotton in letterpress and then individually handpainted with watercolour by the bride)

View Comments (6)
  • Gorgeous wedding! The table settings with the greenery and peaches are beautiful. I’ll bet there was a hint of peach in the air! Also love the white streamers fluttering in the breeze.

  • We adore Amanda and Kyle, and we are so thrilled to be featured. Congratulations, A+K! And big love to Barb for such stunning images <3

  • Amanda and Kyle were such a dream to work with. The way they allowed themselves to enjoy their day without a moment of fussiness about the rain was such a gift and allowed us to make some real photographic magic that day. I am so thrilled that these images are now available to the readers of Ruffled and am so grateful for the feature! Thank you Amanda and Kyle and thank you Ruffled!

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