Real wedding: Jennifer and Josh

If you’re from the Greater Toronto Area it’s likely you’ve been to the Art Gallery of Ontario at least once in your life. As art lovers, Jennifer and Josh decided to get married in the AGO in the early evening after the gallery closed to the public. Having the empty gallery completely to themselves made this wedding a once-in-a-lifetime experience for themselves and their guests. Walking through the quiet rooms with friends and family, being married beneath the famous spiral staircase, and having drinks in the iconic Galleria Italia was a wonderfully elevated experience.

AN ELEVATED WEDDING CEREMONY AT THE ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO

The ceremony took place underneath the famous spiral staircase in Walker Court. We designed a large circular floral installation for the altar, which sat at the base of the staircase. This ethereal design consisted of many individual arrangements that connected together to form a semi-circle of salmon, copper, and earth-toned florals. Complimenting the serene feeling of the room around it, this altar created a romantic and special place for the couple to say their vows. For seating, we used modern and chic smoke acrylic ghost chairs, and clustered candles along the back aisle to add ambience.

natural, organic white bridal bouquet

Jennifer and her bridal party got ready at The Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel. Her bouquet was natural and organic in shape, consisting of pearly white roses, dahlias, sweet peas, and orchids, with accent blooms in earthy tones and deeper copper hues. The bridal party’s bouquets were a little bolder and more colourful, with snapdragon, terracotta anthurium, and pale pink roses.

galleria italia cocktail reception

After the ceremony, guests walked through the silent exhibits to Galleria Italia for cocktails, taking in the beautiful artwork. Enjoying private drinks in this inspiring space was a first-time experience for many guests. Jennifer and Josh then took some time to amble through the galleries and halls with their photographers Flofoto to take portraits.

ROMANTIC WHITE DRAPING CEILING INSTALLATION

After cocktail hour, guests walked back through the exhibits to the reception in Baillie Court on the other side of the gallery. Jennifer and Josh wanted to make the room unique to them, with a chic, timeless, and fun aesthetic. To achieve this look, we kept the whitewashed wood tables linen-less and paired them with modern smoke chairs for a chic and contemporary feel. Above guest tables, we installed beautiful white draping, billowing and drooping over the dance floor. We also partitioned the side of the room with thick velvet curtains to reveal a surprise later in the evening!

CHIC, MODERN, Earth-toned TABLESCAPES

Tablescapes relied heavily on earth tones consisting of beiges, nudes, terracottas and light pinks, which came out primarily through the floral centrepieces. They embodied the same style as the ceremony florals - earthy, wild and unstructured. Central centrepieces were elongated with moss, and smaller arrangements were held in sculptural ceramic vessels. For place settings, we chose a blush glass charger plate with a simple gold rim, white and blush scalloped napkins, gold flatware, and modern smoke glassware which paired perfectly with the dining chairs and other darker accents. We then laid white pillar candles and small black ceramic tea light holders to fill the negative space.

clean and contemporary pattern for the dance floor and stationery

For stationery details, we chose a pattern of floral line art with a clean solid background, and repeated it through the menu, seating chart, bar menus, and dance floor. We wanted to keep the look classic and used a gorgeous arched gold frame, decorated with florals, to hang the welcome sign. To distinguish and make the dance floor stand out we applied a beautiful 20’ x 20’ vinyl decal using the same pattern, creating a focal point in the reception space and weaving the design throughout various parts of the wedding. For fonts, we stuck to serif and sans-serif font types for a modern look.

retro games for after party entertainment

We mentioned there was a surprise behind the velvet draping - once dinner had finished and the dance floor had opened, we parted the curtains to reveal an arcade of retro games, pool, and foosball! Guests also had their portraits taken with MirMir’s sleak and seamless photobooth.

wedding planners for seamless events and modern design

We planned and designed this wedding with our Full Wedding Planning package, and it’s a good thing we did! With three rooms, all on opposite sides of the gallery, many special venue policies to adhere to, a long list of photography opportunities requiring a coordinated timeline, and multiple specialty vendors to manage, this 130-person wedding would have been challenging for a couple to coordinate on their own, let alone manage the day of. If you are considering planning a wedding of this size - or if you are in the opposite boat and would prefer an intimate, polished celebration, please reach out! We have a variety of packages to choose from, from Full Planning like Jennifer and Josh, to Signature Planning (design + month of coordination), Wedding Design, Three-Month Management, and Private Estate Planning. We love hearing from new couples and would love to hear from you!