Matt & Erin
Ravine Vineyard
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
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Dress: Theia Couture
Shoes: Rachel Simpson
Jewellery: Mother
Suit: Canali
Florist: Myrica, Roses & Twine
Hair: Jillian, Glow Hair and Beauty
Music: Drew Jurecka Trio, c/o Erin Cooper Gay
Coordinator: Colleen Saunders at Ravine Vineyard
From the bride, Erin:
When my fiancé and I were planning our wedding, I had dreams of a ceremony in a small 12th century church in Derbyshire, England (where he's from). After realizing I couldn't fulfil the residency requirements, he suggested Niagara-on-the-Lake, where we had had our first date. It was not only perfect for us, but symbolic in bringing together our families from Canada, the US and the U.K., as the history of the region is so steeped in the war of 1812.
We wanted a relaxed, intimate and joyful day, filled with family, good friends, amazing food, wine, and of course, music.
We met at work, where I was playing French horn in the orchestra and my fiancé showed up to conduct Beethoven 9. Needless to say, music is an important part of our lives and one of the many bonds we share.
We figured we could take care of the music as we have a large network in Toronto, but it turned out better than either of us could have imagined. The stunning Ravine Vineyard was our chosen spot, beginning with a poignant ceremony, replete with a brass quartet and string quartet made up of our buddies. Walking down the aisle to my now-hubby's arrangement of the Bach Goldberg Variations, singing English hymns, a cello suite for the signing of the register and an exit Fanfare composed by my father were the highlights.
After cocktails and photos, guests were lured down to the cellar by haunting flute duets, performed by 2 of my bridesmaids. Before dinner, our friends serenaded us with the most beautiful rendition I've ever heard of Mozart's clarinet quintet.
It might seem surprising, but we decided we didn't need audio or video as we wanted the pictures to capture the feel and sound of the day. I can look at these now and they evoke memories in an instant.
To wrap up what was, to date, the best day of our lives, we danced the night away with my good friend's jazz trio and then toasted s'mores over a giant bonfire.
