Outfits that Needed their Own Post

Anjli, Parambir and I met about two years before they got married. They later told me they wanted to work with me from the minute they saw the purse I was carrying... ha! Little did I know at that fateful first meeting that these two (a doctor and a lawyer by day who are BOTH hard-core, die-hard, internet-ninja fashionistas in their spare time) would open my eyes to a whole new world of fashion. 

Every element of their wedding was a carefully thought-out expression of them; both as individuals and as a couple. And perhaps nowhere was that more apparent than the energy than what went into what they would each wear that day! They, like a lot of Indian couples, flew to The Motherland to find their outfits. Unlike a lot of couples though, these two made a beeline to the atelier of the famed fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani. To their great delight, they were able to meet him in person and then spent the next few months working together to create their ensembles that best expressed their unique sartorial point of view.

What follows reads more like an editorial fashion shoot than a real wedding, but I suppose this is the natural outcome when the bride and groom are two of the most stylish people I've ever had the pleasure to work with:

One of the very first things Anjli purchased was this Alexander McQueen clutch and she carried it everywhere that day, carefully, like she was holding a fragile egg. That purse was never out of her sight or clutches! There is actually a pretty funny story about how she got this purse, but she might kill me if I were to tell it here to the world...

Next up, some details from Parambir's fashion statement. Gotta love a guy who is 'man' enough to wear pink on his wedding day!

The following pictures are perfect examples of Bling Done Right: look at the detail in the lengha (skirt) -- there's sparkle, but just the right amount and in the right places. The necklace was a gift from Anjli's grandparents and was part of Chanel's Maharaja collection that year.

Photographer George Paatashvili of Studio 2000 was chosen because of his great eye for fashion, colour and composition. He had fun whisking Anjli and Parambir around the AGO for a private photoshoot before the ceremony:

The Sikh ceremony took place under the iconic staircase designed by starchitect Frank Gehry:

After the ceremony, it was time to change into the reception outfits. Parambir switched it up and donned a Tom Ford tuxedo and shoes and Anjli put on another magnificent Tarun Tahiliani creation. As a side note, this is probably the first time I've seen a groom put as much (if not more) thought and effort into his wedding day attire...

I am so grateful to our photographer, George, for capturing so many closeups of the detail and extraordinary craftsmanship in Tarun Tahiliani's creations. And I'm even more grateful to Anjli and Parambir for introducing me to a designer I previously knew nothing about; up until then, I thought all Indian wedding fashion meant rhinestones galore and a "more is more" mentality. How cool that there is someone like Tarun who has broken away from all that and who is doing it so artfully.

Not only that, you guys looked like rock stars on your wedding day. What a privilege to have been a part of it.

Arboriculture 101

Once Upon a Time, someone had the brilliant idea to incorporate the apple orchard we were putting a tent into, into the tent...  The trouble is, this build is so complicated (multiple, massive tents with different flooring elevations), that the tents started to go up 5 weeks before the actual event.

So the family's arborist swung by and offered up a dire warning: If we didn't leave some roof panels off so that they continued to be exposed to natural light, the trees wouldn't have any leaves left on them by the time the wedding day came around. Oh oh.

One of the things I love most about my job is that we learn something new (and usually VERY random) on every single project. This particular wedding is one of the biggest we'll do all year, with hundreds of people involved... but all anyone can talk and fret about is four apple trees!!

Herein lies the problem: the event is still a week away, but as of two days ago, the roof panels HAD to go back on; A/V work had to be completed, draping need to be done... not to mention carpet and flooring needs to go in -- none of that can happen if the roof panels are open.

So the lovely arborist, Patrick from Arborcon, started consulting experts from all across North America to see what the solution would be. No one wanted to hurt these poor, innocent apple trees who, through none of their own doing, suddenly found themselves plunked inside a dark tent. Especially since I had personally promised my client that "No trees will be harmed in the making of your wedding..."

The answer: UV-emitting lights that cast the RIGHT combination of light on the trees (who knew that that was such an important balance?) But of course it wasn't as easy as that sentence might imply -- the first lights we got didn't do the trick. They were very expensive and pulled a ton of power off the generator; not to mention they didn't radiate enough of the 'right' light. The arborist deemed them unacceptable. So we kept looking and found these ones. It's hard to tell the scale of this from these photos, but those lights are about 20 feet up in the air. 

You think brides are demanding? You should meet my apple trees! I can't wait to share the professional photos of the finished tent once the wedding happens. By the way and in case you're wondering, absolutely no one is concerned about the four oak trees at the corners of the sunken dance floor... Apparently oak trees 'push their leaves' at a very different time of year.

Again... who knew?

Just a Little Flower Arrangement...

Now that the latest WedLuxe magazine has finally hit the stands, we are thrilled to share some tid bits from Shelby and Graeme's gorgeous wedding at the Royal Ontario Museum last June.

I don't think the photo needs a whole lot of explanation, but I did have Sarah and Gabi go and stand next to the arrangement, just so we could demonstrate the full effect of it's massiveness! Now, before you go wondering if they're both vertically-challenged, the answer is a resounding no! They are each 5'8" and they're in slight heels... See what I mean?

This was the first thing guests saw when they arrived. For the evening program, we flipped things around a little; cocktail hour was first (here in the Rotunda with this arrangement towering over everyone's heads), followed by the ceremony and then straight into dinner and dancing.

To read more about this wedding, you can pick up an issue while it's hot off the press at newsstands now or click here to read the online version.

Steam(whistle)ing from a Hot Oven

Written by Gabi Slaninova

We recently did a wedding at Steam Whistle Brewery. A new venue for us, it inspired us to think outside the box a little. Throughout the planning process, our focus was to create an organic and natural feeling in the space using real linen, ferns, large white dahlia, herbs, moss and anything that reminded us of a beautiful walk in the forested country side of British Columbia where our bride grew up.

I have always been a big believer in the fact that food at a party should be part and parcel of the overall feeling you're trying to evoke. Deirdre Anderson of L'Eat Catering came up with the most amazing idea to complement the vision for this wedding. I have never seen this done before and I almost died when I first tasted her idea come to life at the menu tasting: mini home made pies. Lattice-topped, perfectly sweet and totally scrumptious! Really, it’s so obvious when you think about it. What feels more like ‘home’ than a fresh, homemade pie? A cart carrying warm blueberry, peach and apple pies emerged from the kitchen shortly after the dancing began and a smell reminiscent of grandma’s house wafted behind it. It soon drew a crowd and it was all we could do to photograph it in time before the pies began disappearing.

Presentation is everything in our business. L-Eat literally set out to transform the pie cart into a work of art! Deirdre used the charming antique cart (belonging to Steam Whistle), brought matching wood to create levels, put the signs for the pies under covered glass cake plates, added amber candlelight and even brought bushels of freshly picked apples to complete the look!