Scott & I met on a blind date. But let me back up a bit...

Six years ago I was working dispatch for a trucking company. After many business calls, I developed a friendship with Dave, one of our customers. After speaking with him almost every day for four years, he came to know a lot about me and my personal life - including the fact I was a single mom of a sweet little boy. After awhile Dave began talking more and more about one of his co-workers, Scott. He thought that we should meet and I finally agreed to go on a blind double date with Dave and his wife Darlene at a local restaurant. I was nervous to meet Scott but also for another reason - although I felt like I knew Dave fairly well, I had still never met him in person! Dave told me to look for a guy with white hair and a guy with black hair (I was hoping Scott was the one with the black hair!). To top it off, Dave's wife ended up not making it out, so it was just me and the two guys - and the sushi restaurant did not serve alcohol!!

Needless to say, we had a wonderful time and spent hours getting to know each other that night! Sparks were immediate between Scott and I! We began dating and about six months later, I introduced him to my number one man...my son - Zak. They hit it off instantly and have a fantastic relationship!

This past January Scott proposed by a fireplace in a quaint little bed and breakfast in Bayfield. We got married October 10, 2009 - one of the most fun and wonderful days of my life! We had an amazing celebration with lots of family and friends. It was a great beginning to a new adventure and we've been living "happily ever after".

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Photography - Jessica Harvey Photography

Cory and I got engaged June 4th 2009 and we were married November 14th 2009, five and a half months later…people thought we were crazy! I can honestly say looking back, everything with the wedding preparations went smoothly  from start to finish. Our wedding was a celebration of our love, but also a celebration of our families. Our family means everything to us, and we wanted to showcase and represent that in every aspect of the planning and actual wedding day. We could not have done anything without our family.

The Proposal
My 26th birthday was June 5th and Cory had planned with my sisters to throw me a “girls only” birthday party dinner at Queenston Heights Restaurant., there were about 15 women present. After dessert Cory walked in with my father, brothers, all the “boys” and proposed in front of everybody! It was overwhelming, but wonderful. He later told me “if I would have proposed to you alone you would have spent the next 3hours on the phone, this was just easier”.

The Early Planning
We first discussed with both sets of parents their expectations for our wedding. We wanted them to be just as much a part of the planning as ourselves. We had decided on about 250 guests, a number we were all comfortable with. We both decided that all the planning and preparing and everything that goes along with throwing a wedding would be too hard to stretch over a long period of time, so we chose a short engagement. I work for my father at Advantage Restaurant Supply, so my schedule allowed me to be flexible and we had a lot of useful contacts. We knew immediately we wanted to get married at White Oaks, the venue is perfect and the staff is so professional and accommodating, the food is also fabulous which was a huge factor. When I called White Oaks they had November 14th available, then I called Holy Rosary Parish in Thorold, and 12pm was available, and that was that…the day was chosen. The next call I made was to Jayme. She knew my family and I had always known I wanted her to shoot my wedding. Her style is beautiful, her work is flawless and her energy is contagious. Cory kept saying “Jayme is the hardest worker I have ever met”.  When Jayme said she was in for November 14th I was ecstatic! I also chose Nella Miller for flowers and décor, and Angelica from Simply Beautiful Décor for linens and chairs. These women were my dream team, and I absolutely could not have done anything without them. I cannot stress enough how important it is to surround yourself with people you trust and you are comfortable with. I think you should always meet with people and make sure you are on the same page before you choose them for your wedding. Just because a friend recommends someone, it does not always mean they are right for you. Everything runs much smoother when everybody is on the same page, and some people are more compatible than others, so make sure you love the people who are involved in your wedding day. I showed these women a picture from the book Colin Cowie Wedding Chic, and the rest is history, they nailed it.

Engagement Photos
We did not want to get engagement photos, but my mother forced us and I cannot thank her enough! First of all it gave us an opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera. Cory and I were so nervous and this session really helped us relax and know what to expect on our wedding day. The other thing is they really turned out beautifully.  Jayme made us a book and it is truly art. I love it, and everybody that looks at it falls in love with it too.  We were originally going to use it as a guest  book for guests to sign, but it was just to lovely to deface.

The Final Stretch
We really tried to pay  a lot of attentions to the details. We hired the band “Introduction’ to play Italian music for my family, and we hired Spirit of Sound to DJ the new pop hits. We really wanted to have a little something for everybody. I was also very focused on the layout of the room, we really believed if the room was perfect then everything would run smoothly. Jillian at White Oaks created, than recreated, then recreated the floor plan for us. She was so patient and really worked with us to get it how we wanted it. A few things we wanted was a pre reception with food and cocktails, the bar inside the hall so people stayed at the party,  long family style tables so all families could sit together, we also wanted a lounge area beside the dance floor for people to mingle. These were a few of our requests, and White Oaks accommodated all of them. Lastly we wanted some family recipes on the dinner menu and again Chef Mike Price at White Oaks rose to the challenge. The food was sensational.

Day Of
We had planned everything to the minute, but the only thing we could not plan was the weather. We could not believe when we woke up it was beautiful outside! The sun was shining and the weather was perfect. My cousin’s fiancé Shannon had made us beautiful knit wraps from Pure Handknit and we were so excited to wear them, but we could not believe how warm it was outside and they were not necessary. The girls (14 in total) all headed to Salon Alessandro in St Catharines for hair and make-up. Rachel, Alex, and their team made us all look fabulous! The biggest surprise of all was when Jayme walked into the salon in the morning ready with her camera. We were all in shock. She started her day at 8am, and never looked back.

We got married at Holy Rosary church in Thorold, the church I grew up in. The ceremony was perfect, except when I put Cory’s ring on the wrong hand!

After the ceremony friends and family came back to my parents house for lunch and family pictures, it was chaotic to say the least, but it was very important for us to get some special people in the photos. Our grandmothers are not very mobile and with Jayme shooting at our home it really accommodated everyone. I was more concerned with WHO was in the photos, than WHERE the photos were taken. I trusted Jayme 100% to make anywhere look beautiful. After we headed to White Oaks to take wedding party and bride and groom shots.
Before we knew it, it was time for the reception! The night just flew, and we knew there would be so much we would forget, or miss or just want to have forever. This is why we chose Jayme to take photograph our wedding. She captures people and moments and emotions and we cannot thank her enough for going on our wedding journey with us.

Our Life

We actually met in London eight years ago while working in a restaurant. Over the years our friendship grew and after a vacation in the sun with a group of friends, we returned home knowing that something between us was a little bit different… and so began our adventure together.

A year together had passed and it was time for us to explore new opportunities so we headed west, where we remained for three years. During that time we worked hard, long hours, but when it was time to relax, we always found ourselves discussing our exciting future. Of all our big ideas, the grandest was always the possibility of someday moving to California and in the summer of 2008 we again packed the cat and the uhaul and after a long drive, arrived in beautiful Newport Beach.

The plan was for both of us to transfer from our respective companies, but with the state of the US economy at that time there was concern that one of us would have to return home to Canada. Although the talk of marriage had long been in the air, the thought of being so far apart made us both realize we were truly meant to be together and thus the wedding planning began. This was no simple feat, as we’d set our sights on a beautiful Country Club in Fonthill Ontario. With hundreds of phone calls and emails though, and a tremendous amount of help from our family and friends back home everything came together and the excitement began to grow.

The Day of the Wedding – From the perspective of the Bride

The morning of the wedding was beautiful. My sister had rented a lakehouse in Fort Erie and all of my bridesmaids and I had spent the previous night there, reminiscing about the “old” and catching up on all the “new”. I woke up early and walked down to the beach with one of my girls and our coffees and breathed in the morning air. There was no doubt in my mind, that I was marrying a person who was my equal in every way and whom I loved with a completeness I hadn’t known before. We had so much fun that morning, getting hair and makeup done and (finally) donning our dresses. This moment was for me, when the nerves started to set in. We were running behind schedule and were rushing to gather everyone up and get in our cars, but we eventually made it to Lookout Point with minutes to spare. I remember looking out an upstairs window and watching all of our guests settling in to their seats and thinking what an honour to have everyone we both love so much all gathered on this beautiful patio. The view from Lookout is absolutely spectacular and on that day, Toronto’s amazing skyline could be seen quite clearly.All I was thinking as I came down the large marble steps was, “please don’t fall, please don’t fall”, but once I made it safely onto solid ground again I finally saw Nick standing there, waiting for me with a smile on his face. All my nervous energy evaporated and we began our short, but sweet ceremony. I look back now at Jayme’s beautiful pictures over those 15 minutes and wonder what was so funny, as we seem to be laughing in every one of them?

The Day of the Wedding – From the perspective of the Groom

The weeks before the wedding came to a close very quickly; I remember how busy work and planning was at that time – and how fast the big day approached. Funny though, what some might call the most stressful and nervous time of their life seemed to be the exact opposite for me. The greatest, most important day of my life couldn’t have come more naturally. The afternoon of the day at the Inman household was busy as usual as the men prepared their monkey suits for the big night. Jayme knows what a zoo my household can be, as our family was grateful to have her photograph Christopher (my brother) and Kristina’s wedding only eight months prior. There was very little stress in the air (a little brandy quickly killed that), just a really nice time with my guys in anticipation for the hours to come. The weather held up for us nicely, it was actually the driest May long weekend I had seen in years. Thank goodness too, having the ceremony overlook the entire Niagara peninsula made the day that much sweeter. I remember how thrilled I was arriving at the country club to a barrage of excited family and friends, some who we haven’t seen in years. Unfortunately, I had to sneak through the crowd as there was little time to chat. My men ushered our guests to the terrace and we immediately took our positions. It wasn’t long before our guests’ chitchat quickly turned silent – then to awe. My beautiful Katherine was heading my way. That moment, with the evening to follow, made up the best day of my life. Katherine & Nick Married: May 15. 2009

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Photography - Jayme Morrison Photography

Steve and I first met at the YMCA where he worked and I worked out. As the time passed we became friends and would spend a lot of time talking and getting to know each other. Finally after a couple of years he asked me out. We started going for walks and hanging out and within weeks, we both knew we were going to be together for a long time.

The day we got engaged we had tickets to go to a concert that Steve had given me for my birthday. Our entire journey to the concert and back home was surreal. First, there was a crazy snowstorm out of nowhere that lead to broken windshield wipers. We missed the GO train we decided to take because of the broken windshield wipers and poor visibility. I lost a new diamond earring Steve had given me two weeks prior, while running to catch the train we missed. We got lost trying to find our way back to the highway after we missed the GO train and subsequently missed dinner because we just made it in time for the opening act. Believe it or not that’s not even everything.

However despite all the chaos we did get to the concert and enjoyed some chips and beer for dinner. Best of all we still had a great time in spite of the way our day had gone. Steve had never planned on purposing that night but when we got back to his house he purposed right then and there, in the living room. Steve started off by saying that he couldn’t imagine a better time. The fact that we could have so many things go wrong and still make the best of it was really what life was all about and that I was the one he wanted to experience the good and the bad times with. One of our favorite moments during our engagement was having our engagement photos taken. It really captured that time in our life before the wedding and now looking back I am so glad we have those photos.

The wedding planning was all fairly easy because we both shared the same ideas. For us the photos and music were the two most important parts of the day. We worked everything else around that. We kept everything very simple but also very “us.” For example we picked all of the songs for the entire ceremony personally from our music collection. I walked down the aisle to a song by David Grey while the wedding party walked down to a Ben Folds song. Lastly, following the kiss Steve and I left walking to a Dave Mathews Band song. This made the ceremony very personal for us because each song has a special meaning to us. My favorite flowers are white daisies so that is what we had for all of our flower arrangements. The other priority for us was choosing the best photographer because we wanted to catch all the excitement and special moments of our day. This process involved extensive searching but luckily we found exactly who was right for us. After those key things were taken care of we let the rest come together. We were both very excited and anxious the morning of our wedding. We were nervous about making sure everything went as planned. We had a lot of people who had traveled and we were excited to get to celebrate with them. When I put on my dress and shoes with my hair done it all started to be real and I started to get really nervous but as soon as I saw Steve I couldn’t wait to be married to him.

The ceremony was beautiful; the day started out cloudy but ended up bright and sunny. After the ceremony we had some time alone to get our photos taken and that was one of my favorite parts, just really taking in the moment together by ourselves and then with our wedding party and family. After our photos diner and a few speeches followed which made us laugh and cry. Then finally came the dancing, and we danced and danced. The music was everything we could have hoped for and we had such a great time celebrating with our friends. I don’t think I left the dance floor for the rest of the night.

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Photography - Jayme Morrison Photography