It’s been forever since I blogged, like foreva eva (cue Outkast earworm). I also can not believe I’ve been keeping this Drake Wedding all to myself. Steve and Kristen kicked off my wedding season with a bang, or should I say rocket 😉 You see Kristen, works for NASA (how cool is that), and Steve is an incredible restauranteur in Montreal. Together they make one heck of a team, are beautiful inside and out, and planned a gorgeous Drake wedding here in Prince Edward County.
I was so honoured they chose me to document their intimate wedding. I asked Kristen after I delivered her images to tell me a bit more about planning a wedding in Prince Edward County.
Why did you choose a Drake wedding in Prince Edward County?
We chose PEC for our wedding primarily because of the location, but ended up falling in love with the area more every time we visited. My family is from Toronto and Steve’s is from Montreal, so it made sense to us to meet somewhere in the middle. Once we started getting into planning the details, we knew we had made the right choice. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and always willing to help. We are already planning on coming back to celebrate our anniversary, but may end up visiting even sooner than that!
What was your favourite moment of your wedding day?
The entire day really was a dream, but our favourite moment was the First Look. We changed our minds about whether or not to do this about 100 times, and finally opted to go for it. It really helped to start the whole wedding off with that moment to ourselves and definitely helped to calm our nerves. There was so much to take in while walking down the aisle, so it was nice to share that time together before the festivities kicked off with so much else to experience. (Not to mention the best photo sequence ever that captured it!)
Any advice for couples planning a wedding in PEC?
Our advice to those planning a wedding in PEC would be to stick with the local vendors! Not only are they a total joy to work with but they know the area better than anyone and there is a good chance they’ve worked together before. We felt like the team was an extension to our family, and it made the day hassle-free to have everyone working together so well.
Where was your dress from and Steven’s suit?
My dress was from Misora (a boutique in Houston), and the dress itself is by Watters. Steve’s suit was custom made at Harry Rosen in Montreal.
What vendors did you use for your wedding and what was it like working with them?
The Drake
Our vendors were AMAZING! Planning a wedding remotely is tough, but we were blessed with an amazing team (everyone in the County is awesome in general). For starters, the team at the Drake Devonshire was phenomenal, especially Jessica. They took care of most of the heavy lifting and were so responsive throughout the planning process. Once the wedding weekend arrived, they made us feel right at home; we couldn’t recommend this venue enough.
Coriander Girl
Our stunning florals were courtesy of Marilou at Coriander Girl. We had an idea of what we were hoping for and she made it come to life. Having limited flower knowledge, she really helped to guide us through the process, and we were more than happy to give her creative freedom by only providing a colour scheme.
Officiant
Our officiant was Suzanne Pierson from All Seasons Weddings, and she was also a delight. The team from All Seasons was very professional and provided us with all the information we could have asked for. Once we selected our officiant, she was easy to communicate with and helped to put together the exact ceremony we hoped for. After meeting with her in person before the wedding, we knew we had made the right choice.
Photo and Video
And finally, our incredible team for photo and video! We found you through some internet searching and your previous experience shooting at the Drake. After seeing a few of your wedding albums and blog posts as well as following our Skype call, we knew that you would help us capture the wedding perfectly. Your photos are stunning and you really have a great eye and awareness of how to capture perfect moments; and it definitely helped that you knew the venue so well!
On your recommendation, we picked Erica Groves as our videographer after looking at some of her work, and you were the perfect team. Erica’s energy was contagious and she appreciated my custom playlist, which was a bonus! The whole day felt comfortable despite how awkward it can be to be filmed. Our sneak peek teaser video had us, as well as our friends & family in happy tears. I don’t think we could have planned to work with a better team, and we are so grateful to have had you all there for our big day.
Check out another wedding from the Drake in Prince Edward County here