A Riverside Wedding in Canada

Photography by Joel & Justyna for Micah and Joseph.

Imbued in sentimentality, Micah and Joseph’s summer wedding unfolded on a secluded family estate in Canada’s 1000 Islands region. Encircled by sprawling vistas of cobalt-blue water, the couple exchanged vows beneath breezy trees at an intimate riverside ceremony.

A black-tie reception followed, where guests sipped champagne beside a pool strewn with rose petals. On the balcony, an elegant four-course dinner ensued, set with tables spilling in silver votives, timeless glassware and crisp arrangements of white blooms.

As nightfall crept in, an inky blue sky speckled with stars and a glowing full moon illuminated the festivities below. A marquee whimsically styled with pennon flags and festoon lighting became the dancefloor, where a compelling mood of magic and romance stirred late into the evening…

Beautifully chronicled by LANE handpicked photographers, Joel & Justyna.

Our Story

Names / Micah & Joseph

Wedding Date / August 25, 2018

Guest Numbers / 88

How We Met

We met at Bishop’s University in 2009.

Our Engagement Story

Joe proposed to Micah on the first day of their winter getaway to Barbados. The island is special to Micah as she grew up visiting it year after year with her family. We got engaged during an early morning beach walk around 7 am and then spent the entire morning surfing.

The Details

Wedding Location

The location of the ceremony and reception was at Micah’s fathers private home located in the 1,000 Islands on the St. Lawrence River in Ontario, Canada. This is an extremely special home to the Sifton Family as it was originally built in 1906 by Sir Clifford Sifton. With many historic and original elements still intact, the family spends summers there enjoying time with family and friends on the river.

Theme & Style

Black tie, old-world vibe but with modern touches. Micah’s great aunt used to throw Black Tie Harvest Moon parties at the house each year and we were inspired by that idea.

Photography

Joel and Justyna Bedford – we actually chose the wedding date around their availability. They were the first vendors we e-mailed once we got engaged! Our families didn’t quite understand why until we got the photos back. Photography was so important to us because we knew the day would be so fleeting and wanted to be sure it was captured perfectly. We love their aesthetic and felt it fit so nicely with the overall vibe of our wedding. We are beyond happy with how our wedding photos turned out!

Fashion Notes

Bride’s Dress

Atelier Pronovias, Natalia Dress – Kleinfeld Canada. It was white, crepe, and had a long train with a green stone necklace detail. It had a high neckline and was sleeveless. It weighed almost 10 pounds which actually is very heavy when dragging it around all night!

I wanted something modern but not too trendy. My first appointment was at Kleinfeld Canada and my Mom actually spotted the dress. I tried it on second. I think I knew it was the one even before I tried it, so I didn’t want to jump right into it. Once I had it on, I burst into tears and knew immediately it was the dress. It was classic but also modern and so clean and elegant. The green stones brought out the colour in my green eyes. I continued the rest of my bridal appointments just to be sure, but nothing compared to the original dress. In all the other dresses I had tried that day I felt like a Princess, in this dress I felt like a Queen.

Bride’s Shoes

Manolo Blahnik – Hangisiflat in Grey Satin.

Wedding Rings

Joe’s wedding band was his grandfather’s. Classic 14k gold band. He didn’t even need to size it. The bride chose an intricate art deco style wedding band purchased from Simon Imports in her hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Jewelry & Accessories

The bride wore a stunning sapphire and diamond ring owned by her late grandmother, Nancy Sifton and borrowed emerald and diamond earrings from her mother. The groom wore silver cufflinks from his late grandfather for the ceremony and then switched to bumble cufflinks for the reception.

Groomsmen’s Attire

The Groom wore a classic Hugo Boss tuxedo.

Hair

Classic blow out by a local hair salon in Brockville, Ontario called Heavenly Touch.

Makeup

It was the bride’s cousin, Romy Paterson. She was a professional makeup artist, so it was an easy choice. We talked about this day since we were 8 years old. She always knew she wanted to do makeup and promised she would do it on my wedding day.

Style Notes

Stationery & Invitations

We used TwoFold Paper Co. The owner is a childhood friend of the bride’s and totally understood the vision from the beginning. We wanted the invitations to reflect the elegant theme of the day. The invitations were embossed with a bumblebee, a special symbol for the bride and groom symbolizing the sweetness of life.

Flowers & Bouquets

All flowers were white – the tables a beautiful mix of freesias, Austin roses, ranunculus, hydrangeas and magnolia leaves. The bride’s bouquet was made up entirely of white freesias.

Ceremony Décor & Reception Décor

No décor was required; we relied on the beautiful landscape to set the tone for the day.

Wedding Planner & Wedding Stylist

The bride did all of the planning with some additional help from family and friends.

Videographers

Find our handpicked edit of Videographers from around the world on the Directory.

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Cake

Micah’s dad baked the cake himself. We weren’t too concerned about the cake and felt it was a small detail. Micah’s dad baked a homemade fruitcake recipe in July (family recipe that makes an appearance at most weddings and Christmases). He then wrapped it in foil and added a generous amount of Mount Gay premium rum every few weeks to let it soak into the cake. This was very fitting since we got engaged in Barbados (where Mount Gay is from). The cake was then iced with a classic white marzipan, which completely melted in the 35-degree heat. The topping on the cake was the dried roses from Micah’s christening, which her mother saved in an old shoebox for almost 30 years.

We still thought it was perfect.

Wedding Songs

The first dance was to ‘Moon River’ by Frank Sinatra. That was the same song that Micah’s grandparents danced to on their wedding day. It was especially fitting given the wedding location was on a river and the full moon was out that night.

Entertainment

During dinner we had the DJ play our favourite classics, mostly Frank Sinatra. For the party we created our own playlist, which we quickly realized was full of songs from the 70’s, which was a crowd pleaser.

Food and Beverage

During the cocktail hour we served lobster rolls as a nod to the groom who is originally from Nova Scotia, and Bison Carpaccio as a nod to the bride who is originally from Manitoba.

The catering consisted of a white glove four-course menu starting with an amuse-bouche made up of warm figs, goat cheese and pistachio. The second course was classic vichyssoise soup, followed by a summer salad. For the main, guests had a choice of lamb, chicken or eggplant Parmesan.

Transport

The bride and her father arrived in a Classic Hacker Craft (wooden boat) owned by the father of the bride. The boat is named after the bride, Micah Nancy. The bride and groom departed by the same boat as well for a champagne toast on the water before returning to their guests.

Honeymoon

Portugal, Morocco and Spain. The trip was organized by Smith Hotels which was incredible. Marrakech and the Sahara Desert were the highlights!

Special Details

Sources of Inspiration

The bride took most of the inspiration from fashion events – this included fashion shows, previews and events, magazines etc.

A Memorable Moment

The full moon rising over the river was especially beautiful. It had a beautiful orange color to it.

If I could give other Brides-To-Be one Piece of Advice

Get a day of planner! Whether you hire someone or ask an organized friend or family member to help you, it’s worth it. Treat yourself to some luxurious bath and body products to use on your wedding weekend. Everything should feel extra special.

Also, triple the bar order!