Wedding Vendors
Venue: The Eglinton Grand
Church: St Thomas Aquinas Parish Church
Officiant: Father Peter
Band: The Digs
The Eglinton Grand Wedding
Diego and I have been burning through Netflix shows these past couple of months. With all the craziness happening around the world now, we’ve found ourselves not only with an abundance of free time, but also minimal desire to venture outside, even for a walk around the block. A couple of weeks ago, we started watching Hollywood, a Netflix miniseries about a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers trying to make it big in the Golden Age of Hollywood, and all that old Hollywood glitz and glamour reminded us of Natalie and Stephen’s wedding at The Eglinton Grand, a one-of-a-kind luxury venue and a historic Toronto landmark.
Formerly known as The Eglinton Theater, this historic space was built in 1937 in a lavish and award-winning art-deco style. When the theater reopened as the Eglinton Grand, the original art-deco and old-Hollywood glam style was retained to create a majestic venue with an elegant and luxurious feel that pays homage to the grand style of the original Eglinton Theater of the 1930s. The Eglinton Grand even maintains an authentic movie theater entrance and a grand marquee sign that is simply picture perfect, so of course we just couldn’t wait for Natalie and Stephen’s big day to arrive and to start creating stunning memories in this unique and grandiose venue.
Pre-Ceremony: Getting Ready, Door Games, Chinese Tea Ceremony, and First Look
The morning of Natalie and Stephen’s wedding went by in a blink of an eye. Before even heading out to the church, there was getting ready, and Chinese door games and tea ceremony scheduled, plus a dress change and a first look. I cannot even imagine how early Natalie and her girls had to be up to be ready in time because when we arrived at her parents’ home at 8am, hair and makeup was already well underway in preparation for Stephen’s arrival for the Chinese door games and the tea ceremony. Despite the early start time, the house was full of energy, with bridesmaids running around from room to room, getting all the final details in place, drinking mimosas (and what would a wedding morning be without mimosas?!), and taking lots of selfies in between giggles. Natalie’s and her girls’ bubbly personalities really set the tone for the day and we couldn’t wait until Stephen and his groomspeople arrived to see what silliness they’d bring along with them as well.
Soon after Natalie slipped into her beautifully hand-made traditional Chinese red dress, she had to run upstairs out of sight as Stephen and his groomspeople arrived to participate in the Chinese door games. As they were completing all the challenges and games set up by the bridesmaids, Natalie watched through her phone and with her brother by her side the hilarious chaos unfolding downstairs, waiting for the moment that she’ll finally be able to see Stephen.
Once the door games were conquered and Natalie came down for her reveal to Stephen, it was time for the Chinese team ceremony. Thank goodness for waterproof makeup and tissues because it seemed everyone struggled to hold back tears as they crowded in the living room, surrounded by close friends and family, and exchanged not only red envelopes and tea, but also words of love, support, and gratitude.
Before heading out to church, Natalie changed into her gorgeous white wedding dress. While her parents and her brother waited downstairs in the living room for the big reveal, Stephen waited in the backyard for the first look. Natalie was glowing as she made her way down the stairs to her family, who couldn’t stop gushing at how stunning she looked. And when Natalie entered the backyard and Stephen finally got to see her in her wedding dress, his eyes lit up and a huge grin formed on his face. After spending a few minutes showing off her dress to everyone and posing for a couple of backyard portraits, it was time to get our couple to the church.
Wedding Ceremony at St Thomas Aquinas Parish Church
The Roman Catholic wedding ceremony took place in downtown Toronto at the beautiful and historic St Thomas Aquinas Parish Church. Inside the church, a choir sang as guests filled the pews in anticipation of Natalie’s arrival, setting the mood for a beautifully moving ceremony. When Natalie arrived and entered the church with her parents by her side, walking through the heavy wooden doors and under the Gothic-style arches that lead to the altar, it was immediately clear that fighting back tears was going to be futile at this ceremony. Stephen was already wiping away tears as he watched Natalie walk down the aisle and guests were reaching for their tissues. Led by Father Peter, the Catholic ceremony was touching, heartfelt, and so sweet, truly capturing the essence of love.
Wedding Portraits at U of T: University College South
St Thomas Aquinas Church is conveniently located just a few minutes away from U of T, where we took Natalie & Stephen’s couple portraits and wedding party portraits. They had chosen the University College South location for the photos, which was absolutely perfect as the iron gates, vine covered stone brick walls, and large wooden doors matched the Gothic-style of the church and gave the portraits just the right amount of drama. My personal favourite part of this U of T location is the reflection of the CN Tower in the windows, a quirky detail that many couples don’t initially notice, but makes for a fun surprise when they see their photos for the first time.
Reception at The Eglinton Grand
When we arrived at The Eglinton Grand for the reception, guests were mingling in the mezzanine area, sipping on cocktails and enjoying sensational hors d’ouevre prepared by the catering team of The Eglinton Grand. What the guests didn’t know was that a surprise was being prepared for them behind the curtains that open up to the reception space. When the curtains were drawn back, they revealed a magnificent ballroom adorned in rich woods and marble columns, bold lighting and vibrant colours, and elegant art-deco decor throughout. In the middle of the dance floor, in their very own spotlight, were Natalie and Stephen sharing their first dance as husband and wife. The grandeur of the scene, along with Natalie and Stephen’s grace and elegance as they glided across the wooden floor to the smooth tunes of the live band, The Digs, brought to mind the timeless charm of old Hollywood, with its dramatic narratives and luxurious sets. It was the perfect start to a glamorous wedding reception at The Eglinton Grand.
Soon after guests were seated at their tables, which were of course decorated in sequence and rich colours to match the grandeur of The Eglinton Grand, family and friends took turns sharing stories about the newlyweds, offering them words of wisdom and marriage advice, most of which had Natalie and Stephen in stitches, and of course, sending them all the love.
Once the main course was well underway, we stole Natalie and Stephen away to create outdoor nighttime portraits to show off the grand marquee sign that was now lit up in bright red, orange, and golden lights, reminiscent of the movie theater entrances of the 1930s. Natalie and Stephen had a blast twirling away under the bright lights of Old Hollywood, seemingly oblivious to the street traffic passing them by and to us taking their portraits as they enjoyed the limelight in each other’s arms.
Natalie and Stephen, it was an absolute pleasure getting to know your warm, fun-loving, and vibrant personalities, and you couldn’t have picked a more perfect venue than The Eglinton Grand to celebrate your love. Thank you for having us be part of your spectacular day!
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