Wedding Vendors

Venue: The Kincardine Beach Pavilion
Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero from Becker's Bridal
Makeup & Hair: Courtney of Hair Connection
Suit: Indochino
Ceremony & Wedding Portraits: Kincardine Rock Garden
Flowers: Everlastings Flowers
Decor: NJS Designs
DJ: Dave Barnes from Parkside Drive
Photographers: Diego and Liza Photography

Kincardine Beach Pavilion Wedding

On the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, in the municipality of Kincardine, is a small little community also called Kincardine, where the sandy beaches and clear blue water of Lake Huron are the main attraction. While Kincardine was founded in 1848, it wasn’t until this summer that Diego and I discovered Kincardine thanks to Carolyn and Leo. Carolyn grew up in the Kincardine area, with the family cottage only minutes away from the historic city centre, and she grew up listening to her parents’ stories of the days when they were a young couple attending dances at the Kincardine Beach Pavilion. The Pavilion Dance Hall was quite an attraction back in the day - it was known for having the best dance floor along the shores of Lake Huron! With the Kincardine Beach Pavilion being such a cherished place by the residence of Kincardine, and especially so by Carolyn’s family, it was absolutely a no brainer that Carolyn and Leo chose the Pavilion as the wedding venue for their beach wedding.

Getting Ready at the Family Cottage in Kincardine

We always tell our couples that we count down the days for their wedding once we hit the one month park as we are just so excited to celebrate with them, but when we met Carolyn and Leo and they told us all about Kincardine and the Pavilion Dance Hall, and that they would be getting ready at their family cottage that are right on the beach, we started counting down the days to their wedding immediately! When the day finally came, and Diego and I made the 3 hour drive to Kincardine, we were definitely not disappointed.

Carolyn and Leo got ready at two separate cottages, but only a few doors down from each other. Leo was deep in focus on this laptop finalizing some last minute wedding details when I arrived, while his groomsmen slowly trickled in. With some extra time before the mad rush to get dressed, one of his groomsman even went in for a quick dip in the lake, a privilege that the ladies unfortunately did not have as they were already getting ready for quite some time by when we arrived that morning. All the ladies already had their hair done and only some final makeup details needed to be finalized. And with not a whole ton more to do but put on the dress and pearls, there was lots of time for drinks, stories, and a ton of laughter.

Once everyone was dressed and ready to go, there was still one special moment to capture before heading out that we were SUPER excited about. Carolyn did not want to have a first look and she did not want Leo to see her before the ceremony, but she really wanted to say hello to him and hold his hand before making her way to the Kincardine Rock Garden for their ceremony. With Leo being only a few doors down from Carolyn, we were able to orchestrate the perfect plan. With Leo blindfolded, I walked him down the beach to Carolyn’s family cottage where we were greeted by a very dapper pup with a blue bow tie. He wasn’t only there to greet us, but to also announce the arrival of Carolyn, who was also blindfolded and lead by her sister and bridesmaids to where Leo was waiting. There was lots of nervous giggling as we positioned Carolyn and Leo with their backs to each other. Once everyone was in position and the blindfolds came off, Carolyn and Leo were able to share a few sweet moments before being whisked away to the ceremony. And of course the pup had to be right there with them for the special moment, snuggling up to them as close as possible, and how much closer can you get than on mom’s wedding dress train. Can there be a cute pup at every wedding please??

As Leo headed back to his cottage and made his way to the ceremony site, a surprise from her parents was waiting for Carolyn - a pink vintage Ford Fairlane was ready to take Carolyn for her ceremony at the Kincardine Rock Garden. Her reaction was priceless!

Ceremony at the Kincardine Rock Garden

The ceremony space at the Kincardine Rock Garden is absolutely breathtaking. Situated right next to the The Pavillion and overlooking Lake Huron, the Kincardine Rock Garden is an impeccably manicured garden with vibrant flowers and stunning waterfront views for the guests to enjoy during the ceremony. A stone path guided the wedding party from the top of the garden and to the ceremony space, where the guests were seated in a circular formation that would allow the couple to be literally surrounded by their family and friends as they said their I do’s. When Carolyn appeared at the top of the path with her parents, Leo was there to greet her. With arms linked, Carolyn and Leo walked down as their family and friends beamed at them with the biggest smiles.

The weather couldn’t have been any more beautiful for a waterfront ceremony. Albeit a bit hot, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds to light up all the magnificent garden colours and create a stunning display of sun rays above Lake Huron, proving an ethereal beauty to the ceremony. With guest readings and a wine union ceremony with the parents to symbolize the joining of the families, it was truly a stunning ceremony. Not even the pesky and uninvited bees could spoil the mood that day.

(How many bees can you find gracing the ceremony photos?)

Wedding Portraits at the Kincardine Rock Garden and Beach

With the ceremony concluded and guests having gone into the Kincardine Beach Pavilion to cool down with refreshments, it was time for the couple portraits at the Rock Garden. But first, the ladies ran into the lake with their dresses hiked up past their knees to feel the cool water on their feet. A very welcome respite from the heels. Refreshed and ready to continue, Carolyn and Leo rocked their couple portraits as Diego and I took advantage of every moment we had with them in the garden and those stunning sun rays illuminating the sky. We could have stayed there with them for hours, but there was a party and sunset portraits still waiting to happen so we scurried into the Kincardine Beach Pavilion for the reception.

Reception at the Kincardine Beach Pavilion

The Kincardine Beach Pavilion was transformed into a truly magical space thanks to Carolyn’s design vision and Leo’s craftmanship. The wooden interior shone with a golden warm glow as the candles and bistro lights hanging throughout gave the space a very intimate and cozy feeling. Guests were treated to heartwarming speeches, hilarious games and funky prizes, a beautiful Viennese waltz for Carolyn and Leo’s first dance, and delicious food, of course.

The night wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to the Kincardine Harbour and Kincardine's lighthouse for sunset portraits, where a bagpiper pipes every evening as the sun comes down. Despite a small mishap (a fish hook latched onto Carolyn’s foot), Carolyn and Leo were all smiles as they enjoyed the final tunes of the bagpiper while sipping away from His and Hers flasks. A beautiful end to a beautiful day.

Carolyn and Leo, we appreciate all the love and warmth we received from you both, and your family and friends. Thank you so much for such a spectacular day and for having us join you in your celebrations. I read that the locals of Kincardine still use the motto of Kincardine from when it used to be a town: "Where You're A Stranger Only Once", and we definitely felt that embodied at your wedding. We cannot thank you enough!