Wedding Vendors
Venue: The Arlington Estate
Getting Ready Location - Hers: Airbnb
Getting Ready Location - His: Element Vaughn Southwest
Dress: Rivini
Suit: Empire Customs
Makeup & Hair: Fancy Face
Officiant: Labuick Ceremonies
Flowers and Decor: Flourish Design Studios
DJ: DJ Alex - BB Blanc
Photography: Diego and Liza Photography
The Arlington Estate Winter Wedding
There is something so romantic about winter weddings. Maybe it’s the fresh snow glittering in the sun, or perhaps it’s the classy and elegant fur wraps that make you want to curl up by a fireplace, but whatever it is, winter weddings never fail to impress us and Stacey and Vince’s winter wedding at the stunning Arlington Estate was no exception.
For Stacey and Vince, it was important that Diego and I document the full story of their big day, from when they started getting ready in the morning, to the last song of the night. What that meant for Diego and I is that on the day of their wedding, we were up bright and early for a 17 hour day.
A lot of people ask us how we manage to function on such long days, and, simply put, we just get so excited for our couples when we wake up on wedding mornings that our bodies run on adrenaline and excitement for the rest of the day. On Stacey and Vince’s big day, there was a fresh coating of snow on the ground and the skies were blue, which we knew would make for stunning winter wedding photos! Our level of excitement was through the roof!
Getting Ready
Stacey and Vince put so much care into every aspect of their wedding day, including their getting ready locations. They wanted to make sure everything was just right and perfect for their wedding photos. Stacey chose to get ready at a breathtaking Airbnb home that was bright, spacious, and so elegant. Gorgeous chandeliers adorned all the tastefully decorated rooms and beautifully reflected all the natural light that flooded the space. While the Airbnb home was enormous, the space felt so cozy and inviting while Stacey got ready with her closest friends and family around her. Her little nieces were excitedly running around while the ladies enjoyed mimosas and got their wedding make-up and hair done by the fabulous ladies of Fancy Face, a luxury hair and makeup beauty team.
While the ladies were getting all fancy, Vince and his boys had a super chill morning hanging out at their roomy hotel suite at the Element Vaughn Southwest hotel. Most of the time was spent just shooting the breeze, drinking beers, and making jokes. So many jokes! It’s always amazing to see how much the mood at a groom’s getting ready changes when you tell the boys they don’t need to censor themselves around us - when we say anything goes with Diego and Liza, we mean it. I loved seeing the personalities of Vince’s groomsmen come out as they got comfortable with the camera being around them. The challenging part came when it was time for everyone to get dressed, because, well, beers and jokes. With a little bit of encouragement, out came the badass suits from Empire Customs, each personalized with a unique lining and custom engraving. It was on point!
As Vince finished getting dressed and made his way to meet Stacey at the Airbnb for their first look, Stacey was getting ready to to put on her stunning lace wedding dress. Designed by Rita Vinieris, Stacey’s Rivini wedding dress looked absolutely spectacular on her, and her lovely bridal bouquet from Flourish Design Studios perfectly complimented her final look. When Vince got to see his bride for the first time, walking down the stairs with her lace train gently trailing behind her, you can see his eyes widen in awe. Stacey and Vince both looked fantastic and so in love. We couldn’t wait to see them say their I Do’s!
Couple Portraits The Arlington Estate
Arriving at The Arlington Estate, an 1856 heritage house converted into a luxury event venue, we were ecstatic to see how beautiful the estate grounds looked covered in snow. The warm tones of the estate brick walls and the classy vintage-style wall lanterns beautifully contrasted with the crisp winter air and blue skies. It was the perfect setting for Stacey and Vince’s couple portraits on the East Private Terrace of The Arlington Estate. We love that Stacey and Vince both opted to wear stylish winter boots in their portraits – not only were their feet comfy and warm, allowing us to take some pictures on the edge of the snow, but it also looked so fun in their portraits!
Ceremony at The Arlington Estate
Stacey and Vince had their ceremony at the charming Hentage House Chapel, where a giant dreamy wedding wreath designed by Flourish Design Studios served as the backdrop for the romantic ceremony led by officiant Dennis from Labuick Ceremonies. We absolutely love that the Hentage House Chapel features a mezzanine that allowed us to get a different perspective of the ceremony. How fun!
Reception at The Arlington Estate
Immediately after the ceremony, the guests were treated to a stylish cocktail hour accompanied by a mouth-watering antipasto bar. The chefs at The Arlington Estate truly know how to please a crowd. I bet there were a number of guests who wished they could lick their plates clean – the food was that delicious!
My favourite part of the reception, besides the hilarious speeches of course, was how gorgeous the candles and the chandeliers looked once the lights were dimmed. They transformed the spectacular East Wing room into a dreamy and romantic space with a warm glow. It was so cozy inside that we almost forgot how cold it was outside, but not for long. Before the party started, and we knew once it started it was going to be wild, we wanted to create a unique portrait for Stacey and Vince, which would showcase the majesty of their venue at night. Stepping outside, they braved the cold as we quickly worked around them, capturing the luxurious estate that appeared to be plated in gold when all its lamps illuminated the stately details of The Arlington Estate architecture.
Party Time
Back inside, we eagerly waited for the party to start. From the first time we sat down with Stacey and Vince to talk about their wedding, Vince excitedly warned us that the party was going to get wild, we just had to wait a little later into the night when the early birds departed! DJ Alex from BB Blanc events started the party off and had everyone on the dance floor. He kept the dance floor going strong, but the party was still a little tame, at least based on what Vince hinted we should expect. But sure enough, around 11:30pm, soon after some of the guests already called it a night, DJ Vince, yep, our groom, brought down the house with the sick beats from his Palazzo Nightclub days with the boys. At this point, the suit jackets and sweat-drenched shirts just had to come off to accommodate the craziness that followed. Dance-offs, attempts at breakdancing, and air guitar playing using our light stands were just some of the highlights of the party. Stacey and Vince, your wedding day was just perfect – romantic, elegant, and sweet, with a generous dash of wild. Thank you for an incredible day!
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