Cosy Fall Quebec Wedding

In searching for a venue, Kim & Jonathan were looking for a place that encompassed their mutual love of history, travel and culture. The SUCRERIE DE LA MONTAGNE provided them with a beautiful location that has a natural warmth and loads of character and these gorgeous images from WHEN HE FOUND HER highlight that perfectly. Holding their wedding in the fall meant they were surrounded with the changing colours of the maple leaves and the smell of a campfire during their ceremony, which was then followed up with a Thanksgiving turkey dinner.

Kim tells us, ééòThe location of the venue had symbolic meaning for us as it sits on the border of Ontario and Quebec. I am from Ontario and Jonathan is French Canadian from Quebec. The town of Rigaud is about half-way between where we each grew up and most people in the area speak both English and French. Respecting both languages, our wedding was planned bilingually. As a result, we had a truly ‘Canadian’ wedding with traditional meat pies ‘Tourtiere’, maple taffy on ice and poutine served late night. Adding to the experience, guests were welcomed by a horse-drawn wagon which brought them into the ceremony site.ééò

HOW DID YOU MEET? We met in March 2011 at a monthly Soul & Funk dance party called Timekode. It was an event that brought together an eclectic mix of people in a cozy space. I was out for a Girls Night and was initially reluctant to entertain Jonathan’s advances but, with the help of friends on both sides, he charmed his way into getting my number.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: We had already discussed marriage and had our hearts set on a location for the big day so I didn’t think a surprise proposal was in the cards. But while I was away in NYC last November, Jonathan took the opportunity to call my mother to formally ask for my hand. After picking me up from the airport, I came home to a beautiful bouquet of red roses and Champagne chilling by candlelight. Before I had time to process, Jo was down on one knee with a ring that I love. Genuinely surprised, I said ‘oui’!

TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: After a memorable experience at BHLDN NY and checking out a couple of local boutiques in Ottawa, I saw a posting online for a designer sample sale. Having always been a fan of Monique Lhuillier, I realized this was my chance to afford a dream dress. I did a bit of research and had a feeling ‘Analise’ was the dress for me. I booked an appointment to try it on and was joyfully relieved to have found the one!

DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS: Organic, garden style with soft touches of greens. Sahara roses, dahlias, lisianthus, roses, callas in merlot, burgundy, rose pink, blush and ivory. Without much direction, our florist Erin (Full Bloom) created an amazing birch arch for us to exchange our vows under during the ceremony. Our sweetheart table was adorned with a beautiful garland or greenery topped with pretty blooms.

FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: Visual: The strings of Edison lights that we had strung from the beams of the sugar shack for the reception. They worked really well with the venue and created the perfect ambiance for the night. We ended up leaving them as a gift for the Sucrerie. Sentimental: My sister brought my father’s wedding ring which I ended up attaching to my bouquet in his memory. I later delivered my bouquet to his grave.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? Earlier in the week, the weather forecast was calling for 70% chance of showers, so we had started putting Plan B for our outdoor ceremony into consideration. Thankfully it was not necessary. As I was walking down the aisle, the sun started gently streaming through the trees hitting the arch where we stood just perfectly. It was more beautiful than we could have imagined. Magical even.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? Having a First Look allows you to spend more time with your partner on your wedding day. It also takes some pressure off doing photos during cocktail hour (so you can spend more time with guests). Seeing each other before the ceremony didn’t take away from the emotional moment of walking down the aisle. I would also highly recommend having a day-of wedding coordinator (better yet, a wedding planner).

Photographer WHEN HE FOUND HER / Cinematography FIRST KISS FILMS / Venue SUCRERIE DE LA MONTAGNE / Day of coordinator SARAH ALEXANDRA / Design & planning KIM ING / Weddings flowers FULL BLOOM / Ribbon FROU FROU CHIC / Officiant JADE SAMBROOK coached EXCEPTIONAL CEREMONIES / DJ JOEL LALONDE / Hair & make-up KAT ET LEA / Photobooth MDRN PHOTOBOOTH / Cake & Dessert Table RUSTIQUE PIE KITCHEN / Chair rentals BRAVO LOCATION RENTALS / Reception Stationery MINTED / Napkins SIMONS / Misc Reception Decor WEDDING STAR + MICHAELS / Wedding Invitations WEDDING PAPER DIVAS / Calligraphy OLIVE BRANCH & CO / Wax Seals WAX SEALS / Guestbook VELVET RAPTOR / Wedding bands ANOUK JEWELRY + MATSU JEWELLERY / Ring plate PALOMA’S NEST / Ring box THE MRS. BOX / Bride’s dress MONIQUE LHUILLIER from THE WHITE DRESS / Hair comb BHLDN / Veil TWIGS & HONEY / Bride’s shoes KATE SPADE / Earrings STEPHANIE BROWNE via THE LOVED ONE / Dress hanger BHLDN / Flower girl dress THE HANDMADE BRIDE / Groom’s suit DELAYAHE LONDON COLLECTION via L’HEXAGONE / Tie TOMMY HILFIGER / Groom’s shoes COLE HAAN