When my husband and I got engaged June 2005, we thought it would be wonderful to have a fall wedding. We just love the colours of fall. We decided to set the date on Saturday, September 30, 2006 at Deer Creek Golf and Banquet in Ajax. It has always been my dream to have an outdoor ceremony for my wedding. So, we fell in love with their outdoor gazebo the minute we laid eyes on Deer Creek. We also fell in love with the Westney Room in the downstairs portion of the club house. We preferred more privacy during the party and didn’t want noises from other parties interfering with ours. Amanda, our wedding co-ordintaor at Deer Creek, went above and beyond her duties to make our day a perfect one. I am forever grateful to her.
I am from a Filipino background and my husband is of Chinese descent. We wanted to incorporate both traditions within our wedding. Our main theme for our wedding was an Asian theme. I visited many vendors and came across Creations by Gitta along Supertest Road North of Dufferin St (Allen Rd). We ordered gold chivari chairs that had the bamboo look to it and arranged for deep red/burgundy crumpled silk material for the table linen. All napkins and bread basket linen were of the same material but in a nice subtle gold colour. I also ordered giant red Japanese paper lanterns that Creations by Gitta put up for me on the ceiling. We also had to take into consideration to make a plan B should it rain the day of the wedding. In our case it did not rain but it was rather very cold. We decided to move our outdoor ceremony indoors the morning of the wedding. Creations by Gitta created a four post gazebo-like indoor structure to mimic our outdoor gazebo. They decorated it with red and gold material and added floral clusters. The chivari chairs were used for both ceremony and dinner. They finished the romantic look by adding a white runner down the aisle. My BM and I created the bows to attached to the chairs along the aisle with toule. When both my parents walked me down the aisle that day, my eyes filled with tears. It didn’t matter anymore that I had to move my dream outdoor wedding indoors. It was beautiful and more than I could ever have imagined. Creations by Gitta also arranged for my beautiful orchid bouquet and husband’s orchid bouttoneire. I actually made the bridal party bouttoneires and corsages.
The Ceremony We decided to write our own marriage and ring vows. We also decided to include Filipino tradition within the ceremony.
We had a ninong and ninang (godparents) that stood as prinicipal sponsors/witnesses in the ceremony. Aside from the bridesmaids and groomsmen, three additional pairs of wedding attendants stood as secondary sponsors: they facilitated the wedding candle, veil and cord ceremonies.The candle sponsors each lit wedding candles which were located on either side of the me and my husband. The flames from the candle symbolized God's presence with the union. Then, the veil sponsors draped and pinned the veil (a long white tulle) on the groom's shoulder and over the my head. This symbolized the union of two people, 'clothed' as one. It is a symbol of two families becoming one. It is also a prayer for health and protection during their married life.
Finally, the cord sponsors stood-up with a cord (a silken rope) that was in the form of a figure 8, it looped loosely around the neck-shoulder area of myself and the groom. This symbolized the infinite bond of marriage.Aside from the exchange of rings, the giving of the arrhae (earnest money in the form of 13 peices of gold/silver coins) is a part of Filipino weddings as the groom's pledge of his dedication to the welfare of his wife and children.
The gown, tiara and veil. Shoes and jewelry.
I found both my veil and tiara from Bridal and Beyond at a Toronto Bridal show and got both veil and Swarovski crystal tiara for 50% off. I also found my garter and “something blue” at another Bridal show as well!!My gown was made by Sincerity Bridal model #3072 and I bought it from Sherwood Bridal or now called Lucia Bridal. My dress was altered by Cindy’s in Whitby. Cindy’s did a superb job with my dress alterations and was glad that I had my dress in trusted hands. I also had a Chinese Dress, also known as a Cheongsam, made for the private Chinese Tea ceremony. I also had my bridesmaids and maid of honour wear Chinese dresses. All material was bought on Queen St. in downtown Toronto and the dresses were made by Beloved Couture. Beloved Couture did an amazing job with the dresses. Each bridesmaid also walked down the aisle with a Japanese paper parasol purchased in Chinatown.The groomsmen wore the traditional Filipino Barong, made by Edward Vasquez. My Swarovski crystal necklace and earrings were bought from New Beginnings Bridal located in Oshawa. Centrepieces and Bonbonieres
I made all centerpieces myself (also with the help of my bridal party) along with seating cards. All paper used for the seating cards were purchased from The Japanese Paper Place along Queen Street. The bamboo tripod stand with matching candle was actually purchased in a local dollar store. Faux rose petals were purchased from Michaels. We decided that in lieu of Bonbonieres, we donated $2.00 on behalf of each guest to the Multiple Sclerosis Society in honour of my Aunt. The MS Society provided cards for each guest and a plaque to display near the entrance. We also ordered green ribbons from Trillium Gift of Life for organ and tissue donation awareness. I am an organ transplant nurse and co-ordinator and husband is a Respiratory Therapist.
Hair and Make-up
Hair and Make-up were done BEAUTIFULLY by Facial Creations. Teresa and Angie did such an amazing job. Because of them our pictures turned our marvelous. They were extremely friendly, punctual and accommodating. A big thanks goes out to Teresa and Angie for making my wedding planning a memorable one! Their work and creativity shows in the pictures. Angie even used earrings as hair jewelry for the maid of honour. How creative is that?
DJ and Emcee, Quartet
Our night could not have been complete without an awesome DJ. DJ Emporium is definitely recommended by us and our family. DJ Emporium went above and beyond. They did unique bridal party introduction songs and featured some surprise games during dinner!!! They provided a beautiful cloud-like smoke effect for our first dance. The DJ even played a surprise last song for me, my favourite song of all time! Lighting, effects and sound were phenomenal.
It has also been my dream to have a quartet play Canon in D as I walked down the aisle. Hamstrings Durham Quartet not only played my favourite song but they also played Kenny G’s Breathless: Sentimental and Forever in Love during the ceremony. They played classical and jazz during cocktail. Hamstrings were kind and gracious enough to stay an extra 40 minutes as they saw things were running behind.
Photographer
Chuck Schumilack from Pickering Photo was our photographer for our wedding and did an amazing job on our engagement photo. He was extremely creative and was very efficient. Chuck knows what he is doing. We are excited to see the results of our wedding pictures. He also had an assistant who was very handy. He did a tremendous job taking photos prior to the ceremony, during the ceremony, during the private Chinese Tea Ceremony and also took pictures of the entire Filipino and Chinese family (which are always BIG!).
Transportation We hired a driver from Southport Executives in Oshawa to drive their Empress Bentley from our hotel to Deer Creek. They have a vast selection of classic cars which are in wonderful condition. Southport also provided champagne, snacks and a red carpet. On the day of the wedding, our driver surprised me with a pair of gorgeous champagne glasses.
It was indeed a perfect day. I married my one true love and best friend on September 30, 2006. My husband and I were so grateful to share our wedding day with family and friends. Our day could not have been possible without everyone involved
Thank you for allowing me to share one of the most important days of my life. I wish you all the best in the future and happy planning.
Yours truly,
Mrs. Justine Lee
