We asked this very private couple to share a little more about their day. Bri reflects on their wedding day, that was wholey and completely authentic to them.
1. Describe your approach to your wedding day…
Our approach might be described as lackadaisical. We decided to tie the knot in Canada just a few days before I flew there without my husband-to-be, so it was really quite spontaneous. Within a few days of landing in Canada I got the marriage licence (because you have to have the licence at least 4 weeks before the ceremony), and the planning started with that! We knew we wanted something outdoors in a place we both love, and that was pretty easy to agree on. Finding a venue for a wedding sounds hard just 4 weeks before the day, but it’s actually pretty easy if you don’t mind the day of the week, and venues not really designed with weddings in mind!
2. What was the most important vendor or outside influence you hired on the day? and why?
The input of several individuals made the whole thing come together. One of my sisters was previously a wedding planner so she was able to easily make a list of what details needed to be taken care of and had lots of ideas about what was required to make a wedding day flow. My other sister is a wedding photographer and so also had lots of experience with what layouts and schedules work well. We all worked together to prepare food for the guests (picnic lunch!). The input of my good friend, also a wedding photographer, helped us find the best venue possible that suited what we needed to a T. Our celebrant was also a perfect match for us and knew exactly how to organise the guests at the beginning and when to depart after the ceremony. I can’t say there was any one influence that was most important. It works because of the harmony of people involved and it works because we let go of some control and let the people who knew well make some of the decisions.
3. Why did you choose something smaller and more intimate?
Big weddings just don’t suit us. We both feel that so much of the wedding industry is about unnecessary luxuries and status signals, and we just wanted something genuine. It’s about celebrating a union, not about commercialised love. And with our families spread across two continents it just made more sense to do it small and low key on each continent with each family. Honestly, we can think of better uses of thousands of dollars than a big fancy wedding.
4. In what ways were you able to make your wedding day authentic to you as a couple?
There were lots of things about our wedding day that made it authentic to each of us as individuals, while also celebrating our union. The location was a place we vacationed together; a place where we jointly enjoy being outdoors and on our bikes. My wedding dress belonged to my husbands mum and the environment was a place I knew intimately from my masters studies. We did a second celebration two weeks later at the farm my husband grew up on, so we really celebrated both our roots and our union at once. Even this approach is authentic to us as a couple because we strive to function both as individuals and a couple in our relationship.
5. What was the most special moment of the day for you both?
Eating s’mores. I’m not sure one could pick a moment. The moment the celebrant asked us to take each other’s hands. The moment we watched, together, our baby daughter getting her feet wet (literally, in the ocean) with my aunt. Hanging out with guests around the bonfire at sunset.
Thanks to James Looker Photography, specialist in small, intimate weddings both here in Australia and Canada, for sharing Bri and Tim’s story.
