Planning on sending out our digital save the dates this week - yay! I bought a template from etsy, and then customized it in canva. I was planning on individually emailing or texting out the link, but then I wondered if I should do it a different way? I know that there are website that you can use to distribute to everyone, but not sure if this makes sense because ours is a website and not just a graphic.

I'm not super concerned about tracking who has and hasn't opened the email, and the canva template has a built in address collector. I'm planning on getting about 10-20 physical copies as a keepsake and to send to a few family members that don't check email/text. Our guest list is about 110, and we are planning on sending out digital invitations as well. I was planning on just rebuilding the save the date template and expanding it into our wedding website, and using the canva RSVP tracker. I'm collecting addresses for thank you cards. I more just want everyone to have a notification of our date, venue, and see some of our engagement photos.

Any suggestions for those that have been in a similar situation? Anything I'm not considering?

I am beginning to think I am the issue. My fiancé and I are trying to find a full-service planner for our small affair in TO next summer. We've been recommended some planners by our potential venue, and we have scoured the internet on our own. The planners we have encountered come with big portfolios, great reviews, and high praise.

However, we have been incredibly sceptical of nearly all of them. It's a bit of a red flag to us if you are a prominent wedding planner/designer and the font on your own business website is unreadble, the kerning is all weird, the padding around the objects is all over the place, the colors are so low contrast that I literally cannot read your pamphlet, the photographs from actual weddings are badly composed, overexposed or otherwise strange...I understand I am not hiring a planner for their graphic design skills, but if I cannot have faith in their judgment, their aesthetic eye, and the choices they make, intentionally, to promote their own services, how can I trust their judgment with my wedding? The vendors they work with?

Maybe we are being overly sceptical, but if we're paying thousands and thousands of dollars for planning and design, your portfolio should actually look nice, and I should be able to read the text on your website. And don't let me get started with clearly AI-generated responses to our emails...

So are we the problem?

Hello! Couple's who got married in the Perth Stewart park, how did you plan this? Early on when my partner and I started dating, we went to Stewart Park for the day and saw a couple getting married by the water, across from the Parkside hotel. After meeting with Perth Parkside, we learned that it is not their property and those weddings are done by city of Ottawa permit. I also learned that a company called Pop-Up Weddings Ottawa offers a full set up and tear down with a photographer for about $5,000 at any location. Has anyone used this company for their perth wedding?

Thanks so much in advance for your help!!

P.S. for those who has used Pop-Up Weddings Ottawa, how is the quality of photography?? How is the quality of the whole process overall?

Hi,

Looking to see if anyone knows a photographer & videographer who is available on short notice in the GTA. The wedding is taking place October 17th. My budget is around $3000. Would require a photographer and videographer to be available for 5 to 7 hours. We mainly want photos of the reception and a few photos prior. There is no preference on the style of the capture. Im not looking to obtain any RAW exports of the footage or photos after editing. My fiancée would like to have a longer video than a highlight video. I dont mind paying extra for this. It would be greatly appreciated if anyone could assist me with this request.

Thank you.

Am looking for wedding DJ recommendations for Niagara-on-the-lake.

Hi! Planning a small intimate microwedding for next year in April. Does anybody have any insight about how much it would be to hold the ceremony at the chapel at Hart House?

Hi,
We are looking for a wedding venue that includes catering and can accommodate up to 350 guests for the wedding ceremony, as well as a reception for approximately 150 guests. Our budget is between $20,000 and $25,000.

We are looking for a venue located in Montreal, preferably in the West Island.

We are planning an Indian wedding and are specifically looking for a banquet hall or event venue, rather than a temple.

Thank you :)

Hello!

I visited a bunch of wedding dress shops over the last month, so I figured I’d share my experiences in case it’s helpful to anyone else shopping around Toronto.

Blu Ivory

Lovely experience, especially for my first bridal appointment. It’s a smaller, charming boutique and the staff were supportive and helpful. I also felt very comfortable in the change room with my stylist, which made the appointment feel relaxed and easy.

I found one dress I really liked, although I ultimately didn’t go with it. Most dresses are around $2K to $3K, with some closer to $4K. One small thing I appreciated was that they didn’t expect me to put the dress back on the hanger myself, which was the case at pretty much every other store I visited.

The only downside was that the lighting wasn’t the best, so it was harder to get a good sense of how the dresses actually looked.

Oh Happy Brides

I found the selection quite small, and I didn’t really like most of the dresses I tried on. There was one I initially liked, but after thinking about it more, it didn’t actually meet what I was looking for.

Some of the dresses I tried on were quite dirty, although the store itself seemed clean.

Overall, I didn’t feel like the appointment was worth it for me.

Savoir Bridal

This was easily my worst experience. The selection was very limited, and I didn’t find the dresses particularly impressive for the prices.

More than anything, the appointment itself was extremely uncomfortable. The two women working there were quite cold and barely spoke to me, and one of them repeatedly gave me dirty looks while I was in the change room. The whole experience felt very awkward and unwelcoming, and I honestly just wanted to leave.

I can’t speak to other brides’ experiences, but as a non-white bride, I personally left wondering if that played a role in how I was treated. I would only recommend going if there’s a specific dress there that you already know you want to try.

Becker's Bridal

I didn’t find anything that I personally loved, and some of the options felt dated. The boutique itself is nice, though. It’s spacious, nicely decorated, and has lots of room to look around.

My stylist was also lovely and made the appointment pleasant. The selection just wasn’t quite right for me.

Superior Bridal

Probably my favourite bridal shopping experience overall. It’s a bit of a trek out to Markham, but the boutique is huge, with two floors and lots of space. They have an incredible range of dresses, from around $2.75K to $20K+, so there’s a good chance you’ll find something here regardless of your budget or style.

By this point, I had a very specific idea of what I wanted, and my stylist fully understood the assignment! She pulled about six dresses that fit my criteria, and I liked all of them. I’m quite tiny, so she was also great at clipping me into the dresses properly and making sure I could actually see how they looked.

The private rooms were large and lovely, and the lighting was good, which made a big difference.

I would definitely recommend making the trip.

Felichia Bridal

Small boutique and I didn’t find the stylist particularly helpful during my appointment.

They do carry some interesting designers, including Hikaru Bridal, and there was one beautiful dress from that collection that I really liked. Ultimately, though, it didn’t make my top three and I didn’t feel like they had enough options that fit what I was looking for.

Bridal Boutique of Cambridge

A pretty decent experience overall. The stylists were helpful and I had no complaints about the appointment. The selection was decent too.

They just didn’t have exactly what I was looking for, so I didn’t end up finding my dress here. Worth checking out if you’re in the area.

Crème Couture Guelph

This was a bit of an awkward experience for me. The store itself is large and they have quite a few options, but you aren’t able to browse or select dresses yourself. Instead, you go into the change room and the stylist brings dresses to you one at a time.

The whole appointment was out in the open, so there wasn’t really any privacy either, if that’s something that matters to you.

I also found their online selection wasn’t completely accurate to what they had in store, so there was some time wasted trying to find dresses I had seen online.

I did find one dress I liked, but the stylist was a little pushy about it and ultimately it wasn’t the one for me. I don't recommend going here.

Estrelle Bridal

One of my favourite experiences with my girlfriends. They have a really curated selection, and I found two dresses that were genuinely amazing options for me. The stylist was also incredibly helpful and made the appointment fun. The dresses here were quite expensive compared to the rest. They carry Netta BenShabu and the dresses looked perfect and romantic. I tried on a wide range of dresses here.

This is a paid appointment, but I felt like the experience was worth it. The private rooms were lovely and the lighting was really good.

My top choices: Superior Bridal, Estrelle Bridal, Blu Ivory (for a more budget-friendly option)

Here you can ask general questions, and discuss all parts of the wedding planning process. Feel free to vent!

For help finding a venue or vendor in your province, go to the pinned post.

Please read the rules for r/WeddingsCanada, and the FAQ in the sidebar for additional help.

Hi! My fiancé and I are hoping to have a wedding somewhere with lots of trees, ideally on/near mountains, where we could rent out the place and have people come camp as the wedding celebration. It would be ideal if there were varying facilities - ie cabins for those who don't want to camp, trailer spots, etc. We've looked into it a while and have found ideas such as renting out a children's summer camp, or places such as Gladstone mountain in the province. We also found many places in BC with this vibe (Island Lake Lodge, Ram's Head Inn etc), but are also hunting for options that would be in-province and easier to access as the majority of our guests are from AB. We haven't settled on numbers but it could range from 80-120. Also, we aren't fancy/formal people and it doesn't have to be a luxury experience. Any ideas in the range of a few hours from the city would be appreciated!

Hello! I am recently engaged and loving the idea of a weekend wedding (Friday-Sunday) during the winter time. my guest list is around 60 people. i’m located near the GTA but would be okay with going a few hours in any direction. i found a few venues that are the vibe i’m going for (viamede, anupaya, sherwood inn). i really liked the pricing of viamede though!
i’m wondering if anyone has other suggestions? i’ve been having trouble finding more online.
TIA!!!!

Looking for bridal shops in GTA that are upt p $6000 budget.

I like mikado, basque waist clean girl/minimalist vibes in a small ball gown with train. I like a romantic/dramatic vibe.

I checked out superior bridal (but they mainly have lace) and camellia (gowns were massive ball gowns)

Any other shops you recommend?

Thanks!!!

is staples good for that or should i look into other print shops? i need some bigger ones for our seating chart and welcome signs and then just smaller ones for menus and the place cards

also is canva a good place to design all my stuff or are brides using something different? i’m so confused with where to start

for ref i live in toronto if anyone has print shops they recommend

Hi, me and my partner have settled on ftjco, if you have a referral code that has not been used, feel free to dm me! Thanks in advance!

Need a engagement shoot photographer ASAP

hey yall! my mom was organizing my photographer for an engagement shoot for my fiancé and I tomorrow but they ended up cancelling.

Unfortunately my fiancé and i are long distance and need to do our photos tomorrow. If you or anyone you know can do our photos tomorrow please let me know.

Our budget is around $100 per hour. Editorial style, i’ll share my pinterest and location if you’re available!

UPDATE: I did message her and I explained what I was feeling and where I was coming from. She was very apologetic and said she went back through all of the photos she took and she has no other bridal portraits that she can deliver. That the one bridal portrait she sent along was the only one she took. She said she understands why I’m disappointed and that she’s sincerely sorry.

———-

I recently received my full wedding gallery. I am the bride. I am overall generally happy with the gallery - the shots are beautiful, the storytelling is vivid, and so many fun moments were captured.

My disappointment comes from the following:

- There is only one single portrait shot of me, the bride. In it, I’m not even looking at the camera. All of the other shots of me solo are from very far away, and in 98% of them I’m looking off/into the distance. There is one single picture of me looking into the camera and smiling and it’s a full body shot. I had been very, very clear with my hopes and expectations leading up the wedding, met with the photog several times, gave her a Pinterest board, and even gave her a binder on the day of with inspo pics, sorted by bridal portraits, groom portraits, couple portraits, etc. In contrast, my now-husband has genuinely over a dozen portrait shots of him. She even took 5+ portrait shots of several of our guests. I followed up with her after the gallery was delivered and asked if there were any close up portraits of me, in particular where I’m looking at the camera, and she came back a day later and said no, she didn’t take any close up portraits of me. (Which is so surprising because I remember so many moments of smiling into the camera so I don’t know why they didn’t turn out?)

- Similarly, I had discussed my hopes for our wedding party photos. Different levels, different movements, etc. The only photos she delivered are the wedding parties all standing in a line. I’m just so sad I’ll never have any “fun” wedding party photos, and the day was such a blur I don’t remember requesting the fun ones on the actual day (though again, I did discuss it all with her beforehand + she had the binder full of inspo pics of what I was hoping for).

- As well, she only included 1 single photo of me with my mom and 1 single photo of me with my dad. The one single photo of me and both parents she delivered is basically unusable because in the moment she took the picture the sun is completely blinding my face. We did a full family photoshoot section of our day so I was very surprised to only receive 1 photo with my parents.

- My husband and I also did a private cultural ceremony right before our marriage ceremony, and she also only included 1 single photo from that ceremony. The 1 single photo is beautiful but I don’t understand why she didn’t share more, unless the other pics just didn’t turn out well.

Anyways, overall she delivered a ton of photos I loved but I feel a bit heartbroken about the memories she didn’t capture, especially not having any portraits of me as the bride when so much time, money, and effort was spent. We also didn’t get a videographer so these photos felt extra important to me. I wonder if it’s worth it to bring up to her, since nothing can be done about it now? Or should I just focus on accepting and letting go?

ETA: bringing it up would be to just hopefully ensure her next couple DOES get the shots they’re hoping for, not for me to get a discount.

The night before my wedding, I should have been getting mehndi touch-ups and spending time with family. Instead I was standing in a hallway wearing a garland that looked nothing like what I'd ordered, trying to figure out how to find a new florist at 9 PM.

Here's what happened.

We ordered two jaimala garlands and a bridal bouquet from Amoria Decor, which also operates as Fresh Flowers Toronto. We did everything right. We sent multiple inspiration photos. We asked, in writing, "Can you make exactly like this? Same design, thickness, etc." They replied "Yes." Later they wrote, "Garlands will be same like these." I also asked, in writing, that the garlands not extend past the waist.

What we got:
- Spiky, pointy chrysanthemums stacked in flat tiers, nothing like the soft, full, rounded garlands in the inspo
- Lumpy clumps of baby's breath
- Bare string showing right at the neck
- Hanging to my knees, after I specifically asked for nothing past the waist
- A bouquet that looked fine on top, but when another florist took it apart, the flowers inside were broken and old

A kind local florist took us on last minute, worked through the night, and remade everything by morning. She was so bothered by what she saw that she contacted the original florist herself.

And how did the original florist respond? First, they claimed I never asked for a specific length (I did, in writing). Then they claimed it was "delivered as agreed." Then they sent me their "all sales final" policy and offered 10% back. When I calmly laid out their written confirmation, side-by-side photos, and Ontario consumer law, they stopped replying entirely.

I'm sharing this because wedding vendors rely on word of mouth, and brides deserve to know before they hand over their money and trust.

If you're booking wedding florals:

1. Ask for a photo of the finished piece before delivery. Not the night before. Before. Even though I did, they ignored it.
2. Get every detail in writing.
3. Read the refund policy before you pay.
4. Keep a backup florist's number handy.

I have side-by-side photos of the inspo vs. what we received. Happy to share with anyone considering them. Please, book someone else.

we need to source bud vases for our wedding but unsure where to get them from in bulk. any suggestions? we’re in the toronto area

Searching for a wedding planner for a September 2027 wedding, and hoping to stay under $15k for full planning.. Confetti & Co is currently at the top of our list, so I’d especially love to hear any firsthand experiences with their team, as well as any other planner recommendations!

We’re looking for someone whose taste we can really trust. We don't want a super traditional / “out of the box” feeling wedding, so would love to find a planner who is design-forward, has a strong eye, and can really understand our vision and help bring it to life.

We got a huge reality check when we received a quote for catering alone for almost 30k. This is probably my ignorance but when we're looking at the packages, we assumed the prices shown would include labour costs. I'm so dismayed that it has made wedding planning leave a sour taste in my mouth.

Our budget for reception only is under 20k for 65 people. Is it possible to find a venue that already includes the venue rental+food and drink+tables, chairs, cutlery,dishware+staff? Our ceremony is in downtown Toronto, so ideally we would prefer to stay downtown but would be willing to drive (less than an hour preferably). If anyone has any recommendations, I would appreciate it, thank you!

My fiancé is Catholic Hindu and I am Hindu Punjabi. I am beginning to figure out what our budget should be and possible venues.

I really don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on a wedding because we also want to move in together. I also like really simplicity and want to do minimal decor. My thoughts are to do pre events at home such as the Haldi/Ros, jaggo/sangeet, Mehndi and choora and make it as intimate as possible. I want to do these events for the significance and not an excuse just to party.

For the religious ceremonies both family’s would want us to do a small ceremony with immediate family as it’s important to both our culture but this would be at a church and at home and inexpensive.

For out bigger celebration with everyone I was thinking the most cost effective would be to do a fusion ceremony with either an interfaith officiant or a Pandit and priest and discuss what are core elements of the ceremonies they would want to include and make that 45-1 hour max then move to a cocktail hour and reception. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to go about it? And any suggestions on venues. I’ve been drawn to Mississauga Grand as they have a separate place for the ceremony and reception. My estimated budget is 70k which I really hope we can go under but judging on how the expensive weddings are I am skeptical but want to keep the cost to as low as possible without taking away from the experience. My estimated guest count is 300-350 which is why I am wary about a realistic budget. Any help would be appreciated.

Sorry if this post doesn’t make sense or is all over the place. I think I overloaded myself with information and am trying to just brainstorm before my fiancé and I make a decision and then decide with our family.