fishnets

{ red fishnets }

If you had asked me a year ago, I would have associated fishnet stockings solely with punk rock - these days, I'm loving them as an alternative to your run-of-the-mill tights and stockings. 

They're sassy and add personality when paired with a simple dress or pair of cropped jeans. I'm thinking my spring wardrobe might need some updating..

{ black fishnet stockings }

{ star fishnet socks }

northern candle co

D and I took a little walk along Roncesvalles on Sunday. We grabbed a coffee, enjoyed the sunshine and browsed in some of the local boutiques. It's always fun to poke your head in and see what's new, especially with spring around the corner. 

We are constantly burning candles in our apartment, and balsam fir is our go-to winter scent, but I'm wanting something fresh and light for spring. The Likely General had these Northern Candle Co. candles ($28) in three scents - Kingsway, Saturdays and Peppered Rose. Each and every scent was fragrant and airy but not overwhelmingly sweet or strong. 

We still have two giant (literally, 90 hour burn time) balsam fir candles left over from the wedding but I'm hoping to switch over to the Saturday scent for the warmer days ahead. 

island dreaming

{ shell clutch }

After two weeks off and returning from our honeymoon, I will admit I'm 100% in wanderlust mode. My mind gets lost daily in thoughts of travel and adventuring. We have two summer time trips to B.C planned but our next big trip is to Hawaii in November! 

I can't wait to eat my weight in tuna poke, and get back in the ocean to try my hand at surfing again - I'm also finding myself distracted by all island-inspired fashion. This shell clutch is arguably the sweetest vacation purse I've ever seen and would be so fun for dinners in Maui.

honeymoon in barbados

The Monday morning after the wedding, D and I took off on a 9:00a.m. flight to Barbados for our week long honeymoon! It was exactly the rest, relaxation and rejuvenation we needed after the ten months of planning our wedding. We rented a beautiful one bedroom suite at The Crane Resort off VRBO, which worked out perfectly. The resort is the oldest on the island and is located on the south east coast, which meant it was peaceful and quiet and there were big, huge waves to swim in (there was even a little cliff to jump off!)

We had never been to Barbados before and took full advantage, renting a car on two different days to adventure and explore around the entire island. The West Coast offers much calmer waters with beautiful soft sand beaches, which was a nice change from the east coast. 

One of the highlights we enjoyed most was the quality of the food and wine selection. We would make breakfast in the room each day and eat out at different restaurants for our lunch and dinners. 

We enjoyed some terrific meals at beautiful restaurants and I think I managed to eat seafood at every meal! 

Here are a few photos if you care to see... 

{ the VRBO hosts had this gorgeous floral arrangement waiting for us in the room }

Favorite Restaurants ::

Lonestar (go for a bottle of rose at lunch and ask to sit on the beach patio)

Primo (stunning decor, amazing food and friendly staff )

Champers (great food and terrific location, right on the water)

Favorite Things to Do ::

Happy hour at Mullin Beach Bar with live music

Walking the beaches on the West Coast

Snorkeling and sailing on Cool Runnings (catamaran day trip)

 

wedding weekend

I decided it's finally time to share some details and photos from our wedding weekend!

As you might know, D and I recently got married on February 25 in Toronto! After our ten month engagement with endless hours spent confirming details and working with our wonderful vendors, it was such a dream come true to see how the day came together.

The weekend started off on Friday with a ceremony rehearsal at the venue, followed by a delicious meal at a one of our favorite local restaurants, The Westerly. It was a hosted in a cozy space and felt intimate, a really nice way to start off wedding festivities. 

On Saturday, I spent the morning getting ready at my parents house with my three bridesmaids and both my mom, dad and D's mom. The hair and make-up team came to the house and we were able to enjoy getting ready over coffee and mimosas. 

D spent the night at the Thompson Hotel and had his groomsmen and dad join him later in the morning for a drink and some poker to help calm his nerves. 

We had decided to do a first look before the ceremony and met on the Thompson Hotel rooftop around 1pm. It was one of my most favorite moments of the day, sharing that excitement and nervousness. It was private and special and emotional and an experience I'll remember forever.

Once we shared in our first look, we invited the bridal party up to the rooftop to take some photos and then headed off to Cherry Beach for a few more shots. Our bridal party were such troopers for braving the cold and wind - and how good do they look in all-black! 

The skies were grey but it's made for the most stunning contrast in our photos. And the obvious perk of a downtown wedding is having the amazing Toronto skyline as a backdrop!

The ceremony space was so gorgeous, it felt like walking into a romantic, winter garden. I walked into this song, arm in arm with my parents, watching D at the end of the isle.. it was one of those moments you dream of your entire life, I just tried to soak it in and enjoy every second. 

We created and wrote the entire ceremony from start to finish and it was so personal and wonderful to share in those words with our our closest friends and family looking on.

We mingled and chatted with friends during cocktails and were dying to try all the amazing appetizers but we were both too nervous to eat! We've been told all off the food was fabulous, which is such lovely feedback for foodies like us. 

The speeches were perfection - we laughed, we cried. I'd give anything to get to listen to them again!

We chose to seat our bridal party surrounding us, along with their significant others and it was so fun being surrounded by our best friends. 

Dancing got underway after dinner and the band made sure the party didn't stop until 2am! The dance floor was packed all night long, which was exactly what we had hoped for. 

Once things had wound down, D and I went back to the Thompson Hotel as Mr. and Mrs. Gray :) He helped me take out the millions of bobby pins in my hair and we ordered room service, chatting about how the night had played out and who had the best dance moves. 

The next morning we hosted a brunch in the rooftop space at the Thompson. It was so fun to start the day catching up with some out of town family and friends and enjoy a mimosa as a married couple!

+ + + + + 

We got a sneak peak of some photos and we're pretty much obsessed with them all! The photographers were so amazing to work with - D and I agreed, we'd love to get married again just to be able to work together! I cannot wait to see the rest!

Here are a few vendor details incase you're curious :: 

Venue: 99 Sudbury

Photogarpher: Hugh Whitaker

Florist/Decor: Jackie O

Caterer: Food Dudes

Place Settings/Misc Rentals: Chairman Mills

Band: Soular

We are more in love and happier then ever before and it is the most amazing feeling in the entire world. Thanks for sharing in this special time in our lives. xx

we're married!!!

I had been working on a final wedding update draft for weeks before the wedding and never got around to finishing it... But I can happily say all the organizing, planning and attention to details paid off.

We were married on February 25th in the most beautiful setting, surrounded by our closest family and friends. The entire wedding weekend went off without a hitch and was more perfect then we could have imagined.

We got home from our Barbados honeymoon on Monday night and it was the perfect week of delicious food, relaxing at the beach and adventuring on a new island. I'll be sure to share details and photos in the coming weeks but for now, I'm going to go bask in the newlywed glow a tad longer...