Elizabeth Victoria Clark

Lifestyle

Our Wedding at The Chase Toronto

March 20, 2019

Happy Wedding Wednesday! Jonathan and I were married in September 2016, with our wedding spanning over two days. The first consisted of a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, followed by a large-scale reception. The next day, we were officially married at Grace Church on-the-Hill in Toronto, surrounded by our nearest and dearest. Our reception taking place that evening at one of our favourite restaurants, The Chase.

While at the time I worked for a wedding magazine, wedding planning did not come naturally to me. I relied completely on my amazing planner, Shealyn Angus, for every detail. The best thing we did leading up to the wedding (for both our sanity and our relationship) was hiring someone as talented as Shea. I was also honoured to have our wedding shot by Purple Tree Photography. They are as lovely as they are talented, and I quite literally rave about them to anyone who will listen.

The last wedding team members I have to mention are Niki Flynn (my long time hair collaborator and friend) and Victoria Radford. Spending the morning getting ready with just them and my mum is one of my favourite memories from the day. They both knew exactly the look I was going for, and I felt completely secure in their hands while we drank champagne and chit-chatted before the day began. Seriously, without these 5 people, the day would not have been the slice of heaven that it was.

Getting Ready

Two days before my wedding, I realized I’d forgotten to buy accessories to go with my dress! A rookie mistake, considering my then-day job quite literally involved accessorizing wedding dresses. At the last minute, I ordered these Ben-Amun pearl earrings (my “Something New”) and borrowed a diamond bracelet from my mother-in-law (“Something Borrowed”), in addition to my “Something Blue” Valentino’s. 
Our wedding stationery by Jolly Edition was customized with a hand-drawn portrait of Jonathan and I, as well as with a map with landmarks such as our home and the restaurant where we went for our first date dotting the route from ceremony to reception.
My parents’ wedding gift to me was this customized Edie Parker clutch featuring my new last name.
These were two of the three custom dresses I wore the day before for our Chinese wedding.
Jonathan’s wedding gift to me that morning was a stunning Self Portrait dress that I will treasure always. 
Jonathan and I got ready separately on the day of our wedding. Being traditionalists at heart, we decided to forgo a “First Look” and wait to see each other for the first time at the altar. 
On the rack, this dress was originally a lingerie-inspired strapless gown with a completely sheer bodice. I worked with the team at Ferré Sposa to build my dream dress from the bare bones original to this classic gown, complete with bracelet-length sleeves, an open back and delicate lace buttons. 
While I love the look of big, overflowing bouquets, for my own wedding, I wanted something small and classic. When I met with our florist, my one request was that my bouquet contain Lily of The Valley, in reference to the flowers carried by my bridal icon, Grace Kelly. I was brokenhearted to hear that they would be out of season for our September wedding, but in the end, the Jackie O team surprised me with sprigs of the flower throughout my arrangement. 
My Matron-of-Honour Courtney helped me with my shoes since my corset was too tight to move much.
One of the sweetest moments of the day was when Courtney presented me with her grandmother’s handkerchief (my “Something Old”) which she had hand-embroidered with J & my initials, as well as our wedding date.

The Ceremony

This kiss still gives me butterflies whenever I see this photo!

The Bridal Party

The Decor

We chose The Chase for our reception in part because the food is always incredible and we have wonderful memories of dining there, but also for its beautiful interior design and views of the city’s skyline. With such a gorgeous canvas to begin with, our planner, Shealyn, felt we should accentuate the space, rather than overwhelm it. My only requests were no pink, and some kind of overhanging greenery, to give the room the feeling of being a luxurious garden atop the city. Jon’s only request was candles, and lots of them. 
In lieu of traditional wedding favours, we made a donation to my favourite cause, the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. It may not be visible in these images, but Jolly Edition drew a small elephant into the bottom left corner of each guest’s personalized menu, which was one of my favourite details.

The Reception

I spent the day surrounded by my four closest friends. It meant so much to me to have them next to me on a day that can be as taxing as it is magical. They all have such incredibly different styles and personalities, I wanted them to choose their own dresses to reflect those individualities. 
On our way to the church, my Dad slipped me a little package of Nutella (my favourite treat growing up) to put in my clutch for later. Taking a break to sit on the patio at The Chase before the evening began, debriefing with my bridesmaids and eating something for the first time that day was exactly the little boost I needed. 
In lieu of a traditional wedding cake, we let our guests choose between two of The Chase’s classic desserts, including the Key Lime Angel Food Cake – my absolute favourite.
While I didn’t get many good photos of it, for the dancing portion of the evening, I changed into a white gown by Stone Cold Fox that featured an open back and thigh high slit to be a bit more comfortable for dancing the night away.

Photography: Purple Tree Photography, Planner: Shealyn Angus, Hair: Niki Flynn, Makeup: Victoria Radford, Flowers: Jackie O, Ceremony Venue: Grace Church on-the-Hill, Reception Venue: The Chase, Dress and Veil: Ferré Sposa, Reception Dress: Stone Cold Fox, Shoes: Valentino, Clutch: Edie Parker, Earrings: Ben-Amun, Jonathan’s Tuxedo: Custom Ermenegildo Zegna, Jonathan’s Shoes: Crockett & Jones, Bridesmaids Dresses: Nicholas, BCBG and Reformation, Charger Plates: Plate Occasions, Stationery: Jolly Edition

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About EVCL

Elizabeth Victoria Clark Lau is a Toronto-based Creative Director and former magazine editor.

For my pre-2019 shenanigans, please visit www.elizabethvclark.com

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