Sarah and Henry’s lunchtime wedding at Cecil Green Park House will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve known Sarah for almost a decade — she’s helped us out multiple times as a wedding day assistant — and I was thrilled when she asked me to do wedding-day coordination for her and Henry’s big day.
I had actually met Henry before we started planning as well. It was during a destination wedding in Whistler, where we desperately needed an extra pair of hands to help bring everything to life, since our decorators were understaffed. Sarah offered to bring Henry along, and he was an absolute gem to work with. I was struck by how hardworking he was, and how kind and thoughtful he was the whole time we were there. It made me so happy to know that Sarah had found such a wonderful partner.
So, when the time came to support them on their wedding day, I was thrilled to be able to be a part of the celebration of their love for each other.
If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll know that I love a wedding with a unique twist — and Sarah and Henry’s wedding had that. Rather than an evening wedding ceremony and nighttime reception, the couple planned a late wedding reception which led into a beautiful lunchtime affair.
If you’re thinking to yourself “this probably meant a very early start time,” you would be right. Hair and makeup started at 5:00 AM, so that the bride and her bridesmaids could make it to the first look location at Jericho Beach by 9:30.
The first look was captured by the wonderful Christine Pienaar, who then also took photos of the couple with the wedding party. They were graced with a beautiful, sunny May day, which led to some beautiful photos with the lush greenery around them.
The couple then made their way to Cecil Green Park House for the ceremony, which was held in the garden. In a lovely touch that I really appreciated, the couple asked Henry’s father to officiate the wedding. He wrote a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony, and it was a true highlight of the day.
After the ceremony and family photos, guests were invited to join the couple on the terrace for lunch. The reception space was adorned with lovely handcrafted details that Sarah had created, including a custom seating chart on a gilded mirror, a welcome display, and table numbers that complemented the rest of the design.
Paired with simple but elegant florals from Celsia Florist, the effect was that of a lovely summertime garden party.
In addition to a lovely buffet style lunch, Sarah and Henry added another fun twist by doing a pie cutting, instead of a cake cutting. They then served a selection of pies for dessert, including chocolate mousse, apple, and derby pie.
Once lunch and the speeches from family and friends were over, the event was over. The couple then spent the rest of the day with Sarah getting a haircut — to mark the start of a new chapter — and then hosting a little afterparty.
I loved so much about helping Sarah and Henry on their wedding day. Particularly the fact that it was a lunchtime wedding. This was something that I was actually considering for my own big day, but I couldn’t quite convince my husband to get onboard. I still had so much fun at my wedding, and now I get to live vicariously through the couples that have lunchtime garden parties.
Here’s to many more!
Have you thought about having a lunchtime wedding? We’d love to bring it to life for you. Get in touch today.