Real Wedding | Aney + Terrance

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met about 15 years ago through mutual friends. After years of friendship and countless times of being teased by friends, we finally decided to take a chance on love. That chance led to a 12-year long relationship. In May 2018, we took a two-week long trip to Europe. On a boat in Capri, Terrance used this as the perfect opportunity to propose. After sailing around for 3 hours and floating into the Blue Grotto, the captain made a stop by the Faraglioni. A few moments later, Terrance was down on one knee. We later learned from our skipper that the Faraglioni actually translates to Arch of Love. Italy holds such a special place in our hearts - we fell in love with the beautiful surroundings, the charming people and their way of life. We wanted to continue our love story in Italy so we decided to plan our wedding in the city of Florence. Our wedding was planned for June 15, 2020, but the pandemic forced us to pivot and cancel our celebrations abroad. With continued optimism, we were able to wed on Saturday, June 12, 2021 with an intimate gathering with some of our dearest friends and family.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

With the restrictions in place, we decided to forgo a destination wedding and get married locally. We stumbled upon Lune 1860, a beautiful country house in Goderich, Ontario just 2.5 hours west of Toronto and it was perfect. There was a European charm to it which reminded us of Italy, and felt like the right place for us to hold an intimate gathering. We shared our first look under the Davide Groppi moon pendant hung from the ceiling, and opted for the gardens for our ceremony and cocktail reception so we could surround ourselves in the space's natural beauty - wild and untamed.

How many guests did you have?

23, which included our bridal party, dearest friends and our immediate families.

Tell us about your outfits.

I wore a beautiful silk gown with a bias cut cowl neckline and puddle train by Savannah Miller. To complete the look, I added a pair of bare sandals by The Row and pearl drop earrings from Sophie Buhai. Terrance wore a classic black and white suit by Hugo Boss. When it came to our wedding attire, we both wanted something understated, so we kept our outfits minimal and simple —something that we will be able to look back on years from now and still absolutely love.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We wanted something small and intimate —to surround ourselves with the people we love most and be able to exchange our vows and personal stories with one another. One of our favourite moments was gathering around the enchanted fountain at dusk while our friends shared their stories of how we first met along with emotional speeches from the maid of honour and best man.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

There were many elements that we wanted for both the ceremony and reception, but had to forgo our ideas and simplify. We kept the styling minimal and focused on details such as the florals which had an intentional fullness and wildness to them to compliment the space and a bespoke raw-edged linen welcome sign draped over the tree where we said our vows.

Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?

Stay true to you, focus on what is meaningful to you and your partner, don't grow too attached to anything and lastly, be flexible. Not everything will align perfectly to what you had envisioned - we weren't able to share the momentous occasion with all of our loved ones or hold a proper seated reception - however, the wedding day will be special and meaningful regardless!

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

We felt so much love from all of the vendors and are incredibly grateful for how accommodating they were during the challenges of planning a wedding celebration in a pandemic. Our otherworldly wedding was beautifully and effortlessly photographed by Melissa Sung and filmed by Marissa Joan Ho. The footage captured the raw emotions and special 'in-between' moments that were felt and experienced on our wedding day. We couldn't be more happy with the memories we're now able to hold onto for the rest of our time.