Tell us a little about yourselves!
We’re a couple from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and have been together for six years. Although, we’ve known each other for over a decade. We initially met through Bindia’s sister who was friends with Jonathan in high school. While our lives were separate for the most part, chance happenings kept bringing us together. Then six years ago, we decided to meet on purpose and last year, we started merging our separate lives into one as we became wedded.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
There were a couple reasons that drew us to Graydon Hall Manor. For one thing, we wanted our wedding ceremony and reception to be outdoors, even before the pandemic forced you into it. We’re both big foodies and having a delicious, unique menu at our wedding was uncompromisable. Finally, we wanted to stay central to where we both grew up and where our family and friends lived. Graydon Hall Manor delivers on all of this. Their formal gardens and terrace for the reception is intimate but regal, whimsical, and romantic. Their attention to detail, quality of service and food and wine is unbeatable.
How many guests did you have?
150!
Tell us about your outfits.
For Jonathan, nothing beats a black tuxedo, it’s timeless and formal. On a regular day, black makes up majority of Jonathan’s closet, it’s his signature ensemble and he wanted to stay true to that on the wedding day. It also photographs fabulously. He didn’t want to wear a floral brooch and switched it up with a Gucci brooch instead.
For Bindia, she wanted a dress that fit her minimalist and unique personality. The Alena Leena Bridal Monstera dress was perfect for this occasion. The dress didn’t overpower the bride but carried her natural petite frame. The almost cult-classic, Stuart Weitzman Nudistsong black heel was the perfect compliment to the dress, the bride and the groom’s tuxedo.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
The most important was to not get discouraged when we weren’t able to perfectly execute our vision, especially with the fluctuating restrictions placed by an ongoing pandemic. We focused most of our planning around our guests and delivering them the best experience, we kept that as our north star and helped us make unified decisions.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We don’t like much attention on us, but we wanted our guests to have the best of everything, their meals were carefully curated with our venue, ensuring each course flowed well into each other. We upgraded the bar because we knew everyone was itching to have a great time coming out of quarantine and isolation. We knew nothing gets people to loosen up like an open, premium bar!
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Choose the right vendors – vendors that can be trusted, are communicative, and flexible. Knowing we chose top quality vendors, even if it cost us a little bit more, we were able to rest easy on the day knowing everything will be taken care of.
Finally, be flexible as a couple, set your expectations that not everything will work out the way you initially imagined…keeping the most important part of the day top of mind, that you’re making a commitment to each other, whether it’s the wedding you envisioned or not.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Liza Litvinovich our photographer, Liza is one special human and photographer. We first met at Bindia’s sister’s wedding where she was the photographer, and we were so happy that she was ours as well. She’s so dedicated to her craft and ensuring the perfect moments are captured for the couple. She tirelessly shot for almost 11 hours on the day without any complaints because she genuinely enjoys her work. Her only objective on the day being to capture the love of the day. You can tell that she is passionate about what she does and is meticulous in how she delivers her portfolio of work.
Outside In Studio, our videographers run by a husband-and-wife duo are extremely good at what they do. Their kind, composed, easy going demeanour made us feel comfortable to be ourselves and enjoy the day without feeling overwhelmed or stressed. The quality of our final wedding video surpassed any expectation we had, they are beautiful storytellers, creatives and authentic in their work. We LOVED having them capture our day, we couldn't have imagined anyone else to capture our wedding story. Hunt + Gather Floral, they don’t just create flower arrangements, they transport you into another world. Their finely curated floral direction for our wedding day elevated our venue into a magical backdrop, perfect for our ceremony and reception. The arrangements are unique but timeless. We were lucky to be have been surrounded by them.
Photographer : Liza Litvinovich @liza_lit | Videographer : Outside In Studio @outsideinstudio | Ceremony + Reception Location : Graydon Hall Manor @graydonhallmanor | Celebrant : Shari Natovitch @sharimarries | Entertainment : DJ Flohback @djflohback | Styling : Jonathan Joseph + Bindia Wijesekera @infamousdupz | Planner : Ashley Yim at Muse Event Co | Host : Devante Burey @devodlive | Live Music : GTA Strings | Flora : Hunt + Gather Floral | @huntandgatherfloral | Makeup : Sister of the Bride Sirini Wijesekera @sirinidub | Jonathan's Hair : Ross of R+R Barbershop @rrbarbershopcg | Bindia's Hair : Curl Ambassadors @thecurlambassadors | Catering + Beverages : Graydon Hall Manor @graydonhallmanor + Chef Arpi Magyar @couturecuisinecorp | Cake : Crybaby Cakes @crybaby.cakes | Stationery : Paper Paper Co @paperpaper.co | Wedding Signage + Fixtures :Jacty gifted to the couple @jacty.ca | Jonathan's Suit : London Bespoke Club @thelondonbespokeclub | Bindia's Dress : Alena Leena Bridal @alenaleenabridal | Engagement Ring : Melanie Casey @melaniecaseyjewelry | Wedding Rings : Gucci @gucci (Jonathan) + Melanie Casey Jewelry (Bindia) @melaniecaseyjewelry | Shoes : Gucci @gucci (Jonathan) + Stuart Weitzman (Bindia) @stuartweitzman | Bracelets : Louis Vuitton (Bindia) | Best Man, Groom’s Father + Bride’s Fathers Suits : Indochino @indochinoweddings