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A DIY Summer Wedding in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

Updated Jun 15, 2015

| By Victoria Chan

A DIY Summer Wedding in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

“We’re private people, which explains our low-key wedding”, says Diana. “Ivan and I had made a mutual decision to get married, and chose my antique engagement ring together. Ivan ended up giving it to me on our anniversary in a parking lot in the snow, because he was too shy to give it to me in front of a crowd at our favourite restaurant!”

With only 63 guests, Diana and Ivan decided to forgo some of the formal elements of a traditional wedding – including a bridal party – in favour of a low-key, vintage barn wedding, where splashes of peachy-pink and aqua-turquoise brought life to their decor.

The couple opted for a personalized ceremony, which included a hand-fasting ritual and the shared vows, “We do!”

“The venue, South Pond Farms, which we came across on a motorcycle trip, was so stunning and peaceful,” Diana shares. “We loved the owner’s mismatched collection of vintage plates and painted wooden chairs. Almost everything in our wedding was repurposed or reusable – for example, we built a focal point from vintage ladders for our ceremony.”

“There was a lot of DIY in our wedding, but I tried to keep it to things I enjoyed doing”, Diana explains. “I stitched up some garlands from hearts I cut out of a vintage atlas to represent our shared love of travel. To incorporate a relaxed vibe to the day, the couple rented long tables and nixed assigned seating, so that guests could sit where they liked and move around throughout the night. “Passing food around the table really contributed to the feeling of intimacy we wanted for our special day”, she adds.

One of Diana’s favourite moments was watching her guests rush for pies homemade by her best friend. “She made 13 of them, from strawberry rhubarb to pecan at her home in Vancouver and froze them to bring to Ontario”, she says. “I had collected a number of vintage cake stands to display them, but they were gone so quickly, I’m quite sure nobody even noticed. By the end of the night, there was barely half a pie left for a midnight snack!”

Diana Gee-Silverman and Ivan Zenar, June 8, 2013, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario.

Photography courtesy of Young Hearts Photography.

Vendors
Ceremony and reception location: South Pond Farms
Bridal gown: Watters
Groom's tux: Vest from Indochino and pants from Club Monaco
Cake: Made by the groom's father's partner Favours: Cinnamon honey from Bauman Apiaries Music: Tyler Davis (tylerdavispro@hotmail.com) and Neil Hendry (hendry.neil@gmail.com) Hair and makeup: Maya Goldenberg
Flowers: Sabriina Design
Stationery: Etsy
Officiante: Peter Lillico Antique table rental: Stefan Mckey Antiques (stefanmckeyantiques@hotmail.com)