A Romantic Winter Wedding in Edmonton

Updated Aug 19, 2014

| By Andrea Goren

Madisson and David met very briefly through mutual friends while at an Edmonton Eskimos game in 2010; however, sparks didn't fly until six months later, when they ran into each other at a Starbucks, not realizing at first that they had met once before. After three hours of reading and "making eyes at each other", Madisson decided to take matters into her own hands and went over to talk to him. By this point, she knew she recognized him from somewhere and used this to break the ice. "I later believed this encounter to be fate when I learned that he doesn't like Starbucks and usually avoids them," she explains.

David's well-thought-out proposal consisted of sending Madisson on a surprise scavenger hunt. "It started when I was watching him play soccer one day, and his sister handed me a card," Madisson remembers. "It was a clue that led me to the Starbucks where we first met. There, I was handed a gift and had to solve another clue. These clues took me to places all around the city that were somehow meaningful to our relationship." The last clue led her to Café Sorrentino, where both their families were waiting, prosecco in hand. They all enjoyed a private cooking class, and as everyone was sitting down to dinner, David got down on one knee and proposed.

The couple's December wedding day ended up being a chilly one but that didn't stop them from heading outdoors post-ceremony to snap some gorgeous wedding shots. "It was absolutely freezing, but so worth it! I was happy to get the outdoor photos I wanted," Madisson shares.

Madisson had always dreamed of a small winter wedding, but since David's family is very large, she had to find ways to make the wedding feel more intimate. "We decided to use rustic-themed decor to create a homey feel, and we felt that it went really well with the log cabin venue," she explains. Because their wedding day fell just three days before Christmas, the couple also incorporated a few festive accents (like a Christmas tree in lieu of a gift table) in honour of this special holiday.

Madisson says one of her favourite moments of the day was when her dad surprised her by singing "I Loved Her First" before the father-daughter dance, bringing everyone to tears.

Madisson Richardson and David Van Berkel, December 22, 2013, Edmonton, Alberta.

Photography courtesy of Willow Lane Photography.

Vendors Ceremony location: West End Christian Reformed Church
Reception location: NAPDA Old Timer's Cabin Bridal gown: Alfred Angelo from Novelle Bridal Shop Bridal party attire: Pure Bridal Groom's tux: Derks Cake: Cake Couture Caterer: A Cappella Catering Hair: Amy Johnson (780-298-3123) Makeup: Trisha Zook Flowers: Maggie David Flowers (780-962-2800) Stationery: Evergreen Stationers