An Opulent, Sophisticated Same-Sex Wedding in Toronto

Jamie and Justin began their journey toward Mr. & Mr. nine years ago. After a chance meeting on a night out, the two arranged a lunch date where they talked for hours over a giant boat of sushi. Fast-forward to 2018, and Justin popped the question on a trip to Scandinavia. “Justin orchestrated the most romantic proposal during a stopover in Flam, a small village in Norway,” Jamie recalls with a smile. “I found out later he had been hiding our rings in a pair of socks for the first half of our trip, which I found extremely amusing!”

The couple were intimately involved in planning every aspect of their wedding. When looking for inpso, they were drawn to the elegance and crispness of white, but wanted to mix in some moody masculinity. “With our planner Lexi, of Lexington and Co. Events, we found an image of a bouquet containing white ranunculus, white amaryllis, navy privet berries and kumquats on the branch (for a pop of orange and deep green), all perfectly arranged in a gunmetal vase,” Jamie says. “This represented the elegance we wanted, with the orange representing our playful personalities and the high energy of the day we envisioned.”

Justin and Jamie hosted 180 guests for their grand fête and said ‘I dos’ on a custom stage loaded with candles and lanterns to create a gorgeous, glowing ambiance. The wedding party had five groomsmaids, all outfitted in bespoke gowns by Mikhael Kale, a friend of the couple. Jamie was a part of the creative process for the dresses, helping to choose fabrics and silhouettes for each groomsmaid. “We did not have a bride at our wedding, so we really wanted to highlight the beauty of the women involved in it,” Jamie explains. Three flower girls accompanied a special ring bearer—the couple’s dog, Diesel, decked out in his own dashing wee tuxedo— down the aisle. The ceremony was a favourite moment of the day. “We wrote our own vows, which was very nerve-wracking, but also very special,” Jamie shares, adding that “the lead-up to walking down the aisle was a total adrenaline rush!”

The reveal of their dream reception space was also a high point. Suspended above their King’s Table was a 26-foot installation of green and white florals, while candles, grapes and kumquat branches ran down the centre of the table below. “It was magical to see everything and feel all the love and energy in the room. We had the best team helping us—Lexi and our florist, Wild North, nailed everything!”

When it came time to party, the evening kicked off with mother- and-son dances, which turned into an impromptu flash mob—a surprise planned by a good friend and Justin’s brother, who owns a dance studio. “He called up a bunch of our guests to teach them dance moves before our wedding,” Jamie shares. “It was a big surprise that we loved and will never forget!” Guests spent the rest of the night on the floor, dancing to the sounds of Symmetry Studios, a nine- piece band. “They kept the evening buzzing, from cocktails through dinner and dancing,” notes Jamie. “It totally gave our celebration a customized, curated and sophisticated feeling.”

Jamie Knoepfli and Justin Lopresti, September 20, 2019, Toronto, Ontario.

Photography courtesy of Liza Litvinocvitch from Mango Studios.  

Vendors: 
Venue: Casa Loma
Wedding planner: Lexington and Co.
Groom's tuxes: Surmesur
Groomsmaid gowns: Mikhael Kale
Groomsmen's attire: Esco Clothiers
Flowers: Wild North Flowers
Hair and makeup: Aniya Nandy
Favours: MS Society of Canada and The 519
Desserts: Sud Forno  Music:  Symmetry Studios
Stationery: The Lovely Script
Menu, seating chart and bar signs: Grace Boivin
Wedding bands: Stephen Andrew Collection