Photo as seen in this real wedding.
At Weddingbells, we know no matter how much inspiration you can get from other weddings, every couple's wedding is truly unique. Over the years, we've saved some special, unique moments from some of our favourite real weddings. Whether these moments were planned or not, they stand out from some of the usual things that happen in a wedding day. Here are some of our favourite romantic real wedding moments.
A super-meaningful first dance
For Ian and Jillian, picking a first dance song wasn't an easy feat. The couple initially selected the song "Rosie" by John Mayer, but felt it wasn't quite the right fit, and Ian convinced Jillian to choose a different tune. But Ian, who is an amateur musician, decided to secretly record his own cover of the song for his wife. When their first dance started, Jillian was surprised to hear Ian's voice on the speakers. “I thought I might cry during the wedding, but I didn’t expect it to be during the first dance,” Jillian says.
A unique wedding ceremony ritual
Florals are a staple for most weddings, but only occasionally have symbolic meaning for the couple. These newlyweds found a way to take their love, families and hobbies to merge them all into one significant ritual. Groom Darryl runs the Instagram account @houseplantjournal, so flowers and plants have been an important part of the couple's life. Wanting family to participate in their wedding ceremony, Jacqueline and Darryl's mothers brought in separate plants, which the couple planted together. "We each removed a spiderette from the mother plants and planted them together in a new pot, signifying the joining of our two lives,” Jackie says.
A surprise announcement
For Lexi and Adam, having a surprise wedding was excitement enough. To make the celebration even more eventful, the newlyweds announced at their reception that Lexi was pregnant. “Needless to say, our guests were shocked," Lexi shares. "Our family and friends were completely surprised, and it was an incredibly special moment that we feel so grateful we were able to share with the people who are closest to us."
A heart-warming first-look
We love a good first-look photo. In this photo, Scarlet O'Neill perfectly captured the moment the groom was so overcome with joy that tears flowed freely down his face, with his wife comforting him. “I could tell Adam was already in tears as I walked towards him with his back towards me. When he turned around, there was no holding back the emotion," Leah says. "I don't think either of us have ever 'happy cried' so hard, it probably took a good half hour to regain composure."
An emotional first dance
The first dance is a moment every couple anticipates. At this wedding, the bride and groom swayed to “How Long Will I Love you” by Ellie Goulding. This emotional ballad brought out such strong feelings in the couple that they were unable to finish their first dance. "We only made it about halfway through the song because we both started to cry," bride Lucia says. "We knew it was perfect.”
A public declaration of love
On your wedding day, you and your new spouse get to be the centre of attention. This bride and groom ensured all eyes were on them when they took photos in Toronto at Yonge-Dundas square, one of the busiest intersections in Canada. “When the traffic lights turned red, we ran out into the middle of the crowded intersection and kissed while the photographer snapped away,” Jen says. “People all around started cheering, and cars honked their horns. It was amazing to feel as if in the middle of downtown Toronto, in one of the country’s busiest intersections, time stopped, just for us.”
A silver-lining moment
The one thing that can't be controlled on your wedding day is the weather. It poured rain during Kyle and Kelsey's outdoor wedding ceremony, but by the time they kissed the sky temporarily cleared and a rainbow arched across the sky. However, this wasn't an end to the bad weather—their indoor venue was struck by lightning and caused a blackout, but the couple rolled with it. “Our family created a kissing game—every time the lights went out, our guests cheered and clinked their glasses for us to kiss,” Kelsey shares. “We made the most of it.”
A groom's surprise performance
Many couples choose their wedding as an occasion to share some of their creative talents. When groom Kenny joined the band on stage to play the saxophone as a sub-in for a missing band member, bride Grace was floored—as were their guests. “His amazing performance surprised everyone, including me,” Grace says.”Before that moment, I had no idea he even played this instrument!”
A ceremony with movie-inspired vows
When it comes to your wedding, you've probably imagined yourself in a moment that is something straight out of a movie. For this Toronto couple they turned that idea into their reality. They personalized their vows with inspiration from one of the final scenes from the movie When Harry Met Sally. “We stole the ‘I love that…’ repeating structure from the final scene where Harry acknowledges his love for Sally on New Year’s Eve, surprising each other with five things we deeply loved about the other person before making shared promises that varied from the sincere ‘I promise to be patient and kind’ to the silly but very important ‘I promise to make the bed if I get up last,'" bride Jessica says.
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