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A Whimsical, Colourful DIY Wedding In Toronto

Dec 14, 2017

| By Kimberly Aglipay

A Whimsical, Colourful DIY Wedding In Toronto

a colourful diy wedding in toronto - bride and groom

Joanna and Nick's colourful, island-themed wedding stemmed from their dreams of hosting their event in Hawaii. "Since we couldn’t do that, we wanted the wedding to be very festive and vibrant," Joanna said.

Joanna handmade all the wedding decor, including piñatas, the tasseled garlands strung across the room, the ceremony arch, flags for the parade and all the photo booth props as well as the backdrop. She also created the menu packets and signs, as well as her bouquet and the bridesmaid bouquets.

"We paraded the family and bridal party from our condo, where we got ready, to the venue," Joanna explains. "Family came from Hong Kong and Vancouver so it was a great way to show them around the city." The procession ended at Graffiti Alley (a.k.a. Rush Lane) in Toronto, a pleasant surprise for the couple, who had never visited that part of the city.

The couple chose a Kamayan-style dinner for the reception. "It included food from both backgrounds—Chinese roasted pork from mine and jerk chicken from Nicholas’s—and instead of being plated the food was placed on banana leaves in front of the guests," Joanna says. A priority for the couple was ensuring that both their cultures were represented. "Nicholas is from Trinidad and his cousin, Dana, is a dancehall teacher," Joanna says. "Right before everyone started dancing for the night, we got all the guests onto the dance floor where Dana taught several dancehall moves. This helped everyone warm up to dance all night long!"

Joanna Kam and Nicholas Goolcharan, May 27, 2017, Toronto, Ontario.

Photography courtesy of Celine Kim.

Vendors
Ceremony and reception venue: The Richmond
Bridal gown: BCBG from Hudson's Bay
Bridesmaid dresses: Show Me Your Mumu
Groom’s tux: Zara and Simons
Wedding planner and music: 4 Seventeen Events (info4seventeenevents@gmail.com) Caterer: Yorkshire Pudding
Flowers: DIY Stationery: DIY Baklava: Crown Pastries
Hair and makeup: Cia Mandarello
Favours: Glowsticks, glowstick glasses and glow rings