artscape gibraltar point wedding Archives

As photographers, we have the pleasure of seeing and capturing countless locations and venues, this is one of the great perks of our job. But even despite the fact that we get to shoot in really cool places and spaces, our bucket list for weddings seems to grow each year! So when Kirsty and Lukas contacted us about their wedding on the Toronto Island we were thrilled. An island wedding has been sitting on our bucket list for years, and now someone wanted us to come along for the ride?! YES PLEASE (Happy Dance!) Not only were we thrilled to capture a wedding at such a cool location, but as soon as we met Kirsty and Lukas our hearts just melted – I mean these kids are just adorable – there is no better way to describe them (check out their love story bellow)! What began as a regular meeting in our dining room quickly became a chat-fest of epic proportions that lasted for over 2 hours! We were hooked!

Their wedding at Gibraltar Point was everything we imagined and more. From the boat ride to the island to the shaking of everyone’s booties until the wee hours of the morning, their wedding was simply amazing (s’mores included)! We can gush about it for pages, but instead why don’t we let the photos do the talking…Enjoy!

Lukas & Kirsty’s Love Story:

Lucas and I met on the online dating website, Plenty of Fish. He had been on several dates, I was new to online dating. My inbox was full of tiring “ur cute” messages from guys until Lucas’ came in. “Hey! If you could send one thing into outer space, what would it be? Everyone asks what do you do and that’s boring. If you could do anything you wanted for work, what would it be?” Intrigued, I messaged him back. We met a week later after spending countless hours chatting over Facebook. It took him eight years to propose, but he did it in the most magical way. We were on vacation in Vancouver visiting my brother and his then girlfriend. We took a few days trip to Vancouver Island and headed up into Tofino. We had a few cocktails at brunch (little did I know, Lucas was building some liquid confidence!) and headed to a secret beach some of the locals had shared with us. As we combed the shore for shells, Lucas got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. We collapsed in the sand, holding and kissing one another. At that moment, no one except for us existed.

What inspired your wedding and your venue?

Lucas and I have a strong passion for the outdoors. We spend every weekend from spring until fall camping, rock climbing, paddling our cedar strip canoe and hiking. We wanted to find a venue that was a good balance between a rough outdoorsy place, yet comfortable enough for our guests that don’t enjoy the outdoors as much as we do. Artscape Gibraltar Point was so beautiful! It provided a stunning natural background for our ceremony, reception and photos. I wanted a bohemian vibe to our wedding and with minimal d?cor and I feel Artscape met that requirement for us. Our fabric bunting was handmade by one of my bridesmaid’s father for her wedding last year, we felt honoured to have them hanging at ours. In fact, almost all of our d?cor was handmade!

What was the most unique aspect of your wedding?

I felt the location of our venue made our wedding unique. 75% of our guests travelled from out of town to come to our wedding on Toronto Island. We chartered a ferry that brought our guests through a section of water channels and dropped them off at Artscape’s private ferry dock. Our guests then had to take a short path through tall grasses to get to our ceremony. Everyone raved that they felt they had attended a destination wedding, yet it was right in downtown Toronto. We also kept the vibe to our wedding incredibly laid back. We had guests in shorts and t-shirts and others in full blown designer suits!

What was your favourite part of the day?

My favourite part of my wedding day was that incredible, overwhelming feeling of absolute elation after being pronounced husband and wife. The positive energy at our wedding was palpable. I have never in my life experienced anything like it!

What’s your top 3 pieces of advice to future brides?

1) Always give each other enough space to grow. Each day we have new experiences, learn new things and meet new people, all of which impact who we are and how we see the world and shapes us into who we are today. That will constantly evolve and that’s an amazing thing.

2) Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t waste time being angry about things that aren’t worth it, and keep in mind that the wedding is a celebration for you and your closest!

3) It’s okay to not be on the same page as each other especially where wedding planning is concerned, it’s bound to happen as you each grow and change. The most important thing is being able to recognize when you are both butting heads with each other and having an open conversation about what you each need to feel loved and accepted again.

Vendor List:

Venue: Artscape Gibraltar Point

Dress: BHLDN

Hair: Melody Bostelaar at Lebel & Crowe

Make-up: Carley Chamberlain Makeup

Rings: Charm Diamonds

Tapestries: The Fox and the Mermaid

Paper Garlands: Maisy and Alice

Terrarium Card Box: Ikea

Bar Sign: Michael’s

Invitations: Lipamea

Officiate: Wayne Wright from Kettle Creek Weddings