Grace and Chris’ wedding looked like it had stepped straight out of Middle-earth. Think Bilbo Baggins’ 111th Birthday Party meets a medieval feast, complete with jewel tones, lace, and goblets raised in the air. “The groom’s party was designed to look like a group of hobbits walking through the shire, and the bridesmaids were giving elven princess vibes,” said Grace. Fantasy met festivity, and the result was pure magic.

They married in a Catholic church and while this part of the day was traditional, everything that followed carried the distinct mark of their own personalities.

At the reception, the long banquet table filled with friends and family became a scene straight out of a Tolkien illustration. “We loved sitting around the medieval banquet-style table, with goblets in hand, toasting to our friends and family,” Grace remembered. “We had medieval and fantasy soundtracks playing in the background (like Concerning Hobbits) and during dinner, the Red Wedding song from Game of Thrones played as a bit of a prank.”

Most of the décor was DIY, including a flower wall, table decorations, and custom prints designed on Zazzle. Grace found joy in practical wedding favours too. “At the suggestion of my new brother-in-law, who ran out of chip clips, we spent months ordering chip clips that said ‘sealed in love’. My brother-in-law is the proud owner of 15!”

Money-saving came naturally through creativity and planning. “We saved on flowers by only ordering bouquets, corsages, and a couple of statement pieces,” Grace explained. The venue, a flower farm, already provided hanging baskets and potted blooms. “Our church was filled with stained glass floor-to-ceiling, so I didn’t feel like it needed more.” They also bought their own plates, silverware, and napkins in the Black Friday sales, which actually ended up being cheaper than renting.

One particular highlight of the day was their photo session with their photographer. Grace explains, “Our photographer, Danielle, also brought her own Witch King Sword from Lord of the Rings (a gift from her own wedding), which resulted in our favourite portraits ever. Danielle and her assistant, Ananda, were amazing My husband and I are stunned by the experience and result of working with them. I initially discovered her through Instagram, and fell in love with how she embraces colour, drama, and authenticity in her work.”

Grace also had strong opinions about the wedding industry. “I think price transparency is important,” she said. “I went with vendors that were upfront about their cost because I was able to plan and budget early on. Making couples reach out just to learn a vendor is $10,000 over their budget is only wasting your time and theirs.” She also advises couples to read contracts carefully. “We almost went with a flower vendor that stated they reserved the right to confiscate flowers and charge us a fine if they found a single flower they didn’t bring! Thank goodness we caught that.”

“Have the big, fun, vibrant wedding”, Grace advises in conclusion. “Our goal was to have a celebration of our two families coming together, and that’s exactly how it felt. We cherish every moment of our wedding and wouldn’t hesitate to do it all again.”