This Palais Royale wedding will make you fall in love with Toronto all over again. I was so excited to be a part of Thao and Alex’s Palais Royale wedding in Toronto after shooting their engagement session in August last year. I have been beyond blessed to work with incredible couple after incredible couple and these two are no different. Thao and Alex met at a medical professionals social gathering. Alex couldn’t take his eyes off Thao and it was clear that he was smitten. Isn’t this story so enchanting?
As I was going through their photographs, I wanted to point out at a few things that made this Palais Royale wedding so unique and mesmerizing.
1. Different Outfits
Thao wore three (!) dresses throughout her wedding day. Both the bride and groom are of vietnamese background, so they had a traditional vietnamese ceremony in the morning. She had a gorgeous red custom made cheongsam for the occasion which she helped design. Thao then wore a beautiful Lazaro gown for the ceremony fit to any princess, and finished the night in another red qipao. Having three different outfits was a cool idea, because it allowed me to break the day into several segments, each telling a different story. The first dress was a little more adventurous and its rich, deep colour added upbeat, dynamic vibe to the morning photographs. To balance things out, her second white gown transported us into a fantastic fairy land for the formal ceremony. And her final qipao let everyone know to relax and have fun at a reception!
2. Experiment With DIY
Having DIY elements at your wedding is a great idea. Not only will it save you an extra buck, but will also add a personal touch and let your creativity shine. Thao designed their newspaper inspired stationery as well as table settings and decor. Yet, the most elaborate of all DYIs were Thao and Alex’s dance performances to jump start the party! Check out their wedding video from the night here.
3. Fairy Tale Come True
Your wedding is one in a life-time occasion, and I believe it’s so much worth it to try your best to turn it into a wedding of your dreams. Rachel A. Clingen, a great event designer with whom I worked on numerous beautiful weddings, helped turn Thao and Alex’s fairy tale vision into reality by creating a hand-made larger than life wisteria tree to crown their ceremony aisle and a reception table. The cherry on top was the Dessert Trends edible peach tree cake, which fruits could be picked up by all guests!
Now that I’m looking back at that day, I remember how intimate and close it felt regardless of 350+ guest list. It was partly thanks to their fantasy-land like decor and magical setting, but mostly thanks to Thao and Alex, their immediate family and a gang of their fun-loving friends that I felt like I belong. Below are my favourite shots from that day.
Published on Wedluxe.
