'Whals in the Woods: The Details

I think one of the reasons detail posts are always a favourite is because they are the summation of the hours of countless work. They're the little decisions you tossed back and forth on, that thing you got excited about or that detail that felt like it brought your vision together.

When I look at these photos I feel two things. First, I feel so excited to see the fruits of our labour translate into images that I will always look back fondly on, and then on the other hand I think, "that's it?" and wish I had about 300 more photos to look at.  Obviously this is silly, but those little details are the things you want to soak in and remember forever. I mean, I obviously have more than enough detail photos to look back on, since this is probably my most loaded photo post yet. ;)

Next to the people that made the memories with you, the details are what made it your wedding. Be still my heart.

All photos courtesy of Isos Photography

My beautiful bees from Mrs. Tractor that I passed on to Mrs. Clownfish :) 

I truly wish a photo would convey the magic and whimsy that the candles and lights created at night. You'll just have to trust me on this one... any sort of emotion they pull from you was multiplied ten times over in person. When I walked up and saw all of the candles lit I think it immediately made the entire wedding feel complete. It just brought everything we envisioned together better than we could have ever imagined, and it just got better and better the darker it got.

I am so happy we chose to do the blanket favours. They were a really big hit, and I love going over to friends and families homes and seeing them on their couch :) 

We set up a little vanity station by the bathrooms. I mostly just used things we had around the house and didn't really go out of my way to purchase things that we don't use/need. 

The front rows were reserved for immediate family. I wanted to ensure we had chairs available for grandparents and spent a few months visiting Restores getting a collection of random chairs. 

And, that about wraps up our wedding. Don't worry though, you're not getting rid of me yet! I have a few more posts left before I say our farewell (or see you later ;) ).

Need to catch up?

• The Day Before
• The Rehearsal Breakfast
• The Bridal Party Gets Ready
• The Flower Crown
• The Race for Best Man
• Our First Look
• Just Us
• All of Us Together
• We Are Family
• The Guests Arrive 
• We Process
• The Ceremony
• Recess and Receive 
• Toasts
• First Dance
• Parent Dances
• A Special Toast
• The Reception

'Whals in the Woods: The Restoftheception

The rest of the night unfolded rather quickly. Is it just me or is the rest of your reception all kind of a blur? Mingling, dancing, chatting, hugging, dancing, drinking, eating, dancing? Sound about right?

Our photographers wrapped up at 10pm, and it really seemed before we knew it the last bus was arriving at 1:00am. The band wasn't finished their final set, and asked to keep playing.

Live music was a bit of a budget splurge, but entirely worth it. Jenn and her crew put on an amazing show, and she really worked hard to include some songs that weren't in her regular circulation for us, which included amazing renditions of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran and The Mountain by Trevor Hall.

When my mom noticed that there were still quite a few guests that weren't going to make the final bus, she arranged for the driver to come back and do a "straggler run". Mr. Narwhal and I were supposed to catch the last bus, so this worked out perfectly allowing us to stay until the band was done and hold on to the day a little longer. I have no idea what time it was when the last bus came, but there were at least 20+ of us that caught it, and another good handful of close friends that stayed up celebrating until the sun started to rise. Canadian weddings - we know how to party ;)

All photos captured by Isos Photography

The following photo makes my heart skip a beat. Perfection. 

And these final photos from the night are some of my favourites - our stellar dance moves, my filthy dress (which I was totally barefoot under at this point) and the lights.  And a side note lesson to future brides - I totally wish I had of drank out of a glass, because that bottle drives me slightly nutty in the photos :) 

Getting back to the hotel, Mr. Narwhal's mom had put together a little package in our room of treats and a card for us with the book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch (so sweet). We snacked, giggled and reminisced on the day, recalling different memories and favourite moments. Just like that, the day we had planned for over a year was over and it was nothing short of perfect.

I'm not done with you quite yet, we have some details to share :)

Need to catch up?

• The Day Before
• The Rehearsal Breakfast
• The Bridal Party Gets Ready
• The Flower Crown
• The Race for Best Man
• Our First Look
• Just Us
• All of Us Together
• We Are Family
• The Guests Arrive 
• We Process
• The Ceremony
• Recess and Receive 
• Toasts
• First Dance
• Parent Dances
• A Special Toast

'Whals in the Woods: A Special Toast

After our parent dances, the band took the stage. I wish I could just casually return whenever I want to that feeling the night created. The hundreds of candles lit around us, the clear sky, the string lights and the band playing while being surrounded by everyone we love so much. Oh what a sensation it was seeing it all come together.

We had planned our timeline to include the toast to my brother after the band's first set. We had asked my brother's best friend T to say a few words, while everyone toasted with a shot of Jaegermeister. Following the toast, our tribute song for my brother* would come on and a fun dance party would commence.

One of the hardest parts of grief and losing someone close to you is the lifetime of missed memories. Wedding days are obviously one of the most difficult days to feel an absence. I had my moments throughout our engagement feeling sadness over my brother missing out on our wedding day - it was one of those things that would catch me off guard and leave my heart feeling heavy.

I will say, and do recommend finding a way to incorporate your missed loved ones in your wedding day. It really does help. I didn't feel sad on our wedding day, but instead my heart was filled with joy with our little reminders of my brothers presence throughout the day. He was on my bouquet, we made a nod to those attending in spirit during our ceremony, and we planned a big toast for him. This felt so right, and while I had pangs of all sorts of emotions, I mostly just filled myself with the joy I know he would have wanted me to have. It's the best you can do given the circumstances.

The toast was perfect, everyone grimaced as they took their gross shot, and as anticipated the dance floor quickly filled - just as my brother would have wanted. The party had definitely started!

And, because what better way to share an experience, than to share the musical vibes to go along with it?



All photos captured by Isos Photography, with selected photos cropped and converted to black and white

  

Can't beat a dance party with your grandmother :)

Need to catch up?

• The Day Before
• The Rehearsal Breakfast
• The Bridal Party Gets Ready
• The Flower Crown
• The Race for Best Man
• Our First Look
• Just Us
• All of Us Together
• We Are Family
• The Guests Arrive 
• We Process
• The Ceremony
• Recess and Receive 
• Toasts
• First Dance
• Parent Dances

*A close friend of my brothers created a tribute video after he died. One of the songs in the video was Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway and it always stuck out to friends and family as a reminder of my brother.

'Whals in the Woods: Parent Dances

One of the first concerts Mr. Narwhal and I ever went to was an acoustic Ben Harper show. It was a pretty epic night. A couple got engaged in the front row, and Ben proceeded to sing Forever to them. During the concert he also shared the story behind his song When She Believes. He explained that mothers and their children have a pre-existing love and connection, but fathers have to work at it and eventually their children fall in love with them. He told the audience that he wrote the song about the moment when he knew his daughter loved him. I remember thinking that one day I would dance with my dad on Mr. Narwhal and I's wedding day to that very song. My dad didn't have a specific song he wanted to dance to, so I surprised him with this song, and shared the story behind the song while we were dancing.

Sometimes I'm a bit too poetic for my own good, and in hind sight I would have instructed them to fade out the song after a few minutes, because it got pretty long at the end. Not to fear, my mom joined in for a few family spins around the dance floor too (which I don't have a better picture of!).

All photos courtesy of Isos Photography*

Mr. Narwhal's mom didn't pick a song for their dance because she wanted a surprise. We spent many hours discussing song choices, as it's hard to find a song to dedicate to the woman that raised you. In the end we narrowed it down to two songs. The runner up was Lynyrd Skynyrd's Simple Man, it has such lovely lyrics, but is a very very long song. So, in the final days before the wedding, Mr. Narwhal decided to go with Wildflowers by Tom Petty. I think it was the perfect choice as a dedication to his mom, and I know this was a moment she will cherish forever. 

I love the lighting in this photo 

After our parent dances, the band took the stage for their first set and the dance party got started!

Need to catch up?

• The Day Before
• The Rehearsal Breakfast
• The Bridal Party Gets Ready
• The Flower Crown
• The Race for Best Man
• Our First Look
• Just Us
• All of Us Together
• We Are Family
• The Guests Arrive 
• We Process
• The Ceremony
• Recess and Receive 
• Toasts
• First Dance

*Some photos cropped and converted to black and white by me

'Whals in the Woods: Is this Love?

Long before we got engaged Mr. Narwhal and I were driving somewhere one day and Bob Marley's Is this Love? came on. Mr. Narwhal (a huge Bob fan) said, "I want this to be our first dance song." I kind of gave him a funny look, because it was an upbeat song and we had plenty of other songs that felt like "our" songs that felt like more obvious choices. He told me he loved the message behind it and I sat back and let the lyrics sink in.

As the months led up to our engagement, and our wedding, every time the song came on I would smile and think of dancing on our wedding night. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, we had a few practice runs in the middle of our kitchen, and the way Mr. Narwhal lit up and sang along as we danced, it just made the song that much more special every time I heard it.

After our toasts were completed, GM Bro told everyone it was time for our first dance. By this point in the night, my dress was starting to get quite filthy and it was getting hard to move around in (seriously, the progression over the next few posts is humourous), but we made it work, laughing, singing and smiling as we danced our first dance as husband and wife.

All photos courtesy of Isos Photography (some cropped by me), unless otherwise noted

I wanna love you and treat you right;
I wanna love you every day and every night:
We'll be together with a roof right over our heads;
We'll share the shelter of my single bed;
We'll share the same room, yeah! - for Jah provide the bread.
Is this love - is this love - is this love -
Is this love that I'm feelin'?
Is this love - is this love - is this love -
Is this love that I'm feelin'?
I wanna know - wanna know - wanna know now!
I got to know - got to know - got to know now!

 I'm willing and able,
So I throw my cards on your table!
I wanna love you - I wanna love and treat - love and treat you right;
I wanna love you every day and every night:
We'll be together, yeah! - with a roof right over our heads;
We'll share the shelter, yeah, oh now! - of my single bed;
We'll share the same room, yeah! - for Jah provide the bread.

Is this love - is this love - is this love -

Is this love that I'm feelin'?

Is this love - is this love - is this love -

Is this love that I'm feelin'?

Wo-o-o-oah! Oh yes, I know; yes, I know - yes, I know now!

Yes, I know; yes, I know - yes, I know now!

Guest photo - our niece came up and asked, "What are you doing?" during our first dance  :)

I'm willing and able,

So I throw my cards on your table!

See: I wanna love ya, I wanna love and treat ya -

love and treat ya right.

I wanna love you every day and every night:

We'll be together, with a roof right over our heads!

We'll share the shelter of my single bed;

We'll share the same room, yeah! Jah provide the bread.

We'll share the shelter of my single bed.

guest photo

Up next, we have our parents dances!

Need to catch up?

• The Day Before
• The Rehearsal Breakfast
• The Bridal Party Gets Ready
• The Flower Crown
• The Race for Best Man
• Our First Look
• Just Us
• All of Us Together
• We Are Family
• The Guests Arrive 
• We Process
• The Ceremony
• Recess and Receive 
• Toasts