The Least Romantic Exit of All Time

It's true. The Knitting's departure from our wedding could not in any terms be called romantic or picture worthy. However, before I describe that, there's a few more things that happened before the end of the night.

First, I threw my bouquet from the balcony:



Then Mr. Knitting threw a garter:



As you can see we were very interested in an equal opportunity bouquet and garter toss and we encouraged people of both sexes and all ages to participate. We made the deal a bit sweeter by attaching Tim Hortons giftcards (because we're Canadian!) to the items.

While dancing definitely continued for a while after, I was starting to get tired. Luckily, because we had the entire club all evening I was able to go spend time with my friends in a more comfortable setting.


Guest Photo

I loved that we had this extra space because it meant a lot of guests who probably would have left once they were tired of dancing and loud music stayed and seemed to be having a great time having a more low key experience. I really loved that.

Eventually, the night came to an end and it was time to go. In contrast to the many adorable exits that many other Bees have had, ours was not the slightest bit romantic. Mr. Knitting and I helped round up all our items from the club and then, due to a number of weird logistical reasons, Mr. Knitting drove back to our apartment with this parents and cousin while I got a ride with my dad and a ton of wedding paraphernalia.

I know this sounds really awful to a lot of you, but while I could recognize that this was not a romantic exit and that the symbolism of it was pretty bad, I didn't actually mind all that much. I thought it was more funny than anything else. I knew I was going to see him again in 10 minutes, so it definitely wasn't something to stress over.

Did anyone else have a less than romantic exit from your wedding? I'd love to hear some stories.

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by the wonderful Josh Levinson.

A Cozy Christmas Wedding: A Few of my Favourites from our Playlist

I had so much fun putting together the play lists for our wedding. It meant that we got to listen to a lot of really meaningful songs that we really love throughout our cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing. Here's a few examples:

Little Jeannie by Elton John



Little Jeannie is my little sister's "song" so it was important to me to include it.

Must Be Santa by Raffi:



I've written about my love of Raffi before, and yes this song definitely made a welcome appearance during dinner! Some of us definitely sang along. Other guests probably thought we were really weird!

In the Mood by Glenn Miller:



This was one my paternal grandfather's favourite songs. Since he passed away a few years ago, I thought this would be a great nod to him.

I particularly loved putting together the playlist for the dancing since it meant that there were almost no songs that I didn't love to dance to on the list (except for some of Mr. Knitting's choices that I couldn't veto out of fairness!).

I Love the Nightlife by Alicia Bridges:



This wouldn't actually make the cut as one of my favourite dancing songs except that this song is my mom's favourite. She's a bit of a character (This is a pretty good example if you need a reminder!) and actually runs around the house singing this sometimes. She's also a great person to have at a wedding because she loves dancing. It was a no-brainer to me that this song needed to be on the playlist.

However, there was definitely one song that I can list as my absolute favourite for dancing.

Home for a Rest by Spirit of the West:



I'm not sure if this is just a Canadian thing or not, but this is the best song ever for dancing. I've never met anyone who can resist this song and I'm actually always really sad if this isn't played at a wedding. It's a song that works best later in the night after everyone has had few and it always gets everyone on the dance floor. Seriously, it's the best.

What's your all time favourite song to dance to at a wedding? Is anyone else a Home for a Rest fan?

A Cozy Christmas Wedding: Kerchief Time

After our first dance it was time for the Ukrainian kerchief ritual which I have written about here and here. Essentially this is a ritual where the bride's veil is removed and replaced by a kerchief, thus signifying her entrance into wifedom. My mom did this at her wedding and I was excited to do it at mine.

After we finished our first dance we cleared the floor and my sister explained the ritual to everyone.



I think normally the bride's mom is the one who actually removes the veil, but Mama Knitting's many talents do not really include removing a delicate headpiece without destorying my hairstyle, so I called my BM Rachel to help:







Once my headpiece was off they secured the vintage scarf I found in Florence:






Guest Photo

And TAH-DAH I'm a wife!





I'm really glad I did this ritual. It was a lot of fun, very simple, and nice to do something traditional to my family since so much of our wedding was not. Plus it's now super cool to look at this picture of Mama Knitting in 1979:


Personal Photo

and then to look at this picture of me in 2010!



Unless otherwise noted, all photos by the wonderful Josh Levinson!

A Cozy Christmas Wedding: Our Inclusive First Dance

We got ready for our first dance by doing a few warm up stretches while we waited for our guests to trickle back into the ballroom.

I stretched out my leg while Mr. Knitting practiced his ballet first position:



You'd think from these stretching photos that we'd have something elaborate planned for our first dance:



But, no we didn't. We just shuffled around like this for a bit:







After about 30 seconds of this we had our MC/ my little sis ask everyone else to join us on the dance floor, resulting in our inclusive first dance. We figured that since we wouldn't be performing any kind of dance worth watching for more than 45 seconds it would be a lot more fun to have everyone join us!





This worked really well for us. We got to have a bit of a "first dance", but it wasn't so long that we felt too awkward. It was also just a really nice feeling being surrounded by all our favourite people!

All photos by the super fantastic Josh Levinson!

It's Gorgeous, but I Don't Always Want to Wear It

Before I got engaged I thought that women never removed their wedding or engagement rings. Both my mother and my sister never take off their rings and I thought that was the norm. As a result when I realized that I can't stand wearing my ring around the house I thought I was super weird, especially since my ring (it's an engagement/wedding ring) is a very wearable ring.


Image via Birks

Here's the thing: when I get home I'm pretty much always wearing something pygama like so wearing my pjs along with the most valuable thing I own (financially and sentimentally) felt really weird. To be honest it bothered me to the extent that I sometimes found it difficult to sleep while I was wearing it (obviously, I'm very easy going!).

My favourite look:



I soon decided that this was crazy and that it's just a piece of jewellery (it has a bit more sentimental value of course, but still). Just as I wouldn't wear a bracelet around the house, there's no need for me to wear my engagement/wedding ring around the house if it makes me that uncomfortable. Now everyday when I come home I almost immediately take my ring off and put it in its case. I'm very careful that I always put it in the same place because I'm always a bit scared of losing it while it's off my finger!

I'm very happy with this system because it makes me more comfortable, but also because I think it makes me appreciate my ring a lot more than I would if I wore it all the time. This way, it becomes this lovely accessory I get to put on every day, as opposed to something to something that has just become a permanent part of my body.

Where do you fall on this issue? Ring(s) all the time or just sometimes?

Weird Things and How they Worked Out

I made a number of unconventional (but by no means totally unique) choices for our wedding so I thought a post on how they all worked out would be a good idea.

DIY Hair and Make-up

I was originally a bit worried about doing my own hair and make up because I am not particularly talented at either. In fact, I'm actually pretty bad at doing my hair and almost always wear it in a pony tail so I don't have to deal with it! However, I'm happy to report that I was really happy with this decision. I have no doubts that a pro would have done a much better job, but not to an extent that would have made it worth it financially for me.

Yes, my hair clearly has some wispies:



but, I think I look just fine:



Verdict: Me = happy!

Not Rehearsing the Ceremony

A few of you lovely readers and a few people in my "real" life expressed concern over how we were choosing not to have a rehearsal. Now that the wedding is over I still stand by my choice. The ceremony definitely would have been slightly more seamless had we rehearsed, but not to the extent that it would have been worth to get everyone together for an hour on a work/school night. Our ceremony was so simple that rehearsing really wasn't a necessity. However, I fully admit that for a more complicated ceremony rehearsing might be an excellent idea.

Verdict: Me = happy!

Mismatched BM Dresses

I really loved having mismatched BM dresses. I think my ladies looked great and I was happy they were able to choose gorgeous dresses that really suited each of them at a price point they were comfortable with. In fact, one of my BMs wore a dress she already owned! I think this one really just comes down to personal preference. If you like the mismatched look - great! If not, don't do it.



Having a King's Table

I LOVED the King's Table. This was one of my favourite things we did at our wedding. If you're not familiar with a King's Table it's basically a long rectangular table that we sat at the head of and our wedding party and their dates sat along each side. I loved this option because it allowed our wedding party to sit with their dates and for us to sit with lots of our favourite people. This worked out really well and I highly recommend it.



Verdict: Me = happy!

Using a Laptop Instead of a DJ

Like my feelings about hair and make-up I have no doubt that a pro would have done a better job, but not a $800 better job. Overall, I'm really happy with how using a laptop and speakers worked out. My favourite thing about this was that we got to choose all of the music for our wedding and we were able to include a lot of meaningful songs.

However, if I was ever doing this option again, I'd be a lot more selective with my song choices. I was worried about not having enough music so we downloaded A LOT of music and as a result we weren't actually able to play all the songs I wanted to because our wedding and reception weren't 25 hours long! We also had an interesting moment where one of Mr. Knitting's parent's friends went over to the laptop downloaded a song and then played this song. This would have actually been fine if it had been a lively Polish folk song (because those are awesome!), but no, it was a really long (think 7 or 8 minutes) boring song that was really difficult for anyone except this couple to dance to. Obviously this problem would have been avoided with a DJ!

Don't worry we were only here for a moment:


Guest Photo

Verdict: Me = happy with some minor reservations!

How did some of your more unconventional choices work out?

Unless otherwise noted all photos by the wonderful Mr. Josh Levinson.

A Cozy Christmas Wedding: After Dinner Fun

After dinner was finished we all moved into the Main Lounge to cut the cake while the staff set up the dining room for dancing. However, before we got to the cake, Mr. Knitting's parents and their friends took this opportunity to sing us Sto Lat. The title means 100 years and I like to refer to it as the Polish all purpose congratulations song.

Here we are being sung to:



When they finished the song, Mr. Knitting used that opportunity to give me a very big Hollywood style kiss, which is definitely really out of character for both of us!


Guest Photo

Then it was time to cut the cake. As you may or may not recall, instead of having a wedding cake, we had a dessert table with desserts made by a number of different family and friends. However, we still wanted something pretty to cut so we bought a Red Velvet cake from Bake Desserts in Toronto for that purpose. This is pretty much the best cake ever and if you live in or near Toronto you must give it a try!



We fancied up the cake with the vintage cake topper given to us by Wedding Bee Hostess Extraordinaire, Bakerella, some pearls I found at the St. Lawrence Market Antique Market, a Christmas ornament, and a gorgeous platter that's been in my family for years.

Here's a closer look at the topper:



Side View!



I actually really loved the set up the Faculty Club had arranged for our cake cutting. My favourite part was the huge Group of Seven painting (I think it was a MacDonald) that was behind us. What a great backdrop:



We then fed each other cake. We're definitely not the cake smashing type of people!





Sadly, that was pretty much my only taste of that cake that night. Eating more just didn't appeal to me right then, which made me sad the next day. However, I've consoled myself with the fact that now I have the excuse to buy us that cake at least once a year!

Did you manage to eat a lot of cake at your wedding?

All photos by the wonderful Josh Levinson.

A Cozy Christmas Wedding: Toasts (or Gangsta Rap Makes a Cameo)

In an effort to keep our toasts brief, we asked just our sisters to speak and we spread their toasts out a bit. As mentioned in an earlier recap, my little sister went first before dinner. After dinner we did the rest of the toasts.

Mr. Knitting's sister went first and gave a brief and sweet toast:





Then my older sister gave the most epic toast of all time:



Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but not really (at least in my opinion!). My sister is a really awesome writer. For her own wedding ceremony she wrote a poem about her and her husband and it was pretty much the greatest wedding reading ever because it was funny and it told the guests a lot about them. Anyway, for her toast to us she wrote us a similar poem and I thought it was one of the best moments of the night!

In fact I've copied it out here below for you all to read:

A Scientist and a Ballerina - Big Sis Knitting's Wedding Poem

A scientist and a ballerina
Met in the high school hall.
She was the beautiful new transfer student
And he was very tall.

They slowly got acquainted,
He turned on his charm
And before anyone knew it,
He had her on his arm.

They spent their time together,
Rollerblading in the park.
They often gorged on freezies
And read Harry Potter until it was dark.

On hot summer days
He would head over for a nap
And would usually awaken
To the sound of Mama Knitting's gangsta rap.

Their high school days were ending
So both as brainy as can be,
They packed up their bags
And headed off to U of T.

She joined a dance group
And studied the history of art.
He pursued his love of science,
But she was still number one in his heart.

They took many trips together
And once visited New York.
This was around the time
Kristin was still eating pork.

Soon they got their own apartment,
Their very own nest,
So they could always come home to each other
When it was time to rest.

So after many years together
As partners and best friends,
They threw a great big party
And declared their love would never end!

This is how Mr. Knitting and I looked for pretty much the whole time she was reading it.



Oh, and she's not kidding about the part with Mama Knitting's gansta rap. My middle aged Ukrainian/Canadian mother loves rapping. If you haven't already picked up on it from my other posts, she's a bit of a character!

This poem was definitely one of the best wedding gifts we received. It was so thoughtful and funny. The fact that she took the time to sit down and write so much about the two of us in such an entertaining and enjoyable way meant so much to Mr. Knitting and myself.

Afterwards we spoke briefly thanking everyone for being there and letting them know how much their support and love meant to us!


Guest Photo



And with that, dinner was finished!

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by the amazing Josh Levinson.

I Thought I'd Be Older...

Growing up, on the rare occasion when I thought about getting married, I thought I'd be at least in my late 20s. This is pretty common in Toronto amongst most of the people I know. Getting married any younger seemed really weird and like a surefire recipe for divorce. The prevailing wisdom both then and now is that people change so much in their twenties that they're not possibly capable of choosing a partner before their late 20s.

Thus, it was a bit weird for me to realize at 23 that I was ready to get married. While I realize that in many other parts of the world this is a completely normal age to get married, it just wasn't for me and I referred to myself as a child bride quite a bit because I sometimes felt a bit awkward about the fact that I was engaged at such a relatively young age.

Adding to this, Mr. Knitting and myself are by far the first of our friends to get married and we suspect there will be a few years before any more of our friends of the same age get married. This isn't an issue at all because many of our friends are in equally committed relationships, and those who aren't, aren't weird about the fact we're married (if they were we probably wouldn't actually be friends!).

However, I occasionally feel uncomfortable letting people know I'm married because they are usually pretty shocked and don't feel the need to hide it (because they don't have manners!). To be fair, a lot of those people seem to think I'm 20 which in Toronto is a legitimately young age to get married, but still. It's pretty rude no matter how old I am.

However, I've decided it's time for me to get over that. I'm really happy to be married and while getting married at 24 is not for everyone, it was a great choice for Mr. Knitting and myself.

Still, every so often when I stop to think about it, I do find it interesting that I'm 25 and ridiculously happily married. How and when did that happen?

How old did you think you'd be when you'd get married? Did the reality match up with your expectations?

A Cozy Christmas Wedding: A Turkey Feast

Now it was time to eat!

Our dinner began with some borscht and mushroom dumplings:



We picked borscht because we thought soup was a great way to start a dinner in December, we both love borscht, and it was a nod to Mr. Knitting's Polish roots.

Then most of our guests were served a traditional turkey dinner chosen for it's connection with Christmas:



Lots of our guests said nice things about the turkey dinner, but in my (admittedly biased!) opinion, I think the gluten-free vegan option was actually a lot better. I think this might be a first...

Ratatouille:



Those crackers on top were both delicious and fun!:



I had lots of fun pretending to have horns (too many amaretto sours?).

The view of the King's Table that Mr. Knitting and I had:


Guest Photo

This photo actually gives you a better idea of what the lighting was like in the dining room. It was definitely pretty dark and cozy.

While many couples choose to use dinner time to visit tables, we made a point to limit that as much as possible. We figured if we started moving around a lot, our guests would follow suit, thus making it difficult for the servers to do their job. The staff had also told us beforehand that we're the ones that set the pace for the dinner, so if we took a lot of time to eat our food, then dinner would be going on forever. Our wedding was also small enough so that even without table visiting we were definitely able to spend time with most of our guests.

That being said, despite our best intentions we definitely did a bit of table visiting:


Guest Photo

Doing one of our favourite poses:


Guest Photo

I'm not totally sure how this became a thing, but we do it a lot:


Personal Photo


Personal Photo

The meal ended with some ice cream for our guests to enjoy during the toasts before we set them loose on our dessert table. Once again, the vegan option seemed a lot more appealing.

Vanilla ice cream in a chocolate cup:



vs.

Raspberry sorbet:



Okay to be fair, the photo of the sorbet was worked on by our photographer and the vanilla one wasn't, but still. Raspberry sorbet is way more exciting!

Don't worry though, these weren't our real desserts! These were more of a pre-dessert to enjoy during the toasts before the real dessert from the dessert table (which had awesome vegan and non-vegan options!).

I really enjoyed the dinner. The food was really good and by this time all of the stressful parts of the wedding were over. I had a really nice time just sitting there chatting with those around me and just letting it soak in that I was married and that I was actually at my reception dinner.



However, the best part of dinner was definitely the toasts that came right at the end. Stay tuned for the awesomeness!

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by the amazing Josh Levinson.