Are you looking for a quaint and affordable Ontario wedding venue that’s in the GTA? Lebovic Centre for Arts & Entertainment – Nineteen on the Park is one of the oldest and most culturally significant buildings in Stouffville’s downtown core- and it’s only 50 km north of Toronto.

Constructed more than 100 years ago, the building originally consisted of a marketplace on the main floor and a public hall on the upper floor. A renovation a few years ago has transformed the historic space into a premier arts and entertainment facility.

With its exposed brick, dramatic ceiling and balcony overlooking Civic Square, the venue is perfect for a small wedding. Both the Greenpark Great Hall and the Community Room are available for rent, with a maximum capacity of 200 guests. Full lighting and sound systems are available, as well as kitchen facilities.

Want to learn more? Visit Nineteen on the Park.

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Who doesn’t want to feel like a queen on her wedding day? These bridal headpieces will definitely do the trick!

With rhinestones and Swarovski crystals, this bridal tiara from EdenLuxeBridal will make a stunning addition to your wedding attire.

This gorgeous bridal tiara from Florentes is decorated with rhinestones surrounded by freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals.

Trendy opal crystals were used to create this classic hair vine headpiece from Olivia the Wolf. Tie it like a headband with the luxurious rayon grosgrain ribbon ties or remove them and place it like a comb on your hair do or on the side using the side loops.

We love the simplicity of this delicate double headband made with wax orange blossoms from Olivia the Wolf. Classic simplicity meets modern romance.

You’ll look and feel like royalty in this black and gold bridal tiara from RomanticARTlife.

If glamorous and regal is the look you’re after, then this bridal crown with silk petals from myrakim is for you!

This full Swarovski bridal crown from EdenLuxeBridal is 360 degrees of glamor!

Made with over 100 laurel leaves, this tiara from AnnaMarguerite will have you feeling like a Greek goddess in your wedding day.

Rose gold remains one of our favorite wedding trends. This lovely rose gold tiara from LuluSplendor reaffirms that!

This swoon-worthy rose gold bridal crown from EdenLuxeBridal will turn heads!

This beautiful Swarovski crystal bridal tiara is from EdenLuxeBridal. You’ll never want to take it off!

If you’re the more adventurous type, this amazing, one of a kind crystal aura crown from chelseasflowercrowns is the perfect choice for you!

*This post contains Etsy affiliate links

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Matthew and Shannon found the perfect Airbnb in Lancaster, PA to host their 10 guest wedding. With fabulous Italian food from one of their favorite area restaurants, DIY flowers from a local market and the local mayor as the officiant, the couple couldn’t have created a more intimate and heartfelt wedding.

“It was so stress-free and fun,” said Shannon. “And being able to do a lot of the things ourselves made it feel more personal.”

Thanks to Marisa Albrecht for the the beautiful photos!

Shannon, 29 & Matthew, 31

Location: Lancaster, PA

Wedding Date: February 26, 2016

Number of Guests: 10

Wedding Cost: ~ $2,300

Wedding Ceremony Location: The Sycamore Cottage on Millstream (Lancaster, Pa)

Wedding Reception Location: Same location as the ceremony

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We had heard from so many friends with large weddings just how stressful the planning and the day could be, so when we first started to think about what we wanted in a wedding, we originally thought about just going to the Justice of the Peace or running away to elope.  But we knew that we really wanted our families to be a part of our day.  So an intimate wedding was just the perfect compromise.

Not many people want a February wedding in Pennsylvania, where the temperatures only hit a high of 37 degrees.  But for us, after eight years of being together, we decided that we really didn’t want to have a new anniversary date to remember.  So we chose February 26^th, our ninth dating anniversary, as our wedding date.  The temperature may have been a bit cold but we had a pretty seasonably warm and sunny day, not to mention the cottage was nice and toasty, making for a comfy winter evening spent indoors with our families.

What are some the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

One of the more difficult things was finding a location for just 10 people.  Most “small” venues that we found were suited for 50 -100 people.  Luckily we reached out to this adorable Airbnb just outside of the city to see if they would allow us to host our intimate wedding at their rental and they were delighted to have us.  In the end, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setting.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

No, we kept it to only our immediate family.  We knew that if we started to consider including friends and extended family that it would make it impossible to keep things small.  So cutting the list off with just our parents and siblings made it simple.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

I think the hardest part was explaining to everyone the choice that we made to keep things small.  Once you’re engaged, everyone assumes a huge, traditional wedding is inevitable.  But I really think that everyone that knows us knows that we like to keep things simple. And most of our married friends, who had big (stressful) wedding celebrations themselves, completely understood our decision.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

We love Lancaster City.  So having the Mayor of Lancaster as our officiant was great.  He typically only does weddings downtown Monday through Friday during the day, but as a longtime friend to my Mother, he came to the little cottage on a Friday evening as a personal favor.  As an added bonus, the nontraditional vows that he provided fit our personalities perfectly. Our close friend was also able to lend us her beautiful artwork for the evening which was featured behind us during the ceremony.

What were the highlights of the reception?

If I really had to narrow it down, I would say that having a chance to be photographed as a couple was a real highlight for us.  It is something we’ve never done.  Working with Marisa was so much fun and the cottage was a great backdrop that made for some incredible photos that we’ll be able to cherish and share.

Having food from our favorite little Italian place was wonderful too.  When we were trying to think of places to get food for just 10 people, catering was out of the question.  Then it HIT us!  Ciro’s Italian Bistro has family style meals.  We had a variety of dishes to choose from and could send everyone home with leftovers.  Plus it gave us a good excuse to go “sample” the dishes before we ordered them.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

Being able to really enjoy the day with our families.  It was so stress-free and fun.
And being able to do a lot of the things ourselves made it feel more personal.  I especially loved working with the flower stand at our local farmer’s market to build the bouquet, boutonniere and centerpieces myself.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Find a photographer whose work you love.  It was the biggest and best choice we made to have someone there to capture every moment perfectly.  Especially with a small wedding like ours, I think having the photos to share with friends and family that didn’t attend makes them still feel like part of the day.
And to just have fun with it.  Really make it your own.  Everyone has opinions about what and how you should do everything but the choices are yours to make.

Vendors:

Photography:  Marisa Albrecht

Venue:  Airbnb

Food:  Ciro’s Italian Bistro

Cake:  Addy Mae’s

Flowers:  Rohrer’s

Dress: Chi Chi London

Brides shoes: Nine West

Suit: J. Crew

Cake Topper: Lollipop Workshop from Etsy

Artwork atop the fireplace: April K Hennessey

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While Erik and Matthew were planning an amazing trip to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, they had a light bulb moment: why not get married and make the vacation their honeymoon? The couple had been together for 11 years and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make things official.

With 40 of their dearest friends and family, Erik and Matthew tied the knot at the New York Marriage Bureau, followed by a cocktail reception at SoHo’s David Burke Kitchen.

Photographers Kari and Caleb from Cottonwood Studios Photography did a stellar job capturing the joyous occasion. Here’s what the photographer duo had to say about this fabulous little wedding:

“These two beautiful human beings had one of the most joyful and detail-filled intimate weddings we’ve ever photographed. From head to toe, they were dressed to perfection, and they had little details throughout the day that made everything perfect.”

Thanks so much Kari and Caleb for sending these beautiful photos our way. We’re sure it will inspire other couples to go small!

Erik, 38 & Matthew, 32

Location: New York, New York

Wedding Date: August 28^th, 2015

Number of Guests: 40

Wedding Cost: $10k

Wedding Ceremony Location: New York Marriage Bureau

Wedding Reception Location: Lunch at Landmarc TriBeCa; Reception at David Burke Kitchen

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

After dating for 11+ years and becoming engaged 8 months earlier, we were busy planning our vacation to Europe, which began to feel more and more like a honeymoon.  During the course of our planning, four weeks before what would become our wedding date, we felt we couldn’t wait any longer and decided to make our upcoming vacation our honeymoon.  Luckily, we were able to quickly invite our families to New York and they were just as excited as we were to join us!  Bringing our families together for the first time, as well as sharing our joyous celebration with friends from both near and far, especially on such short notice, lent itself to a more intimate and personal wedding.

With the repeal of DOMA in June 2015 and our status as a binational couple, having the federal government legally recognize our relationship was the icing on the cake.

What are some the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

For us, timing was everything!  With only four weeks to plan, we cast aside our expectations of a perfect wedding and allowed ourselves to enjoy the process!  Finding the perfect place for a family lunch proved a challenge.  We found venues for both our lunch and cocktail party with only one week to spare!  A work trip and family emergency during this process slowed our momentum, but we still managed to survive!

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

Our guest list was always intended to be small.  Having our families present was paramount.  As one of us is from Canada, one of us is from Texas and we have each lived in many different places, culling together friends and family on such short notice was a struggle.  We knew the limited notice would mean most would not be able to join us, so we limited our invitations to local friends and immediate family.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Saying I do!  Having our ceremony at City Hall was a unique experience, with so many other happy and excited couples there to celebrate their special relationships.  That positive energy was palpable and exciting!

What were the highlights of the reception?

Being able to share our day with both friends and family from far and near brought such joy to our wedding.  The lunch venue and cocktail reception venue both provided little surprises, special touches and more attentive personalized service that made the day even better!

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

Having an intimate wedding gave us the chance to spend a more focused and engaging time with our family and friends in attendance.  Instead of being absorbed in the traditions of a wedding ceremony, we allowed ourselves to socialize and engage our guests as we would at any other event, only now as a married couple!

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

 No wedding is ever going to live up to the perfect weddings we see in storybooks or magazines.    Having an intimate wedding allows you to focus on what truly matters and gives the wedding couple the opportunity to share their special moment in a more meaningful and focused way.  Allowing yourself to make mistakes and accepting the fact that not everything will go off without a hitch will relieve you of the pressures of achieving that perfect event.  We believe a wedding and the surrounding events should be about family, friends and, most importantly, each other and the love you share.

Vendors:

Photography: Cottonwood Studios Worldwide

Wedding Coordinator: Jeremiah Hernandez

Ceremony Venue: New York City Marriage Bureau – City Clerk

Lunch Venue: Landmarc TriBeCa

Reception Venue: David Burke Kitchen

Cake:  Buttercup Bake Shop

Floral: Ivie Joy Floral Arts + Events

Graphic Design: Erik Mack, Nico Traut

Stationery:  Erik Mack

Favors:  Hakushika Japan, The Araca Group, Cut It Out Vinyl

Suits: Zara

Shoes: Kenneth Cole New York

Neckwear: The Tie Bar

Rings: Zales

Accommodations: The Shelbourne Hotel, New York

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Clutches are a perfect gift for your bridesmaids. They’re pretty, they’re practical and they are affordable. And they can be used long after your wedding day. We’ve rounded up ten beautiful bridesmaids clutches on Etsy that you’re sure to love.

If you adore rose gold as much as we do, you will love this sequined clutch from DavieandChiyo.

These beautiful and unique personalized clutches from MamaBleuDesigns will make your bridesmaids swoon! If these colors don’t quite match your color scheme, they have many other different fabrics to choose from.

For a vintage wedding, try these lovely colorful clutches from JuneberryStitches. Each bag is decorated with a unique vintage doily.

Your bridesmaids will be delighted to receive these mint and ivory clutches from DavieandChiyo.

If you love all things vintage, these marvelous clutches from MamaBleuDesigns  will be perfect for your wedding.

Colorful, fun and stylish, everyone will love these personalized clutches from JuneberryStitches.

Add a touch of modern elegance to your bridesmaids’ look with these gold clutches from CreationsByAngel

Stylish and modern, these colorful clutches from JaniceDesign are made from vegan leather.

We love these fabric clutches from loliscreations. Pure clutch candy!

Simple, modern and stylish, these gold clutches from NoLongerBlue will match almost any outfit.

*This post contains Etsy affiliate links

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