Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, and what is unique about you and your relationship.
My name is Whitney and I am based out of Toronto. I am a small business owner, I am the founder of “By Modern Social” a wedding and event stationery and branding company. I love all things weddings and events, it has kind of become my life since transitioning into this industry during covid. When I'm not working I spend a lot of my time cooking and baking (I grew up in a big I food forward home), I'm obsessed with my dog Bobbi, and my husband and I spend most of our days walking our dog, hanging out with friends, trying new foods, or going to the movies.
My husband and I have been together for more than 10 years. We met in Grad school in NYC and immediately began dating. We got married in 2016 at city hall and waited to have our dream wedding and celebrate with friends and family when our life felt a bit more stable. After 3 Covid postponements, we were finally able to have our dream wedding in Mexico in June of 2022. Since we began dating we have lived in NYC, Los Angeles, and now Toronto.
How did you spend the morning of your wedding? How did you deal with the nerves leading up to the wedding? Any tips for future brides?
I spent the morning of my wedding with my bridesmaids and my mom. I am a pretty introverted person and when I get nervous I tend to get quiet… I was pretty nervous the morning of my wedding. We started off the morning with a very chill breakfast in the bridal suite, exchanged bridesmaids' gifts, and of course, put on our absolutely stunning Meeka robes.
To calm my nerves, my sister-in-law put “keeping up with the Kardashians” on the TV in the bridal suite which was helpful! Throughout the morning we all began taking turns getting our make-up done and from there it felt like the entire day began to move very quickly. Honestly, the absolute most important key to a smooth morning/day is your vendors. I truly had such an amazing vendor team all led by my planner Diana Romo! My photographers and Videographers had such calming and relaxing energy which is so important because they are truly with you the entire day, like a shadow, so you can really feel their energy. My make-up artist was amazing and could sense my nerves and even cleared the room for a bit so that I could have some alone time to decompress while getting my make-up done. Again, having vendors who can read your energy and make choices for you is beyond essential.
My biggest tip is to pick your vendors wisely. Of course, you have to love their work but also connect with them. The energy that your vendors bring on your wedding day sets the tone.
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling, and some of your favorite details.
My husband and I got married at Banyan Tree Mayakoba in Riviera Maya Mexico. We always knew we wanted a destination wedding. My family is all based in Toronto, Canada, My husband's family is all based in NYC and our friends are spread across NYC, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Because of this, we knew that more than half of our guests would have to travel to our wedding regardless of where we got married so why not go to a resort in paradise? Plus, this allowed us to have an entire weekend of events for our guests. It really felt like we were on this special vacation with ALL our friends and family on both sides. It was so special.
Our theme was “Scandinavian design meets Bali in Mexico”.....I know, it sounds odd! Because the setting of the location was already so beautiful, we had so much to work with from the beginning. I was so amazed by the styling options in Mexico. My planner designed our wedding alongside Cantiero Rentals and Florals. I was stunned at the variety of design-forward rental options they had, it was really the key to bringing our vision to life. Furniture and Decor rentals were the detail that I was most excited about, I wanted to create lounge areas for my guests to relax and hang out.
I would say my favorite design detail was our chuppah. I was very particular about how I envisioned our chuppah and I had not seen anything on Pinterest or Instagram that I could reference that I felt encapsulated what I was going for. Luckily, My planner understood my vision for it and brought it to life alongside our florist. It ended up being my absolute favorite element of the day!
Talk us through your main outfits of the wedding day.
I started off the morning in my Meeka White Midi robe, which I was in love with and purchased like 2 years before my wedding! I paired that with cream boucle slippers and a silk and lace slip underneath.
My wedding dress was the “Andy” dress from Made With Love. I customized it a bit by making it strapless. It was the first dress I tried on and I immediately fell in love with the fabric. I knew I wanted something simple, modern, and a bit different. My shoes were a pair of frayed woven low heels. In terms of shoes, I knew that nobody would really see them and I just wanted to be comfortable. I highly suggest comfortable shoes on your wedding day! I styled my dress with Amelie George statement earrings that I was absolutely in love with.
After a bit of dancing, I changed into my reception dress. I wore a very simple draped silk slip dress and a pair of white sneakers. I was ready to dance and wanted to be extremely comfortable!
Looking back is there anything that you wish you hadn’t done, or perhaps an item you wish you hadn’t bought?
The weather was touch and go for my entire wedding weekend. We had backup plans for everything and I really tried to surrender to the weather but I wish that I had prepared myself mentally for weather-related changes ( we had to change our rehearsal dinner from a beach bonfire party to an indoor dinner at the last minute). I feel like if I had prepared myself better for this, I would have been less disappointed. At the end of the day, nobody envisions rain at their wedding but it's important to surrender to it.
I wish I had breakfast with my bridal party and then got ready in private with my husband. I think it would have been a great way to have some alone quiet time together o what is a very overwhelming and busy day.
There are a few things I bought that I never really ended up using. I bought a pearl purse that I think one of my bridesmaids carried for me with my phone and lipgloss and some powder in it. It was so hot on the wedding that I gave up the notion of reapplying any time for make-up.
What was your most special moment on the day?
For me, that was really the Ceremony. We had a very close mutual friend marry us in a symbolic ceremony. It felt extremely special and personal. We only had 80 guests at our wedding so the entire ceremony felt very intimate. We read handwritten vows and shared stories that were important to us. It felt less formal than a traditional wedding ceremony and it felt like it spoke to us and who we are as a couple.
I would throw in an honorable mention….our first dance. We danced to the MTV unplugged version of “Let’s get married" by Bleachers. Our absolute favorite band. Not a very traditional wedding dance song but it felt perfect for us. A really special moment I will always remember.
Wedding planner: Diana Romo Weddings @dianaromo.weddings
Video: Non Fiction Love @nonfictionlove_
Photo: Andre Gouin @andregouinphoto
Make-up: Zoe Elizabeth MUA @zoeelizabethmakeup
Rentals + Florals: Conterio Weddings @canteiroweddings
Stationery: By Modern Social @bymodernsocial
Dj: Dj Dulce Rullan @djdulcerullan
Venue: Banyan Tree Mayakoba @banyantreemayakoba
Dress: Made With Love @madewithlovebridal
Photobooth :Picme Photobooth @picme_photobooth