How did you and your partner meet?

We met on Bumble! I lived in Vancouver at the time but was home in Toronto for wedding/food truck season, and my app pinged me saying “there were new bees in my area”. I reluctantly opened the app to temporarily delete it until I was back in Vancouver in a few months - there was no way I was signing up for a long distance romance! - and the moment I opened the app, my husbands face popped up. My first instinct was “holy Lord he’s hot!” I swiped right and put my phone away. A day later we were on the phone for 2 hours, and the following day we met up. The rest is history!

Tell us about the proposal?

We are very non-traditional…like really. We do everything in “our own order and timeline” But even more than that, the thing you should know about us is that we love Five Guys! It’s been a part of every important moment of our life like when we fell in love, when we moved into our first home together, and naturally, when he proposed. But there’s a back story - I wanted to elope, my husband wanted a big wedding. I’m a Wedding Planner so he knew it would be magical and he loved the idea of industry discounts! One day when I got home after a day of site visits with a client, my husband started flipping through the venue brochures. He fell in love with one and asked if we were getting married there. I said, "well if you like it, let’s go take a look.” A day later we picked a date and the venue was booked. We then looked at each other and said, “we should probably get rings, right?!” A few days later we met with a designer and voila, we had rings! A month and a half later, he brought Five Guys home for dinner. We carried the bags to our home theatre (it was one of those nights!) and when I reached in to my bag of Cajun fries, there is was, my gorgeous ring box covered in Cajun sprinkles, and inside, my gorgeous ring hahaha!

Fun fact - Five Guys was nice enough to host us for our 1 year wedding anniversary photoshoot - the pictures ended up going viral in the US, Austria, Germany, and Italy & we are now knows as “The Five Guys Couple!” Click the link here - shot by Kate Warren.

Give us an overview of your wedding vision and how it came to life.

As a wedding planner, I have a billion and one visions and designs floating around in my head at any given time. We wanted to get married in Italy or Ireland (with ruins or something really architectural!) but we knew a lot of our friends would not be able to make it. And good thing - because a COVID wedding was not travel-friendly! Our venue was a castle, so we got our “ancient ruin vibe” and decided to keep it minimal, natural, and very “us”. Stone, mirror, and moss! A theme I had never seen or created before!

The food and the party were the most important parts and we really curated every detail of the wedding. We removed traditional items that meant nothing to us, and added items that were unique to us. The number one thing our guests said was that, 'the wedding was so us' - and that it was the most fun they’ve ever had at a wedding! We had a white bouncy castle, a Five Guys midnight bar, an all-white dress code, art installations, and so many other little details that made the night so magical for everyone!

Tell us about your experience dress shopping at TMB.

Ok, I would have 6 million weddings just so I could shop for a new TMB dress every week! From the moment I walked in to TMB, I knew I was going to find exactly what I wanted. Alicia was my consultant for dress #1 and she was a DREAM! Everyone is a dream! The loft is my happy place and I really felt like my needs and wants were being taken into consideration. It was such a great experience that I came back and bought a second/reception dress! The best part - I got to FaceTime Justin Alexander (the designer of my second dress) and got his advise on which colour hijab to wear with my dress!

What was your favorite moment of your wedding day?

So cliche - but walking down the isle to my husband and seeing his face. Followed by dancing and the bouncy castle. Everything was just so beautiful!

What advice would you give to couples planning a wedding?

No matter what, hire some kind of a planner. Whether it’s for the whole process, or just a month of, it’s 1000000% worth it. The average wedding takes over 1000 hours to plan and there are so many stressful little details that you just don’t need in your life! Second, remember that this day is about you two and your love. Make it personal. Ditch the things that are meaningless to you and add your personality wherever you can. The day goes by so fast, so fill it with meaning and things that make you happy.

My favourite wedding quote is “I want a marriage more beautiful that my wedding” - I always remind my couples that their relationship is the most important thing, and that this day should be a reflection of that. Also, BUDGET MORE TIME FOR PHOTOGRAPHY - OMG!

Vendors:

Planning/Decor: @BismaMBhatti @BTCCupcakes

Table Top Rentals: Plate Occasions @PlateOccassions

Furniture Rentals: Detailz Couture @Detailzcouture

Dresses: TMB!!! Ceremony Dress: Flora by Theia

Reception Dress: Gainsville by Justin Alexander

Veil: Pronovias (TMB)

Crown: Justine M Couture (Kleinfeld)

Cakes: @BTCCupcakes

Photobooth: Bix Co. @BixCo

Photography: Kate Warren @warren__Kate

Video: Drew Austin (Lovers Club) @theloversclubfilms @drewaustin

DJ: DJ Monaco @the_Monaco

BISMA & BEHNOUD: A CASALOMA DREAM