A Colourful Wedding Reception at The Arlington Estate

We have been incredibly lucky to work with exceptionally kind, thoughtful and caring clients and Georgia and Kyle top the list of couples whose planning journey and wedding days we want to relive over and over again. Their plans were greatly affected by the pandemic so we just held on until the timing felt right which allowed them to also start a family! They were married May 28, 2023 in a traditional Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony with their almost one year old son, Leo, by their side followed by a wedding reception at The Arlington Estate.

We had a colour palette of pinks, caramels, yellows, and deep rust-reds paired with a soft cool-blue.

Toronto wedding invitation designer, Paper Palette, designed an impeccable wedding invitation suite with a watercolor floral pattern atop a cool blue envelope, accompanied by rust-coloured ink for the copy and a soft pink reply card envelope. Wild North Flowers, a Toronto wedding floral studio, took our palette and hit a home run embracing those warm caramels and rust-toned reds softened by whites and pinks for a bridal bouquet fitting for a late-spring wedding. Simply Beautiful Decor’s tabletop pieces carried the design through to the tactile details with which the guests would interact. Oh, and we can’t forget the acrylic arch behind the head table from Exquisite Occasions that Wild North Flowers decked out in florals for a floating effect.

One of my favourite details has to be the custom mosaic tile-inspired dance floor vinyl by Designer Dance Floors. We also included some lounge furniture from Detailz Couture in the front lobby of The Arlington Estate to offer some soft seating for a casual cocktail hour period and some large 13’ ficus trees from Event Rent in the West Wing to play with the scale of the room being so large. The party portion of the evening was kicked off with fireworks from Firemaster Productions followed by an epic performance by The Dave Murphy Band.

Purple Tree Photography beautifully captured the day in its full splendor.

The other Toronto-based wedding vendors included Cocoa Cakery, Hotshotz Photobooth, Wild and Free Films, Nadia and Co., Erin Nicole Makeup Artistry, and Eryn Shannon Bridal.

Service: Design and Management

The Floorplans

We’ve also included the Arlington Estate wedding floorplan we designed for the West Wing and lobby as some inspiration for your own wedding layout at Arlington Estate.

Getting to know your DJ with Jamie from QA Entertainment

Why is having a DJ so important for a wedding?

Jamie says, “I could not possibly imagine a celebration without music. Music evokes emotion, and a wedding day not only is a day full of love, but the right music can certainly heighten any and all emotion that comes with the big day.

A DJ is also so good at reading the room, and can play the right song at the right moment, something that is a huge drawback of having just a set playlist from Apple Music or Spotify. DJs are more versatile in many different genres of music that can be played, which is an advantage over having a live band that may only have a handful of music genres in their repertoire.”

Image by @rubiconphotog

What is your favourite part of your job?

Jamie says, “The best part of my job as a wedding DJ is the appreciation from couples when their expectations were exceeded. Also, the reaction from their guests as they are thoroughly enjoying the music. Playing great music truly never gets old.”

What is your best advice for couples when looking for the right DJ for them?

Jamie says, “Do your research! A good DJ vendor should have nothing to hide. Here are a few different things to check as you begin doing research:

• Reviews! Reviews from past clients is a good place to start. Here at QA Entertainment, our contract asks for reviews because we are confident in the final product.

• Social media (or just photos in general from past events) should be a resume for DJ vendors. If your DJ cannot share what a couples dance floor could look like throughout the night, that could be a red flag. A picture speaks a thousand words!

• Ask your DJ about their experience! Doesn’t hurt to ask where they’ve worked, how long, etc. A company could have been around for decades, but the DJ arriving on your wedding day could be newer, and have started as DJ less than a year ago. No big deal, just helpful to know and discuss in advance!

• Something to avoid? Listening to a DJs mixes online is not the best for choosing your wedding DJ. If they make a mistake on that mix, they can stop and re-record the mix. You need to be confident that your DJ can play live. Unlike many other wedding vendors, DJs have to be great in the moment as our talents are on display in real time.”

What can couples do to ensure you know what kind of party they want?

Jamie says, “Communication is key! Share the music you like and having a must play and do not play list is so important. It’s also more than just music - if you want a busy and full dance floor, you and your new spouse should be on the dance floor too! Tell you guests “the best wedding present is to meet you on the dance floor” and let us do the rest.

If you and your spouse are not big on dancing that is perfectly fine. Tell us about your guests, how old they are, where they are traveling from and what genres of music you believe they would appreciate for a more relaxed vibe.”

What could couples do to make your job easier during the planning process?

Jamie says, “It is important for couples to be clear with their expectations: whether it’s the music they would like to hear or the overall vibe they are looking for. QA Entertainment provides a detailed Online Wedding Planner tool which organizes the important milestones during a wedding day. Completing whatever your DJ (or any vendor) asks of you will provides us (or them) with ample time to prepare for your day exactly how you’d like it and is the best way to make life easier for everyone! It minimizes the guess work or rushing anything! Also, trust your vendors - you’ve booked a professional! We’ve got this.”

What are your thoughts on being an MC & a DJ at a wedding? Does it make it easier or harder for you when couples ask you to MC versus asking a friend?

Jamie says, “I love the personal touch of having friends or family appointed to MC a wedding. However, there are a few elements of MCing that a friend or family member may be unaware of due to lack of experience and we are always willing to provide pointers to help your chosen MC throughout the evening.

Do be aware that it certainly makes the event more challenging when asked to MC and DJ a wedding as it’s another hat we are required to wear. Wedding MCs must provide the appropriate energy during wedding party entrances, adhere to timelines, prepare speakers for toasts, phonetically pronounce names properly, speak on behalf of the venue; all while being charismatic during the process. Having a wedding planner also helps keep us on track as we juggle this extra task. Not an easy task, but certainly doable!”

What are your thoughts on being an MC & a DJ at a wedding? Does it make it easier or harder for you when couples ask you to MC versus asking a friend?

Jamie says, “I love the personal touch of having friends or family appointed to MC a wedding. However, there are a few elements of MCing that a friend or family member may be unaware of due to lack of experience and we are always willing to provide pointers to help your chosen MC throughout the evening.

Do be aware that it certainly makes the event more challenging when asked to MC and DJ a wedding as it’s another hat we are required to wear. Wedding MCs must provide the appropriate energy during wedding party entrances, adhere to timelines, prepare speakers for toasts, phonetically pronounce names properly, speak on behalf of the venue; all while being charismatic during the process. Having a wedding planner also helps keep us on track as we juggle this extra task. Not an easy task, but certainly doable!”

How do you best judge a crowd, keep the energy high, etc?

Jamie says, “I was fortunate to have a father who was a DJ and was thrown into the trenches of DJing events at the age of seven, therefore, experience is my main ally in judging crowds. Just like your guests will sit down and eat delicious meal from a talented chef, they will dance all night to a talented and experienced DJ. From my experience once a crowd knows you’re a great DJ, you will quickly earn their respect and appreciation which leads to a magical dance floor.

As mentioned, knowing how old your crowd is will not only inform any DJ on what decades of music to play, it will also aid in determining how long they would dance for, before getting tired, and when to pull back on higher energy songs for something lighter or easier to dance to. Another trick I have? You can learn a lot from how guests respond to the music being played during cocktail hour and dinner.

Lastly, there are generally three types of guests at a wedding and there is one you should focus on the most. But, that’s a whole different conversation. Reach out to me on social media and we can talk about it in depth - my inbox is open!”

Learn more about Jamie on his website, and learn more about what QA Entertainment has to offer.

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A Summery Outdoor Langdon Hall Wedding

It is always a joy to design a Langdon Hall wedding and we were lucky enough to do two back-to-back wedding weekends in 2021. Sarah and Peter’s wedding at Langdon Hall Country House and Spa in Cambridge, Ontario was held on August 14, 2021.

Sarah’s wedding vision was soft romance, through a light colour palette and subtle texture changes. We incorporated soft blues, greys, and the smallest amount of blush to create a wedding palette that felt fresh and garden-inspired.

We were lucky enough to have local artist, Niki Kingsmill create a custom illustration of Langdon Hall to incorporate into the invitation suite done by Red Bicycle Paper Co.

Florals were a huge part of Sarah’s vision as her grandmother used to be a florist herself so we were careful to select a florist who was willing to work with us in the creative vision while letting Sarah’s grandmother do the bouquets. This can be a tricky situation, but Grandma was careful to use the same variety of florals that Forever Wildfield had selected for her floral recipe so that it felt as seamless as possible. I think only a trained eye would notice the difference.

We worked closely with Simply Beautiful Decor to pick just the right white linen and layered effect with chiffon runners for a texture-on-texture look and the tablescape was completed with charger plates from Tabletales.

Photographed by Mango Studios, videography by Wild and Free Films, beauty by Dawna Boot, and a sweets table by Sweet Celebrations.

You can see the wedding on the weekend following here.

Service: Design and Management

THE FLOORPLAN

We’ve also included the Langdon Hall Summerhouse floorplan we designed for them as some inspiration for your own Langdon Hall wedding.

Arlington Estate Wedding | A Floral Masterpiece

If your wedding venue hunt has you exploring The Arlington Estate, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve been lucky enough to plan a few weddings at the Arlington Estate, each with a very unique style (see a couple of them here, and here).

The grounds are beautiful, the team is lovely and the food is incredible. Today I wanted to feature our second Arlington Estate wedding from 2018. Liana and Roberto wanted a flower-filled dream with a white and green palette complemented with accents of navy and soft cool blue. Paper and Poste did an impeccable job of setting the tone with the navy blue and white wedding invitation design, in that it felt romantic and elegant but not stuffy.

Blush and Bloom, easily one of the top Toronto wedding florists, was tasked with creating luscious, romantic garden-style arrangements and jumped at the opportunity to create a 30’ long floral ceiling installation over the dance floor to create a visual anchor over a very important part of the room, which also drew the eye between the sweetheart table, impeccably draped by Susan Murray Linens, and bar with the band on an elevated stage behind it.

Liana’s dress is from Toronto wedding dress designer, Lea-Ann Belter, beauty by Fancy Face, and photography by Purple Tree Photography.

We’ve also included the Arlington Estate wedding floorplan we designed for the West Wing and lobby as some inspiration for your own wedding at Arlington Estate.

An Intimate Ancaster Mill Wedding

Like many of our clients, Liz and Dan are busy professionals who knew that the limited available time they had for wedding planning should be used carefully. It’s always a pleasure being entrusted with a couple’s wedding planning journey, but when the event is intimate it feels like an even more special honour to be included.

Already having settled on hosting their intimate wedding at the Ancaster Mill, we were able to spend the majority of our time focusing on the decor elements and it truly was fun to be able to work with a colourful palette of teal and fuschia. The Streamside Chapel created a lush setting for their wedding ceremony and the 1812 Room at the Ancaster Mill can host up to 70 guests seated. Through the use of texture and colour, we are so thrilled how this all came together.

Take your time scrolling through this one. It’s an impeccable one featuring an intimate Ancaster Mill wedding.

Photographed by Norr Studio, florals by Jodi Leigh Designs, stationery by Paper and Poste, beauty by Makeup Worx, tables from Special Event Rentals and tabletop rentals from Simply Beautiful Decor.

Service: Full Planning and Design

The Floorplan

We’ve also included the floorplan we designed for the 1812 Room as some inspiration for your own wedding layout at The Ancaster Mill.

A Fairytale Wedding at The Ancaster Mill

Every once in a while a couple comes along who completely captures our hearts. Andreea and Robert’s Ancaster Mill wedding in the Miller’s Chapel and Millview Room was nothing short of a fairytale. From the moment we first chatted, we knew there was going to be something so special. It was the way Andreea spoke about her fiancé. How she had a very clear vision of what her wedding day would be. It wasn’t glossed over with elaborate details. It didn’t carry complicated logistics - her ideas just flowed out of her head seamlessly and effortlessly. From their small wedding party consisting of just their maid of honour and best man, to their intimate dinner for 60 guests. From their slow mornings with their families to the beautifully choreographed first dance, it was truly the day that every couple wishes for. Slow, steady, authentic, and full of love. You’ll even notice the various languages in which the invitations and details cards are duplicated as a thoughtful nod to ensure all of their guests felt cared for and considered.

Andreea chose vendors who understood her vision completely. Marcia at The Dessert Room created a masterpiece of a cake simple in form but adorned in a cascading garden of pastel-coloured florals from MacRose Design Co. Andreea chose to use the Ancaster Mill’s in-house white linens and napkins for a clean base layer for the florals and candles to sit atop. She then carried through her invitation design from Red Bicycle Paper Co. to the tablescape with simple table numbers, place cards, and menus. Truly, this is how consistency in simple design is impeccably effective.

Working with Eszter Cabral Photography for the first time and reuniting with John from Summerfield Films was the icing on the cake for us!

Other incredible vendors included music from The DJ Co. and beauty from Freebird Beauty Co. Andreea’s dress is by Pronovias.

Take your time scrolling through this one. It’s a gorgeous representation of a fairytale wedding at the Ancaster Mill!

Service: Event Management

Elegant Green, Black and Gold New Year's Eve Wedding at Langdon Hall

Jacquelyn and Christian are high school sweethearts. They both also have incredibly good taste and thoughtfulness and generosity are their love language so it’s no surprise that the day was filled with the sweetest details big and small.

I got pretty lucky when it came to my clients having Covid restrictions requiring them to make last-minute changes in the days before the wedding. We somehow managed to have weddings scheduled only at times when things were opening up so I definitely got a doozy when it came time for this New Year’s Eve wedding at Langdon Hall on December 31, 2021. By the time the day unfolded, we were pretty much on plan D, having been thrown every single curve ball you could imagine. The final day turned out to be an event split into multiple experiences with a small 50-person lunch followed by an outdoor ceremony and toasts for all 130 guests and with the first 50 guests departing post-ceremony, the celebration continued with the second set of 80 guests for dinner cocktails. It was still absolutely wonderful despite all the changes.

We’ve talked before about how difficult it can be to design for holiday-specific weddings, but this is another great example of how you can design with the holiday in mind without going overboard or too literal with the theme.

The elegant green, black, and gold can feel garish, but with colours in the middle to soften it all and with plenty of textures to create interest we came up with a design that felt refined and elegant but also festive and fun!

Captured by Elizabeth in Love for Simkova Studios, florals by Patchouli, stationery by Statue Rue, Rentals from Simply Beautiful Decor and Divine Furniture, videography by Your Day by Lucas. DJ’d by InTune Events, beauty by ES Bridal, designed and planned by Laura Olsen Events with support from Lindsay Plank Events.