Newlyweds Kaitlyn and Eric tied the knot at The Brownstone, a modern event space with industrial vibes located in the heart of Calgary, Canada. The duo completely transformed the indoor venue to give it an ethereal outdoor garden feel with tons of beautiful and fresh details to swoon over!
Where did you get married?
The Brownstone in Calgary, Canada.
Why did you choose to get married at The Brownstone?
The space is beautiful – open concept, lots of natural light, modern – but we also loved how purpose-built it was. The owners have a background in weddings and events, and the space was thoughtfully designed to reflect their experience and takeaways. Details like the get-ready lounges, outdoor patio, and a large caterer’s kitchen really allowed us to craft a seamless day. The icing on the cake was that the bar reminded us of our first date spot, a former restaurant called Two Penny. The bartop was completely comprised of pennies and even had the same tiger print wallpaper. We took it as a sign we were in the right spot!
What was the most memorable part of your wedding day?
Oh my gosh, it’s difficult to choose! We had our first look earlier in the day, but I added the big overskirt as a surprise for the ceremony and was so excited for Eric’s reaction. Walking down the aisle and seeing all our loved ones under the same roof for the first time was such a rush of emotions for me, from nerves to excitement, to feeling so incredibly supported and grateful. The setting was beautiful and it was really special to see all our planning materialized.
Kaitlyn, paint us a picture. What was the theme, style, colors, and overall vibe of your wedding day?
Although it was primarily an indoor space, we wanted the vibe to be modern, gardenesque, organic, airy, and ethereal. Our color palette was whites, greens greys, and terracotta as seen in our flowers and the hand-dyed backdrops.
What was your favorite part of planning your wedding?
Planning our wedding really highlighted just how much love and support we have. Everything from the little check-ins, the effort our friends put into our bachelor and bachelorette parties, the flexibility of our coworkers, and the heartfelt messages we received along the way really strengthened our connections.
My mom was a rockstar and the time we spent together meant a lot to me. Aside from her advice in planning, she handmade the headband I wore as well as the feather pyjamas for the bridal party. She was the ultimate bridal mom!
A highlight moment was our initial tasting with our caterer, Fork + Farm. They made the experience so elevated and fun, and we couldn’t wait to share with our guests.
What was the best investment you made for your wedding?
It was completely worth it to invest in a planner, even if just the week of! If anything went wrong we had no idea, and we realize how invaluable it was to have a stress-free experience. We were able to fully enjoy ourselves and be present rather than juggle and delegate setup, or worry about whether we were on schedule. It was also important to us that our friends and family didn’t have too much on their plate and that they felt just as celebrated as we did.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
If we were to add one more vendor, it would have been a videographer to record our vows, speeches, and the energy of the day.
We could have reduced our late-night snacks to a smaller percentage of our guest count. We were too busy dancing!
What was your favorite part of using WedSites for your wedding?
Our site was customized to be exactly how we wanted it and we were so happy with the outcome. On the back end, we loved that everything was at our fingertips, whether we were accessing our dashboard from our phones, at work or at home. If we had to reference a vendor contract or guest RSVP, we could easily pull up our site rather than search through emails. It was really helpful to have real-time visibility into who had opened our save the dates so we could easily follow up where needed.
It was fun to include additional questions in our RSVP form, such as marriage advice. We loved everyone’s responses so much that we even included our favorites in our thank you speech!
Wedding planning is notoriously stressful. Now that you’ve gone through the process, do you have any advice or words of wisdom for couples who are currently in the midst of planning theirs?
Enjoy the entire journey rather than focusing on your wedding day as the finish line. This might look like making a date night out of a brainstorming session, hosting friends for a wine tasting, or setting up a coffee date with your photographer to work on your shotlist. Soak it all in!
Don’t shy away from asking your vendor team for recommendations or advice. They’re so well connected and have truly seen it all, and are just as invested in the success of your day as you are.
Also, once you’ve landed on your big ticket items, consider unfollowing or muting accounts that may cause you to second guess your decisions. I unfollowed a couple of dress designers after I found my dress because I found myself comparing too much.
The amazing team of vendors involved with this wedding
Venue: The Brownstone
Photographer: Nora Hanako Photography
Officiant: Hitched by Dustin
Caterer: Fork + Farm
Florist: Meadow & Vine
Wedding Planner: CNC Event Design
Makeup Artist: Nicole Saxton
Hair Stylist (Bride): Erika DeLuca
Hair Stylist (Bridesmaids): Claire Tiemstra
Entertainment (DJ): Pez Productions
Stationer: The Social Page
Dress Designer: La Perle by Calla Blanche
Wedding Dress: Boutique Ethos Bridal
Custom Skirt & Dress Alterations: Magdalena Kuran
Bridesmaid Dresses: Park & Fifth
Groom’s Suit: Huey Lam Custom Suits
Jeweler: Alberta Diamond Exchange
Rentals: Modern Rentals
Other (Photobooth): Our Lavish Guests
Other (Hand-dyed Backdrops): The Lovli
Wedding Website: WedSites
