The Breathtaking Wedding of Samantha and Lisen

We first met Samantha and Lisen in October of 2018. They were a referral from one of our brides friends. As soon as we met with them, we had a great connection. We love reading people, that is part of our job and off the bat we knew that Samantha and Lisen did not want a traditional wedding, and that goes the same with the photographs. Posing them was a big no-no. That's what I love about US! We do adapt to every couple and bring out the couples personality. Read on to see what Samantha had to say about Lisen and her wedding journey. Wishing you both a lifetime of love and happiness.

- How long have you guys been together, before marriage Lisen and I got together almost five years ago and have had such an adventure since.

- Where did you meet We met at a karaoke bar! He claimed to be equally obsessed with Childish Gambino, but then didn't know the song I wanted to sing. What a poser. - How did he propose Lisen had an elaborate plan that included a fabulous view at rooftop restaurant. He kept the ring hidden in the car all day so I wouldn't stumble across it at home. Around midnight he was full of energy so he shot up out of bed, put on nice clothing, said "wait right here!" and walked out. He came back, got down on one knee, and proposed. I was in pyjamas and couldn't believe it! Nothing could be more us. When he canceled the restaurant the next day (we decided to go celebrate at our favourite place instead, Le Select Bistro) I said, "do you think that restaurant thinks you got cold feet and canceled a proposal?" - What does he mean to you Lisen means the world to me - he has my whole heart and he's my everything. Beyond being the best partner in life, he's also my partner in our business ventures. We run our tech startup together, Metaranx, and we host a podcast together, Float or Founder. We're endlessly supportive of each other and what we want to create. No matter what we achieve (or don't!), we are always pushing each other to do more of what makes us feel happy and fulfilled. Our life also includes the loves of our lives, our pups Edgar and Ellie. We are happy traveling or going out with friends or staying in and ordering too much delivery. During a time like COVID, when we aren't going anywhere or seeing anyone, I really appreciate how well we get along and balance each other out. We make fun of each other, never take life too seriously, and laugh way too often. I can't imagine a better partner to love and go through life with. He's so kind and thoughtful. Plus he makes the best nachos. - Describe your wedding, how you felt I think I felt every emotion in the book. I was so happy and excited that there are great ugly cry photos of me walking down the aisle. I felt so in love and loved. I felt awkward by how personal our vows were when we were saying them in front of everyone. I was dying from laughter at our best friend's officiant speech. I realized Lust for Life is somewhat of an inappropriate song to choose for our first dance (sorry to our parents). So many emotions and I had so much fun all night long! - Who was your dress designer Courture designer, Jeffery James MacKinnon, made my beautiful dress from scratch and I cannot rave enough about him and his work. You would not believe how meticulously he works and how talented and thoughtful he is. My "dream dress" was the only dress I tried on at a store. I had seen it on other brides and knew it was the look I wanted - but in store they told me they'd have to ship it back to the original designer to have them reconstruct the top. With a horrendous price tag of over $10,000, and no guarantee it would fit like a glove (I mean for $10K it better grow and shrink with me LOL), I chose not to buy it. My mom found Jeffrey's website and after a meeting with him, I knew he would be the one to make the dress. For a fraction of the price, he created a custom piece that was not only better than the original idea, but the fabric was beautiful quality and we made little tweaks and he added in some sparkle. It was perfect! - What was your venue like? We booked the Kajama Tall Ship for our wedding. It docks at Toronto Harbour, then takes off around the islands. The views of the city at night are unbeatable. The reason we were ecstatic to book the boat was that they handled everything - all we had to do was choose our preferred menu, provide them guest list numbers, and give a music playlist. We were able to add on karaoke, which was awesome! We didn't want to do seating arrangements or rent decor or fuss about anything so Tall Ship Cruises was perfect for us. They had a day-of coordinator on the boat who handled all the scheduling. We couldn't find our auxiliary cord, but the DJ played our favourite music all night and created the best playlist ft. plenty of Britney Spears. The bartenders were attentive and fun. The venue included food, DJ, a day-of coordinator, an open bar, and everything we could possibly need for a cost that is very reasonable. The only thing we would have changed was booking extra time. Four hours on the water seemed long when we booked but everyone was upset when the boat docked! - If you can give one piece of advice to your past self about the wedding, what would that be? People may think you're weird and untraditional. But that's you. - How was your experience with Butterfly Kisses Honestly, thank you so much to Helen and Rui for your hard work. We are so happy we booked with Butterfly Kisses. At the beginning when looking through things we wanted for our wedding, we weren't sure about getting a photographer. Everyone has their phones out filming and snapping pictures the entire time at weddings - do we really need one? The answer is: yes. Rui first worked with us on our engagement photos, which were fun and gave us a chance to get to know one another. For our wedding, Rui spent the entire day - morning through night - with us! He knows how to give direction without getting in between anyone or anything going on. When you look at the photos and the different angles he snapped of the same shot, you'd think there were three photographers at our wedding. There were so many photos, I'm not even sure how Helen narrowed it down. Helen kept me up to date on when they'd be ready and the editing job was beautiful. I love that Butterfly Kisses doesn't have a cap on the number of photos you give to your couples - so many studios charge extra! You're happy to give extra USBs to our parents, as well. You are a true example of the best type of customer service and we loved our experience with you. - How did you feel when you put your dress on, and saw yourself in the mirror the wedding morning Not to quote Ron Burgundy, but I looked good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk7NcXWK7BQ I looked the most glamorous I'd ever looked (and probably will ever look again!) in my life. Jeffrey did a fabulous job, as did my makeup artist, Stephanie Valentine of Glamzilla. I originally wanted natural looking makeup and when Stephanie saw my dress she said, "In a dress like that, you need to go glam!" All my "Maids of Honour" aka my bffls as well as mine and Lisen's mom looked stunning. We had been having fun getting ready all morning and we couldn't wait to meet up with the others, get on the boat, and get the party started. When Lisen first saw me in my dress his thought was "Wow, I'm lucky that she's my wife!" - What were you thinking or focused on when you walked down the aisle Not tripping. I'd ditched my heels for (glittery - so technically formal?) running shoes once I boarded the boat. I had sworn to Jeffrey that I would wear the heels for at least the walk down the aisle so he made the dress for the heel height. My mom and dad were on either side of me so thankfully my tripping was not too noticeable. When I finally got up to Lisen I was so excited and a bundle of butterflies and smiles - it was finally happening! Then I realized I had to do a speech in front of everyone and got nervous all over again. - Best part of your wedding?

Honestly, I can't even decide. Our wedding was very us. It was relaxed, it was such a great party, it was a fun, whirlwind night. Everyone was beautiful and happy. I started the day off getting ready in a condo downtown with a view of the CN Tower and the lake (found by my mom on Airbnb!) with the bridal party. Then the groom party and us walked to our boat through the downtown. Our officiant was one of our best friends and he was hilarious - making all the jokes you hope your grandparents never have to hear. My dad baked the wedding cake from scratch in the shape of a beach wave for our love of the ocean, snorkeling, and diving. Lisen did a karaoke of "My Heart Will Go On" at the end of the night that lasted far too long (you have some great pictures of it). Everyone was drinking and dancing all night. We wanted to have a great party to celebrate the life we have together and we got to have just that. The pictures are something, especially in a time like now where we can't be with those those we love, that make us smile. You perfectly captured the silliness and the happiness of the whole day.