What I Wore on My 2023 Wedding Day
Happy New Year!
It’s been a hot minute since I last posted. Frankly, I’ve missed posting. One thing I want to do more in 2024 is return to a frequent (or semi-frequent) blog posting schedule. Here I am, stating it publicly. Feel free to hold me accountable.
Something that has prevented me from posting much lately is my wedding. Planning a wedding while working a 9-5 job, moving into a new place, caring for a dog, and balancing a social life is no joke. Heading into 2024, I am no longer a bride but a wife. And while a lot of women might be sad about that transition, I am not lol.
That being said, I had the most beautiful wedding day. It is among the most cherished moments of my entire life. Even though planning a wedding may have taken years off my life, it was also one of the most rewarding experiences and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
With a bunch of wedding-related thoughts rattling around in my brain, I thought I would start sharing some advice, memories, and tips & tricks I gathered during my experience, to held current or future brides-to-be (or nosy people — you are seen ❤️).
Today, I wanted to talk specifically about the outfits I wore on my wedding day. I loved everything I wore right down to the little details and I can’t wait to share it all with you!
Image by Greco Photo Co.
Wedding Ceremony
Image by Greco Photo Co.
The Dress
The wedding gown is the most exciting part of a bridal look. And I have to say, it was incredibly easy to pick my dress. If you remember from my wedding dress shopping experience, I fell in love with the very first dress I tried on — it was kismet!
For the first of my two wedding day looks (more on that later), I went “traditional”. There have been so many really cool trends in bridal wear over the past couple years and while a lot of them did charm me, I couldn’t see myself in any of them.
The words that came to mind when I searched for my dream wedding dress were “romantic” and “airy” — and that’s exactly what I found in Madi Lane gowns.
All of this to say that my wedding dress was the Madi Lane Elora gown. The dress came in either ivory or mocha, and I went with mocha. In my humble opinion, I think it added so much depth and character to the dress. The gown had detachable sleeves which I thought was very cool although I never actually remembered to detach them lol.
Image by Greco Photo Co.
The Shoes
For my shoes, I went with Kailee P. This is probably a name that is familiar to current or recent brides. I chose the Faith shoe which is a crochet block heel with a beautiful lace bow at the back. They are gorgeous and perfect and magical.
But they are also expensive. $200 CAD after tax, shipping & currency conversion, to be exact. They also incredibly uncomfortable. I developed Morton’s Neuroma after wearing them for nine hours. But they sure are pretty!
Frankly, I didn’t expect to be walking on a cloud in my wedding shoe. In fact, I made a conscious decision to chose beauty over comfort. But if that’s not something you’re willing to sacrifice on your big day, I would definitely find something a little more cushioned. And maybe a second pair of shoes for dancing!
Image by Greco Photo Co.
Little Details
When it came to being bejeweled (Taylor Swift reference intended), my motto was “less is more”. This came as a surprise to a lot of people. Apparently, most brides choose to wear a lot of bling on their big day. Not this bride!
I’m generally not big on statement pieces and prefered something more simple to accent the look. In other words, I wanted the dress to stand out as the most eye-catching piece in my ensemble. It certainly deserved to be front-and-centre.
I purchased my earrings from Olive + Piper, a Vancouver-based jewelry company. This particular pair are the Bryn drops which are made of crystals and freshwater pearls. They were comfortable, elegant, and feminine — not to mention, very affordable. Both rings came from Michael Hill. My engagement ring is a yellow-gold solitaire band with a 1.26ct diamond and the wedding band is a channel setting with 0.50ct diamonds.
You might be able to tell from the photos that my engagement ring is, in fact, not yellow-gold. It is a very long story but suffice it to say, my engagement ring wasn’t ready in time. The shop graciously loaned me the white gold version of the same ring for the night and I am eternally grateful.
I finished off the look with a few spritzes of the Burberry Goddess perfume which is, in my opinion, the height of luxury. It’s a warm and spicy scent with notes of vanilla infusion, vanilla caviar, and vanilla absolute. It smells divine.
Image by Greco Photo Co.
Wedding Reception
In a break from tradition, I decided not to bustle my gown. Cue the wedding rules police. Frankly, I didn’t like how it looked, especially with the detailed lace on my gown’s skirt. So my dress eventually became incredibly annoying throughout the night, especially when it was time to bring everyone onto the dancefloor.
Luckily, I bought a second dress just for such an occasion. After our first dance, I did a quick change with the help of my new husband (I never get tired of saying that!) and my maid of honour. And voila! I was ready to get grooving.
The party dress I purchased was from Billy J., an online fashion boutique from Australia. I ordered the Amalia Maxi Dress, a gorgeous halter dress with a side slit and neck cut-out. I chose the colour “Champagne” which was a luxe off-white shade — the perfect pick for a bridal look. It was a huge hit and with a bit of fashion tape, I was set for an entire night of dancing.
Image by Greco Photo Co.
To top off the look, Steven and I embraced the October chill with our very own denim jacket. I DIY’ed these spooky jackets for us which was a MASSIVE pain in the ass… But hey, they ended up being adorable. So honestly, I can’t be mad.
In keeping with the October 13 theme, I painted “Until death do us part” on the back, accompanied by little ghosties. If you know me, you know that I love a good ghostie. I often wished I had never started this project, but in the end, I’m glad I powered through because the photos are no short of iconic.
We are eternally grateful to our wedding day photographers, Greco Photo Co., who captured our magical evening. Honestly, the photos are incredible. There is so much more to share but for now, I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and I wish you the very best in 2024.
