El-Joenaï & Moses Iradukunda
After meeting at a church retreat and catching each other’s eye, this couple became friends and eventually realized they were much more than that. Moses rented a cabin one weekend, along with a helicopter(!) and proposed. Then the planning began.
Favourite part of the day for him: “My favourite part was watching her walk down the aisle. I had to try really hard to keep my composure as I watched my dream girl walking towards me in a white gown.”
Favourite part of the day for her: “My favourite moment was our first dance. For those five minutes the world disappeared. There was no more planning, no following a program, and it was just us, husband and wife for the first time.”
Unique aspects: “We had planned fireworks as a surprise for our guests,” says the bride.”It was a really nice touch and added so much to the evening. The venue was quite unique. It was all glass so we were basically in sunlight until well into the reception. The décor and lush greenery added an appeasing aura to the day.
Being an intercultural wedding, we had to plan it as bilingual. This was a challenge because we had to make sure all the stationery was in both languages and still looked good, find a bilingual MC and make sure everything fit within the program, even while being translated. We also had traditional Rwandese dancers entertaining us during the dinner, which our guests really enjoyed.”
Would you have done anything differently? “We would have hired a planner. Other than saving us all the headaches of planning a wedding, knowing every little detail of how everything is supposed to go takes away from our experience because we notice when the slightest thing doesn’t go as planned and all of a sudden, we are no longer focused on enjoying the day. Also, cut down the number of speeches to a minimum. We tried to space them out and put fun things in-between, but really, we should have kept them to a maximum of two.”
Location of ceremony/reception (including city): Aquatopia Conservatory in Carp, ON
Number of guests: 150
Gown designer: Luz by Enzoani from Adamyk Bridal Store, Ottawa
Suit designer: SurMesur, Quebec City
Bridesmaid dresses: JJ’s House
Makeup: Anthonia Makeup, Ottawa
Hair: AMC Hair Studio, Ottawa
Planner: Ourselves, Friends & Family, Aquatopia
Photographer: Boyo Photography
Cake: The Girl with the Most Cake, Ottawa
Stationery: Etsy & Mimosa Design, Quebec City
Décor: Aquatopia Conservatory
Florals: Aquatopia Conservatory
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