A lakeside love party: Stefanie and Alex’s low-key wedding weekend

Here at Today’s Bride Magazine, we absolutely love diving into the heartwarming tales of real weddings across Canada and beyond. There’s just something about hearing the unique stories of couples like Stefanie and Alex that makes our hearts skip a beat. Their enchanting lakeside fall low-key wedding unfolded on September 9, 2023, at the picturesque Viamede Resort on Stony Lake. With a guest list of 100, Stefanie and Alex crafted a celebration that perfectly mirrored their laidback, stress-free style.

If you’re dreaming of a wedding weekend filled with multiple events that everyone will enjoy, you have to check out Stefanie and Alex’s wedding. Here’s how Stefanie described the weekend: 

Photos by: Emily B Photography

Pre-wedding festivities

“On September 9, 2023, my husband and I got married in an intimate, low-key wedding on the lake, where we first said, ‘I love you.’

“Viamede Resort on Stony Lake is where we chose to say our vows in front of 100 guests.  We are a very laid-back, stress-free, and casual couple, so we wanted our wedding to reflect that.  We rented out the entire resort for the weekend and invited our closest friends and family along with us to celebrate our cottage wedding weekend. 

“The festivities started on Friday night. Guests checked in around 3 p.m. and were greeted with welcome bags in each cabin room. They featured all the typical goodies: Smartfood popcorn bags, his and her favourite candies (sour keys and fuzzy peaches), as well as custom wedding koozies and hangover kits.  

“To kick off the weekend, we hosted a big welcome BBQ! It featured all the typical fixings for a cottage dinner, like burgers, hot dogs, potato salad and more. Following the BBQ, we moved over to the fire pit and had a big bonfire and s’mores party!” 

Wedding day preparations

“The next day, guests had full access to anything they wanted to do on the resort while the wedding party got ready. Guests could swim, kayak, canoe, play disc golf, tour the onsite farm, and even have the option to go water tubing!  

“I spent the morning getting ready in a quaint cabin on the resort’s edge. I was able to have a first look there with my Dad, brothers, as well as our family dogs (Higgins, my Pug of Honour, and Ollie, our Ring Security).  

“Alex, my husband, and I had an intimate first look lakeside right outside the cabin where I got ready with my bridesmaids. By 4 p.m., we were ready to exchange vows at Wedding Point, a stunning 10-foot wooden arbour right at the edge of the lake.” 

The importance of family

“As I walked down the aisle with my Dad, my father-in-law played the trumpet. He was accompanied by a friend of his on the keyboard. It was so special to have a family member be a part of our musical entrance.   

“Family is extremely important to us, so it was super important to me that they be as involved as possible. One of my brothers actually became a legal officiant, so he was able to officiate our wedding! My other two brothers were our witnesses, my Mom did all the bouquets and interior flowers, my Dad and I did a special choreographed father-daughter dance, my mother-in-law organized all the wine for the welcome BBQ, my brother-in-law was the emcee, my best friend of 20 years (who is essentially my sister) decorated the arbour we got married under, and her daughter was our flower girl! It was truly such a special occasion to have all of our family so actively involved in our wedding”  

The fun of it all

“After we said our vows, we did a ‘unity shot to tie the knot’ with a custom ski shot complete with two tequila shots. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, so we figured a unity shot was the perfect end to our ceremony! Afterward, we walked out to the Rocky theme song before heading into cocktail hour. 

“Cocktail hour featured a caricature artist drawing caricatures of our guests, a 360-degree video booth, a giant wedding crossword puzzle, signature drinks (a mojito for him and an elderflower gin cocktail for me), passed appetizers, an oyster and shrimp bar, and signing of our guest book, which was a handmade cornhole set constructed by Alex’s dad. We also had special cocktail napkins with cartoon images of the family dogs on them saying, “Drinks on us!” Our guests certainly got a kick out of that!” 

A memorable reception

“Dinner was a four-course meal featuring a soup, salad, main and an assorted dessert buffet.  The menus were printed on plantable menus (you literally just plant them in dirt and water them, and they turn into wildflowers!). We loved that they were good for the environment and that guests could plant them and always have a special reminder of our weekend.

“Alex’s brother, Mike, and our friend Lauren were co-emcees.  Mike kicked off the celebrations with a song, and then all the speeches were said.  

“After dinner, the Photo Booth/gif/boomerang station opened, and the dancing began! It was an incredible night, and everyone danced until the party ended.   

“The next day, we got to have a goodbye brunch with all of our guests before they headed back to their homes. It was truly such a unique, intimate, stress-free, magical weekend!”

We hope you enjoyed this festive and low-key wedding; for more real wedding inspiration, click here.

Vendor Team: