Tessa O’Donoghue & Josef Fediurek
After Covid hit and their 200-person wedding had to be put on hold, this couple decided to keep their original date and celebrate with 13 guests at the family cottage. The bride’s grandfather built the cottage and was unable to attend the wedding due to health issues. The bride says his presence was felt everywhere. Here is what Tessa had to say about the special day.
Tell us about your love story: Joe and I have been friends for 11 years. We fell in love and decided to become more than friends after going for a walk on a bridge in our hometown. I asked Joe “What are you thinking?” and he said, “Probably the same thing as you.” On that same day we had our first kiss. Five years later on September 8, 2018, Joe proposed on that same bridge by getting down on one knee and asking me if I knew what he was thinking. He then asked me to marry him. Through the years we have carried each other through many ups and downs. From Joe going to Chiropractic college in the US, to sticking by each other through family illness, our love has only grown.
Why was it important to you to keep the original date? For the last two years we have been planning our dream wedding for July 18th, 2020 at the Elora Mill. With less than four months to go we quickly realized that our day was not going to happen as planned. Although it was devastating that we would not get to celebrate with all of our friends and family as intended, we knew we wanted to get married and did not want to postpone our future any longer.
What were your original feelings about cancelling the big wedding and how do you feel now? We were devastated, we couldn’t imagine getting married without the people we love there. It was also extremely stressful to make a decision and the task of rebooking vendors was daunting. We are so happy that we decided to get married on our original date. The day was incredible, I could not stop smiling. We feel lucky that we got to experience this intimate day with our immediate family and are looking forward to the larger event next year.
Will you do a bigger event in the future? Yes, we have postponed our larger ceremony and reception to March 13, 2021 at the Elora Mill. My advice after all of this is that when you’ve been in love for almost a decade and the chance comes along to marry your best friend twice, you marry them twice!
Location of ceremony/reception (including city): Family cottage in French River, Ontario
Number of guests: 15
Photographer: Nicole Alex Photography
Gown designer: ASOS online
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Just an amazing ❤️Love Story❤️! Not to be unexpected from these two amazing people! Congratulations! So well done🥂