Dayo and Arama Odutayo
Another big wedding celebration falls prey to the pandemic, but this couple was able to have a gorgeous wedding with just 10 guests. Read below for the bride’s memories of the day.
Tell us a bit about your love story: Dayo & I met at McMaster University in 2011. He says that before he came up to speak to me, he told his friend that he was going to marry me. With a nudge from our mutual friendwe went on our first date in 2012 and have been inseparable ever since. We’ve gone through many milestones together like completing our degrees, moving to Toronto for our first jobs, raising a tuxedo cat and now living happily ever after!
What were your original plans for your wedding day? We were originally supposed to have two weddings: a traditional African ceremony on June 20th with 200+ guests from Europe and the USA, plus our Canadian wedding on June 28th with 100+ guests.
When you had to change your plans, how did you feel before and after? When the pandemic started and lockdown went into effect, we, like a lot of couples, were hoping it would be for a short time. But as it continued into April, then May, we were forced to cancel both events for everyone’s safety. We were incredibly heartbroken because it seemed that all of our planning and budgeting had gone to waste. Then a couple of weeks before our wedding date a co-worker shared that the Fairmont Royal York Hotel was hosting micro-weddings. I called inquiring for our original date of Sunday, June 28th and it was available! I couldn’t believe it! Even though Toronto was in stage 2 at the time and the max guest count was 10, I was just grateful I could still get married on my original date with the most important people our lives.
Will you be having a larger celebration next year? Ideally our parents would like to host the traditional African ceremony in Summer 2021. However, it will only be considered when it is safe to host all 200+ of our guests from around the globe. We plan to wait until January 2021 to see what the COVID case numbers will be like, if travel restrictions are further lifted, and for more information on a vaccine.
What was your favourite part of the day? That’s really tough to pinpoint but the most emotional part was right after the ceremony. I cried in Dayo’s arms as I felt a wave of gratitude that I still got to have a beautiful wedding and relief that all the planning and hard work was done!
What advice can you give to couples planning a wedding? Get a wedding planner as soon as you get engaged to help you navigate the whole process + day of scheduling, put in your contracts with all vendors a pandemic contingency that ensures you get your deposit back, make as many payments as you can with a travel credit card to use those points towards a honeymoon, and don’t be afraid to modify your plans to suit your needs first. Good luck!
Photography and videography: Tara Weddings
Wedding planner: Glitz & Glam Events Company
Venue: Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto
Reception Décor: LuxeSoiree Wedding
Dessert and cake: Fruitilicious Cakes
Bridal party floral: Plush Flowers
Gown: Maggie Sottero
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Azazie.com
Suit: Custom Made in Nigeria with suit stylist Al-Amin Otusanya
Bridal hair: Arthur Hair
Bridal makeup: Afia Beauty
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This is such a beautiful intimate wedding.
Amazing job to the team for a job well done. Congratulations to the couple.