Kristin + Tom / Whistler's McNeil Room Wedding

Places can carry emotional memories, and for Kristin and Tom, New York City's Union Square is a very special location. It's where they lived (just a block away from each other), where they often visit, and it's where Thomas ultimately proposed. Their story, that we tried to express in a simple yet meaningful wedding film, is one of incredible connection; Their love carried across borders and postal codes with a connection that wouldn't break, even when separated by physical distance.

Five years ago, Tom from Toronto met Kristin, from St. Louis, MO, in the summer while he was interning at a law firm in the Big Apple. They met, as he says, "the old-fashioned way", in the early hours of the morning. And contrary to what his mom says - that "nothing good happens after 2:00 in the morning" - it was magic that took place then. A few years later, they finally had their first date, and even though he showed up late, they were instantly connected. Which takes us to their wedding day at St George's Orthodox Church in Toronto.

As you watch their lovely Toronto wedding film, you can't help but fall in love with Tom and Kristin. Right off the bat, you can feel the love not only between them, but from their community of family and friends who came to celebrate from all over the world. All day, they took great care of every detail of the wedding and reception, with the planning help of our friend Jan (of Willow Rose Events). Everything unfolded perfectly and Kristin, as a professional wedding designer with her company, Miss Design Berry, even made all the wedding stationary.

In true Mastoras family fashion, they had the reception at his uncle's restaurant, Whistler's Grille and McNeil Room. We couldn't help but get caught up in the joy and happiness shared by everyone on this incredible day.

Congratulations, Tom and Kristin! You are a beautiful couple that is a true testament of the fact that love knows no boundaries. Here's to many years of a happy life filled with love, friendship, and trips across the border.

Love,

OHF

Photographer : Purple Tree Photography
Hair/Makeup : BlushPretty 
Planner : Willow Rose Events
Band : Dave Murphy Band
Flowers : Blush and Bloom
Cake : Nadia & Co.
Stationary/Backdrop : Miss Design Berry
Plates/Goblets : Plate Occasions
Venue : Whistler's Grille and McNeil Room
Limo : Paradise Limo

The Best Wedding Film Music Of 2017

With the wedding season well underway, and as we progress through our couples' wedding film edits, we thought we'd help couples that don't know where to begin when choosing songs for their wedding films and create our own list of the Best Wedding Film Music of 2017.

Now, in case you haven't read it yet, we create a post back in 2015 about How To Pick Music For Wedding Videos. This has been by far the most popular, and arguably the most useful, wedding resource we have ever created. So before going through our list of 2017 wedding song favourites below, give that a read to understand what wedding filmmakers look for in a song.

Before moving on to the goodness, it seems important to point out that all the songs listed here are available over at the Music Bed website. We don't have any sort of deal with them, and they don't pay us to advertise their wedding music licensing service; we just happen to like the creative they put out. Sure, you might not know some of the artists, but you can license the music legally, allowing you to share your film as you wish, basically anywhere (for our couples, the cost of licensing is included in the wedding film package). Plus, it's awesome to support indie talent, and your music won't feel so dated in a few years.

All right, so without further ado, here are our favourite wedding video songs of 2017. Just click on the images to listen to the track.

The Rival / When I'm With You (Walking On Air)
High energy indie rock with cool lyrics; also happens to be the perfect length.

John Lucas / Caesar
Beautiful dramatic track with great singer-songwriter vibes and memorable, soft vocals.

CAPPA ft West Coast Massive / Paper Stars
Electro pop with a nice party feel, perfect for waterside weddings with a DIY feel

Tim Halperin / From This Day On
One of Tim's newest tracks, it features piano and a storyline perfect for an inspiring wedding film.

Adrian Disch / Sky Lights (Instrumental Only)
Emotional instrumental indie pop rock goodness that will effortlessly take you places, stunning ambient track

Cody Fry / Go
Nice classic singer-songwriter song with hints of country and a structure that will work for any wedding film

Andrew Belle / Honey & Milk
Alternative indie with darker tones and pleasing depth of composition, good for emotional wedding days

The Rival / Good To Be Alive
This track is fun, upbeat, and, well, it will certainly make you... feel alive!

John Lucas / Love Is Kind
Masterful guitar composition with a nice buildup, perfect for more spiritual couples

Secret Nation / Believe (SVVN Remix)
Soft lyrics packaged in an exciting track that alternates between reflective quiet moments and high-energy peaks.

Tim Halperin / I Believe
Easy to listen to, great flow for a wedding film, and meaningful lyrics. Tim Halperin is never a bad bed.

The Light The Heat / Your Love Is My Home
Beautiful, meaningful, with a great structure. Doesn't go too hard, but definitely enough to carry a film forward.

Hoyle / New Love
High energy pop for contemporary couples, can really bring some pop to a film

'Elemental Sentiments' a Modern Minimal Wedding Inspiration Editorial

Imagine a wedding where extravagance and tradition are replaced by refined simple beauty, one that omits gold and blush, opting instead for timeless monochrome palettes and unburdened tablescapes, juxtaposing strong concrete walls and fragile, flowing dresses.

Elemental Sentiments is a minimal, monochrome, modern wedding day vision for couples with discerning taste and a love for modern minimal design.

Watch the inspiration video below:

All photography taken by the wonderful Ally at Evolylla Photography. For more images, please head over to her website.
 

Thanks to our incredible team of wedding professionals for their beautiful work on this piece!

Film & Production: One Heart Films
Photography: Evolylla Photography / www.evolyllaphotography.com
Décor & Florals: Bisous Events / www.bisousevents.com
Make-Up and Hair: Windy at Aglow by Joan / www.aglowbyjoan.com
Menswear accessories: TYTAN / www.tytanties.com
Gowns: Ferré Sposa / www.ferresposa.com
Bridal Accessories: LUVYT / www.luvyt.com
Styling: Jennifer Dang
Macarons: Nadège Pâtisserie / www.nadege-patisserie.com
Model / Bride: Ming-Bo Lam / http://www.mingbolam.com
Model / Groom: Hubert Tran
Shot on Location at: Album Studio Rentals / www.albumstudiorentals.com

Friends Friday: TYTAN Ties, bespoke menswear accessories

This week we kick off our Friends Friday series, which is meant to be a source of inspiration for couples getting married, as well as a window into the work of some of the wedding industry’s best professionals: why they do what they do, what drives their work, how couples can best work with them to achieve unique results, and much more. This series will feature photographers with unconventional styles, convention-shattering milliners, bridal shops that cater to the individual not the masses, planners with resolutely contemporary tastes, and much more.

But first, to kick off Friends Fridays, we sit down with Justin from TYTAN ties to talk about custom-made menswear accessories.

OHF: First things first: so how did you get into making accessories for men? Why ties, bow ties and pocket squares specifically?

Justin: I started off working in the wedding industry as a hairstylist for brides.  During our consultations, many of them would ask me if I knew where they could find a nice tie for their groom-to-be and most of the time I would direct them to one of the big department stores or a few other popular menswear stores like Mexx (R.I.P) because that’s where I would get mine.  Keep in mind, back then, matching solid ties were ‘in’ so it’s not like many were looking for something that particular; maybe stripes at most. The thought of anything else was pretty foreign. And then a few years ago, there was a shift in menswear and accessories: suits and ties were beginning to get slimmer, bow ties were making a comeback, and grooms were starting to get more involved in wedding planning. With so many options available for brides and bridesmaids, I started TYTAN because I could see that guys were starting to go the custom route and wanted something unique for themselves as well. We wanted to break away from this idea that a groom is just an accessory to the bride on the big day.

OHF: What are your thoughts on the relatively recent rise in attention given to menswear and menswear accessories? I mean, it seems to me we've never given as much thought to how men dress, especially grooms on wedding days…

J: To put it simply, guys do care about what they look like. Especially for such a big event in front of all their family and friends, Groom’s want to look and feel good. Wearing the right suit and [bow] tie makes you stand a little taller and walk with a little more swag. I hear it all the time, “I feel like James Bond today!”

What makes a wedding unique are the details, and that goes for choosing the right attire as well. As I said before, grooms want to be more involved (for the most part), and selecting what they wear is one of the few decisions that is fully theirs. They are beginning to see and becoming more aware of their options. With pretty much everyone on social media these days, finding ideas and options is easy, and even though it is overwhelming at times, it can be a great starting point to see what you like and don’t like. Whether you decide to go bespoke or buy off-the-rack, there are many affordable suit and tux options that come with a variety of styles, fabrics and colors to fit every body type. In some cases, grooms are opting out of a full suit altogether. Some current trends I have noticed this past year include wider and different colored lapels, suspenders, colorful and funky socks and of course, bow ties! I also like that Groom’s are wearing a different color suit from the Groomsmen and choosing bolder colors like electric/cobalt blue, as well as exploring dinner jackets with black tux pants. If you’re afraid of stepping outside the box too much, don’t worry, you can always try a navy or midnight blue suit instead of the traditional black. Many of our own clients have expressed their frustration of seeing the same things over and over again at every store, so they like the idea of being able to design a [bow] tie that reflects their taste more specifically. You’d be surprised at some of the fabrics our grooms have chosen! I believe most guys are visual learners, so when you are able to help them visualize the entire look, they are able to make better - and often surprising! - decisions.    

OHF: Tell me about customization, and the idea of men wearing one-of-a kind, tailored pieces on their wedding day.

J: No two clients are exactly the same, so we treat each design the same way. We have what we call The ABC’s of Style. Most grooms we work with fall into a style type:  A-adventurous, B-Bond, or C-classic. We use that as a starting point to select textiles that we feel fit their personal style. For someone who is adventurous, we may choose more vibrant colors and prints, whereas a Bond [James Bond] might want something more plush and luxurious feeling. The great thing about our designs is that they can be made reversible, which means that you can choose a style type that speaks to who you are, but also another one of who you may want to be for the day. It adds adds an element of fun and surprise, giving you the option to switch it up from day to night, GQ gentleman to party animal! Although to some a tie or bow tie is a minor detail to the overall scheme of things, it’s those details that count. When you’re standing front and centre saying your vows, so is your [bow] tie. So make it count!

OHF: So, for any grooms to be out there that are indeed looking for custom pieces, can you explain  the process of creating the pieces? How do you go from a groom reaching out with an idea, all the way to having the pieces delivered in time for the big day?

J: We want to make the process as simple as possible. After an initial consultation where we have established their style type and color palette, we head out to find textiles that fit within their vision. We then put together an inspiration board that we send via email with swatches for them to choose from. They select the ones they like most and we meet up once more for them to see it in person. Once they have decided, it goes into production! Fabric selection is what typically takes the longest, which we allot about 3-4 weeks for, as there are a number of stores we visit; it also gives our groom some time to actually think about what he wants. The production itself can happen as quickly as 2 weeks (depending on the number of [bow] ties being made and if there are any special requests like embroidery). April to September are high season months, so we highly encourage grooms to book at least 3 months in advance to ensure not only timely delivery, but also confidence in their choice. Each [bow] tie is boxed with a personalized card with their name and message just to add that extra special touch.

OHF: And to finish: tie or bow tie?

J: That’s like asking me to choose between rice or pasta! They’re both good for different reasons. BUT, if I had to choose one, I am going to have to go with bow tie. I’ve been a tie guy for pretty much all my life, but there’s something about a bow tie that’s so classic. Plus, you can get away with more crazy prints because it’s on such a smaller scale!  

Editorial photography: Gable Mak
J's profile picture: Janet Kwan