I will also be doing more Budget Bridal posts. You can see previous posts HERE
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What dress/suit size were you when you got married? (only answer if you want to)
I wore a U.S. size 20
What was your experience of finding a dress/suit?
Describe your day.
Anything else you want to add.
Yuli Scheidt shot the whole day - she’s a talented photographer, feminist, and body positivity activist. I’m lucky to have her as a dear friend.
Amarina & Ron
Memphis, Tennessee
Where did you meet your Bride/Groom?
When did you get married and where?
There’s this animal sanctuary and rescue centre outside of Toronto that we always loved and would try to visit once or twice a year. It’s run by a little family and a small staff, and we’d stop in to wander around with the deer, bunnies, peacocks, and cats. Did I mention there are jungle cats? They are in their own habitats. Ron and I always joked that it would be a cute place to get married and years later (just this past September), we were the second couple to have a wedding there. We could only have a small group of friends and family because of the animals, and it was so worth it because we got to interact with a lemur, a fennec fox, and a serval cat.
Ron and I met on a pretty shady dating site just over ten years ago. He made a profile and found me the very first night he was on it, I had only been on there for a couple of weeks.
The biggest ice storm of the year rolled in out of nowhere on the night of our first date. My bus into the city was 45 minutes late and I ran as fast as I could to the corner where we were supposed to meet, knowing that he would think I stood him up and I’d have to turn around and get on the next bus heading out. Conveniently, neither of us had a cell phone at the time. To my surprise, I got to the spot and there was Ron, shivering and joking about how we should have arranged to meet somewhere indoors. We had the best night at a local dive bar and I think we both knew immediately that we were meant to be.
When did you get married and where?
There’s this animal sanctuary and rescue centre outside of Toronto that we always loved and would try to visit once or twice a year. It’s run by a little family and a small staff, and we’d stop in to wander around with the deer, bunnies, peacocks, and cats. Did I mention there are jungle cats? They are in their own habitats. Ron and I always joked that it would be a cute place to get married and years later (just this past September), we were the second couple to have a wedding there. We could only have a small group of friends and family because of the animals, and it was so worth it because we got to interact with a lemur, a fennec fox, and a serval cat.
What dress/suit size were you when you got married? (only answer if you want to)
I wore a U.S. size 20
What was your experience of finding a dress/suit?
Our wedding was very non-traditional and I wanted a dress that I was fine with getting all muddy and covered in fur. I run a little online plus size vintage clothing store called Ursa Major+ (ursamajor.ca) and knew that I wanted to wear vintage but I honestly wasn’t super optimistic about finding something perfect.
I really lucked out when I was browsing Etsy and found a little 70’s cotton muslin house dress with hand-embroidered purple flowers. It was a few sizes too big but I didn’t care because I loved it so much. It ended up costing $80 and I added some muslin ties to the side seams and knotted them in the back to adjust the fit. I already owned a vintage pair of beat up white cowboy boots (that actually fit my fat calves!) and they looked great with the dress. I couldn’t have been happier about how it all came together and I felt really beautiful in my little outfit.
Describe your day.
Our little group of friends met up at our apartment in the early afternoon and we rode a rented school bus out to the sanctuary in the pouring rain. The owner let us set up in her incredible home on-site, which looked like it was straight out of a Wes Anderson movie. She had travelled with her partner and kids their whole lives and the home was full of photos and souvenirs from every corner of the globe. In fact, the first time we visited she had an orphaned baby skunk in her sun room that she was nursing back to health.
We met some adorable animals, learned their stories, and how they became residents. Some people hung out, others walked around looking at all the creatures and taking pictures before the ceremony.
My mother is an officiant who loves doing non-traditional celebrations and of course she married Ron and I. We had a short handfasting ceremony in the sanctuary owner’s lovely backyard, everyone cried a lot, and we did a group high five at the end before heading back on the bus for a vegetarian potluck in the city.
Afterwards we threw on jeans and met up with more friends at our favourite Toronto park and had a huge bonfire. We didn’t think it could be more magical until we were surprised with a fireworks show at the end of the night! It was really nice to have all of our favourite people in one place together and we’ll never forget it.
Anything else you want to add.
Yuli Scheidt shot the whole day - she’s a talented photographer, feminist, and body positivity activist. I’m lucky to have her as a dear friend.
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yulischeidt/
