how to plan a wedding in 24 hours

Drew: We wanted bands that would match but also something that was beautiful in its simplicity.

Maggie: a friend once told me about the tradition around wedding bands in Germany, where she was from. she explained that their bands are typically simple, gold and matching. it seemed like such a beautiful way to mark the occasion. drew and i decided that was the way to go. we asked one of our bluboho jewellers to create the rings for us back in the summer. as we started looking at wedding venues, and thinking about the countless time, energy and money that would go into hosting a large wedding event. neither of us even seemed very excited about it, which made us take pause. 

jewels from left to right: lasso bracelet, diamond tripods, little crescent necklace, crystal confetti ring, hula necklace, pear shape moonstone bracelet, align diamond bar studs

Drew: Trying to find something that felt right to us. This was tricky. It was easy to decide what we did not want, but it was difficult to envision what was right. Ultimately, we just wanted to jump right in and do it. It’s amazing what you can do in a short period of time when you have a network of people that support crazy ideas like ours.

Maggie: fast forward to december. we kept joking that if our wedding bands were ready. maybe we would just go to city hall on December 24th and get married. well, our jeweler surprised us on December 23rd with two beautiful wedding bands. once we had the bands, we figured we should just do it! drew and i were already hosting both of our parents at our place in Prince Edward County on christmas eve, which made it even better because we knew we wanted out parents to be a part of it. 

Drew: Really good flowers for Maggie.

Maggie: this is what we prioritized in order….

wedding bands  -  they were done!

officiant  -  called Sonia in Prince Edward County and said “this might sound crazy, but we would like to get married tomorrow. would you be able to help us?”

her response “that does sound crazy, and I would love to do it!"

wedding licence. we went first thing in the morning on Christmas Eve. they were only open until noon and the ceremony was booked at 2.

photographer  -  we called our dear friend, Tania and asked her to snap a few photos. she was so enthusiastic and supportive!

flowers  -  coriander girl whipped up a bouquet, boutonniere, and a table centrepiece

cake  -  called bake shoppe TO and asked them to put aside something delicious.

dress + shoes  -  I had one hour to find a dress and shoes. I looked at a few places and found a great dress at Saks that I paired with Valentino shoes.

suit + tie  -  drew had a black suit and we picked up a new tie for him at Loversland.

dinner  -  drew’s dad was already bringing dinner, and he is an excellent cook!

What was your favourite part of the planning process? 

Drew: Once we realized it was possible and it was just a matter of getting the right pieces in the right places.

Maggie: planning the wedding in 24 hours made me realize i knew what i wanted - i didn’t hesitate where the flowers were from, or the cake, or what we should wear. it actually made it less stressful, because we didn’t have to take months and multiple appointments to decide on a cake or a pair of shoes.

 

Drew: It was actually offered to us by our neighbours. We called them about something else, and when they found out what our plan was, they insisted we use their property. They own a b&b and wedding venue called compass rose.

Maggie: Compass Rose is a beautiful event space in Prince Edward County, and they also happen to be our neighbours and friends. we had been talking to Cameron that day about whether or not we would be able to get a marriage licence on Christmas eve. They were so generous to offer their space to us for our ceremony and it was absolutely perfect.

Drew: Not a chance

Maggie: Not one.

 

Drew: Planning out a guest list is one of the most difficult parts of planning a wedding. The tight time frame took this problem out of our hands.

Maggie: It made for a very special and intimate moment for the two of us and our parents, which was magical.

 

Drew: Even though we only had a short amount of time to write our vows, they were definitely the highlight. And of course, how beautiful the bride looked on her wedding day.

Maggie: surprising our parents - they had not idea that we were getting married. i let them know we should go see a potential wedding venue because they would be in the county. they both agreed to be there and when we arrived, they saw us all dressed up and ready to get married. they were so shocked and excited! it was amazing.

Drew: Fun, spontaneous, beautiful, love

Maggie: casual, intimate, beautiful, love-filled

Drew: Zen did a great job with the rings.