Lis Simon Bride Chantelle
T H E L O V E S T O R Y
It all started in the year 2005 – two college students met in a student lounge, skipping class time to time to play pool. The two remained friends all throughout college, and after graduation. The year 2013 is when their love story started.
T H E P R O P O S A L
12. 26. 2017
Chantelle knew her husband was going to propose but never decided on a specific date. Boxing day 2017, the day he decided to take a whim and when to their college to see if he could make arrangements, and propose at the student lounge where they first met – “I don’t know how he did it, but he was able to arrange it all that same day!” He tricked her by telling that he was passing by the school to drop off a donation and one of his friends was the security guard who was able to let them in, and allowed them to do a quick tour around the school to reminisce. Once they got to the student lounge, a videographer and photographer was present to capture the proposal – “how he arranged that on the day of too, I’m still amazed!”
— The rest is history.
T H E D R E S S
My dress shopping experience was easy.
Chantelle knew what style she wanted and what she was looking for. She went to 4 stores in total and it was the last store, Ferre Sposa, is where she found her “stunning Lis Simon dress” — the Keegan dress.
W E D D I N G & R E C E P T I O N
08. 07. 2022 at The Guild Inn Estate
Their wedding was postponed twice because of the pandemic. Explains why there’s a big gap between their engagement and wedding day. The initial plan was to have a destination wedding in Jamaica.
Despite all the hurdles, the wedding turned out amazing. The reception was filled with fun, lots of laughter, jokes, music, dancing, and great food. It was very important to the couple for their guests to have the best time after postposing the wedding twice. “We owed it to ourselves and to them to have an amazing time”.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM YOUR SPECIAL DAY
Anecdotes from the bride:
We did the money dance which is a Filipino tradition before opening the dance floor for the night. The money dance serves to usher financial abundance into a couple’s marriage. Male guests line up in front of the bride and pin money on her dress, while the women pin money on the groom.
One of my most favourite moments was our grand entrance, it was high energy and so fun.
Another favourite moment was the father daughter dance where my son decided to join us unexpectedly — it was a sweet moment.
PREPARATIONS AND INSPIRATIONS
Chantelle opted for a romantic theme and feeling – flowers and candles – to have everything look classic, timeless, and modern.
Pinterest was where she found most of her inspiration, and a lot of searching on google as well. As soon as they confirmed the venue, she researched vendors that were linked with the venue, followed them on Instagram, and saved any of their posts that she liked as a reference.
HONEYMOON
The couple did not go on a honeymoon. Chantelle had her baby 6 months prior to the wedding and leaving her at that age was not an option. They are hoping to have a big 5 year anniversary trip when their kids are older.
Vendors
I made sure to follow vendors that had worked with the venue prior. It was important to me that they were familiar with the space. I figured it would be easier, especially when it came to the décor aspect. I found my wedding planner by googling and interviewing 4 different ones before deciding on Ashley. Anisa who made our wedding cake is a friend from high school and DJ Smartiez happened to be a friend of my husband as well. The MC was a mutual friend with one of the groomsmen. We had also attended two comedy shows where he was a guest and found him hilarious and knew he would be a great fit for our reception. The live painter was an amazing wedding gift from my sister. All the other vendors were found through numerous searches on google and Instagram.
Special thanks to:
Bridal boutique – Ferre Sposa
Bridesmaids Dresses - Henkaa
Photographer – Prince from Have + Hold Photography
Videographer – Michal Kedzierski with Eddie Cristobal Videography
Planner – Ashley from Velvet Bordeaux Events
MC – Comedian Big Norm
DJ – DJ Smartiez
Décor, Flowers & Rentals – Elite Décor by S&S
Vinyl Dancefloor – Axe Media
Wedding Sign – Hamaan Creations
Place Cards – Sweet Labels Signage
Brazilian Chocolate Give Aways – Ms.Brigadeiro
Wedding Cake – Cakes by Anisa B
Live Painter – Emily from Emily Paints Events