Real Weddings
OntarioA Parisian Cafe-Meets-Garden Party Wedding Inspired by Les Galeries LaFayette and Restoration Hardware
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Lindsey Fast and Nathan Narciso instantly connected over beers and nachos after meeting online in August 2015. Five years later, Nathan decided to recreate their first date for a candlelight proposal at home. Like the restaurant, his setup was complete with nachos and freshly-poured beer set out on kraft paper. Yet, Nathan’s kraft paper also included a hand-drawn timeline of the significant milestones of their relationship. Following a beautiful speech, he got down on one knee and proposed to Lindsey with a custom engagement ring he commissioned from LAURA TEDESCO JEWELLERY DESIGN.
The couple returned to the same jeweller for their wedding bands, Nathan’s being made from the melted gold of his late grandfather’s wedding ring, which he had worn for 60 years. “Isle Of You,” a play on “I Love You” that the couple has been saying to one another for years, is engraved on the bands.
Lindsey and Nathan were married on July 16, 2022, at Lindsey’s family’s property in Burlington, Ontario. Three months before the wedding, event planner Carina D’Angelo of EVENT BOUTIQUE CO. was tapped to assist with vendor timelines and overall event logistics, including the organization of the AV and required power supply necessary to build an event of this scale from scratch. (The installation took over two weeks to complete.) Carly Stevens provided week-of event coordination support.
Lindsey wore the “River” fitted dress by Australian designer ANNA CAMPBELL BRIDAL for the ceremony and cocktail reception. She accessorized with two diamond-lettered bracelets: one with an “L” for Lindsey, and the other with an “N” for Nathan.
Lindsey’s younger sister Renata Fast was the maid of honour, while best friends made throughout Lindsey’s life (who have become best friends with each other!) served as her bridesmaids. Each wore floor-length black dresses of their choosing. Nathan’s younger brother Mathew served as best man. The groomsmen have all been friends of Nathan’s since they were about ten. They all wore formalwear from ANDREW’S FORMALS.
The wedding was a family affair in the complete sense of the word as the bride Lindsey, and her brother, Gregory Fast, collaborated on the overall planning and design of the event, with Greg also serving as the event florist and decorator. The brother-sister duo also work together full-time as operators of
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, making the company a natural choice from which the siblings sourced all decor, furniture, and event rentals, including all three of the event tents.
Parisian gardens, sculptures, and architecture inspired the event design of the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. Each part of the day took place in a separate tent; each space unveiled one after the other.
The wedding ceremony occurred in the first of three tents by a fountain at the estate’s driveway.
Working in the event industry, Lindsey honed in on the ceremony chairs well before planning began. The style of the chair became the catalyst for the Parisian garden-style event decor theme. “I fell in love with the chair’s zinc finish and general romance,” she explains.
Deciding on an untraditional walk down the “aisle,” the bride and groom walked a garden pathway to enter the ceremony at the side of the tent with music provided by a pianist from ST. ROYAL ENTERTAINMENT.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests headed to the backyard, where two tents had been installed around the estate’s pool and cabana, with only one visible to the guests. The first (and smaller) of the two tents housed a plein-air cocktail hour. Large urns were filled with white roses, and more “Jardin” chairs helped create a garden party atmosphere.
“One of the most talked about things from cocktail hour was the floating floral arrangement in the hot tub, which was Greg’s idea!” shares Lindsey.
A cleverly-designed drapery ‘reveal wall’ kept the second tent from view, leading some guests to believe that the space was the final location for the evening.
CATCH CATERING, a division of Catch Hospitality Group (parent company of one of Lindsey and Nathan’s favourite restaurants, Cucci), provided all food and beverage for the event, starting with the cocktail hour menu. They created unique pairings for every palate including lemonade with a summer salad and fresh bites, Margaritas with Mexican dishes (served in bento boxes from SPECIAL EVENT RENTALS), and individual prosecco bottles with custom labels and gold sippers served alongside a raw bar.
Niki Kingsmill provided watercolour illustrations of the food pairings.
Fashion illustrators Michael Hak and Nessa Lily were onsite and commissioned to create drawings of the newlyweds and their guests.
After the first set of speeches were made, a grand surprise unveiling revealed the largest of the three tents, fully draped, complete with air-conditioning, and featuring a central lounge with a massive floral centrepiece and oversized crystal chandelier. Les Galeries LaFayette (in Paris) heavily inspired the main tent’s interior design, including arch shapes and its clear top.
Naturally, Lindsey and her brother Greg looked to their company,
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to decorate the space. They chose items that felt like home decor, specifically their line of Sonoma Furnishings and a custom-made “Century” bar and bar back that the company designed and manufactured for the occasion.
“We wanted it to feel like people were in a beautifully decorated home and were comfortable,” shares Lindsey.
Large green trees were also placed inside the tent to bring a Parisian cafe-meets-Restoration Hardware feel.
Even the floor design was thoughtfully considered. “We went with a light oak chevron flooring for the main tent, which helped create a Parisian apartment feel,” says Lindsey. Rounding out the old-world Parisian garden vibe were hundreds of white roses arranged in oversized planters.
Pictured are the Fast siblings. (From left) Gregory (co-designer of the wedding), Lindsey, Renata, and Christopher Fast. Gregory, Lindsey, and Christopher Fast work together at SPECIAL EVENT RENTALS, while Renata Fast is an Olympic Hockey Player for Team Canada.
Shortly after entering the main tent, the couple did a first dance to “The Promise” by Sturgill Simpson. “I will always cherish this intimate moment under the sparkling chandelier,” says Lindsey.
DFD EVENT SOLUTIONS designed and installed vinyl graphics in an arched cobblestone pattern for the dance floor and bars. They also provided cobblestone- printed archways for the front of the stage.
After the first dance, Lindsey and Nathan both changed. Lindsey’s second dress, a floor-length beaded RETROFÊTE gown from THE AFTERWHITE, was worn with AMINA MUADDI earrings from MYTHERESA, a CULT GAIA shoulder bag, and STUART WEITZMAN shoes.
Hair stylist, SHANNON PETROLITO HAIR ARTISTRY, restyled Lindsey’s hair to complement the gown.
Nathan traded his black tuxedo for a white jacket and accessorized it with a watch from CHRISTOPHER WARD that Lindsey had gifted him a few years before the wedding.
There were six main food stations, but also roving food carts so that everyone could have something they loved! SPECIAL EVENT RENTALS collaborated with the catering company to provide unique serving dishes for the plating of each station’s offerings. MONIQUE PAPER ART created the acrylic, arch-shape menus.
The guest list included people from across Canada and even included each one of the bridesmaids from Lindsey’s mother’s wedding, a group she remains best of friends with after 34 years.
The couple worked closely with live entertainment company ST. ROYAL to curate a high-energy set list which ensured nobody left the dance floor all night!
Finishing off with more food fun, guests could satisfy their sweet tooth and choose from over fifteen different desserts creatively displayed on five- foot-tiered stands and placed at varying heights along the bartops.
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CREDITS
Photography @mangostudios, Co-Concept Creator, Event Planning and Design @lindseynarciso (Bride), Event Coordination provided by Carina D’Angelo and Carly Stevens, Co-Concept Creator, Floral, and Event Design provided by Gregory Fast, Wedding Located at a Private Estate, Barware and Tabletop Rentals, Draping, Furniture Rentals, Flooring, Linens, Lighting and Chandeliers, and Tenting @special_event_rentals, Officiated by Shari from @sandcastelsweddings, Stationery Design @codycalligraphy, Watercolor Illustrations by @nikikingsmill, Menus @moniquepaperart, Engagement Ring @lauratedescojewellery, Bride’s Ceremony Dress @annacampbellbridal, Bridal Shoes @stuartweitzman, Custom Veil @cassandrasilvestrobridal, Bride’s Reception Dress @retrofete, from @the_afterwhite, Bride’s Reception Earrings @aminamuaddiofficial from @mytheresa.com, Bride’s Reception Bag @cultgaia, Bride’s Makeup @allyssahelmbeautyandco_team, Bride’s Hair @shanpetrohair, Groom and Groomsmen’s Formalwear @andrewsformals, Bridal Party’s Dresses @maxiboutique, @parkandfifthco, @fitzroyrentals, @reformation, Concrete Planters and Wedding Arch @frankreaeventdesigns, Dance Floor and Bar Vinyl @dfdeventsolutions, Uplighting in Main Tent @soundboxproductions, Catering @catch_catering, Bartending @barbellesbartending, Entertainment @stroyals, Photo Booth @portraitsonwhite, Fashion Illustrators @mikehakk, @nessalilly, Cinematography @wearegauche, Valet @adagio.valet
