New honeymoon rule: bookend your wedding with vacations! Hayley and Daniel pre-honeymooned in South Africa earlier this year then road-tripped to Ottawa after the wedding, visiting as many breweries as they could along the way.
Also, extra important—there were elephants involved in their engagement. You see, Hayley is a part-time zookeeper, and Daniel organized a surprise proposal with the University of Guelph elephant team.
These two lovebirds wed in an apple orchard at Steckle Heritage Farm, took epic pictures in the sunflower field, and then headed to the venue’s twinkle-light-strung barn to celebrate. Throughout it all, Hayley was a star in her Astrid & Mercedes Enchanting gown, which she finished with a Hayley Paige belt.
Get the scoop on Hayley’s wonderful, elephant-inclusive engagement and her rustic wedding (with sweet animal elements):
How did Daniel propose?
“I am a part-time zookeeper, and studied the herd of Asian elephants there for my masters research paper at the University of Guelph a few years ago.
He planned a surprise proposal with the elephant team while we were getting an up-close experience with one of the elephants, Rosie.”
bride’s finery: Astrid & Mercedes Enchanting via The Modern Bride, jewelry by Sara Gabriel, hair accessories by Olivia the Wolf | photographer: Zac Jolliffe | scroll down for full vendor list
How did you choose your gown?
“I went to a sample sale at The Modern Bride in Guelph and ended up finding my gown. I originally dreamed of wearing a Hayley Paige dress, but stumbled across your Enchanting gown and fell in love.The style and vintage touches of the dress fit into our rustic barn wedding perfectly. I decided to accessorize with a Hayley Paige belt and it ended up being an amazing combination!”
Tell us about your day!
“Our wedding took place at Steckle Heritage Farm in Kitchener. We had our ceremony outside in the apple orchard, and our reception inside the barn. We incorporated a lot of picture frames and antique/rustic elements, along with some subtle animal touches of course!”
What was your first dance song?
“Our first dance song was ‘Northern Wind’ by City and Colour. We also made sure to play other favourites like ‘The Only Exception’ by Paramore and ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran.”
Describe your wedding day in 4 words or less:
“Our wedding day = the best day ever! Sorry, I’m usually more creative than that but it really was the best day ever!”
What was your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?
“Something Old—my mom’s veil that she wore on her wedding day (unchanged).
Something New—my gorgeous gown.
Something Borrowed—didn’t really have something borrowed…
Something Blue—a blue and white anklet that my best friend wore for her wedding (which will be worn by her daughter when she gets married).”
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
“We had already taken a trip to South Africa at the beginning of the year, so that was what we called our “pre-honeymoon.” We ended up taking a little road trip to Ottawa after our wedding for a mini-vacation, making sure to visit as many breweries as possible!”
