Leah + Kolton by Klaui Varadi

We wanted something that felt relaxed and full of love, effortless yet elegant.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We both work for digital marketing agencies, but in completely different industries and are very much aligned with our individual interests/passions. Kolton works for a big motorsports company, which ties into his love for motorcycles, dirtbikes and pretty much all things on wheels. I work for brands in the home, fashion, jewellery and beauty industries, which is a space I’ve always been drawn to. We’re both introspective by nature, which leads to deep, meaningful conversations and keeps each other grounded. Kolton is much more of an introvert and can spend hours playing and recording music, while I love social events and hosting. We are both very close with our families and have an amazing group of friends, most of whom we’ve known since childhood. We love spending time in the little old town where we live, heading down to the beach or planning our next getaway.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We both grew up in the same small town, my parents knew his parents and our older brothers were close friends, but neither of us remember actually meeting each other until years later when we both started working at a business our families happened to start together (I know, destined perhaps?).

In Kolton’s words, “she was the premier liaison for what we were doing at the business, and I was the young box boy fulfilling orders and working the warehouse. A friendship kindled when I moved up positions and got to work alongside her and take on more responsibility within the company. I was nervous around her. She was this pretty, mature, smart, witty girl. I knew I liked talking to her. I also knew she had a boyfriend at the time, and I was very much the guy to be respectful if someone is in a relationship, so any small talk I could get in was an achievement. We were just work friends, and we talked a lot about life, girls (yes, she actually coached me on my dating life), and our faith in God. It felt like an accomplishment to make her laugh or smile at your jokes, which was and still is one of the best feelings on earth. I should note, out of the few orders given from the top of the company, I didn’t mind taking hers 😉

In Leah’s words, “I was always drawn to Kolton. He was quiet and reserved, which always piqued my interest. He was like an old soul. We have a lot of similar values and interests, which drew us to each other in the beginning, and I always admired the way he carried himself. I was in a relationship at the tim,e which allowed us to build a pure friendship at first. This ended up being such a blessing because it’s now the foundation that our marriage stands on. Post relationship, I started to notice how effortless our conversations were, and I found myself wanting to be around him. I even rigged a work golf tournament once so we would be on the same team.”

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

We wanted something that felt relaxed and full of love, effortless yet elegant. Something that embodied who we were as a couple. For decor and design, we wanted the focus to be on the natural beauty of the venue: the orange groves, the mountains, the big trees and the European accents. Our colour palette was green and white with pops of yellow, and we included different textures and props like pots, baskets, and draping fabric. We wanted dinner to feel like an intimate dinner party. We used a crinkled taffeta for the linens to elevate the tables and added a touch of whimsy with the green lamps. Our table cards and cocktail napkins were also hand-drawn by my brother, which was a sweet touch.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

We knew when we picked the venue that it would be the main attraction, but to hear all of our friends and family relay the same sentiment we felt was so special. The property has been described as restorative by those who stay there, and I think that is a good representation of the way you feel. It’s not far from the main town, yet it feels otherworldly. With that as the foundation, there wasn’t much more we needed to do.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Planning a wedding is not for the faint of heart, but there is so much of it that can be rewarding. We had gone back and forth on eloping, but we both knew that this was something we would regret not doing. I always felt like weddings were so special because they are a pure representation of who you two are as a couple, and anything regarding that was my favourite part of planning. Hand-selecting vendors that reflected the things we loved, writing our vows, putting together outfits that expressed our personalities, and anything related to the design.

From one bride to another: Try your best to enjoy the process. Don’t stress the little things; they won’t matter. Pick good vendors; they make the day seamless and memorable, so do your research. Invest in a coordinator, we did a month of which took so much pressure off. As much as possible, do what feels right to you as a couple, not what other people are telling you to do. Sometimes bigger is not always better. We wanted an intimate wedding, so we only had around 80 guests, and everyone who was there was a part of our story in some way. I think it helped us enjoy the day more and focus on each other instead of feeling the need to appease so many people. Be completely present the day of and relinquish all control, I promise you will want to remember the moments and the people, they will be what you hold onto, not the decor and the timeline (and I say that as someone with perfectionist tendencies). When you get overwhelmed, take a moment and remember what it is all about. Keep that at the forefront of your mind. It is such a sacred honour to be able to make a promise to one another in front of God and all of your loved ones who will keep you accountable to that promise. I know that’s a more traditional outlook, but I do believe it’s that outlook that made our wedding feel so special.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

All of our vendors were truly incredible. Since we went a more unconventional route with our venue, we ended up having to hand-select all of our vendors, which was a lot of work at first, but ended up being the best decision. It was the biggest blessing to meet so many incredible people who felt like kindred souls from the very first conversation. The owners of the venue, Lara and Skip, went above and beyond to make our weekend special. They are salt-of-the-earth people, and what they’ve built is such a beautiful representation of who they are. Our photographer and Super8 videographer, Klaui and Riley, were amazing. They were with me the whole day, and they made us feel so calm and special. True hype girls with an incredible eye and talent for what they do. Our coordinators, Clemence and Katylina, were on top of everything from all of the prep to the day of execution. They were both such a joy to work with, and the day would not have been what it was without the two of them and their team. My makeup artist, Diana, is so talented at her craft and has a beautiful, calming presence about her that is so refreshing to start your day. Our florist, Sarah, is so personal and lovely. She met with us multiple times to bring the vision to life. Our caterers, Jen and Jerry, are a dream team to work with. Their food is authentic Italian, and their design aesthetic is unmatched. Our bartender, Pete and his team were so accommodating and amazing to work with. And lastly, your DJ Matt did not disappoint. Music is really important to us, so he worked with us on every part of the day, and we didn’t leave the dance floor the entire night. We were told multiple times how kind and talented our team was, and our day was what it was because of all of them.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

I wanted a mix of classic, vintage and modern. My dress had elements of it that were simple and chic, but the dramatic drop waist added a high-fashion element that still felt timeless. I knew I also wanted to add a veil, and I liked the idea of all lace since my dress was simpler. So when I found a French lace vintage veil on Etsy, I knew it was the perfect addition. This was one of my favourite pieces of my whole look and one I hope to be able to pass down to my future daughter. For the reception, I took off the veil and added a silk scarf. I loved how chic and romantic it looked with a modern nod to a classic style. For my jewellery, I had the honour of wearing my mother’s pearl bracelet from my father and my late grandmother’s pearl earrings. My grandmother just passed away this last year, so it meant a lot to me to be able to wear those on my special day.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Kolton designed my ring (with just a little bit of guidance on my end). I gave him a couple of ideas of what I liked and told him to surprise me. I wanted something classic and timeless, but with a little bit of a twist. So he went with a classic emerald cut diamond with a half bezel setting. We both wanted something simple for our bands, so we did a simple gold band for me and a brushed gold band for Kolton.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

Food, fashion and photography. One of our least favourite things about weddings is being forced to spend a lot of money on “fancy” food that is subpar. People rarely remember the food unless it’s really bad or really good. We knew if we were going to spend the money, then it had better be really good. And there’s nothing better (in our opinion) than woodfire pizza. Not only was it incredible, but we also loved the experience element of it since they were making the pizzas onsite. For dessert, we added a cannoli bar, which was the perfect touch.

Fashion has always been something that I’ve loved since I was young, so I loved being able to take one dress and create two completely different looks with it. They were both a perfect representation of my style, and I was so happy with the way everything turned out. Kolton is definitely more simple than I am in this category, but he does respect a good style moment, so he did a jacket change for the reception. The black tux is always timeless, but the white jacket looked sleek.

Photography is such an important element of the day. It’s what allows you to relive the day over and over again and keep the memories alive. We knew we wanted a specific type of photographer, one that favoured the moments, not the poses, and Klaui did just that. She has such a beautiful eye for raw, genuine moments and is so authentic as a person and a creator.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

There were so many, it’s hard to choose. From our first look, to saying our vows in front of all of our loved ones, to walking into our reception and seeing it all set up for the first time, to heartfelt speeches that made us laugh and cry, to dancing the night away. We had been told countless times that the day goes by fast, so we kept reminding one another throughout the night to be present. It was so special because halfway through, we just couldn’t believe there were still so many moments yet to happen, and we were already having the time of our lives. But with that said, there is one moment that we will both never forget. Our photographer and videographer pulled us for golden hour photos, and we went to the orange grove that was parallel to where dinner was. We could still hear the music, Dreams by Fleetwood Mac was playing, and we could see all of our favourite people gathered around, the sun was setting against the mountain, and it was so peaceful. That moment is a mental snapshot of all the love we felt from that day. A snapshot of pure joy.