Ribbons, Bubbles, and a Parade Wedding in Merrickville
Ribbons in the air, bubbles drifting through the streets of Merrickville, Ontario, and a parade of friends and family walking together. That’s how Emily (she/they) and Dani (she/they) began their wedding celebration. At Maple & Rose, the celebration stayed just as personal. They grew their own flowers, sewed signs, thrifted decor, and balanced Emily’s design vision with Dani’s legendary spreadsheets.
Photographed by Kris Davis of KMD Film Photography, the day unfolded with honks and cheers from strangers, a secret handshake that knocked the mic to the ground, and a candlelit dinner ending with a bonfire, an ice cream bar, and truffle mac and cheese.
A Kiss Down Scott Street
We literally bumped into each other on the street because of a mutual friend who unknowingly set the stage for everything that came next. Two weeks later, we matched on Bumble, saw each other’s names pop up, and instantly recognized each other.
When we first started dating, we lived on opposite ends of Scott Street, and every night we’d text each other a “kiss down Scott Street.” That little phrase became our love language and started weaving its way into everything.
Now that we live together, we don’t have to send the kiss down Scott anymore. Instead, we’re building a life where it never has to leave. Getting married felt like the natural next step.
A Year and a Half of Making It Ours
We were engaged for a year and a half. Right after getting engaged, we found a venue that felt perfect and booked it right away. It meant many of our out of town guests could stay with us for the whole weekend, and it gave everyone plenty of time to plan travel. We’ve also always loved the idea of a fall wedding, so September felt right.
At times it felt like a long engagement, but we couldn’t imagine doing it with any less time. We truly did nearly everything ourselves. We grew the flowers, sewed the signs and thrifted all the decor, which made the whole experience feel even more meaningful.
Teamwork Made the Wedding Work
Planning was exciting and a little chaotic at times, but we made a great team. Dani is an Excel wizard, so they built a detailed spreadsheet that kept everything organized from start to finish.
We split tasks based on our strengths. Emily handled the creative and hands on things like sewing, crafting, gardening and gluing things together. Dani took care of logistics, timelines, vendor coordination, scripts, music, tech equipment and keeping us on track. It ended up being the perfect balance.
Rooted in Community
One thing we loved about our venue, Maple & Rose, was how community-minded it was. They support local businesses and artisans in so many ways, and that really resonated with us. Community was a big part of why we wanted to have a wedding in the first place. We wanted to celebrate our people as much as our love.
When choosing vendors, we leaned into supporting local and sharing the things we love with our guests. We bought caramels from the town’s candy shop for guests staying on site and had our rehearsal dinner catered by Wild Chefs Catering.
Good food and good photography were especially important to us, and that’s where we focused most of our budget. We had worked with our photographer, Kris Davis of KMD Film Photography, before for our engagement shoot and felt so comfortable with him that we couldn’t imagine anyone else capturing the day.
Keeping It Small and Meaningful
We knew we wanted to keep it small. The idea of a big wedding made us feel anxious and overwhelmed, so we focused on what mattered most to us. We invited about 50 guests, the people who are truly part of our lives and who we connect with regularly.
A small group stayed on site with us at Maple & Rose, which made the whole weekend feel extra special. Having everything in one place meant we could spend more time with everyone instead of worrying about logistics. Even though we handled most of the setup ourselves, we were surrounded by generous friends and family who helped pull everything together.
Whimsical, Casual, and Completely Us
We wanted the wedding to feel completely like us from start to finish. Emily is a design and branding superstar by day, so that skillset played a big role in shaping the look and feel of the whole day.
One of our favourite parts of planning was a date night where we each made a PowerPoint presentation to share our vision and inspiration. We combined everything into one big presentation that guided the entire process.
The final vibe landed somewhere between whimsical, casual, gorpcore, and garden party. It all came to life through quirky personal touches, florals from our own garden, and a retro camp inspired atmosphere that celebrated the things we love most.
Outfits included pieces from Freedom Bridal and Indochino, with wedding rings created by Goldform Jewellers.
A Parade Instead of an Aisle
We knew that if we were going to have a wedding, we needed to make it our own and find a way for two introverts to feel comfortable with all the attention. Instead of a traditional aisle, we decided to have a parade.
We wrote our own vows and worked with Emily’s dad to help shape the ceremony. Words are important to both of us, so every part of it was intentional.
Guests walked with us to the ceremony space carrying ribbons and bubbles, with a close friend opening things before Emily’s dad married us through All Seasons Weddings.
We ended the ceremony with a secret handshake inspired by Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap, followed by a kiss. Then the parade continued through the streets of Merrickville with everyone laughing, waving ribbons, and celebrating together.
A Parade Through Town
We stayed overnight at Maple & Rose, so the morning of the wedding felt relaxed and full of excitement. We woke up, set things up together, and spent the afternoon getting ready side by side, laughing and taking our time. Hair styling for the day was done by NGT Hairstyling. Photos started around 3:30 with family and group shots before we slipped away for a quiet moment together.
Our friend Clare gathered everyone before the parade began. It kicked off with Maggie Rogers’ “Love You for a Long Time,” with guests cheering, waving ribbons, and blowing bubbles as we all walked to the ceremony where we officially said “I do.”
Afterwards the parade continued through the streets of Merrickville, with honks and cheers from people along the way. Back at the venue, guests enjoyed cocktails and lawn games before dinner while we took a little time to soak in being newly married.
The evening ended with incredible food from Wild Chefs Catering, heartfelt speeches, and a bonfire with s’mores and an ice cream bar surrounded by all our favorite people.
Parades, Handshakes, and Truffle Mac and Cheese
One of our favourite moments was during the parade. We turned around and saw all our people behind us, cheering and celebrating. It made us feel so proud of the community we’ve built and confirmed we made the right call ditching the traditional aisle.
Another favourite was our “first handshake.” Instead of a first kiss, we did a secret handshake that ended with a kiss. We had practiced it a lot, but Dani accidentally knocked the mic to the ground mid handshake and everyone burst out laughing. It ended up being such a fun, perfectly us moment.
We also loved seeing the reception setup after photos. One long dinner table filled with flowers from our garden, thrifted glassware and candles, and glowing market lights overhead.
Emily’s dad reading a poem he wrote for us during the ceremony was incredibly special.
And finally, the truffle mac and cheese. It speaks for itself!
The People Who Made It Happen
Our photographer Kris Davis of KMD Film Photography was truly incredible to work with. We’re both pretty awkward in front of the camera, but he made us feel completely at ease and somehow made us look so fucking cool in the process.
Our venue team at Maple & Rose was just as amazing. They were total yes people and up for everything we threw their way. Staying there for two nights with friends made the whole weekend feel extra special, from arranging flowers with Dani’s aunt to late night campfire conversations with everyone we love. It was everything we hoped it would be.
Traditions We Made Our Own
We didn’t include any family or religious traditions, but we brought in a few that felt special to us as a couple. One of them is the phrase “a kiss down Scott Street,” which has been part of our relationship from the beginning. For the wedding, we created a small art gallery with poems, artwork and photos connected to it.
We also had a ring warming during the ceremony so our guests could pass the rings around and share their love and good energy before they made their way back to us.
Over the past year we’d been writing letters to each other in shared journals. On the wedding day, we slipped away for about half an hour to exchange the letters we wrote that morning and give each other a small gift. It was such a special, intimate moment just for us.
Photography by KMD Film Photography & Devon Richards
Caterer Wild Chefs Catering
Celebrant All Seasons Weddings (Cam Whalen)
Ceremony Venue Soulful Celebrations
Dress Freedom Bridal
Hair NGT Hairstyling
Suit Indochino
Venue Maple & Rose
Wedding Rings Goldform Jewellers
