Kara & Kyle's Fairmont Winnipeg Wedding

“Our wedding was a romantic, winter wedding, simple and modern.”

Congratulations on your wedding! What made you decide on having your wedding with us at Fairmont?

We were originally supposed to have our wedding in a garden in the summer. I had done all the planning and the theme of the wedding was going to be a surprise for Kara. All she knew was that she had to arrive in a wedding dress. The day before the wedding happened Kara’s father and brother were in a very bad car accident. Kara’s Dad was severely injured and we were afraid he wouldn’t walk again. We decided to postpone our wedding until Kara’s Dad could at least attend, even if he wasn’t able to walk her down the aisle. We moved our date to the winter and I started planning a new date while Kara’s Dad started working on his physical therapy.

I work part time at the Fairmont Winnipeg in my spare time when I’m not running my lighting company, Event Light. I knew that my Fairmont family and the wedding community would pull together to help me arrange a new wedding in only matter of months. The Fairmont Winnipeg has the best ballroom in the city for a wedding. As we had lots of lighting and technology requirements it was really the only room in the city that could make our dreams come true. That and, of course, the best food in town! I’m also happy to add that after a lot of hard work and therapy Kara’s Dad was not only able to walk her down the aisle, but also dance with her. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Where did you have your ceremony?

Our ceremony was at the Fairmont Winnipeg as well. Since it was in winter, we didn’t want our guests to have to travel too far. We were able to divide their ballroom into thirds: one third for the ceremony and the other two for the reception. We had champagne for guests as they walked into the ceremony room and toasted to the day and the couple during the ceremony and the promises we were making for each other.

Tell us about the flowers you chose. Did you go traditional or contemporary?

We used classic white hydrangeas.

Tell us about the meal you served your guests. What type and flavor cake did you have at your reception?

We wanted to do a stand up reception style and had food served throughout the entire night. I spent a lot of time with the Fairmont’s catering manager and chef designing a custom menu that worked with our tastes and budget. There were various food stations: an Indian station with an array of curries, a meat carving station with smoked beef brisket carved by the chef, and a slider station with pulled pork and various mustards and toppings. At around midnight we had a poutine bar with mashed potatoes and to add something sweet, a churro bar. The Fairmont has a reputation for the best food around and they didn’t disappoint. It was really an eclectic group of foods but it meant no one went home hungry!

The cake and cupcakes were made by a family friend and accompanied the candy bar. Every one loved having something sweet to nibble on.

Where did you go on your honeymoon? Tell us about it.

We are doing an East Coast Canadian mountain trip in April that will last a month. We will visit all the main Fairmont hotels on the way and do some camping and cabins on Victoria Island.

What element(s) did you add to make the wedding uniquely 'yours'?

Lighting! As an owner of a lighting company I think we had more lighting at our wedding reception than a kiss concert! We also used various furniture pieces and had no formal sit down element. It was like being at a fancy night club.

Another integral part of the day is the wedding dress! Tell us about what you chose to wear. 

The wedding dress was a tight fitted ivory dress in a mermaid style. What was really cool is later in the evening Kara was able to change into to her Grandma’s dress from 1950’s that she bought from the Hudson Bay company. It was great to honor her by wearing that dress and it looked great!

What was the first song you danced to as newlyweds?

Moon River! It’s such a classic song, and you cannot deny the beautiful voice of Andy Williams. We love classic oldies.

Now that you are married and have had time to reflect on your wedding day, what was your favorite moment?

I think the favourite moment was just that we were able to go through with this wedding. After the tragic accident and having to cancel the first wedding one day prior it was surreal to see all our friends and family in one place celebrating with us. Though if you ask me (Kyle) the food was unreal! Fairmont went above and beyond and it was such a creative menu. Chef Tim Palmer hit everything we wanted.

Vendors & Service Providers:

Venue (ceremony and reception) The Fairmont Winnipeg
Lighting: Eventlight.ca
Audio: Clarity Audio Productions
Video: PSAV Winnipeg
Photography: Jeremy Hiebert Photography
Videography: JP Media Works
Linens, Drapping, Chivari Chairs: Planned Perfectly
Dance Floor/Furniture: Swank Event Rentals
Suits: EPH Apparel
Dress: Seventh Avenue Winnipeg
Ceremony Trio: JP HOE (http://www.jphoe.com/)
Officiant: Jamie Niven