A Romantic Ballet-Inspired Wedding at Spencer's At the Waterfront in Ontario, Canada

Kristen King (29 and a teacher) and Steven Ribeiro (31 and a web developer) were dating for eight years when he proposed on a bridge in Kariya Park. “I had waited so long for him to propose and this was our perfect moment. I crossed the bridge and he got down on one knee,” says Kristen. “We both had tears in our eyes.” Kristen and Steven spent their next year and half planning a romantic wedding in Burlington, Ontario. Their ceremony and reception was held at the at Spencer's At the Waterfront restaurant. Blush and silver were reflected throughout their wedding. A subtle ballet theme was also woven into their special day. “I hadn't realized how many small elements of ballet had crept into my wedding until about a month before the wedding,” says Kristen, who used to dance ballet. She wore her sister’s ballerina pin as her something borrowed and wrapped her romantic peony, orchid and calla lily bouquet with fabric similar to a ballerina shoe's ribbon. For the ceremony, rows of silver chiavari chairs were wrapped with sheer white tulle while low white and blush hydrangea arrangements lined the aisle. Draped white fabric hung from the ceiling to create the altar. Kristen and Steven shared personal vows as the venue’s floor-to-ceiling windows provided a panoramic view of the shore. The ceremony location was later transformed into the couple's reception space. Their head table was decorated with a tulle skirt, reminiscent of a long romantic tutu, says Kristen. Each round white linen-covered table was accented with silver chiavari chairs as well as blush and white hydrangea centerpieces in low breakaway and trumpet vases. The couple treated their guests to a four-course meal before serving vanilla cheesecake with berry compote and their three-tier wedding cake. Each friend and family member left with a treat bag filled with silver and pink candies from the couple’s Chinese, Italian and Portuguese cultural backgrounds. “We added a tag on the bags with the Chinese good luck symbol commonly used in weddings,” says Kristen.