Hawaii has always been a special place for Jacqueline and Stefano: it was there on the summit of Mauna Kea volcano that Stefano proposed to Jacqueline in 2008. The couple of 10 years always thought they would return to the Hawaiian Islands for their wedding day. Jacqueline had even started exploring some destination celebration ideas when life threw them a curve ball.

“My father became ill and that suddenly changed our entire vision for our wedding day,” Jacqueline acknowledges, noting her dad’s health has since stabilized. “He would not have been able to travel for the wedding so we put together everything very quickly—we planned the wedding in two months!”

Working at an accelerated planning pace, Jacqueline says the first order of business was finding a location to host their party at such short notice. The couple had always loved the Niagara-on-the-Lake region and the Château des Charmes winery. When she checked into immediate availability there was nothing, then suddenly Saturday Oct. 6 became available. “From this point forward, everything fell into place,” Jacqueline notes.

Describing the look and feel of her wedding as “vintage romantic,” brimming with pink and white accents and details, Jacqueline did a lot of her research online, including choosing her perfect wedding dress, one that proved almost impossible to find. “I fell for an Elie Saab dress but it was pricey,” Jacqueline admits. “I was so in love though, I had to have it. I eventually found a pre-owned dress online and had it shipped from the UK. It arrived and was absolutely perfect!”

When the wedding day arrived it was a bit of a blustery one. Though the early evening ceremony was slated to be outside Mother Nature forced a switch to the great indoors. Jacqueline says it was one of the best things that happened on the day. “I was disappointed when we had to move things inside, but the team at Château des Charmes did an amazing job of bringing everything to life indoors.”

Jacqueline’s dad walked her down the aisle and the couple’s 90 guests looked on as the two exchanged personalized vows. “We had all our loved ones surrounding us, with many watching from a balcony above. It made for an incredibly intimate and powerful experience.”

The couple treated their guests to an evening of incredible food and wine. Catering was by the renowned Queen’s Landing hotel, which served four courses including shrimp, truffle gnocchi, filet mignon and cheesecake, each with custom wine pairings. “It was important that our guests ate and drank well,” Jacqueline confides. The couple closed the party, staying until the wee hours before grabbing a few hours of sleep and a flight to Grand Cayman for a week-long honeymoon.

Jacqueline Hill and Stefano Bouzari, October 6, 2012, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Photography courtesy of Angela Martin from Gemini Photography.

Vendors
Ceremony and reception location: Château des Charmes
Bridal gown: Elie Saab
Bridal party attire: White by Vera Wang from David’s Bridal
Cake: Vineyard Sweets
Caterer: Queen’s Landing
Decor: Simply Beautiful Decor
Flowers: My Bouquet
Stationery: Anista Designs

See more photos from this romantic wedding in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

 

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