A Mori Lee Bride for a ‘20s Hollywood Glam Jewish Wedding at the Eglinton Grand, Toronto, Canada

Today’s super cool Jewish wedding absolutely epitomizes old Hollywood glam. Heather and Amos married at the Eglinton Grand in Toronto, a historic landmark Art Deco former movie theater. Inspired by their retro-fabulous venue, they went for a ‘20s film palace theme via some super creative DIY touches.

Amos, who has a graphic design background, took on ALL of the couple’s day-of stationery needs, from table numbers to ceremony handouts to menus, which he did in a vintage glam style that tied everything together beautifully.

Even cooler? Amos designed movie posters, featuring photos of the couple, that were displayed inside and outside the venue — check out the one he modeled on Mr. & Mrs. Smith just below! Such a clever idea.

Talented photographer Shauna Heron captured the old Hollywood feel perfectly — Heather said it was important to her and Amos to find a photographer whose images were truly pieces of art, and she delivered and then some. I just love how much the couple’s personalities come through in their photos — you can tell they really weren’t afraid to have fun with their day.

Oh, and this couple has an unbelievably adorable how-we-met story. Heather, who could not have looked chicer in her Mori Lee gown, will fill you in on all the details…

How we met

Heather, the bride: We are the product of a successful shidduch. My parents met Amos at an Israeli brunch hosted at the local JCC. After deciding they wanted to play matchmaker they invited him over to Shabbat dinner (not mentioning that they had 3 daughters about his age), asked me to come home for dinner and voila, the magic began. He almost fell over when I answered the door, but the matchmaking was a success: we talked all evening and he asked me out the next day. We’ve been inseparable ever since 🙂

 
An Art Deco Venue

We got married in the middle of winter, so we needed a space that was big enough for people to roam and find quiet space if they wanted to relax and get away from the action for a few minutes. Eglinton Grand offered this plus a very unique art deco feel. We instantly fell in love with it. After booking the venue I learned that it is the same movie theater my mom used to go to as a kid, so it had a bit of nostalgia as well.

A 1920s Movie Theater Theme

Amos (my now husband) has a graphic design background so was able to create a unique brand that we used through the event. Our color scheme was gold and black; it played off the 1920s movie theater vibe. We wanted our wedding to be classy, chic, but most importantly, fun! We didn’t want it to feel too “perfect,” it was important that our friends and family felt welcome and that they could have a good time.

Hair + Makeup

My wedding planner Mery highly recommended the makeup artist Orly Waldman. My hair was a bit more difficult because I have very tight curls. I wanted to embrace my curls, but didn’t want something that looked like my “everyday hair.” I found Cat Morales through a friend of a friend and couldn’t have been happier. She was professional, patient, and very talented. She even bought a new curling iron just for my wedding!

Dress Drama

My dress was from a shop in London, Ontario (which I won’t mention because I was disappointed with the service I received). They ordered a dress that was 3 sizes too large for me, so I almost cried when I tried it on and it practically fell off my body.

The first seamstress I took it to took to asked why I was bothering having it altered and said that I’d be better off buying a new dress (this was 2 weeks before the wedding so I almost had a heart attack when she said that). The seamstress I ultimately used was unbelievable. She turned a dress that was huge on me into the perfect one for me! She even added a removable extension on the back that held the dress on perfectly while dancing the night away.

Accessories, High and Low

Earrings were from one of my best friends (who had the flu during the wedding, so they were particularly meaningful because I felt she was there in spirit) and my bracelet and veil were from… Amazon. Both under $20, but looked just as nice as the pricey ones at the bridal shop.

 
Pink Shoes to Wear Again

My shoes were a soft pink to match the 2nd layer of my dress. I didn’t want white shoes because they felt too stark. When I found the Adrianna Papell shoes I wore I knew they were perfect (and something I would wear again… I’m very practical ;). They had about a 2.25″ heel and were extremely comfortable.

The handsome groom

He was planning to wear a Suit Supply suit that we bought a few months ago, but the week before the wedding changed his mind. He found a fantastic suit and bow tie (from Joseph’s in London, Ontario) that he surprised me with the day of the wedding – we had a double reveal.

Official and Unofficial Bridesmaids

I didn’t want to have a large wedding party so I asked my 3 sisters to be my “official” bridesmaid. I have 4 very close girlfriends who I wanted by my side throughout the day, so I asked them if they wanted to have their makeup done and join the badeken ceremony.

My sisters wore gold dresses from Lulus and my friends wore the same dress in navy. At the reception I asked one of my sisters and one of my friends to give a speech, which worked out perfectly.

Smashing the… Plate?

My longtime friend, Yacov Fruchter, is a spiritual leader in Toronto. He performed our wedding ceremony, giving it a special touch. We loved our badeken ceremony because it was intimate and felt really meaningful.

We did shots to start off the signing, our moms attempted to break a plate together (apparently cheap plates are really hard to break), and our parents and grandparents whispered life advice to each of us, which was really special. The guys did a tisch before the badeken ceremony, which they loved as well.

 
Better Together

Our first dance was to Jack Johnson’s Better Together. Our reception before dinner was on the balcony overlooking the main room. We closed the curtains, blocking the view of the room during this time so we could open them as the song started playing. Our guests watched us from the balcony before joining in for the hora. It was magical and very special.

Ceremony Music:

Intro: Pachelbel Canon in D

Grandmothers, Groomsmen, Groom, Groom’s mom: Every Breath You Take – The Police

Flower Girls, Ring Bearer, Sisters, Bride’s Parents: (Everything I Do) I Do It For You

Bride Comes Out: River Flows In You — Yiruma

Exit: Siman Tov

Flowers in Winter

We went with gold candelabras with a bit of greenery and baby’s breath circled by small votives at each table. It fit the room perfectly and was more fitting for the winter.

My bouquet was gorgeous. I had no idea what I wanted, but Stephanie and J’Adore Floral Boutique gave me the best suggestions and made the flowers and candelabras look more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined.

Our fabulous Photographer…

Finding a good photographer who could capture photos that looked like art pieces was extremely important to us. We spoke to more photographers then we’d like to admit before finding Shauna Heron.

We landed on her website and saw her amazing work, but it wasn’t until we had a video call that we knew she was the one. We hit it off quickly, chatting like we were old friends. She was warm and funny, yet professional.

We loved her approach to shooting the day. Her focus was to capture the “moments” instead of asking people to pose for the camera. We are blown away by how amazing the photos she took at our wedding turned out. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.

…and videographer

Similarly, we wanted a videographer who could weave in the story of the day, capturing the mood and people. We felt that traditional wedding videos focused too much on the decor, dress, etc. A company we considered, but was out of my budget, recommended Patrick Hodgson. His videos were exactly what we were hoping for. We haven’t received the finished cut yet, but are sure that it will be fantastic.

Earl Grey and Elderflower Cupcakes

My friend, Fatima at Cake Therapy, made our cupcakes. I LOVE dessert so finding someone who used quality ingredients (like real cream and butter) was important. She suggested really innovative flavors. We chose: chocolate cupcake with Baileys icing, Earl Grey cupcake with elderflower (St Germain) icing, and vanilla (plain and simple, but oh so delicious!).

Universal Boogie Band

We hired the Universal Boogie Band. They were absolutely amazing and were key to creating the overall vibe throughout the night. We received tons of compliments and really attribute a good part of the night’s success to them!

A photo Guest book

Our guest book was a photo book we made with lots of white space to write. 

We also had a vintage-looking photo booth with props, which was a huge hit! 

An Original Song by the Bride’s Grandmother

Our parents, friends/sister, and Amos and I all gave speeches. My grandmother sang a song she wrote for us, which was a huge hit and a great way to start the dance party. We both love dancing so we had dancing between courses, which people loved.

Custom Movie posters by the groom

Amos designed movie posters that were displayed inside and outside the venue. One was a re-enactment of the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith and the other he called The Flying Kiss (purely because we got a cool shot  that lent itself to the name). He also designed all the signs, table numbers, ceremony handouts, and menus, which tied the night together.

 
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding

Don’t stress the details, and once the weekend rolls around just enjoy it and make the most of every minute. I loved having a planner because I didn’t have to think about a thing once the day arrived; I knew she would guide me.

If you have time (and budget), I recommend hosting events for your closest family and friends as well as out of town guests before the wedding. This took off a lot of stress day of because we had already spent time with the guests who travelled to be there with us.

We hosted a Shabbat dinner at my Granny’s condo for our bridal party (including my friends who were an extension of the bridal party), booked the back room of our favorite restaurant for dinner with our closest friends from both near and far Saturday night, and then had an out-of-town guest reception at a cool gallery (which felt like a mini wedding). Monday morning after the wedding we organized a brunch at our favorite brunch spot for our immediate family and bridal party, which was an amazing way to wrap up the weekend.

Heather & Amos’ little white book

Photography – Shauna Heron Photography
Videography – Patrick Hodgson
Wedding planner – MeryMe Weddings
Venue – Eglinton Grand
Bride’s dress – Morilee
Bride’s shoes – Adrianna Papell 
Bride’s accessories – Amazon
Hair + Makeup – Cat Morales and Orly Waldman
Bridesmaids – Lulus
Flowers – J’Adore Floral Boutique
Band – Universal Boogie Band
Photo booth – Toronto Photo Booth Company
Out of town reception – Struck Contemporary