Romantic & Traditional Toronto Wedding

Chantelle and Jonathan met at the end of 2015. Chantelle was working at Lululemon Athletica at the time when Jonathan came by the store to visit a friend who also happened to not be working that day. Fortunately for him, Chantelle was there and the pair hit it off. They started with a conversation that lasted much longer than expected, and Chantelle found herself telling this stranger much more about her personal life than she had intended to. From that moment, they both knew that it wasn’t going to be the last time they saw each other. After Jonathan left, Chantelle told her colleague Sarah (the friend he meant to visit) that “this man is going to be my husband!” And on their first date, Jonathan took Chanelle to the gym. As a retired professional football player, Jonathan had to make sure Chantelle was able to work hard, and show some grit. Sure enough, not even two years later and they were married! Check out their romantic wedding day in Toronto, Canada, captured Michael Rousseau Photography.

Bride: Chantelle Hood, 30, Customer Service Agent & Entrepreneur
Groom: Jonathan Hood, 31, Business Coach, Motivational Speaker & Entrepreneur
Place of residence: Toronto, Canada
Wedding date: May 26, 2017
Wedding location: Harbour Banquet Centre, Ontario, Canada
Wedding theme: Romantic & Traditional
Honeymoon Destination: Exuma, The Bahamas

Engagement story:

We were attending my cousin’s engagement party on Sunday, May 1, 2016. After the party, we had gone back to Jonathan’s place and I was upset with him for something (I couldn’t tell you what that is now). I was in a foul mood, which is something no person in their right mind would propose to someone at that time – except for Jonathan. He went to his room and returned to the rec room asking me to stand up. I was being stubborn and just wasn’t having it. Eventually he convinced me to stand up and as I looked him in his eyes, he started with his sappy speech. I can’t even remember everything he said, but in that moment I knew what was happening. And as he asked me to be his wife, I just remember feeling like the luckiest woman in the world!

From the Bride:

I tried to enjoy the engagement experience and not jump into planning mode right away. As a “Type A” personality and having an event management background, I still enjoyed the process, and didn’t let the stress get to me! There are no words to describe how I felt on our wedding day. I remember my hair dresser and make-up artist telling me I was the most relaxed bride they’ve ever seen, and I think a couple of factors played into that. One, I had a small wedding party, Two, our wedding was later in the day. And three, I knew that God had picked this gift, this man, just for me — so there was no reason to stress! I was so beyond excited for my nearest and dearest to be in one room celebrating our love. I felt like a princess and just so grateful for everything! It was literally the most perfect day, and the happiest
day of my life. We had people flying in from all over the states, Canada, and even the Caribbean just to celebrate us – it doesn’t get better than that.

From the Groom:

I felt a lot of love the entire day. My groomsmen picked me up and we had brunch at my Best Man’s parent’s house (whom I have known the majority of my life). When we got ready, we really enjoyed ourselves. And the moment I saw my bride, I realized what all the planning, fuss and commotion had been about. We had such an incredible time with our family — it’s always bigger and better when two sides join together!

What makes your love special?

We definitely understand god’s idea of two become one, and we earnestly try to put god at the center of our marriage. Jonathan’s strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa, so we make for a pretty amazing team! We strive to put each other’s needs above our own, and live by the bible scriptures 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, which is engraved in our wedding bands.

Your most memorable moment:

It’s too hard to pick one! I would say our ‘First Look,’ followed by the exchanging of our vows, rolling into our reception on hover boards and our first dance.

Wedding song:

Our wedding song was “At Last” by Etta James. It’s an absolute classic love song, and that last line, “And here we are in heaven, for you are mine” is how we feel every day — that we are each other’s heaven on earth. We were blessed enough to have the talented Diane Clemons perform it live!

Favorite wedding detail:

Ah! It’s so hard to pick just one! Our favors were homemade wine created by Jonathan and myself, and we also loved our incredible cake! We can’t forget the midnight seafood buffet we had either!

What are you most looking forward to as a married couple?

We are looking forward in continuing to travel together, learning something new about each other every single day, and of course starting a family! It’s so hard to imagine yourself growing old with someone, but it’s a beautiful thing when you find that right person.

Advice for a Bride and Groom on their wedding day:

The day goes by so fast, so we recommend doing a ‘First Look.’ It was totally worth it and some of our most favorite pictures of the day came from that moment. After your ceremony, find five minutes to just be with each other and acknowledge the fact that you’re married! If you aren’t going to do a receiving line, then enjoy your cocktail hour if you can with your guests and lastly, dance your butts off because there will never be another day like this again!

Please feel free to include any other interesting anecdotes from your big day!

Unfortunately, Jonathan’s father passed away when he was 18, so we had to find a way to ensure that he’d be included in our special day with a photo tribute at the family table. We also had an empty seat in his honor.

Congratulations to the newlyweds! We wish you many years of wedded bliss.