For Tanya and Nick, two best friends at the prime of their lives, the consummation and culmination of their years of friendship in a perfect wedding day was a journey far from simple status quo. Something we here at SDE Weddings, Toronto’s premier wedding videography and cinematography company, can well enough relate to. Tanya, a spirited Portuguese brunette; and Nick, whose namesake is short form for the Greek ‘Nikolaos’ meaning ‘victory’ reflects his heritage succinctly, met just short of eight years ago as young university students at a pivotal crossroad in both their lives. The two served as a source of support for one another, through thick and thin, and would soon develop an insurmountable bond that stood steadily through many of life’s tests. Such a bond would endure another hurdle on May 24, 2014, in the form of their final moments as mere friends and their first as husband and wife. In a dual ceremony alternately held at St. John Bosco Church and All Saints Church celebrating both Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox religious tradition respectively, Tanya and Nick faithfully accepted each other’s call to be one another’s soul-mates and partners in the path of life. Tanya and Nick’s fateful first evening as newlyweds would finalize in an all-inclusive luxury reception at Bayview’s aptly named Grand Luxe Event Boutique, and all the many timeless memories of the evening were captured by our videography and cinematography crew in among the most elegant and simply stated weddings we’ve filmed thus far. Scroll below to watch Tanya and Nick’s wedding highlight reel and learn more delightful details about their special day.

All photos courtesy of Oink and Coo Photography | oinkandcoo.ca

The milestone morning that would mark the beginning of Tanya and Nick’s transition to a life in union together would open on a relatively high note, with videography beginning at 9:00am on a bright spring day under a perfectly spotless sky. Tanya would choose a stately one-piece silken white dress as her wardrobe for the day, much to the wide-eyed approval of her friends and relatives as she waltzed down a flight of stairs, her first few steps towards the wedding aisle ahead. As for Nick, his choice of wedding attire suggests an ‘Old Soul’ outlook to his persona, not only in the ‘old soles’ of his brogue shell cordovan Oxfords, but in a jet black bowtie that accompanied his Air Force blue wool & mohair suit specially made for him by the historic tailors ‘Vitale Barberis Canonico’. With their persons fully fashioned and fit for the day.

Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D’, a classic theme played through the bronze pipes of an old organ would be the welcoming song for Tanya and Nick as an eager crowd of onlookers, young and old, greeted their arrival at Toronto’s St. John Bosco Church for their Catholic wedding ceremony. Passing through the ritual rites of a Catholic mass, Nick’s wedding ring would soon meet Tanya’s finger, and the entire congregation would erupt in unanimous applause. The newlywed couple would be greeted with the customary hailstorm of thrown rice as their wedding guests shared their happiness with the bride and groom, as the couple made their way to Toronto’s York University Glendon Campus for an afternoon’s worth of videography, cinematography and picture-taking with friends and family.

Come evening, Tanya and Nick would begin a final solemn mass at the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church of Toronto. With God’s blessing served twofold, the beloved couple began their evening’s reception at Bayview’s Grand Luxe Event Boutique, opening with a romantic first dance as the shutters of the surrounding cameras acted akin to the flashing starlight of the early evening sky. Walls lined with linen of lavender violet shades and subdued ambient back-lighting would also set a calming mood to the banquet’s surroundings. Enclosed by the flicker of the candlelights strewn about the tabletops of the hall, Tanya and Nick’s closest loved ones gave their blessings one after another, all replied to in the end by Tanya and Nick themselves through a heartfelt speech thanking them all for their love and well wishes. An unabashed cake-tasting served as the conduit of the couples’ confidence as the evening winded down and their marriage pact had finally been made complete. The reception’s twilight hours were of an open ballroom captured by our videographers, with plenty of rubbed shoulders and tired shoes as a dance-circle composed hand-in-hand of the entire guest list would encircle Tanya and Nick in rightful celebration for the end of such a momentous day.

All in all, we here at SDE Weddings, Toronto’s top wedding videographer and cinematography company, were more than glad for Tanya and Nick as we shared and captured the many smiles that met their faces throughout their wedding day celebration, and hope that the bond they’ve made during their long friendship, cemented in their wedding, continues to be evermore strengthened throughout their lives.

Here are also some photo booth photos that we took from their wedding reception at the Grand Luxe.

Update March 20th, 2016: Watch our latest greek wedding video here.

First Wedding Ceremony: St. John Bosco Church | 402 Westmount Ave, Toronto M6E 3N5
Second Wedding Ceremony: All Saints Church | 222 Burbank Dr, Toronto, M2K 1P8
Reception Venue: Grand Luxe Event Boutique | 3125 Bayview Ave, Toronto, M2K 1G2
Photographer: Oink and Coo Photography
DJ: Alpha Entertainment
Wedding Decor: Daniel Barker Designs
Wedding Cake: Serano’s Bakery
Limo: Exotica Limo
Photoshoot Location: Glendon University | 275 Bayview Ave.