One of the greatest transitions in life is the passing from adolescence to adulthood, and at the young age of twenty-five, Sarah and Ellis chose to make the jump from simply being young professionals at the budding stage of their working lives onto a fulfilling life of love in marriage. Ellis, a bookworm in his own right, with a masters in management and accounting, met the love of his life, Sarah, once a subject to his tutelage while TA’ing for one of Sarah’s senior-year accounting classes. Only a year apart in schooling at University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus, Sarah was poised to complete her undergraduate studies whilst Ellis only begun his masters program. It is through this tumultuous transitional sea of sacrifice and schoolwork that the two would form a lasting bond that would buoy them to the shining shores of a marriage made complete. We at SDE Weddings, Toronto’s top wedding videographer and cinematography company, were immediately drawn to the youthful enthusiasm shared by the two, especially throughout the wedding celebrations, and were well honored to handle all the media work for such a special day in their lives.

Please enjoy the wedding highlight video that we made for Sarah & Ellis.What made the couple truly a testament to Canada’s multiculturalism was the contrast of heritage between Sarah and Ellis. Ellis, the son of Chinese immigrants, found an incommensurate love in Sarah, who is of French-Canadian background. Finding more than just a common ground in their academic pursuits, their union itself is an example of love’s power to transcend barriers and boundaries. In a setting familiar to our videographers, the wedding took place in Toronto’s proverbial architectural heirloom, Casa Loma, with a post-wedding reception in the well-renowned Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, very fitting locales to highlight Toronto’s archaic cultural past, and Toronto’s multicultural future.

For our videographers, an outline of the day’s filming begins with meeting Ellis and Sarah in separate camps as they readied themselves for the proceedings of their wedding day. From there, both bride and groom and respective entourages were welcomed into the stone-grey walls of Casa Loma by a string quartet which would later set a fitting baroque atmosphere to the solemn ceremony. Our videographers had some time set aside by the wedding party to simply ‘take in the scenery’ and survey the décor of the reception, which undoubtedly was a sight itself to behold. Pachelbel’s Canon in D would be the signaling song to commence the procession, and in a sequence of Wagner, Handel and Mendelssohn, Sarah and Ellis were wed to a tune that would melt the heart of any classical aficionado. With the pastor’s holy blessing, the two exchanged rings and prepared the sand-pouring ceremony, a Chinese tradition which symbolized the merger of two families as one. With ceremonies completed, the wedding congregation were free for picture and video-taking with help from our videographers, and would soon transition from Casa Loma’s classical ambiance to Liberty Grand’s spacious wedding ballroom assembly.

In continuing the subtext of ‘shared tradition’, the reception at Liberty Grand would begin with the Chinese tea ceremony, an age-old custom associated with wedding day festivities. Sarah in a stunning red Qipao looked lovely for our cameras, while Ellis bashfully served tea for all the new relatives in attendance. Soon after, the reception began with a grand entrance from the newlyweds. The pair were ‘perfect for each other’, to paraphrase Sarah’s mother as she spoke from the ballroom podium, a sentiment shared by the many in the room who knew Sarah and Ellis, from school, work, and family. “To all my friends outside accounting, I’m jealous of your lives”, Ellis spoke jokingly, showing a bit of his humor to the crowd, and undoubtedly disappointing his many accountant friends in the room. Cake-feeding between the newlyweds would involve a playful fight of frosting-laden fingers, and would end with a sweet kiss. As the night went along, we at SDE Weddings, Toronto’s premier wedding videography and cinematography group, made it an absolute certainty to capture every smiling moment of Sarah and Ellis’ wedding day, from first frame to last. To echo a saying from Sarah’s mother, the two were indeed perfect for each other, and it is in our humble wishes that our work in filming, documenting and producing the media for their wedding day would share in the same perfection that Sarah and Ellis’ make for one another. We wish the couple a happy life together, and are glad they chose us for all their wedding day media needs.

Ceremony Venue: Casa Loma | 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto, ON M5R 1X8
Reception: Liberty Grand | Renaissance Room; 25 British Columbia Rd, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3
Pastor: Deon Malloy
Decor & Flowers: Nancy Seto | Wedding Masters
Photographer: Alex Budinski | Spirits Intrigued Photography
Music: Shari Lundy | The Classic String Quartet
Cake: Bob, Jay Trew | Dufflet Pastries
Transportation: Yorkville Limousine Ltd
Hair & Makeup: Alyssa Caron | Bridezilla Beauty