Dog Friendly Wedding | Inn on the Twenty

When Jessica contacted me about her upcoming dog friendly wedding in July at the Inn on the Twenty and Cave Spring Vineyard, I knew it would be memorable. Her idea of having her dog, Major, walk down the aisle and participate in their wedding celebration was very original. There was also a fun part of taking photos afterwards together with Major. When I spoke to Jessica on the phone I was instantly excited to photograph her dog friendly wedding.     When her big day came I started photographing at the Inn on the Twenty Spa. Jessica got her make-up and hair done there. A bit later I followed her to the Inn on the Twenty Vintage House. It is a century home located just steps away from the main building and it also a dog friendly suite. It is a great option to be able to bring your four-legged friend with you to this amazing Bed and Breakfast. There I met her adorable pooch. He is half Husky and half Swiss mountain dog. He played one of the important roles in this dog friendly wedding.   The bride described their experience in the following words: “Having Major there was one of the best things in my wedding. He has been a loyal and loving member of the family since 2011. He’s my first baby. The idea of leaving him in a doggy daycare, while we get married was sad. Luckily, Inn on the Twenty offers two pet friendly suits. It was a hot day so the A/C was greatly appreciated by Major.”   As planned Jessica and Bruce had their first look in the little garden next to the main building. I find it is perfectly isolated and intimate spot for that type of the moment. In addition, a few photos in an outdoor pergola followed the great reveal. We took a walk to century old wine cellars – Vintner’s Cellar at the Inn on the Twenty is across the street. More photos were taken with the wedding party there.   All the family members and Major patiently waited for some more family group photos at the Cave Spring Barn. Some of the memories that Jessica and Bruce can recall from this experience were as follows: “We had our picture done in the later afternoon and Major was outside with us for 3 hours. Although we were keeping him in the shades, it was still hard as a snow-loving dog. Thanks to our photographers, he got extra water. “   One of the most interesting parts of multicultural weddings is when the bride has two wedding dresses. Usually one white dress and the other one with elements of tradition or culture. In Jessica’s case, the second dress was waiting and just before the ceremony she changed to another stunning wedding dress.   Located in the heart of Niagara Wine Country, the Cave Spring vineyard was the perfect and unique setting for Jessica and Bruce to exchange their vows and have their pooch take an imported role as ring boy (or should it be, ring dog?).   I learned that the couple specifically searched for a venue that would welcome their dog, so they can have their dog friendly wedding. When I asked Jessica about her thoughts at that moment, here is what she said: “Walking down the aisle, I saw my boys were waiting for me. It was the moment of the crazy day. I know they belong to me and I belong to them. There were many other great moments I could see later that my photographers captured.”   As the ceremony was over, their guests enjoyed the cocktail hour. Then we strolled through Cave Spring’s grapevines for more photos. I absolutely love the idea of the this dog friendly wedding and could not miss an opportunity to incorporate newlyweds’ best friend Major into the photos. I did like the look of the photos and my favourite is the one of the couple, bridal party & Major.   The village of Jordan is a great backdrop for wedding photography. The main street is the most popular and could not resist getting some more wedding party photos there, along with bride and groomsmen & groom and bridesmaid combinations.   Their grand entrance took place in the Vintner’s Cellar, located at the Inn on the Twenty. A cake cutting immediately followed this. I always like to hear what the bride has to say about their wedding: “The venue was amazing. We choose the Vintner’s Cellar, since we wanted to control the number of guests. It turned out great. Everyone thought it was special. The food was amazing. The only sad part was my dress limited my appetite so that I only had a few bits of my Cornish hen and one bit of my apple Caramel cheese cake!”.    On this hilarious note I cannot agree more that the food and the staff at the Inn on the Twenty are the best!   Jessica and Bruce experience with our photography was described this way: “The pictures are both artistic and heart warming. Varia and her second photographer did a wonderful job of recording all the moments we wanted to remember and made them beautiful.”   Thank you Jessica and Bruce for the honor of capturing your BIG day!                                                                                                              

As for the team

that provided their services to make this Dog Friendly Wedding happen, here are their names: Ceremony Venue:  Cave Spring Vineyard Reception Venue:  Inn on the Twenty Officiant: Sheldon Kofsky Harpist: Siobhan Kerr Music/DJ:  Steve Zieroth Wedding Planner And Designer:  Inn on the Twenty Hair and make up: Inn on the Twenty Spa Cake: Scrum-CAKE-ily-YUM-tious Catering:  Inn on the Twenty Photography: Varia Studio