To begin our collection of beautiful weddings from the past year, we present Valerie & Max.

Val & Max have a special place in our hearts, because they met with us for a consult before we even hosted our grand opening party almost two years ago. They appreciated our passion for design and actually made it out to celebrate our new beginnings as PALETTERA! Not only so, but they took the time to thoughtfully pick out their favourite 5 greeting cards at the party, in support of our scholarship fund in my mom’s honour (the first $1000 was eventually donated to the Sacred Heart Alumni Scholarship for academic excellence & leadership in 2010). A lovely pair, who always had such great etiquette and respect for people and life…. How could we ask for a better start to an awesome relationship, which turned into a friendship?

Val & Max sit and discuss their stationery while browsing through our completed projects at the PALETTERA Press for Time Launch Party. Photo courtesy of SNAP Markham Newspaper.

Val and Max met at university; they were both dating other people at the time, but had mutual friends. They reconnected when Val moved to London after school and Max was visiting the city for work. This is when they began to fall in love. As they grew in their friendship for love for one another, they were also both high achievers. Their relationship blossomed and it was time for Max to ask the most important question of his life. One wonderful Saturday spent just between the two of them followed by dinner and drinks led the way to a meaningful proposal in their cozy home.

These two are such a great fit for one another. One always listens to the other, and gives some thought before offering an opinion — this is how they lovingly interacted throughout all our consults! They are also unafraid to smile and laugh – Val’s smile can light up a room! Appreciators of wine and cheese, Val and Max decided on the beautiful Chateau des Charmes at Niagara-on-the-Lake for their wedding venue. Château des Charmes is an immaculately kept winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The region had tremendous visual substance; a perfectly cloudless blue sky canvas, a backdrop of dark green vegetation, lush grape vines heavy with fruit and in the forefront, a rose garden in full bloom. Both intimate and casual, the wedding was deliberately kept small, which helped to keep things personal. Val and Max love a combination of the outdoor picturesque scenery of the famous winery, as well as the intimate and casual charm of the tented party outside the Château.

Stationery was a key element in the wedding. Designed and art-directed at Palettera, the winery-themed stationery set the tone from the moment guests were invited. The invitations were charming and invited guests to interact with several beautiful textures: a soft fabric linen in chocolat, a straw-based tissue belliband that was sewn by hand to the wine-coloured satin sash. A custom monogram that reflected the nature of the winery and their professions was pressed in gold on the cover, like a seal on a wine bottle. It was classy, just like the people it was made for. Inside, a grapevine-inspired 3-colour letterpress design complete the Château feel. Thoughtfully, the map indicated various famous attractions for guests to explore if they arrived earlier, or wanted to stay for the entire weekend. And to honour and uplift the tradition of the Chinese tea ceremony, we created an insert to highlight this event within the event. The intimate serving of tea to the elders took place in the David Bench room. These details were carried throughout the rest of the stationery: the table numbers, placecards, seating chart and signage. It was spectacular!

In addition, Val made 2,500 biscotti and packaged them as part of the guest gifts. Known by her friends and family for her love for cooking, they have all been happy guinea pigs of her culinary experiments. She also made her deep red Venetian laced gown for the Chinese Tea Ceremony for another small personal touch.

Perhaps most importantly, the gorgeous photos of their big day was captured by the talented Krista Fox of Verve Photo Co.. Her portfolio of images for Val & Max’s wedding truly captures the story and intimate nature of the day, as well as the stylish backdrop of the famous winery.

In an effort to keep it deeply personal, decisions of the soiree were made with their guests in mind from start to finish. As the most important people in their lives, they wanted their guests to feel loved and cared for. Val and Max made their guests feel welcome and well taken care of, so that they could be blessed by the celebration of their wedding. For example, they provided custom pashminas for the ladies when night fell, flip flops for tired feet, a shuttle service to and from the winery so all guests could fully enjoy the winery’s best and also kept the ceremony short – the hearty Canadian way of hosting!! From the photos, we can relive some of their romantic moments, and witness the wonderful time that their family & friends shared.

Congratulations to Val & Max! Happy belated 1st year anniversary!
Thank you again to Krista Fox for her beautiful photographs.
All images are property of Verve Photo Co.

Other details to note for the newly engaged who are looking for ideas:
The wedding took place at Château des Charmes with everyone preparing themselves at Riverbend Inn.

Happy Planning!