Q&A: Tatiana Clavijo on hosting the perfect wedding at the Doctor’s House

Q&A: Tatiana Clavijo on hosting the perfect wedding at the Doctor’s House

Photography By Cardozo Photography

We spoke to makeup artist and interior designer Tatiana Clavijo about her elegant August wedding at the Doctor’s House, a beautifully rustic venue in Kleinburg. Here, we chat about her relationship story, the planning process and what made the day so special.

How did you and your husband, Lorne, meet?

We met at a Raptors game in 2013. We were seated really close to each other, and I noticed he was staring at me for most of the game. I tend to laugh when I get nervous, so I think he thought I was flirting with him. He asked me to get a drink afterwards, and I ended up giving him my number.

Do you remember your first date?

Yes, it was actually a full afternoon and evening in Niagara Falls. He’s always been really sweet at planning dates. We walked around the town and watched the fireworks in the evening.

Is there an engagement story?

We got engaged after dating for three years, in 2016. Lorne is a member at the National Golf Course of Canada, and he plays there a lot in the summer. He usually brings food home for me from the restaurant. That day, I asked him to bring me a tuna pasta I liked. I was in the middle of eating it, and out of nowhere he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was like, “No, not now—I’m eating tuna!” But of course I said, “Yes, I do.” He told me he had a whole thing planned for that weekend but couldn’t wait knowing he had the ring in his pocket. That weekend, we went back to Niagara Falls, where we had our first date.

Did you have a vision of what you wanted for the big day?

I definitely wanted something in the country, surrounded by nature, and a stunning view. We originally wanted to do it in the Bahamas, but since we wanted to invite over 200 people, it was going to be tricky. Lorne suggested the Doctor’s House, since he knew the owner. I just knew it would be the perfect place. It feels like you’re in the countryside, since it’s surrounded by gardens and tall trees.

What else was important for you?

We really wanted a beautiful chapel. We looked for one at a few other places, but had no luck. The Doctor’s House has a charming chapel. It’s in the middle of the gardens, and it has a bell on the roof that we rang at the end of the ceremony. It was really pretty. We also wanted more of an indoor-outdoor space. The Doctor’s House has this massive room that opens up straight onto the patio. It also had huge, tall windows, which made us feel like we were outside. Also, we loved that the recently renovated bar could fit a ton of people. I wanted people to party and have fun, and we have a picture of 20 people in the bar taking shots.

What did you want to serve for dinner?

Before dinner we set up food stations on the patio. There was a sushi bar, deli station and prosecco bar. For dinner, we started with a mini caprese salad and asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. The first course was a tomato-based ravioli that everyone raved about. Then we had a choice of beef tenderloin or sea bass. At midnight we had even more food: there was a pulled pork station and a taco station. Everyone told us afterwards they had never eaten so much in their lives.

Tell us about your aesthetic vision.

I wanted something very elegant and modern. My wedding planner did an amazing job. We had cherry blossom trees around our table, and a bunch of candles at the bottom. The theme was mostly white and gold. We had two serpentine tables with lots of candles and white flowers. We also did a dancefloor decal that said “A date to remember,” which was our signature wedding phrase.

What were some of your favourite moments?

My first highlight was when I walked into the chapel and Lorne and I saw each other for the first time. We both couldn’t stop smiling. Our band, Saturday Night Jive, was also amazing. The party hadn’t even started and everyone was dancing in between courses. They played some Latino music for us, too. I’m Colombian, and there’s something called “crazy hour” at our weddings. I brought hats and neon flowers for people to wear, and hired samba dancers to show up at midnight. It’s like a mini carnival. Everyone at the Doctor’s House was so kind and helpful in the planning process. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect venue to help bring our vision to life.

Want to see the venue? Visit thedoctorshouse.com