These couples got married at an adorable pop-up wedding chapel inside the Drake Hotel
Big weddings aren’t for everyone. That’s why, this past weekend, nine Toronto couples eloped at a pop-up wedding chapel inside the Drake Hotel. Local wedding planner Lynzie Kent turned the Underground stage into an altar, where, for $600, couples wed in a tasteful ceremony, followed by a photo shoot at Trinity Bellwoods. The weddings will be featured in Kent’s upcoming Makeful channel TV series, Crazy Beautiful Weddings, and all the proceeds from the day went to Sketch, an arts charity for homeless youth. We asked a few of the couples why they opted for a simple ceremony.
Tania Kohut, 32, media worker, and Sean MacIntyre, 32, construction site manager
Tania: A lot of weddings these days become about more than two people joining together. This wedding took away a lot of that stress and BS. It was super-easy—we could be here with a close group of our friends and family, and I just trusted Lynzie to take care of all the little details. Sean: We didn’t want all the stress of having to plan everything over a year, so this was very appealing: the small ceremony size, a great venue, the money went to charity. It hit all the right notes for us.
Kaylie Gordon, 27, nanny, and Andrew Subryan, 42, manager
Kaylie: We have a big wedding booked in Vegas, and we decided we wanted to do an elopement for just the two of us—something we could share together. Andrew: I feel like we got the chance to make our own little fairy tale!
Pamela Quiroga, 33, policy worker, and Brandon Warkentine, 36, Labatt technologist
Pamela: We were always looking for a way to elope. Our families are from everywhere, and the thought of taking on a big wedding was overwhelming. Being able to do this was just a giant relief. Brandon: What she said was perfect. Pamela: That’s why I married him.
Andrea Vicencio, 32, nurse, and Aaron De Guzman, 34, restaurant general manager
Aaron: We wanted something small, simple, just with our family. Andrea: This is our style. We’re here all the time!
Julia Forrester, 29, advertising worker, and Matt Smith, 30, manufacturing buyer
Julia: We’ve been together for a long time and got engaged about a year ago. This event was the perfect small way to celebrate with our family. Tomorrow, we’re having a barbecue at my parents’ house for extended family and friends, and then we’re planning a honeymoon for next summer. Matt: It seemed like the best way to give her the wedding that she wanted.
Kelly List, 30, horse trainer, and Curtis Henhawke, 30, electrician
Kelly: We have a baby on the way, and we wanted to solidify our relationship. Curtis: We don’t have a lot of time to plan a full wedding, so this was perfect for us.
Larry Theobalds, 63, screen printer, and Trisha Genereaux, 45, store manager
Trisha: It was spur of the moment, and we didn’t think we could get it done any other way. Larry: This is just the way we do it!
Roxy Kirshenbaum is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. After graduating from Columbia University’s journalism program, she worked as a copy editor at InStyle magazine in New York and then as an editor at Surface magazine. When she returned to Toronto, she worked at Blue Ant Media and Cottage Life, and she has been a contributing writer and photographer at Toronto Life for many years.
