Micro Weddings: Phoenix and Robert

Phoenix Mackenzie, a 30-year-old library technician, first met Robert Herr, a 29-year-old chef, in June of 2020, when they were both working at Fresh. The two began dating and moved in together just a few months later. They got engaged in December of 2021 and had a 70-person wedding at TCE on Sterling this past June. Here’s how their big day came together.

Robert: In 2020, I was hired as a chef at Fresh’s Bloor Street West location.

Phoenix: I was working there as a front-of-house supervisor that summer. I thought Robert was cute from the get-go.

Robert: I was drawn to Phoenix from the first moment I saw her.

Phoenix: We found ourselves taking our lunch breaks at the same time, and we started to get to know each other. We learned that we both had shark tattoos and really loved food. Once, Robert spent the entire 30 minutes talking about the different ways you could cook rice. He is very passionate.

Robert: One day I asked Phoenix if she liked tiramisu. I went home and made one from scratch, then brought it to work the next day. I guess I wanted to impress her.

Phoenix: Apparently everyone at work knew we had a crush on each other even though we didn’t fully know it yet ourselves. After we’d been working together for two months, one of my co-workers just flat out asked me if I thought Robert was cute. I turned beet red.

Robert: That same co-worker told me that someone had a crush on me. I correctly guessed that it was Phoenix.

Phoenix: In early September, Robert asked me out. At the time, I was living with roommates near High Park, and Robert came over and cooked me dinner.

Robert: We talked about our childhoods, music, where we grew up. I’m from Bowmanville, and Phoenix is from Windsor.

Phoenix: We had our first kiss that night, and then our second date was a few days later. We went for a walk through High Park.

Robert: By our third date, I knew I was going to marry Phoenix. I admired her constant drive to make the world around her better. She has a vibrancy and joy, and she’s not afraid to speak her mind.

Phoenix: Robert is the kindest person. Seeing him cooking at work, something he was so clearly good at and passionate about, was also very attractive. He has a beautiful smile and such gorgeous eyes. At the time, the pandemic was still in full swing, and my roommates and I were concerned about how many people were in our bubble. So, in November, Robert and I decided to move in together.

Robert: Phoenix moved into my basement studio in Leslieville. Then, in May of 2021, we upgraded to a one-bedroom apartment in High Park.

Phoenix: After that, we started to talk more seriously about getting married. We’d have conversations about what kind of wedding we’d want and who we’d invite. I also told him that my friend Savannah knew the kind of rings I liked. I wanted something unique and nature-inspired.

Robert: When I was researching jewellers, I found one called Oore Jewelry. I noticed that Phoenix already followed them on Instagram. They use sustainable and repurposed materials. I picked out a ring and sent it to Savannah, who gave me her approval. It was a blue sapphire surrounded by aquamarine. I ordered it in September.

Phoenix: That same month, we got a dog named Peanut, a shepherd mix.

Robert: We’re both quite nerdy. We play Dungeons and Dragons, and in that game, a 20 is the best thing you can roll. I decided to propose to Phoenix on December 20. That night, her parents were over at our place for a Christmas dinner. At one point before we ate, Phoenix was out in the backyard, and I told her parents that I planned on proposing that night. We finished dinner and watched a movie together, but the second the movie was over, her parents got up and said, “Okay, time for us to go!”

Phoenix: I didn’t understand why my parents wanted to leave so quickly, but they insisted.

Robert: We decided to take Peanut out before bedtime. I told Phoenix I needed to grab something and went to get the ring. When I came back, I got down on one knee underneath our mistletoe.

Phoenix: I had a bit of an out-of-body experience. It was like, Oh my god, is this really happening? I said yes, and Robert put the ring on my finger, then he put on our song: a cover of Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me” by Kina Grannis. We started dancing, and that’s when I started sobbing. It was just so beautiful.

Robert: Originally, we wanted to have a backyard wedding. We didn’t need it to be super fancy. We wanted something really intimate.

Phoenix: At the time, I was studying to be a library technician. I didn’t have the time to plan a wedding, so we decided to hire a wedding planner.

Robert: We met with Toronto Micro Weddings because someone there was a friend of a friend. They have their own event venue and suggested that we host our wedding there instead. Once we saw the space—a loft on Sterling Avenue, in the Junction Triangle—we agreed.

Phoenix: We wanted to wait until after I finished school, so we booked a date in June of 2024.

Robert: That also gave us some time to save up. We didn’t want to go into debt over a wedding.

Phoenix: We decided on a Beauty and the Beast garden party theme. We really liked the visual of teacups and books with wildflowers.

Robert: We scoured Value Village and the Little Free Libraries in our neighbourhood to find vintage books for decor.

Phoenix: One day, when I was out walking Peanut, I saw the most beautiful dress in the window of a store called Oh Happy Brides. When I eventually tried it on, I knew it was absolutely the dress for me. It had some beautiful floral and leafy motifs on the lace, with nude-y pink undertones, a sweetheart neckline and a deep V neck. When I got it altered, the seamstress took some fabric from the bottom of the dress to create detachable sleeves, which added a bit of romance. I was lucky that my parents covered the cost of my dress, which was $3,106 plus $600 for alterations.

Robert: For my suit, I went to Indochino to get something custom-made. I chose a deep-olive-green fabric and had the inside of my jacket and dress shirt monogrammed with my initials and our wedding date. I also bought a bow tie, and I paired the whole thing with my grandfather’s cufflinks. All together, it cost $1,050.

Phoenix: On the morning of the wedding, Robert and I went to our favourite brunch spot, Dirty Food. It was a nice way to connect before going our separate ways. Then I went to the Airbnb where my bridesmaids and I got ready. My hair was done for free by a friend, Emily Robertson, as a wedding gift. She did my mom’s hair as well. Then we were all in charge of our own makeup.

Robert: I got ready for the wedding at our apartment in High Park. That’s also where we did our first look.

Phoenix: It had been raining that whole day, but as soon as I pulled up to our house, the rain stopped. We took some photos and then headed to the venue.

Robert: There was a fireplace set up as an altar at the front of the room. Above it, there were arching flowers that met in the middle, with some books underneath. We also had teacups holding small floral arrangements and a massive window on the right side of the room that let in glorious amounts of light. We chose to walk each other down the aisle.

Phoenix: When we entered, we received a standing ovation from all of our guests.

Robert: Standing at the altar with Phoenix felt surreal. I had a bit of an adrenalin rush. My heart was racing, and my emotions were high. Peanut was up there at the altar with us too.

Phoenix: There was just so much joy. I had never felt so sure about anything in my life.

Robert: After the ceremony, our guests went out to a reception area for cocktails. While that was happening, the venue flipped the main room so that we could have dinner there. We had a three-course meal with a burrata or sea bream crudo appetizer, a fish or lamb main and tiramisu for dessert.

Phoenix: After that, we had about two hours of dancing. It was a lot of greatest hits from different artists, plus some wedding classics. We just told the DJ that we wanted to get everyone up out of their seats. Then the evening ended around 11 p.m.

Robert: Some of our guests helped move the decorations back to our place. A couple of them stayed around to chat for a while. After the wedding, we had a mini honeymoon up at my cottage in Kennebec. It was nice to have a moment to soak in the fact that we were married.

Phoenix: For our actual honeymoon, we’re planning to go to Florence in 2025. Instead of a wedding registry, we did a honeymoon registry. Our guests could gift us experiences like a pasta-making class or a museum tour.

Robert: Marriage feels mostly the same. Since the wedding, though, I’ve felt very adult when I say things like “This is my wife, Phoenix.”

Phoenix: It’s really fun to call Robert my husband. I was worried that I’d feel deflated since we’d been planning our wedding for so long. But it’s been all joy.

Grand total: $36,124

Date: June 9, 2024 Photography: $4,294, Gaetz Photography Wedding package: $25,516, Toronto Micro Weddings Venue: Included in the package fee, TCE on Sterling Officiant: Included in the package fee, The Good Reverend Matty Food: Included in the package fee, Chef Robert from Izabelle’s Kitchen and Pantry Cake: Included in the package fee, Alicia’s Bake Shop Guest favours: Included in the package fee, Baby Sweet Coffee Bride’s hair: Wedding gift, Emily Robertson Bride’s ceremony dress: $3,106, Kyann by Madi Lane, plus $600 for alterations Groom’s outfit: $1,050, Indochino Engagement ring: Oore Jewelry Wedding rings: $1,558, John Esposito at Malleable Jewellers