Real Weddings: Kyle and Brandon

Kyle Trattner, the CEO of finance publication MoneyWise, and Brandon Koykka, Cactus Club’s restaurant manager, met in 2010 at the now-defunct Adelaide Street nightclub Footwork. Kyle noticed Brandon’s bright yellow pants, and they exchanged BBM PINs. “That’s how long ago it was,” says Brandon, laughing. Brandon was moonlighting as a DJ at the time and, after he asked Kyle to come watch him play a bar in Hamilton, they started dating.

Five years later, they were having breakfast in bed in their Davisville home, when their beagle, Cleo, hopped up onto the bed with a ring box that Kyle had tied around her neck. Brandon said yes, but at that point, the duo didn’t really care to have a wedding. They discussed the possibility of eloping, but they knew their parents would appreciate a celebration, so they started planning an intimate affair, which ended up snowballing into a stunning—but certainly not small—wedding.

Kyle and Brandon wanted to keep everything as simple as possible: clean decor, a short-and-sweet ceremony, casual appetizers. And most importantly, they didn’t want to plan a thing. They enlisted Cynthia Martyn to take over, and ended up loving her suggestions, from giant white balloons for photo ops to a statement hedge adorned with their initials. “We would have been totally in over our heads without her,” says Kyle. They visited the Chase and loved its aesthetic and beautiful outdoor patio. Plus, Brandon is obsessed with seafood.

Cheat sheet

Date: June 5, 2016 Planner: Cynthia Martyn Photography: Mango Studios Grooms’ attire: Armani Classic Tux (Kyle); Canali (Brandon) Flowers: Fresh Floral Creations Inc. Hair: Mankind Grooming Venue and caterer: The Chase Fish and Oyster Cake: Prairie Girl Bakery Music: DJ Post Projections Invitations: Paleterra Guests: 85

The couple got ready at the Thompson Hotel in separate rooms before meeting up for a first look. They each decided to wear classic tuxes, though Brandon accessorized his with a wooden bow-tie and pocket square, which he’s since adopted permanently. “It’s kind of his thing now,” says Kyle:

Brandon went for bright red brogues by John Fluevog:

Then, they walked over to the Chase for a photoshoot with Cleo, who wore a fancy collar for the occasion. The restaurant wouldn’t allow her to be there when they were serving food, so they had a dog-sitter look after her for the rest of the evening:

Group shots are tougher (but cuter) with dogs:

Because Cleo couldn’t be there, they had cookies made to resemble her, which were given out as favours:

The pair hid downstairs, eating oysters and sipping prosecco while guests arrived:

The day had been rainy, but the sun came out just in time for the ceremony, which was brief and non-denominational:

“I cried a bunch, and Kyle laughed at me,” says Brandon:

A string trio played during the ceremony and cocktail hour. The couple requested some silly covers, like the Game of Thrones theme song:

After the ceremony, they snuck outside to take photos with some giant white balloons:

Inside, guests were asked to sign a bottle of wine for the couple to open on their anniversary:

The restaurant was decorated in a colour scheme of white, grey and chartreuse:

The couple weren’t that into flowers, so their planner decided on white orchids in poured concrete vases, and lots of lush fern and moss displays:

They chose their signature cocktail, a classic mojito, to match the colour scheme. Their planner added swizzle-sticks laser-cut with their initials:

During cocktail hour, there was a raw bar and passed appetizers including fried chicken and tuna nachos. They went for food stations for the main course, including roast beef with horseradish sauce, cavatelli with rapini pesto and steamed mussels:

The couple didn’t plan a proper sit-down dinner, but almost everyone hunkered down after the ceremony—except the couple. “If I remember one thing about the day it was that I don’t remember eating,” says Kyle:

They had their friend, singer Raine Zatara, sing “Swing Life Away” by Rise Against:

The rectangular vanilla cake was inspired by a design they found on Instagram. Inside, its layers alternated between vanilla and strawberry icing:

The evening’s only hitch: the hedge didn’t fit in the elevator, so they had to cut it in half and wire it back together. No one was the wiser. A friend took home the initials and turned them into a piece of art for the couple. After the wedding, the pair went on a two-week honeymoon to L.A., Hawaii and San Francisco: