Real Weddings: Jordyn and Ben
Jordyn and Ben Cowley met at a house party in 2014. They were both studying law—Jordyn at Western, Ben at Windsor—and their respective best friends, who happened to be dating, introduced them.
Ben was just visiting London for the weekend, but the two stayed in touch and would meet up whenever they were back in Toronto, where they both grew up. After eight months, Jordyn decided Ben was her boyfriend. “He’d never had a girlfriend before, so I made the first move,” says Jordyn.
Soon after they both graduated, they bought a house together in Toronto. Four and a half years later, Ben proposed. He reached out to the Arkells, their favourite band, to see if frontman Max Kerman would record a special video for the occasion. When Jordyn got home from work one night, Ben greeted her with his laptop and a video of Kerman saying, “I hear you’re getting hitched.” Then, Ben pulled out a box of macarons (Jordyn’s favourite treat), along with a letter written on paper towel (they used to leave paper towel notes for each other whenever they couldn’t find Post-Its) and a ring. She said yes.
They planned an industrial-themed celebration at The Symes with their massive bridal party.
Cheat Sheet
Date: March 2, 2019
Venue: The Symes
Planner: Melissa Baum Events
Photography: Assaf Friedman Photography
Videographer: Hidden Light Films
Bride’s dress: Romona Keveza
Groom’s suit: Custom-made by Sushant
Food: The Edible Story
Hair and makeup: Allison Kam, Fl.aw.less
Flowers: Nous Design Group
Invitations and stationery: Paper and Poste
Guests: 250
Jordyn spent the morning getting ready at her house with her bridesmaids:
They had a teary first look in their living room:
Here’s the bridal party. Each bridesmaid picked out a different dress in dark grey:
There were a few more tears during the ceremony:
Breaking the glass didn’t go according to plan: Ben ended up cutting his foot up pretty badly. After the ceremony, one of their guests (a doctor) ran home to grab his suture kit so he could give Ben four stitches:
To keep with the industrial theme, they used cinder block centrepieces adorned with white flowers and string lights:
They kept dinner casual by serving up Big Mac–inspired gourmet cheeseburgers and family-style sides, including mac ‘n’ cheese and salads:
The couple had their first dance to “And Then Some” by the Arkells:
There was a Horah with a twist. Ben and his groomsmen put on custom Leafs shirts with their nicknames printed on the back. Instead of holding up the traditional napkin, they opted for a Leafs flag. (They’re both fans, clearly):
There was a 12-piece band to get the party bumping:
Jordyn and Ben had this neon sign custom-made for their big day. They started calling each other “dear” to send up other couples who constantly say “babe”:
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/life/real-weddings-inside-an-industrial-warehouse-wedding/&title=Real Weddings: Inside an industrial warehouse wedding&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WEB1-2000x1333.jpg&description=Jordyn and Ben Cowley met at a house party in 2014. They were both studying law—Jordyn at Western, Ben at Windsor—and their respective best friends, who happened to be dating, introduced them.
Ben was just visiting London for the weekend, but the two stayed in touch and would meet up whenever they were back in Toronto, where they both grew up. After eight months, Jordyn decided Ben was her boyfriend. "He'd never had a girlfriend before, so I made the first move," says Jordyn.
Soon after they both graduated, they bought a house together in Toronto. Four and a half years later, Ben proposed. He reached out to the Arkells, their favourite band, to see if frontman Max Kerman would record a special video for the occasion. When Jordyn got home from work one night, Ben greeted her with his laptop and a video of Kerman saying, “I hear you’re getting hitched.” Then, Ben pulled out a box of macarons (Jordyn’s favourite treat), along with a letter written on paper towel (they used to leave paper towel notes for each other whenever they couldn't find Post-Its) and a ring. She said yes.
They planned an industrial-themed celebration at The Symes with their massive bridal party.
Cheat Sheet
Date: March 2, 2019
Venue: The Symes
Planner: Melissa Baum Events
Photography: Assaf Friedman Photography
Videographer: Hidden Light Films
Bride's dress: Romona Keveza
Groom's suit: Custom-made by Sushant
Food: The Edible Story
Hair and makeup: Allison Kam, Fl.aw.less
Flowers: Nous Design Group
Invitations and stationery: Paper and Poste
Guests: 250
Jordyn spent the morning getting ready at her house with her bridesmaids:
They had a teary first look in their living room:
Here's the bridal party. Each bridesmaid picked out a different dress in dark grey:
There were a few more tears during the ceremony:
Breaking the glass didn't go according to plan: Ben ended up cutting his foot up pretty badly. After the ceremony, one of their guests (a doctor) ran home to grab his suture kit so he could give Ben four stitches:
To keep with the industrial theme, they used cinder block centrepieces adorned with white flowers and string lights:
They kept dinner casual by serving up Big Mac–inspired gourmet cheeseburgers and family-style sides, including mac 'n' cheese and salads:
The couple had their first dance to “And Then Some” by the Arkells:
There was a Horah with a twist. Ben and his groomsmen put on custom Leafs shirts with their nicknames printed on the back. Instead of holding up the traditional napkin, they opted for a Leafs flag. (They're both fans, clearly):
There was a 12-piece band to get the party bumping:
Jordyn and Ben had this neon sign custom-made for their big day. They started calling each other "dear" to send up other couples who constantly say "babe":
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