Real Weddings: Jay and Jenn

Jay Mitchell, founder of bespoke hatmaking company Coup de Tête, met Jenn at a rowdy rooftop barbecue back in 2014. One of the first things she told him was that she wasn’t really into hats. He was impressed by her bluntness. “That night was crazy—at one point I was wearing a cow costume,” says Jay. “I’m sure she thought I was nuts, but I guess she was intrigued enough to see me again.” In the spring of 2018, after four years of dating, Jay proposed during a picnic at Trinity Bellwoods, where they’d had their first “real” date after the party. He arranged for a bunch of their friends to hold up signs that read, “Will you marry me?” on the other side of the park. She said yes.

Their wedding took place in a rustic barn in the Ball’s Falls Conservation Area, where Jay and Jenn started a small cidery. On the day of, they arranged yellow school buses to pick everyone up from Bellwoods and shuttle them up to the countryside, where they set up canvas tents for the wedding party to sleep in. There was a pescatarian family-style feast, and they had multiple bands play late into the night (including Jay’s own).

Cheat Sheet

Date: August 3, 2018 Photographer: Lane Dorsey Wedding Coordinator: Alicia Saysinh, Envision Weddings and Events Venue: Ball’s Falls Conservation Area Bride’s dress: Reclamation Design Company Groom’s outfit: 18 Waits, Coup de Tête Caterer: The Yellow Pear Drinks: Tawse Winery

The ceremony was held in an orchard. They made this altar from wild grapevines:

Their friend David Steckel was the officiator. Another friend sang a cappella to kick-start the ceremony:

After cocktails and more live music, the buses shuttled everyone to the Ball’s Falls venue for dinner. The property has a quaint white chapel:

And a barn:

Jenn’s dress designer takes vintage French tablecloths and doilies and turns them into gorgeous gowns. Jay used a piece of her wedding dress as a pocket square. “We were trying to incorporate old and new. We wanted it to be an authentic day that represented us,” says Jay:

Jay made custom hats for everyone in his bridal party. He also designed a special white-and-navy one for himself: