Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

Real Weddings: Jonny and Jon

Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

By Jen Kirsch| Photography by Rebecca Palladina
| December 6, 2018

In February 2013, Jonny Cooper, an entrepreneur, went to The Beaver on Queen West for a onesie party. He wore custom monogrammed grey PJs, and Jon Tuttle, a sales rep wearing monkey jammies, complimented him. The two guys got chatting and exchanged numbers. A few days later, they had dinner at Fran’s and went Go-Karting at Grand Prix Kartways. “I’m pretty competitive and I lapped him a bunch of times, but he didn’t care,” says Jonny. “It was all smiles.” By 2015, Jonny and Jon had bought a house together, where they lived with their white German Shepherd, Dash. They’d talked about getting married, but never made any definite plans. Two years later, in July 2017, they unintentionally coordinated their proposals. Jon bought a set of rings and hid them behind the sweaters in the closet. “He never wears knits, so I knew they were safe there,” he says. Meanwhile, Jonny planned to propose with a watch he’d purchased from Royal des Versailles. He beat Jon to the question. “As soon as he started speaking, I knew what he was up to and started crying,” says Jon. “Then I ran upstairs and got the two rings I had hidden away.”

They spent a year planning a weekend getaway for friends and family in Muskoka.

Cheat Sheet

Date: September 15, 2018 Planner: Angela Zaltsman, A to Z Event Management Venue: JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Videography: Images Life Media Photography: Rebecca Palladina, Pepper and Light Hair: Robert Juranovich, Style By Robert Flowers: Susanne Carlascio, Wildflowers & Co Music: Soular Number of Guests: 287

Jonny and Jon arrived at the resort on Thursday to spend a few extra days taking in the lakeside views with friends and family. On the day of the ceremony, they got ready in separate rooms with their two sets of groomsmen:

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

Jonny’s nephew and little cousin were the ring bearers: 

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

The grooms walked down the aisle together:

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

Wallace Bay was the backdrop for the ceremony:

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

Jonny is Jewish and wanted the ceremony to include a few traditions, like breaking the glass:

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

The grooms made a costume change for the reception. Jonny wore a custom pair of tuxedo shorts and custom Vans sneakers. “I had them made for each of my groomsmen, too,” he says. “They each had a different tongue and their initials were embroidered on the heel.” Jon wore a custom red velvet suit jacket, and a skull and crossbones bow-tie and cummerbund:

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Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

Everyone did the Hora. “One of the chair legs broke off while Jon’s dad was being lifted—and he’s not even a heavy man,” says Jonny.

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

Their dog, Dash, made an appearance on the bar:

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

And again on the cake topper:

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

Jonny assembled a band of friends and family members to play at the ceremony, including Justin Bieber’s lead guitarist, Daniel Kanter, and Blind Melon’s Renan Yildizdogan. For their finale, they were joined on stage by the groomsmen to sing “With a Little Help From My Friends,” by the Beatles: 

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

Toronto drag queen Juice Boxx is a long-time friend of the grooms’, and she showed up to give guests a surprise performance:

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

Juice Boxx brought along fellow queen Baby Bel Bel. The two performed songs by Lady Gaga and the Spice Girls. “The whole audience really got into it,” says Jonny. “For a lot of our guests, this was the first drag performance they had ever seen.”

Real Weddings: Inside a lakeside Muskoka retreat

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