The brides and grooms of 2023 shared an understanding that a wedding is, at its best, an epic party. Short guests lists are out; multiple ceremonies, days-long festivities and endless outfit changes are in. Even the minimalist outliers impressed with their sharp aesthetic choices, and almost everyone danced until the wee hours. This year, the most memorable bashes included a stunt-filled, Met Gala–themed extravaganza; a four-day Vietnamese and Indian-Pakistani celebration; and an elaborate backyard wedding attended by the who’s-who of women’s hockey.
Here are our top 10 Real Weddings of the year.
Steven Cvitko, a senior policy adviser, and Andrew Kalinchuk, the managing editor of the New York Times’ Wirecutter, met on a dating app in 2009. After two years together, they moved from Edmonton to Toronto for a fresh start, and in 2019, they proposed to each other in Mexico City. To honour Toronto and the life they’d built together, they decided to get hitched at Hotel Ocho in Chinatown.
Kieran Sells, a TV producer at The Today Show, and Poly Polydorou, a set dresser, bonded over their love of big concerts and glittery shows. They got engaged in 2019 and, after postponing their 250-person celebration at the Great Hall until it was safe to gather, enjoyed a wild night featuring LED party lighting, disco balls and special performances by a gospel choir, Chantal Kreviazuk and queer singer Betty Who.
Hira and Daniel grew up in the same neighbourhood in north Brampton. They started dating in high school after bonding in the music room. Eleven years later, in the summer of 2022, the couple were married in a four-day celebration that blended Vietnamese and Indian-Pakistani traditions. It also featured a performance by their former music teacher.
Kiana Madeira and Lovell Adams-Gray, both actors and producers, met in 2016 while working as seat fillers at the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto. Their relationship deepened as their careers progressed, bringing them to LA and then New York, where they’re currently based. Kiana appeared in the 2022 film Brother and the Netflix show Trinkets, and Lovell has appeared in the TV show Slasher and the Starz show Power Book II: Ghost. The couple got married in a royalty-themed wedding at Casa Loma.
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