Natalie & Nathan | August 20, 2011 | The Drake Hotel Café
By Meaghan Binstock, Emily Landau and Simone Olivero
Photography by Joseph + Jaime
Natalie Sammut and Nathan Vella were 15 and 16 when they met at Waterloo Collegiate Institute. Their romance started over a shared pack of Hubba Bubba. Even though they were apart during university (Natalie went to McMaster, Nathan to Ryerson), they remained a couple and moved into an Annex apartment the day Natalie finished school. On a trip to New York in 2010 (their 15th year together), they visited a vintage jewellery store, where an art deco piece caught Natalie’s eye. “Once I saw the ring on her finger, some switch in my brain flipped,” says Nathan. A two-month wait and sleepless nights followed until he finally proposed in bed on a Sunday morning. “It was perfect,” says Natalie, “other than the part where I forgot to open the ring box.” When it came to the wedding, they opted for something true to their style: a small, unfussy affair set deep in the heart of city. “The Drake took care of everything,” she says. “It was almost too easy for us.”
Sources:
Photography: Joseph + Jaime
Bride’s dress: Alice + Olivia Groom’s attire: Hugo Boss suit and tie; custom shirt from Holt Renfrew
Bridesmaid dresses: Co-maids of honour wore their own dresses and shoes
Venue and Caterer: The Drake Hotel Café
Flowers: Jerry Furtado, who works in special events at The Drake
Dessert: A “bake sale” table with doughnuts, brownies and cookies from the café
Music: A mostly indie iPod playlist
Invitations: DIY, with the help of artist Vic Nguyen
Guests: 46
Cost: $16,000
120889 The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake1-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake1.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake1.jpg 624 420 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake1/ tlweddings2012_drake1 0 0
120890 The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake2-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake2.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake2.jpg 624 420 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake2/ tlweddings2012_drake2 0 0
120891 The venue was the non-typical setting the couple was looking for; it came with a backdrop of streetcars, bikes and hectic Queen West The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake3-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake3.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake3.jpg 420 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake3/ tlweddings2012_drake3 0 0
120892 Quirky, pixellated portraits of the couple, designed by Vic Nguyen, an artist friend, reflected their playful personalities The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake4-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake4.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake4.jpg 624 420 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake4/ tlweddings2012_drake4 0 0
120893 Natalie’s sister, Melanie Sammut (far left), and best friend, Katie Cauk, were co-maids of honour The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake5-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake5.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake5.jpg 624 420 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake5/ tlweddings2012_drake5 0 0
120894 Guests dipped into a jar of toonies and fed them into the photo booth at the venue; the photographs became their keepsakes The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake6-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake6.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake6.jpg 624 420 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake6/ tlweddings2012_drake6 0 0
120895 The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake7-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake7.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake7.jpg 420 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake7/ tlweddings2012_drake7 0 0
120896 “It was a hot August evening, so we helped guests cool down with wooden fans and ice-cold sangria” <em>—Natalie</em> The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake8-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake8.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake8.jpg 420 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake8/ tlweddings2012_drake8 0 0
120897 The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake55-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake55.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake55.jpg 420 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake55/ tlweddings2012_drake55 0 0
120888 <a href="http://www.torontolife.com/daily/tag/weddings-2012/" style="color:#5ac4be; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size:12px;">SEE MORE WEDDINGS 2012</a> The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan The Wedding Album | Natalie & Nathan https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake_intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake_intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TLWeddings2012_Drake_intro.jpg 656 343 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2012-the-drake-hotel-cafe/slide/tlweddings2012_drake_intro/ tlweddings2012_drake_intro 0 0
$16,000 for 46 guests? Unfussy? I had 9 times the guests for 4 times the cost…including other dinners. Wowza.
$16,000? For 46 guests? Tell me that was a typo! Looks like a great time but where did the money go?
16000 thousand , omg thats nuts
Congrats to Natalie & Nathan! Cute that they met at WCI ;)