By Michelle Higgins, Bronwen Jervis, Sharon Monuk and Amanda Panacci | Photography by 5ive15ifteen
Date: September 29, 2012 | Location: Casa Loma | Guests: 200 | Budget: $80,000
Ron White, 43, the shoe designer, and Brad Wilson, 42, an entrepreneur, met at a Casa Loma TIFF after-party in 2007 when Ron accidentally spilled his wine on Brad. “I was mortified,” says Ron. So was Brad, who was wearing an old pair of Aldo shoes. “When I spotted him I thought, ‘Ugh, there’s Ron White and I’m wearing these horrible shoes,’ ” recalls Brad. Ron texted Brad the next day to ask him out, and three and a half years later they were engaged. “Growing up, we never dreamed we would get married,” Ron says. “We had no idea how to go about it.” They turned to friends for advice, including journalist Seamus O’Regan and his husband, Steve Doss (“our gay marriage coaches,” says Ron). The couple wrote each other promises—“in sickness and in health, on good hair days and bad”—at the suggestion of their friend Gloria Epstein, an appeals court justice who laid the groundwork for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada. Brad and Ron had run into her the summer after they started dating, and she’d told them if they ever got engaged, she wanted to marry them. Four years later, she did, in the same castle where the couple met. This time, Brad was wearing better shoes.
193654 “Ron convinced me to dance down the aisle with our friends. I’m not a showman, so I was hesitant, but I’m glad we did it. It was a lot of fun” —<em>Brad</em> (Image: 5ive15ifteen) The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-intro.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron/slide/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-intro/ real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-intro 0 0
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193657 Brad and Ron married at Casa Loma, where they first met. It was one of the few venues large enough to accommodate their 200 guests (Image: 5ive15ifteen) The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-01.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron/slide/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-01/ real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-01 0 0
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193658 (Image: 5ive15ifteen) The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-02.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron/slide/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-02/ real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-02 0 0
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193659 Brad and Ron chose clean white floral arrangements, including this bouquet of dahlias and hydrangeas (Image: 5ive15ifteen) The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-03.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron/slide/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-03/ real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-03 0 0
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193660 Guests included Laureen Harper, Jeanne Beker and MCs John Tory and Barbara Hackett (Image: 5ive15ifteen) The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-04.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron/slide/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-04/ real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-04 0 0
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193661 The couple served cheesecake pops, although Brad wasn’t able to sample any at the wedding. “I didn’t have time to eat!” (Image: 5ive15ifteen) The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-05.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron/slide/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-05/ real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-05 0 0
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193662 Justice Gloria Epstein officiated the ceremony. It was her first time marrying a gay couple in front of a congregation (Image: 5ive15ifteen) The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-06.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron/slide/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-06/ real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-06 0 0
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193663 Ron chose raspberry as an accent colour, and incorporated the wedding party’s shoes into his fall collection (Image: 5ive15ifteen) The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-07.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron/slide/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-07/ real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-07 0 0
(Image: 5ive15ifteen)
193666 <p><strong>PHOTOGRAPHER</strong><br /><br />
5ive15ifteen</p><br />
<p><strong>GROOMS' ATTIRE</strong><br /><br />
Giorgio Armani</p><br />
<p><strong>VENUE</strong><br /><br />
Casa Loma</p><br />
<p><strong>CATERER</strong><br /><br />
Pegasus Hospitality Group</p><br />
<p><strong>CAKE</strong><br /><br />
Bobbette and Belle</p><br />
<p><strong>FLOWERS</strong><br /><br />
Fresh Floral Creations</p><br />
<p><strong>MUSIC</strong><br /><br />
Canadian Tenors, Sean Jones, Alana Bridgewater, L.A. Live</p><br />
<p><strong>INVITATIONS</strong><br /><br />
PostNet</p> (Image: 5ive15ifteen) The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron The Wedding Album | Brad & Ron https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-08.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron/slide/real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-08/ real-weddings-2013-brad-and-ron-08 0 0
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Congratulations to the two of you! :)