Real Weddings: Celia and Tyler

Celia Edell, a 32-year-old philosophy professor, and Tyler Gray, a 34-year-old business associate at Airbnb, met when they were teenagers in 2007. After chatting on Myspace, the two fell in love. Sixteen years later, in September of 2023, the high school sweethearts tied the knot at an intimate backyard wedding. Here’s how their hometown celebration came together.

Celia: One day after high school, I was hanging out in a park with friends when someone introduced me to Tyler. He looked like a classic bad-boy skateboarder—slim, with a shoelace as a belt. He had this magnetic energy. Luckily, we shared a mutual friend and were able to organically get to know each other that day.

Tyler: Right away, I thought Celia was attractive and cool. Everyone wanted to be around her. I tried to get her attention in a very teenage way—teasing her, stealing her phone.

Celia: Well, it worked. We hit it off and exchanged Myspace usernames and phone numbers. It was very early 2000s.

Tyler: After a few months of messaging, I asked Celia out on a date.

Celia: Tyler picked me up from school, and we went to a diner called Prince Albert’s. He ordered poutine, and I ordered pierogies. I was super nervous, but Tyler was so talkative that it put me at ease. We had our first kiss on New Year’s Eve, and then two days later we started officially dating.

Tyler: In those early days, we spent a lot of our time together eating at diners, going to the movies, getting ice cream—very wholesome stuff. We would also go to the public library and read books to each other.

Celia: We shared a lot of milestones—graduating high school, going to university, starting new jobs. When I was accepted into my master’s degree in England, I knew I had to spread my wings and go for it.

Tyler: After a big heart-to-heart conversation, we decided to move to the UK together. I got a visa so I could go with Celia. I had always wanted to travel but never really had the chance. She opened up my whole world.

Celia: We moved into a tiny shoebox apartment in England. It was our first time living together. We knew it would be a big adjustment to live in a brand new country where we didn’t know anyone, but it ended up being a blast.

Tyler: Living in a studio apartment together taught us how to give each other space. It worked well, except for one time when Celia was watching the Oscars at 2 a.m. while I was trying to sleep a few feet away.

Celia: If you can enjoy living together in a space that small, it’s a pretty good sign of a strong relationship. I feel lucky to have a man who supports my academic ambitions and is willing to go on these crazy adventures with me. After the UK, we spent time living in Montreal while I got my PhD.

Tyler: By 2021, I was ready to propose. We’d talked about engagement before, and Celia had shown me her preferred ring styles.

Celia: I like to do things at my own pace. But, over a decade into our relationship, I knew it felt right to get engaged.

Tyler: In August of 2021, we were on a weekend trip in a small town in Quebec. I was shaking with nerves as I prepared a charcuterie board for us to enjoy at our Airbnb. When we went out to the balcony to eat it, I got down on one knee and popped the question.

Celia: I was surprised at how nervous we both were since we’d been together for so long. But, afterward, we were both glowing.

Tyler: We enjoyed our engagement for a couple of years before deciding to have our wedding in September of 2023.

Celia: With the help of my mom and an event planner, I started planning the wedding a few months out, in May. We chose to host the ceremony and party at my parents’ house. Not only was it free, but Tyler and I had shared so many special memories there when we were teens, so it felt right. I never really imagined having a big elaborate wedding—all of that seemed stressful to me. We wanted to make sure that it felt intimate and comfortable.

Tyler: We invited about 60 of our closest family and friends, and Celia’s parents kindly spent the summer getting the house in order. I don’t really dress up often. I’m more of a denim-on-denim kind of guy, but I bought a suit from La Maison Simons and had it loosened by a tailor out in Vancouver. I also got cowboy boots and, for the end of the night, a cowboy hat.

Celia: Tyler loves to embrace the Western aesthetic. As for me, I chose to wear two dresses for the wedding. After trying on an insane $8,000 dress at LoversLand on Ossington, I stumbled upon their sample-size sale rack, where I found a dress for $100. It fit me like a glove, so I decided to buy it for post-ceremony fun. I got my simple bridal gown for the ceremony at a consignment store in Vancouver and bought both my veils on Facebook Marketplace.

Tyler: On the morning of the wedding, we both stayed at our respective parents’ places and enjoyed relaxing mornings getting ready.

Celia: Waking up at my parents’ house felt so familiar—except I was about to get married!

Tyler: Before the ceremony, we signed the official marriage document, which is called the ketubah in Jewish marriage tradition, in Celia’s parents’ dining room.

Celia: Meanwhile, our guests were mingling, sipping champagne and eating the hors d’oeuvres that were going around in the yard. As for the decor, I made sure it played off my parents’ 1950s home. I also wanted the vibe of the wedding to be fun and colourful instead of taking things too seriously.

Tyler: The ceremony portion of the day was held in the front yard. No seats, just super casual. People stood and watched as Celia walked down the aisle.

Celia: My best friend bought me the most beautiful bouquet to walk down the aisle with, but I completely forgot it! I was caught up in the moment, but I tried not to let any little mishaps get to me.

Tyler: We exchanged rings and said “I do” under the chuppah that I and Celia’s dad had set up. Since we had already gotten married legally, I didn’t feel too much pressure during this part of the wedding. I was able to just enjoy it.

Celia: After the official ceremony there is another ritual, called the yichud, where the bride and groom share a few private minutes together.

Tyler: We had a little cry of joy and ate some food. It was really nice to have a minute away from the chaos.

Celia: After that, I changed into my second dress for some photos. The photography was my number one priority for the wedding. I found Ryanne Hollies, a local Toronto photographer, on Instagram and loved her style. She took a combination of film and digital photos, and we are super happy with how they turned out.

Tyler: After we had more pictures taken, it was time to eat. We had a buffet of amazing Italian cuisine. I realized I was super hungry, so we served ourselves first.

Celia: We sat at a head table with our families while we ate and guests gave speeches. They were all really beautiful. My older brother emceed the wedding and did a top-notch job.

Tyler: After the speeches, we put music on the speakers for the party. There was dancing on the deck and a nice area by the pool with lights and a bar where guests could grab drinks. We also had a firepit going.

Celia: Later in the night, my best friend performed a DJ set, which got everyone dancing. When Tyler and I finally found each other on the dance floor, we decided it was time to slip away and leave our friends having fun.

Tyler: We wanted to spend some time together as a newly married couple, so we said our goodbyes and headed to the Airbnb our parents had booked us as a wedding gift.

Celia: In August, we’re going to Joshua Tree as a delayed mini-honeymoon.

Tyler: Marrying Celia was a dream come true. I’m such a big fan of my wife. Being married feels like an exciting new era for us, and it’s been an easy transition so far.

Celia: Almost a year into our marriage, I feel a stronger sense of duty to Tyler as a partner. Now, when I think about the future, I think about it as our future, not just mine. We can’t wait to settle into this new chapter.

Cheat Sheet

Date: September 28, 2023 Venue: Celia’s family home Planner: Jim Telfer Photography: Ryanne Hollies Officiant: Rabbi Catharine Clark Catering: Ciao Food Co. Staffing: Ciao Food Co. Cake: Little Sweet Bakery DJ: DJ Batforlillies Bride’s hair: Joanna Demelo, Salon Cyan Bride’s Makeup: Stephanie Hall, Salon Cyan Bride’s dresses: C/MEO Collective from LoversLand (reception) and Friends from Turnabout Consignment (ceremony) Groom’s suit: Le 31 from La Maison Simons Engagement ring: Wwake Bride’s wedding band: Mejuri Groom’s wedding band: Vintage