Real Weddings: Emily and Brae

Emily Holland, a 29-year-old content writer, met Brae Rod-Gaudreau, a 28-year-old account executive, on Tinder in the spring of 2017, when they were both university students in Halifax. A year later, they moved in together, and in 2019 they packed their bags and headed to Toronto. After five years of dating, Rod-Gaudreau proposed to Holland on a rainy day at Trillium Park against a backdrop of the city’s skyline. The couple wed in an intimate 50-person ceremony at Hotel Ocho this past October, shots of which went certified viral on Holland’s TikTok. Here’s how their celebration came together.

Brae: I went to Dalhousie University for engineering, and Em was studying public relations at Mount Saint Vincent University. It was interesting that we never crossed paths. We’re both from Nova Scotia, and we knew of some of the same people. Em didn’t have a lot of information on her dating app profile, but I wanted to know more about her.

Emily: Our first date was in March, and we met at this dessert cocktail bar called the Middle Spoon. We met at 6 p.m., and the date lasted about six hours. We were deep in conversation, and the time flew by. It probably would have gone longer, but they politely asked us to leave as the bar closed.

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Brae: There was an initial physical attraction, but on our first date we explored the intellectual parts of our dynamic. I was looking for something more serious, but I’m also quite picky and didn’t want to spend time with someone if our vibes didn’t match. Em has a lot of layers that not everyone sees when they first meet her. We had a lot of the same values and a similar outlook on life.

Emily: I left the first date intrigued. Brae was different from any other man I had met. He had this quiet confidence about him. He was reserved yet chatty and was an attentive listener. We quickly planned a second date, and from that point onward we never left each other’s side. Everyone was shocked when Brae and I started dating: I always said I was a woman who didn’t need a man. Turns out I just needed the right one.

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Brae: We made it official in June of 2017. I didn’t think we needed to be formal about putting a label on our relationship since we’d been seeing each other exclusively for a few months. But Em put her foot down and made it more official, which I respected.

Emily: Once we were both done with our studies, we made the mutual decision to move to Toronto in 2019. The career development possibilities and diversity were appealing to us, and I had always wanted to live here. I was happy that I found Brae, who was willing to leave his comfort zone and start fresh.

Brae: We started having more serious conversations about marriage and engagement around the end of 2021, and we eventually decided to design a ring together.

Emily: We both agreed that if I was going to wear this piece of jewellery every day for the rest of my life, we should make sure that I love it. I found Alexis Gallery on Instagram, and they took us through the entire process from start to finish. I wear a lot of gold jewellery and wanted something that would complement what I already wear. I landed on an elongated radiant-cut diamond ring.

Brae: The design process took about two months. Together, we worked on the structure of the ring and gave the designer specific guidelines, but I made the final call. They told us the ring would be ready in eight weeks.

Emily: I didn’t want to see the finished ring until it was given to me. I saw a rendering, and then once we signed off on that, I took myself off the communication and didn’t see it until he proposed. I still wanted a little element of surprise.

Brae: The ring was ready four weeks earlier than expected, and I proposed shortly afterward, near the end of March 2022. On a rainy Saturday morning, we went to Trillium Park, down by the water near Ontario Place. I’d heard it was a quiet spot in the city. It was important to be downtown and to have a nice view of the Toronto skyline. It represented the first major decision we made: to move here and build our lives together.

Emily: It wasn’t unusual for us to go for a long walk through the park on a Saturday morning and grab coffee or brunch. But it was raining, and he was still adamant about heading out. I could tell he was nervous. We tell each other everything, so I had a feeling he might be planning to propose. But I was also surprised because I didn’t know the ring was ready. He got down on one knee and said he was proud of the person I’d become since moving to Toronto. I thought back to all the memories we had made together and how this signified the beginning of a new chapter for us. We didn’t end up having brunch, but I got something better.

Brae: We wanted our engagement photos to reflect our everyday lives. We spend a lot of time in the Annex, around Bloor and Bathurst, the closest neighbourhood to us. We popped in to the Annex Hotel wine bar, one of our favourite hidden gems in the city. We use the TTC to get around, so it was cool to take some photos on the subway. We shot in front of the Bloor Fruit Market, where we buy our produce. We didn’t want to do something out of the norm of our lifestyle.

Emily: We started planning our wedding in the summer of 2022. Ryanne, our photographer, was the first vendor we secured. She’s so talented—we picked our wedding day around her availability. We also worked with a planner, but I sourced all the vendors and made a lot of the design choices personally.

Brae: We didn’t have bridesmaids or groomsmen on either side, partially because we had a small-ish wedding—the final guest count was 51. Instead, we asked everyone to wear black, so everyone had a uniform look in photos.

Emily: We didn’t want our friends and family to worry about wedding party duties or helping to set up the venue. We just wanted them to enjoy the experience. We love hosting, and this was the ultimate hosting event.

Brae: We had a lot of people coming into the city for our wedding. A few days before the big day, we rented out Paradise Grapevine on Geary Avenue. We’ve been to the one on Bloor and love their wine, but this location has a wider food selection and more space.

Emily: We wanted everyone to meet beforehand so they could connect and be friendly with one another on the day. We also wanted more time with our friends. We knew the wedding itself would be busy, so we wanted a night where we could relax over some drinks and hang out with everyone.

Brae: It was a good casual event and a nice way to make us less nervous.

Emily: We got married on October 26, 2024. It can be difficult to find venues suited to small weddings, but we landed on Hotel Ocho because you can have both floors—the ceremony and dancing downstairs and dinner upstairs. We also loved the industrial vibe of the exposed brick and the big windows. We wanted it to feel like an intimate downtown dinner party.

Brae: Em and I got ready together in the morning, which more people should do. It was a relaxing start to our wedding day.  We woke up at home and read our vows on the couch. Everyone in our life knows that we’re best friends and we deeply love each other, so we didn’t feel the need to declare our love publicly. We made pancakes for breakfast and then headed over to the hotel to get ready.

Emily: We went to New York to go dress shopping together, so my dress was a surprise for everyone except Brae. I got my ceremony gown from Wona Concept. It was unique but timeless and classic. The long sleeves gave it that little twist, and the sweetheart neckline felt chic.

Brae: For my suit, I wanted to wear brown because everyone else would be wearing black. I got it online from a French brand called Séfr. It’s kind of a ’70s-style suit with slightly flared legs, and my tie had a bunch of muted tones that matched it. For shoes, I went with laceless boots from VSP Consignment.

Emily: When we were ready, I had a first look with my family, including my grandparents. That was the only time I cried that day. They were so happy to see me dressed up as a bride.

Brae: After the first look, we took some photos at Osgoode Hall with family in front of the main doors. Emily and I then made our way to the cocktail bar Short Turn, at Queen and Bathurst, which has a cool retro vibe, to take more photos.

Emily: When we got back to the hotel, we had 30 to 45 minutes to ourselves. We were both getting a little nervous at that point, and I wanted to take a video of us before we walked down the aisle. I propped up my phone on the windowsill, and as I was taking the video, I looked down to see a group of girls jumping up and down and waving at me. I was smiling a big ear-to-ear grin and waving at them, and my nerves went away.

Brae: We wanted a cozy, intimate feel, so we went for a ton of candles. But we had to time it just right with the sun so it could have an effect without the room being too dark. We started our ceremony around 6:30 p.m.

Emily: We have a Jamaican Independence Day party every year and drink a lot of Red Stripe beer. Brae had the idea to clean up those bottles and use them as bud vases for our flowers and greenery. We had custom stationery made by Nephthys Foster. My favorite thing she created for us was guest checks, which we used to write a small, appreciative note to each one. For a guest book, we got postcards from all the cities we’d been to together, put a mailbox near the bar and asked guests to write us notes on the back.

Brae: We walked down the aisle together, because it represented us moving into this next chapter of life as a team.

Emily: My grandmother officiated the wedding. Our love is so special, and it didn’t feel right to have a stranger officiate it. She’s involved with Toastmasters and is used to public speaking, so she was the perfect fit.

Brae: Next we had a cocktail hour. A lot of couples don’t attend their cocktail hour because they’ll take their photos after the ceremony, but  we hadn’t seen our friends all day and wanted to celebrate with them.

Emily: We were so excited to hug our friends. We really needed a drink too. We were excited to have a spicy marg and some rum punch.

Brae: Halfway through the cocktail hour, we took some nighttime shots together on the Spadina streetcar tracks. When we got back, it was time for dinner, which the hotel catered. For starters, we had a warm mushroom salad as well as a tomato and roasted red pepper soup. There was a choice of branzino, sirloin and scallops, and vodka pasta for mains. My favourite part of dinner was the sweetheart table, which allowed us to reflect on the wedding in real time. It was a nice, calm moment during a busy day.

Emily: As dinner was finishing, we went upstairs to our room. I changed into my reception dress, and we had a private cake-cutting. We got a small cake from Kwento. It was an intimate moment to decompress before going downstairs to dance with everyone. For our guests, I sourced a few different desserts from around the city. We had brigadeiro from Mary’s Brigadeiro, Cops doughnuts and pastel de nata from Caldense Bakery, plus my dad made a Jamaican rum cake.

Brae: During the cocktail hour and dinner, we played chill hip hop, R&B and some older classics. The reception music was dance hall, mid-2000s hits and reggae. Our first-dance song was “Angel” by Rayvon and Shaggy. We’re shy and didn’t want all the attention on us, so we invited our guests to dance with us. Everyone was singing and dancing along.

Emily: As a late-night snack, we served Jamaican beef patties from Sheryl’s. The venue said everyone had to be out by 1 a.m., but Brae, his friends and the DJ were outside smoking a cigar until 2:30 a.m. Afterward, we lay in bed eating beef patties and reading the postcards from our guest book.

Brae: Married life doesn’t feel different. In the best way, it’s more of the same. While the day-to-day doesn’t change, it’s nice to wear a ring and feel more formal than before.

Emily: We’ve acted like we were married for a long time. We lived together, we shared household duties. It’s nice to have the wedding behind us and to remember how we celebrated our love.

Brae: With every decision we made for this wedding, we kept the fact that we are best friends at the forefront of our minds. We wanted to be together the entire day and support each other. It’s a satisfying cap on our relationship.

Emily: We just got back from our honeymoon in Tanzania. One day we would love to have a family, but we’re not in a rush. We’re young, and we want to continue travelling and building our careers.

Cheat Sheet

Date: October 26, 2024 Photography: Ryanne Hollies
Content Creation: eighty8social Planning: Amanda Simplice Events Wedding venue/catering: Hotel Ocho Cake: Kwento Stationery: Nephthys Foster Florals: Riverside Flower Shop Emily’s dresses: WONÁ Concept, Nookie Veil: Etsy Emily’s shoes: By Far, Maguire Shoes Brae’s tux: Séfr Brae’s shoes: YSL, VSP Consignment Hair: Ian Russell Makeup: Miss T Beauty DJ: North English Officiant: Emily’s Grandmother