Toronto Life’s most popular Real Weddings of 2025

If 2025 confirmed anything, it’s that Toronto Life readers love love. Each wedding has its own story to tell, whether it’s a micro-ceremony pulled off on a shoestring budget or a straight-up lavish six-figure affair. The most popular Real Weddings stories of 2025 were equal parts whimsical (giant lemon sculptures), offbeat (a tiered cake made out of cheese) and heartfelt (a groom who says his honeymoon phase is permanent). There were chuppas, cigarette trays and at least one Elvis impersonator. And there were celebrities—including the son of Blue Rodeo lead singer Jim Cuddy and an NHL player.

Read on to find out which weddings were the most popular of 2025.

No. 10: A laid-back west-end bar bash that cost $47,164

Irina Vukosavic, a 32-year-old senior communications specialist, first met Filip Filipovic, a 37-year-old community development professional, at a Dundas West bar in December 2015. Irina wasn’t single at the time, but the two kept in touch, and by the summer of 2016, they began dating. After moving in together in 2019, they got engaged in 2022. Their three-part wedding started with a micro-ceremony at a Little Italy restaurant followed by a larger reception at Paradise Grapevine and an after-party at their Earlscourt home.

No. 9: An ultra-kitsch Vegas elopement

Zarmina Shafton (née Khan), a 30-year-old registered psychotherapist, met Aaron Shafton, a 29-year-old fintech executive, on Hinge in 2018. By July of 2020, the couple had moved in together, and in May of 2023, they got engaged while on vacation in Italy. Eager to keep their nuptials intimate and low-key, the couple eloped in Las Vegas on the sixth anniversary of their first meeting, with Lady Elvis officiating and two photographers as their only witnesses.

No. 8: A ballet power couple’s romantic bash at the Great Hall

Spencer Hack, a 28-year-old principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, first met Rob Binet, the 33-year-old artistic director and co-CEO of Fall for Dance North, in 2014, when they were working as a dancer and a choreographer, respectively. They formed a natural friendship that eventually evolved into a romance. After more than a decade together, Spencer and Rob tied the knot at the Great Hall, a venue where they had filmed a music video 10 years earlier. Surrounded by over 100 guests, they celebrated their love with tacos, margaritas and—with a guest list full of ballerinas—plenty of dancing.

No. 7: A ’70s-inspired celebration at a mid-century modern home

Anna Copeland, a 34-year-old sustainability coordinator, and Alex Harrison, a 43-year-old woodworker, met in the summer of 2021. Their lives had been intertwined long before: their mothers had been close friends for decades, but it wasn’t until fate—and a bit of matchmaking—brought them together that their love story began. Sparks flew on their first date, and within six months, they moved in together. In 2023, during a romantic stroll through Elora—on their shared April 14 birthday—Alex proposed. That same year, they found their dream home, a mid-century gem that became both their first house together and the perfect venue for their August 2024 wedding.

No. 6: A kitschy art-filled celebration at the June Motel

Briony Douglas, a 41-year-old visual artist, first met Steve McKeon, a 40-year-old custom fabrication engineer, when they were working as bartenders in Toronto in 2008. They lost touch for years, until Steve asked Briony out on Instagram in March of 2022. Their relationship progressed quickly after that: they travelled to Vancouver six weeks later for a family wedding, and Steve moved into Briony’s apartment later that year. The couple were engaged by March of 2024 and wed in a whimsical lemon-themed wedding at the June Motel in Sauble Beach this September.

No. 5: A punk celebration at the Great Hall

Cassy Airapetian, a 30-year-old ​​administrative assistant and freelance stylist, and Larry Airapetian, a 31-year-old tattoo artist, met at the Bovine Sex Club’s rooftop tiki bar through a mutual friend just over five years ago. After a love-at-first-sight romance that started with a legendary date, the pair moved in together six months later. On Valentine’s Day in 2024, they got engaged in a cemetery. In June, Cassy and Larry hosted a small civil ceremony at city hall followed by a family brunch at the Skyline diner and a retro reception for 175 guests in the Great Hall a week later.

No. 4: A Lula Lounge bash with Blue Rodeo

Tori Chippindale, a 31-year-old graphic designer, first met Sam Polley, a 33-year-old musician and carpenter, when they were studying at Queen’s University in 2012. The two began dating a year later, and they continued their relationship when they moved back to Toronto, where they’re both from. There, Tori met Sam’s parents—including his father, Blue Rodeo frontman Jim Cuddy. After over a decade together, Sam and Tori planned their engagement in December of 2022. After that came a two-day wedding in May of 2024, including an intimate ceremony at the East Room and a 200-person party at Lula Lounge, featuring performances by Sam and his dad’s band.

No. 3: A luxurious red-themed celebration at the Carlu

Whitney Waks, a 36-year-old jewellery-design company founder, first met Alexander McAlpine, a 36-year-old recruitment consultant, in 2010, when they were both studying at Western University. After a one-and-a-half-year relationship, the pair parted ways for over a decade before reuniting in 2022 over Instagram. They quickly rekindled their romance, got engaged and wed in a lavish 350-person red-themed affair at the Carlu in 2024.

No. 2: A wintry celebration at Prime Seafood Palace

Coulson Armstrong, the 40-year-old culinary director of Our House Hospitality Company—Matty Matheson’s dining empire—first met Taryn Casey, a 36-year-old event planner, in 2015 at a running group. They were both seeing other people at the time, but they reconnected in the fall of 2020 and began dating. They moved in together in late 2021. Then, in March of 2023, their daughter, Nora, was born. That Christmas, Coulson popped the question. The couple were married at Prime Seafood Palace, one of Matheson’s restaurants, in February of 2025, in the middle of a snowstorm.

No. 1: An NHL player and an investment analyst’s Muskoka celebration

Alexa Jesse, a 25-year-old financial investment analyst, first met Max Jones, a 26-year-old NHL player, in 2016, when he was playing in the OHL in London, where she grew up. The two began dating shortly afterward. After Alexa left for university in Kingston and Max moved to California after being drafted to the Anaheim Ducks, the two continued their relationship long-distance until Alexa joined Max in October of 2021. The couple were engaged during a beachside proposal in August of 2023, followed by a June 2024 wedding at JW Marriott’s the Rosseau Muskoka Resort and Spa.