Karlin and Shawn

Karlin and Shawn

Just like a blushing bride, a rosy, pale pink shade could be found all through Karlin and Shawn Cote’s wedding.

The Midland couple wanted elegance, romance and timelessness as the theme for their July 26, 2014, wedding.

"I wanted everything to be timeless and sophisticated," said Karlin, 25.

To tie everything in, she selected the colours ivory, white, gold and blush pale pink.

"All the men wore black fitted tuxes with a white dress shirt, including the groom," she said, adding the groomsmen wore black skinny ties.

Shawn, 34, looked slick with a black bowtie to stand out from the lineup.

There were six groomsmen and one best man at the wedding, as well as two maids of honour and four bridesmaids.

The bridesmaids wore a "pale blush pink, chiffon, floor-length dress," said Karlin.

Photo: junior bridesmaid dresses

Everything was to be "classic elegance" and the bride matched every bit of that.

Her strapless white gown with a sweetheart neckline was form-fitting down to a sparkling waistband before fluttering down into a soft A-line.

Her bouquet of white hydrangeas and peonies were delicate and feminine with just a touch of that blushing pink coming through.

The wedding ceremony was held in downtown Midland at the couple’s family church,

St. Paul’s United, in which white bouquets of hydrangeas were strung up in clear vases along the aisle.

Afterward, the 125 guests headed to the reception across the street at the Midland Cultural Centre.

"My favourite thing, besides getting to marry my husband, was the décor at our reception. It turned out better than I had thought," said Karlin.

"We had gold chivari chairs, gold silverware, two different luxury linens with overlays, tall ivory hydrangeas as centerpieces, with lots of gold glass vases."

"I wanted the room to have a ‘wow’ feeling, and it did. It ended up exactly how I wanted it to be!"

For that, she said she owes special credit to her decorator for bringing her vision to life.

Before everyone could enjoy the four-course dinner, which included salad, a choice of chicken or pork, and berry crumble, Karlin and Shawn left the downtown and took a trip up a local highway for some photos.

The entire wedding party was photographed in two very different locations: a hayfield and at Martyrs’ Shrine, a towering, old Roman Catholic church that is one of the best-known landmarks in north Simcoe.

In the field, the soft brown hay and lush green grass paired well with the wedding partyís whites, ivories and pinks.

At Martyrs’ Shrine, the grey stone provided a classic and elegant backdrop for the group.

Back at the reception, Karlin and Shawn toasted with wine and tasted their three-tiered cake of double chocolate chip, strawberry vanilla and banana.

They did all the traditional dances: father-daughter, mother-son and first dance. Speeches took up about an hour of the evening, said Karlin.

There was no single moment of the day that stood out most for Karlin, who said she enjoyed ìthe true happiness from all our friends and family at our wedding. It really did feel special."

There are few things she said she would change about the day.

"I would have liked more time for pictures with just Shawn and I," she said, adding she would have also liked more time to practise doing her hair.

But overall, it was a wedding full of memories to last a lifetime.

"I am sure I was just like any other woman when planning their wedding. I wanted everything to be 100-per-cent perfect," she said.

"My advice to brides planning a wedding would be to focus on what your must-haves are, and if it isn’t a must-have, don’t stress about it. Put your time and effort into the things that you know will make you happy on your big day."

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