Pizzeria Defina Wedding

 

Thanks to Pema & Mike I got to discover a recent hidden gem here in Toronto. They hosted their wedding at Pizzeria Defina, a cool and understated spot on Dupont Street in the Junction, one of Toronto’s coolest neighbourhoods that oozes the all the character and charm that is synonymous with the big city.

Before the wedding kicked off at Defina, the bride and groom decided to share in on the intimate experience of getting ready together, and to make things even better they did it at the Anndore House Hotel, a super cool and hidden boutique hotel near the village. The first part of the wedding day paid homage of their roots and traditional Tibetan customs, including the ultra-stylish and traditional garments that are worn during the Tibetan Scarf ceremony. It was my first time witnessing at Tibetan scarf ceremony and I was really captivated by the intimacy and emotion involved. The bride’s aunt & uncle created the beautiful alter for the celebration and it created the perfect atmosphere for their families to shower them with well wishes and love for their future together.

After an outfit change, Pema and Mike made their way to the restaurant where they were greeted by their crew with a high level of energy and enthusiasm. It was obvious that everyone in attendance came to party and have a good time. I’m sure it was the first time in a long time for a lot of those guests being in that sort of atmosphere due to the pandemic and it was obvious there was a lot of pent up emotions and excitement that needed to be released. Pema’s parents provide some homemade rice wine for the celebration and it got things flowing and was an obvious crowd pleaser.

Circling back to the outfit change, I have to touch on the bride’s style and look. Leading up to the wedding Pema mentioned to me she was excited to take advantage of her long beautiful hair and create, as she called it, her “Arianna Grande moment” by having a showstopper ponytail that was done to perfection and she 100% delivered on her Arianna Grande moment as her look was the talk of the evening. 

After exchanging beautiful vows in front of the firewood pizza oven at Defina the night progressed in celebratory fashion, mixed with plenty of laughs and honest emotion. Jenny from Three Lights Events not only did a fantastic job planning the wedding, but she was also the best MC throughout the evening, playing on everyone’s energy and excitement she really managed to add another layer to the celebration and went above and beyond what any wedding planner is expected to do. It’s such a joy to work alongside such a wonderful human being on wedding days and it was further proof that hiring a wedding planner who’s emotionally invested in your wedding day makes all the difference in the world.

The bride and groom were actively present in every moment of the wedding day, exchanging quiet moments together but also enjoying curated experiences with each of their friends and family members throughout the evening.

As the sun set and the early evening night washed over the city, I took the bride and groom for a quick stroll around the urban landscape of Toronto. There’s some special and magical about the city at night, especially in November when the city is very much still alive by the time darkness takes over. Pema’s iconic look really shined bright among the grittiness of the city and Mike’s cool and calm demeanour was the perfect accompaniment, creating a relaxed, cool and chic atmosphere that was beyond effortless. 

This was easily the best way to cap off my 2021 season. Not because of the beautiful venue of Defina Pizzeria, not because of the bride and groom’s style and not because it was the perfect fall day for a wedding in the city. It was memorable and special because of the people involved, at the end of the day we have these photos to bring us back to each moment, but I’ll always be drawn to how incredible both Pema and Mike are and how much I genuinely loved spending this day with them.