New year, new love stories to share! The beginning of a new year is a wonderful opportunity to not only plan ahead and look forward to what’s to come, but it’s also a great time to do some reflection on what the year departing year has brought to us. We recently caught up with Rachael Devereux, a bride who celebrated her wedding to her now husband Thomas, with us at Liuna Gardens last September. We chatted with Rachael about her experience at Liuna Gardens, the delicious meal served on their wedding day and the couple’s unbelievable proposal story involving a beach, a diamond ring and about three hours of panic-induced digging through the sand!
LG: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your husband?
RD: Thomas and I both attended the same high school in Oakville, Ontario. Little did we know on a summer night in 2009 our mutual friend Corey would introduce us at a local bar. Since that day we spoke basically every day and became very good friends. We realized in 2010 that we were meant to be more than just friends. Our relationship grew and grew. We went on our first trip, we got our two beautiful cats, we lived together for a year. In 2016 Tom proposed on a sandy beach in Mexico. Shortly after that, we booked our big day with Liuna Gardens and looked forward to a magical wedding day.
LG: Tell us a little more about this Mexico proposal!
RD: We booked our trip to Mexico in 2016. It was a beautiful resort! Tom knows me very well and so he knew that I would want our proposal to be captured on camera. He had everything planned with the hotel many weeks before we checked in. However, our proposal didn’t go as planned…it turned out a hot mess! We walked to the beach for our photo shoot (having professional photos taken has been a tradition when we’ve been away) and as I was looking towards to ocean, Tom was planning to be on his one knee when I turned around. For whatever reason he decided to check the ring before he went down on his knee. At that moment, Tom realized the box was empty!!!!! When he took the ring box out of his pocket the ring slipped out and dropped in the sand. Long story short, it took THREE hours to find the ring. Okay, you can breathe now – THE GOOD NEWS is, I ended up swishing the sand with my hand and saw the ring sparkle! I screamed and fell backwards in the sand and that was when he asked me to marry him for the second time around – but this time with my engagement ring!! The proposal really defines our relationship as we have always worked as a team and we can make it through anything together! The proposal story is also how we came up with our wedding hashtag- #blingblinginthesand.
LG: We are so relieved that the treasure in the sand was found! That is a one of a kind proposal story. Speaking of one of a kind, there are so many wedding venues out there – what made Liuna Gardens stand out among the rest?
RD: We only looked at few venues before Liuna Gardens. Tom and I were looking for a outdoor ceremony location from the start. We wanted to get married outside, so we only had booked a few showings. Liuna was our last stop and it was the one I fell in love with the minute I arrived with my mom. Thomas went to see it shortly after we did and we both knew that was where we were meant to say I do.
LG: What was the best part about planning your dream wedding and what was the most challenging part?
RD: The best part of planning our dream wedding was seeing everything come together. We took a year to plan, but the year went by quickly! We were happy with everything that went on during our big day. The most challenging part was coordinating all of the different vendors and events we had planned leading up to the wedding. It was stressful at times but all worth it in the end. We had great people to support us during these times.
LG: Tell us about your experience working with your suppliers/vendors?
RD: All of the vendors who took the time to be a part of our day were fantastic! We want to thank everyone who helped to make our day possible. Our photographers and our videographer made us feel like a king and queen capturing all of our moments. Ours DJ made sure our guests enjoyed themselves while they celebrated with us. Our florist had made the flowers I had envisioned from day one. We cannot forget all the staff at Liuna Gardens who were great, helping us plan our day and making sure we were taken care of. A special thanks to Kelly and Rob at the office dealing with us all year – We know we went back and forth about a million times!
LG: Describe the meal that was served on your wedding day?
RD: Tom and I went with a more traditional meal. We had a little bit for everyone. We started with salad & cannelloni, followed by two proteins with potatoes and vegetables. It was great to have options for different guests with various food restrictions. Everything was wonderful! We had a lot of comments about the dinner we served.
LG: Describe the quality of service you received at Liuna Gardens?
RD: Tom and I were very happy with the service we received at Liuna Gardens. There was so much we had to go over and we felt important. I really felt like a priory being the bride. Everything went smoothly on our special day. Our guests enjoyed attending our wedding very much – Thank you!
LG: Looking back, is there anything you wish you could change about your special day?
RD: We decided to not dwell on any negatives because after all, the day went by so quickly and we both enjoyed it to the fullest. We expected things not to go perfectly, but at the end of the day we are married and will cherish the memories we shared on September 16th, 2017 forever.
LG: Would you recommend Liuna Gardens to a friend for his or her next event? If so, why?
RD: We would definitely recommend Liuna Gardens to our friends or family. We felt that after all the planning throughout the year leading up to the wedding it was so worth it and we are proud to tell people where we got married whenever we are asked. Everyone who attended our wedding continues to comment on how much they enjoyed our special day and how great our wedding turned out.
We’d like to thank Rachael for sharing her love story from highschool in Oakville, to the beaches of Mexico all the way to the beautiful ceremony at Liuna Gardens. We’re wishing everyone a very happy start to the new year and look forward to all of the extraordinary events to come at Liuna Gardens in 2018!
Stay tuned for weekly blog updates and make sure to connect with Liuna Gardens on Instagram and Facebook as we deliver fresh, new content to inspire, excite and assist as you plan your dream event. While you’re at it, head over to Liuna Station’s blog to check out our recent interview with bride, Lindsay who had an amazing WrestleMania theme’d wedding you won’t believe until you read!
