Natalie & Nathan were married on a magical December day in Hamilton, Ontario. These two best friends have been together for 7 years and you can really see their solid and deep connection to eachother in every thing they do - the small looks across the room, the way they subconsciously turn their bodies towards each other and the genuine belly laughs that filled their whole beautiful day. Even though these two are quite the globe trotters, they decided to get married at The Spice Factory, one of our favourite venues here in Hamilton. 

Usually the calmest, most reserved part of our day is the very beginning when we get the groom getting ready. But not Nathan and his hilarious group of close friends. These dudes took their duties as groomsmen to heart and made sure they fawned and primped and preened their friend as much as possible, and it was all laughs the whole time. I can't think of a better way to send your buddy off into official married life than rib the heck out of him as he gets ready to meet his bride.

Natalie and her girls got ready in the bridal suite at The Spice Factory. Her hair and makeup was done by the talented ladies at Beyoutiful Brides from Niagara Falls. The soft curls and laid-back side braid that Natalie chose is the perfect compliment to her gorgeous dress which you'll see in a minute. 

I adore the beautiful shade of blue of the bridesmaid dresses, nothing suits a winter wedding more than jewel tones and they were the perfect choice from Azazie.

This picture makes me laugh, I mean, that's what friends are for right? These girls always have Natalie's back. And her teeth :) 

Natalie's seriously gorgeous wedding dress was by a British designer, Needle & Thread. I honestly can't think of a much more perfect gown to wear to a cocktail style wedding - sexy open back, easy flowing skirt but still completely elegant with all that stunning beadwork on the sleeves and bodice. 

Natalie's unique style really shines with these amazing velveteen shoes from Lord and Taylor. Don't they just look like they are begging to be danced in? Such a cool mix of femininity and edgy style, I just love them. 

We've been seeing these really cool bouquets popping up lately and I think they are such a great idea. Especially for off-season weddings when local flower selections aren't always the best, earth-friendly options like the ones that EcoFlower does are a great option. If you're the bouquet-keeping type, these beauties keep forever or if you're a crafty sort, you can deconstruct and make a new memory from your bridal bouquet. 

One last sweet little detail before we get on to the rest of the day: this stunning aquamarine beauty. Natalie's mom had been given a set of aquamarine earrings from her Aunt, but since she didn't wear them too much because they were so heavy, she had the brilliant idea to have them made into two rings. One for Natalie and one for her sister, to be given on their wedding day. Isn't that the sweetest? And the perfect 'something old, something blue' accessory as well! 

Interested in more information? Let's chat! 

As I mentioned earlier, Natalie and Nathan are quite the globe trotting couple. There are people who say they love to travel but spend most of their time travelling on Pinterest, and then there are people who actually do it in real life. Natalie and Nathan have travelled to nearly 50 countries together and have even lived in South Korea and England for a couple years to make it easier to get to all the cool little countries near by. One of their favourite things to do is explore new cultures and foods together.

I think its amazing when people choose to live a life that makes them live their dreams - not everyone has to be stuck in a 9-5 the minute they graduate. After being with Mike  for nearly 13 years now, I've learned a couple things about marriage and one of them is, if you can travel together, you're definitely going to stay together. And I'd say these two love birds have had lots of practice! 

But even though they've travelled so much, their super sweet proposal story surprised me a bit and made my little homebody heart so happy. The two of them had been staying in a whole bunch of low-key places while they were backpacking around Indonesia. They decided to splurge on a bungalow for a couple nights and chose a place in Gili Meno. And oh my goodness if you have a chance, Google that place - it's what dreams are literally made of!

The fact that their prosal happened as they were travelling was no surprise, but I love that Nathan chose to ask Natalie to marry him first thing one morning as they had been laying in bed together, enjoying the tropical sun pouring into their room. Is that not the coziest, sweetest thing ever? And then he had breakfast delivered (definitely a good move!) and they spent the day just enjoying being together and planning and dreaming by the sounds of the ocean. Paradise! 

The perfect pine boughs around the trellis was provided by Natalie's Aunt's tree farm, Benjamin Tree Farm in Waterloo.

One of the best things about The Spice Factory is its proximity to all sorts of cool urban spots to take pictures in. Hamilton is full of them, but this awesome graffiti wall is within walking distance and we loved the bright colours - perfect for this fun loving couple! 

I always smile at super fun, super happy Daddy-daughter dances :) You know the tears are there, but the laughter and fun of the day pours out and it's just really fun to be dancing with your Daddy on your wedding day! 

As much as the Dad's can usually hold it together for most of the day, it's another thing for the Moms. I'm kind of glad that my daughters won't be doing a mommy-daughter dance at their weddings because I would need a truckload of tissues. Nathan's mom could not hold all her beautiful tears in and they had one of the most emotional mother son dances we've seen. 

As their friends and family watched on, faces filled with loving smiles and laughter, Natalie & Nathan danced their way into married life to the beautiful and haunting tones of Bon Iver.

Before I show you guys the incredible night-time shots that Kamila captured for these two, I have to share this epic dance face that Natalie's super cute mom has - Natalie's parents are seriously great dancers and they mean business! 

During all of her weddings, Kamila and her assistant keep a close eye on whats happening with the weather outside. During rain or epic sunsets, some of our best pictures come from just being aware of every surrounding. We couldn't have asked for a more magical thing to happen during this December wedding then this delicate dusting of the first snow of the season. 

As the world rushes around them, Natalie and Nathan stand still and quiet and peaceful together. With the memories of the first time they were introduced back at Brock U, to their worldy adventures, to their beautiful vows and the incredible future towards them, they sealed their night with a tender kiss. 

Interested in more information? Let's chat! 

Did you love this wedding as much as I did? Tell us about it and be sure to contact us today to see how we can be a part of your special day! 

And p.s If you're looking for an amazing caterer, Natalie highly recommends City Farm Catering!

All pictures taken by Kamila Kuzmicka for Zekar Photography.

This post was written by Kate Tigchelaar, Studio Manager for Zekar Photography.