Lebanese Wedding Celebration | Spencer’s at the Waterfront, Burlington, ON
Like many couples, Noora and Fahad met online and spent part of their relationship long distance from each other. When they met, Fahad was living and working in Michigan and Noora was living in Ottawa. Long-distance relationships don’t work for everyone, but for this couple it made their love stronger.
When talking about getting married, they discussed having their Lebanese wedding reception in either of their respective cities. However, they decided to get married halfway between their two places, in Burlington, Ontario at Spencer’s at the Waterfront. Since neither of them are from the area they were looking for a Burlington-based photographer who is local to the area and had experience with photography here.
Both Noora and Fahad are Lebanese so it was very important to them to keep the traditions of a Lebanese wedding for their big day.
Getting ready | Pearle Hotel & Spa, Burlington, ON
Noora got ready with her bridesmaids at The Pearle Hotel & Spa on the morning of their big day. With her closest friends helping her to get ready, Noora looked stunning in her off-the-shoulder dress, complete with loose curls and a princess tiara.
Fahad was getting ready in a room not too far away from Noora, and he selected a white suit jacket with black lapels and black dress pants.
The First Look | Pearle Hotel & Spa, Burlington, ON
Waiting for Noora with a bouquet of white roses, Fahad was a little nervous for their first look. But the moment he saw Noora, his smile lit up the room and you couldn’t help but smile back at the love these two share.
After taking a few pictures with just the two of them, the couple took a little time to themselves to enjoy before the reception started.
Lebanese Wedding Reception | Spencer’s at the Waterfront, Burlington, ON
In the Lebanese culture it is very common to have the wedding ceremony a couple days before the reception. Noora and Fahad decided to follow this tradition.
The reception took place at Spencer’s at the Waterfront, which has an absolutely gorgeous view! As soon as you walk into the reception space, there are floor to ceiling windows, showing beautiful views of Lake Ontario.
For décor, the couple decided to have white linens with floral centerpieces that really popped. Each table had bouquets of flowers in various shades of blue, and some white ones that helped to offset the vivid colours.
One of the most important traditions of a Lebanese wedding is the zaffé, which is where the couple makes their grand entrance into the ceremony and reception space. For this tradition, the bride and groom will dance their way into the space following a group of Lebanese folk and belly dancers – known as a dabke. The belly dancers are used to symbolize the bride’s transformation into a sensual woman and the beginning of her new life with her husband. After the couple dances into the ceremony space, their family and friends will circle around the couple, dancing and enjoying the celebration of this couple.
For Noora and Fahad, they had sparklers at their zaffé, and even had some family members propping Fahad up on their shoulders to dance around. Many of the friends and family members took this opportunity to take their own pictures with the couple to celebrate this special moment.
As the bride and groom enjoyed dancing with their guests, the wedding reception space was lit up with blue lights, adding that little something extra to the space that goes perfectly with their décor.
Noora and Fahad were able to incorporate the traditions of their Lebanese culture with other Canadian wedding traditions. The distance between them didn’t stand a chance for their love, and this beautiful couple had a perfect day to start their new lives together.
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