Rustic Spanish charm wedding at Hacienda Sarria

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 1

Want to get married in an old-world European villa but worried your nearest & dearest can’t travel that far? Well, if you live near Ontario, Canada – you won’t have to travel far.

Hacienda Sarria offered all the rustic charm Crystal & Ahsan dreamed of without needing to fly across the pond. Originally imagining an Italian destination wedding, they were floored when they visited the charming venue so close to home. Spanish charm isn’t too far off of rustic Italian, after all!

In such a beautiful space, it was simple for Eric Cheng to capture endless beauty throughout their wedding day. From the gorgeous grounds, rustic reception space (wait until you see the decor!) and Crystal & Ahsan’s exceptional taste in fashion – Crystal’s end of the night Indian sari is so gorgeous – this whole day transported us to another time and place.

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 15

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 8

Our Love Story

We met in high school. Ahsan was taking an extra semester and Crystal was in her first semester of grade 12. Crystal would always try to talk to Ahsan, but he was too shy. She asked to be in his group on several occasions, but he always refused. One day she asked to borrow a pencil, and he came to the rescue.

Quickly they started talking daily on MSN, and then BBM, and then the phone. One day Ahsan was at work, and he asked Crystal to prom. Caught off guard she said ‘wait, what?’ Then in a hurry, he said ‘never mind, gotta go bye!’ After a little back and forth, they decided to go to prom together, and the rest is history! …well not really. Crystal did a study abroad and worked in the UK for a few years. Ahsan patiently waited for her. They have been through it all. High school, university, long-distance, first jobs, you name it!

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 12

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 4

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 6

The Proposal

Ahsan thought after 10 years he wasn’t going to get rid of Crystal, so he should probably propose. In September 2018, Ahsan planned a weekend getaway to the Grand Rapids for their anniversary. He had his friends drive up earlier, unbeknown to Crystal. They set up a boho tent, with rug laid on the sand and a chair embellished with flowers at the Silver Lakes Sand Dunes. They had practiced this set up in a park just a week before.

Ahsan took Crystal for a jeep tour of the Sand Dunes while his friends were setting up. It ended with them watching some locals race their jeeps. Ahsan blindfolded Crystal and went to the location he had planned. He began with a heartfelt speech, asked Crystal to take her blindfold off who was happy to see Ahsan on one knee with a smile from ear to ear and ring in hand. He asked her to marry her and she excitingly agreed. More surprises followed, but that’s for another time.

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 18

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 25

Favorite Moments

The first look – We had spent the night apart the night before and we hadn’t seen or spoken to each other until this moment. Ahsan hadn’t seen my dress yet so he had no idea what to expect. We were also one of the couples that didn’t receive our groomsmen wear from Tuxedo Royal, so I was a little nervous about the attire for the boys. It was soo exciting seeing each other for the first time and took the edge off a bit before the ceremony. We had a few moments alone with the photographer. The other exciting piece was knowing that the next time we would see one another was when I was walking down the aisle!

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 14

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 17

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 24

The Venue

Our venue was stunning. The funny thing is we never wanted to get married in Canada! Our dream was in Italy. As soon as we discovered Hacienda Sarria, we hadn’t looked at a single venue in the GTA and didn’t need to! It was the first and last venue we viewed.

We felt at peace in their stunning courtyard and breathtaking gardens, we knew this was where we wanted to tie the knot. The bridal and groom suites made it extra special to get ready in as well! The girls were welcomed with brunch and mimosas, while the boys munched on pizza and beer to ease into the day ahead. Their service was beyond exceptional!

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 2

Favorite Moments

Saying “I do” & exchanging vows – There’s something special about publicly announcing your love for someone else. It was especially exciting as this would be the first time we would get this sentimental and in our feelings in front of all of our close family and friends. I couldn’t wait to hear what Ahsan’s vows were. Both of our vows were cheesy and traditional but SO cute and personal. Our officiant was convinced Ahsan might accidentally say ‘I do’ to him instead of me, so you bet I was ecstatic when we both managed to pull it off seamlessly. Still makes us laugh to this day!

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 19

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 21

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 23

The Planning

From our extremely knowledgable planner Claudia to the exquisite culinary experience and service from all staff – this is truly a one of a kind venue. They went above and beyond with some decor pieces, linens, helpful suggestions for recommended vendors, friendly bar staff, and fun choices for late-night food.

We wanted to keep it classy with earthy tones, but bring some excitement with the colour sage. We originally wanted to get married in Italy, when they found Hacienda it fit their theme perfectly without having to exclude guest who would be unable to travel or were elderly.

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 27

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 28

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 32

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 34

The Photography

We had such a positive experience with our photographer! He was very easy to communicate with from the get-go. We loved his style – the way he photographed and edited his photos to be classic and timeless. His experience and passion were evident from the moment he picked up the camera to when he delivered our photos!

My favourite memory of Eric from our wedding is that he was running back and forth between the bridal and groom parties to ensure he wouldn’t miss any important moments. He captured our day better than we had hoped for and couldn’t be happier with how the photos turned out!

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 29

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 26

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 30

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 7

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 37

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 38

Hacienda Sarria Wedding with Rustic Spanish Charm – Eric Cheng Photography 3

Favorite Moments

Sparklers in the garden – We got to sneak out of our reception with our bridal and groom party to take some dreamy shots in the garden. The sun had just gone down and our favourite people were lighting up some sparklers all around us. We even had a few shots with just the two of us and our sparklers. It was super romantic! We were both happy to step away from the celebration for ten minutes for some fresh air and another intimate moment.