You’ll Want to Replicate HGTV Star Sarah Keenleyside’s Dreamy Rustic Wedding

Sarah Keenleyside and Juno award-winning Canadian singer/songwriter Justin Rutledge first met at one of his shows. After following each other on Instagram for several months, he asked her out. With the beauty of social media, we were all able to see the very first part of their adventure.

After months of secretly working on Sarah’s engagement ring, Justin popped the question on Halloween in 2016. Justin designed the ring, and had it made out of gold he panned himself while in the Yukon several years before. “I was surprised on many levels!” says Sarah. “The reason he decided to propose on Halloween night was because that was when the ring was ready, and he is really bad at keeping secrets.”

Sarah’s wedding dress is from the Toronto-based bridal shop Loversland. The elegant gown is called The Sutton, and the hue is ivory. “Seeing as we were getting married in a barn, I wanted the dress to be simple and clean,” she says.

Sarah’s “something old” was the pearl necklace worn around her wrist. It was a wedding gift that her maternal grandfather gave her grandmother on their wedding day. Sarah turned her paternal grandparent’s anniversary band into the wedding band. The couple’s wedding bands were also made from the same gold claim in the Yukon where Sarah’s engagement ring was panned. Sarah’s “something new” was her veil. As for her “something blue”? Her shoes.

For their big day, Justin landed on a classic, three-piece navy suit from their friend’s Toronto based shop 18 Waits.

Sarah and Justin prepared for the wedding by promising each other to not sweat the small stuff. “We figured we got the bride and groom part right, and that’s truly all that matters,” says Sarah.

Sarah’s adorable niece Madelyne was the flower/bubble girl who blew bubbles down the aisle. The newlyweds were also surrounded by their best friends, who came from far-and-wide to be by their sides.

Sarah’s close friend and HGTV star Tiffany Pratt offered to create the flower arrangements, including the colourful bouquet seen here. Sarah didn’t want anything to be too fussy for her big day, and ordered buckets of seasonal flowers from local shop Floralora Flowers, which also helped to keep costs down.

Prince Edward County, Ontario is a special place for the couple, who own a home there and spend as much time there as possible. So when it came to picking a venue, they knew it had to be somewhere local. The couple picked their friend’s music venue The Hayloft Dancehall, which is a converted barn.

Sarah and Justin were simply beaming while taking their vows, surrounded by close family and friends.

The guests patiently await the happy couple in this intimate and rustic venue.

When it came to decor, this venue already brought loads of character. Sarah chose simple details to complement the already rustic venue, including string lights, white linens, seasonal flowers and vintage china. The food was all locally sourced, served family style, and catered by their friends at Seasoned Events. All wine was from the local vineyard Grange Winery.

The happy couple made sure to take a few moments to themselves to take it all in.

Justin’s speech had everyone smiling as he began crying, followed by laughing at himself for crying. We don’t blame him, it’s an emotional day! The wedding MC was former Hockey Night in Canada host Dave Hodge, who is a good friend of Justin’s.

Justin’s mother made the couple’s favourite carrot cake. It was topped with a five-inch high 3D printed scan of the happy couple made by Sculptraits Studio.

The couple’s first dance was to “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave, sung by their friend Doug Paisley. “Music is a huge part of our lives and we have always loved this song. It was an easy decision,” says Sarah.

Sarah and her father danced to “In My Life” by The Beatles, also sung by Doug Paisley.

As the party began, Justin surprised Sarah by performing her favourite song, “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie. Sarah shared a video of Justin’s performance on her Instagram!

The wedding band was Dwayne Gretzky. “They were beyond fantastic, and our entire wedding became a concert and dance party,” says Sarah.

The wedding events capped off with a sunny family get together at Parsons Brewing Company in Picton.
Congratulations to the happy couple!