WEDDING IDEAS

Arlene‘s maid of honor wore an espresso brown baby doll dress purchased off-the-rack, while her four bridesmaids and junior bridesmaid wore Alfred Angelo belted satin dresses in similar hues. Dennis and the guys wore barong tagalogs, the traditional Filipino wedding attire, in honor of the bride’s heritage. Dennis wore a slightly more formal version, with a mandarin collar and more embroidery.

Arlene wore gold peep-toe high-heeled shoes with crystal embellishments by Nina.

"The flowers were the whole inspiration to the color scheme," Arlene says. She carried green and pink cymbidium orchids and calla lilies, hand-tied with a green satin ribbon.

Arlene and Dennis wed in a traditional Catholic ceremony at the church where the bride‘s parents are parishioners. Members of her parents‘ prayer group presented the readings that the couple selected for the ceremony.

The table numbers listed the guests who were to sit at each table, while personalized candle place card holders helped them find their seats.

Arlene and Dennis cut a five-tiered cake covered in green striped and spotted patterns made with rolled fondant. The top tier was devil’s food cake with mocha buttercream filling, and the others were vanilla cake filled with lemon and orange buttercream.

Arlene & Dennis in Ajax, Ontario

Photos By: Elementz of Fotographie, Toronto

Arlene and Dennis met more than ten years ago. At the time, Arlene was in high school and Dennis was working at a local fast food joint while attending the University of Western Ontario. "I thought he was cute, but was more intrigued by the idea of dating a university student while I was still in high school!" Arlene says.

The Bride Arlene Lobrin, 28, regulatory affairs associate
The Groom Deenase (Dennis) Sooklal, 31, investigator
The Date August 26

"The deal was no degree, no ring," Arlene says. Dennis wanted to propose when Arlene was done with her studies -- not high school, but a college diploma and then a university degree! Dennis planned on popping the question after Arlene's graduation, but the ring arrived a few days early and he just couldn’t wait. Still, he did have one surprise in store for Arlene: When Dennis asked her to marry him he presented Arlene with a decoy ring that was the exact opposite of what she had hoped for -- a yellow gold ring with a miniscule diamond. When Arlene consented, Dennis asked, "Really?" It was then that he pulled out another box and revealed the real sparkler.