Last Updated on September 23, 2023 by Sandra Adamson

A Beautiful Wedding on the Ocean at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron…with Emily and Keith

Emily and Keith chose the beautiful waterfront wedding venue known as Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, Saraguay House for their wedding with an outdoor ceremony by the ocean. It was a beautiful, very warm, sunny day. Emily was going for a “classic rustic romantic” theme with a pop of bold colour. Emily and Keith had actually chosen a different venue in the beginning of their wedding planning. That venue unfortunately got badly damaged in hurricane Fiona and eventually went out of business. They scrambled to find another venue with a similar date available that offered an ocean backdrop. Saraguay to the rescue and it turned out wonderfully and perhaps for the best. Emily loves colour. She fell in love with a burnt orange and deep purple combination since seeing flowers at the botanical gardens in Victoria in her early 20’s. Keith was along for the ride:).

A beautiful wedding ceremony on the ocean at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The Love Story

Like all classic millennial relationships, Emily and Keith met online. Tinder to be exact. Emily had just moved to Nova Scotia to start her graduate studies and Keith was starting his career. They were both quite busy people. Their love story began with texting back and forth for over a month. Then their first date happened, a moose heads game (Emily’s idea not Keith’s). Keith got to know how intense Emily could yell at the ref. Emily got to know how easygoing and funny Keith was and how passionate he was about his job.

The bride and groom dance on the wharf at Saraguay House like no one is watching them.

They dated that first year and bonded over their love of food, garlic, and wine. They both shared many dates in the boardroom cafe and on hiking adventures. Emily and Keith grew to really enjoy each other’s company and realized that they communicated really well and had so much laughter. They grew to love each other. So much so they made it through 3 years of long distance, over five moves, and buying a house during the pandemic. They made it out stronger than ever 🙂

The bride and groom pose for their wedding photos on the wharf at Saraguay House overlooking the ocean.

The bride smiles as the groom embraces her and kisses her on the forehead at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The Wedding Prep Photos

Emily chose a beautiful Airbnb right on the ocean in Halifax Nova Scotia to get ready for her big day with her bridesmaids and closest of family and friends.

Photography stills of the bridal bouquet, wedding rings on wooden hearts and the wedding dress.

Bride getting ready at a Airbnb in Halifax NS.

Bride with bridesmaids getting ready at an Airbnb in Halifax NS.

A bride getting ready with her bridesmaids.

Their Wedding Ceremony

It was so hard to pick just one favorite moment for both Emily and Keith – the entire day was amazing for them with so many highlights. The ceremony was super special! Emily was nervous until Keith winked at her as she walked down the aisle.

The bride walks to the end of the wedding ceremony aisle with her mother and father.

The bride walks up the aisle to her awaiting groom during their wedding ceremony at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The arch and the flowers, with the ocean background were a perfect backdrop. The officiants were Keith’s cousins and god-parents, having them officiate the ceremony meant so much to both Emily and Keith.

The bride and groom smile at each other during their wedding ceremony at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The bride and groom exchange rings and vows during their wedding ceremony at Saraguay House in Halifax.

The bride and groom share their first kiss during their wedding ceremony at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The bride and groom now husband and wife walk back down the wedding ceremony aisle together hand in hand at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The Wedding Party Photos

The best thing about Saraguay House, it’s truly an all in one location. You do not have to leave to get amazing wedding photos unless you want to. From the ocean backdrop, to the forest, the gazebo and the urban style building there is no shortage of great backdrops for wedding photos.

The bride and groom pose for fun wedding photos with their wedding party at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

Bride and groom smile at each other during their wedding photos at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The wedding party pose for fun wedding photos with the bride and groom at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The bride and groom smile at each other during their wedding photos at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The wedding party pose with the bride and groom for fun wedding photos at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The bride and groom pose for sunset wedding photos at Saraguay House in Halifax NS

The Wedding Reception Photos

Emily and Keith loved the speeches! Everyone “crushed it” and Keith’s best man and brother stole the show with his harry potter references.

Love signs for wedding reception decorations at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The bride and groom laugh during their wedding reception speeches at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The bride and groom laugh with guests during their wedding reception Speeches at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The cake was amazing and made specially for them by Keith’s mom Cathy. She really took Emily’s love of minions to the max. Emily requested a little minion fun. Emily introduced Keith to the world of minions and ever since then he calls her his “little minion”.

A beautiful wedding cake with minion cupcakes!

The bride and groom have their first wedding dance together at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

The bride and groom have their first dance together during their wedding reception at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

Advise for the Newly Engaged

First – congrats! Enjoy being newly engaged. Take the time to be fiances to each other before jumping into planning right away.

Once you are ready to plan. Talk to each other about what you want in the day and discussed your priorities. Make sure you are comfortable with a budget and start to plan out the big things first – number of people and venue.

The bride and groom dance with their guests during their wedding reception at Saraguay House in Halifax NS.

Near the end and after all the planning and in our case re-planning, try not to sweat the small stuff or details. Things can and will go wrong. Don’t over complicate your decisions. Get advice from others but trust your gut. We also had people ask to come last minute and everything turned out, and in the end we are glad those people came, but it is also okay to set limits.

Wedding Vendors

Hair and Make Up – Jen and Nicole Smith – [email protected]
Officiant – Maryann and Dale Skinner
Planner – The bride Emily 🙂 with a big help from her mom Patty
Cake creator – Mother for the groom Cathy. BANANA!
DJ – DJ Darryl from Tidal Waves DJ Services – [email protected]
Decorator – Bride’s mother Patty (she made the arch flowers and flowers on the mantle), she also sourced all of the decorations on facebook market place and porch pick ups. The day set up was a huge success because of friends and family support and with help of day of coordinator and Emily’s planning/organized book of instructions and ideas.
Day of Coordinator – Christine Ingham – [email protected]