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Rain, board games, and a dash of DIY chaos—Lindsay and Katarina’s wedding day was full of surprises! After ten years together, these two musical theater lovers finally made it official in their hometown of Ladysmith, BC, surrounded by friends, family, and a few unforgettable mishaps. Lindsay rocked a sharp Kirrin Finch suit while Katarina went classic with her stunning dress. We sat down with Lindsay to hear all the delightful details.
Tell us about yourselves!
We live in a small town on Vancouver Island in Canada called Ladysmith. I currently work as a Support Engineer/Web Developer for a small Canadian company and Katarina works at a local brewery called Bayview Brewing (I also work there as a side gig–and to get out of the house). We are in the process of starting our own musical theatre production in town and we also enjoy playing board and card games, so much so that we incorporated games into our wedding instead of a dance!
How did you two meet?
We met at university when we were both pursuing our Bachelor of Music degrees, with a focus in Jazz. I (Lindsay) was there for guitar, and Katarina was there for voice. It wasn't until our second year that we actually connected and got to know one another, despite being in most of the same classes!
What was important to you in planning your wedding day?
I think I always had a hard time imagining getting married because I never liked dresses, and that was all that most women focused on it seemed. Not to mention the whole gay part of it all too! So to find a company that is a champion for the LGBTQ+ community, AND had killer suits that I'd feel like myself in, was amazing. It was great to have my wife go the more traditional dress route, though, since she took my mom along for the dress shopping experience.
How did you go about choosing what to wear for the wedding day?
There aren't as many options in Canada it seems, so I knew I didn't particularly want to go to a traditional suit shop and try to figure out how to get something there to fit my body. The internet is a beautiful thing sometimes, because it led me to Kirrin Finch. Although it was a bit scary to commit to something without ever seeing or feeling it, I could tell that they were high quality suits with attention to all the details I cared about. I had a bit of a hard time choosing between the Georgie suit in Navy or in Black, but ultimately we went with navy and silver for wedding colors, and that decided it for me. I once again scoured the internet for somewhere that offered dress shoes in my size, and got lucky with Thursday Boots offering their Men's shoes in a size small enough for me.
How did you feel when you first saw yourself in your wedding suit?
I'll be honest, I was super pleased that all the items I got were going to be versatile for more than one day! Even the Frankie White Classic Dress Shirt felt substantially better than other button-ups I have in my closet. I had got a tailor to shorten the sleeves a bit on the suit jacket and taper in the pant legs a bit, so it looked and felt like the perfect fit to me. I felt confident that I'd be the sharpest-dressed person at the wedding for sure.
Which Kirrin Finch pieces did you wear?
Georgie Navy Suit Blazer, Georgie Navy Suit Pants, Frankie White Classic Dress Shirt
What were some of the most special memories from your wedding day?
I had three of my closest friends (who all happened to be men) join me and my parents to get ready in my hotel room. Only one of them actually knew how to tie a tie, so we had a really sweet moment of all of us watching and trying to learn how to tie a tie the morning of the ceremony! Note to self: try to learn a few different knots in the future.
We also had a windy, rainy morning (no surprise in September). I was quite worried everyone would be cold while I stood on a beach waiting to have our first look in private before the ceremony. By the time the ceremony came along the clouds parted and we even got some sun for the main photos with the wedding party and our newly-wed couple shots. It was a perfect day in the end.
I also recall many people who attended the wedding mention to me that they were so happy with who they got seated with. It was truly special to see people from different parts of our lives mingling and getting along so well!
Any advice for other couples planning their wedding?
Do better than I did at sharing the planning workload–turns out there's a lot of decisions to be made and it wasn't particularly fair of me to be so un-opinionated. I knew it'd be great no matter what! Luckily we had already been together for 10 years before actually getting married, so she knew what she was getting into. On that note–with the right person, there's no rush. We dated for 9-10 years and still decided to do a 2-year engagement. Part of that was COVID-19 concerns, but part of that was to get the opportunity to save some money and not go into debt over our own wedding.
Anything else you'd like to share about wedding planning, your wedding day, or your love story?
We had all these great signs my wife had made for the wedding, including one that we titled "The Gay Agenda" to outline the events of the day. In the panic of the night before (not being able to decorate our reception venue until 11pm because of their operating hours) we unfortunately left those signs at home! We've since found another couple to buy the sign off of us, but I'd recommend designating one or two people to be in charge of decorating. Turns out DIY is only helpful up until the day before the wedding. After that, you have to trust other people to make it happen.
