A Black-Tie Wedding with Global Inspiration in Ontario, Canada

Lexie von Hahn and Constantin Blaum’s love is truly a global one. He’s originally from Germany; she grew up in Latin America. They met in Scotland and planned a wedding in Mexico, but ultimately got married in Canada. Their story began more than a decade ago. 

“We met on September 18, 2011, at University of St Andrews in Scotland, where we were both assigned to the same dorm in our first year,” Lexie remembers. “Fun fact: It was the same building Prince William and Kate Middleton lived in.” A relationship quickly blossomed—but if it was to last, Lexie had a major task. 

“The first time Constantin came to visit my family in Canada, I planned a road trip through New England and Canada to make him fall in love with North America and eventually make the move from the UK,” she remembers. “Our first stop was a couple nights in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where we went to the Two Sisters Vineyards for the first dinner of our trip.” 

Her scheme worked and, a few years later, the destination became memorable for a whole new reason. “Constantin gifted me a weekend in Niagara as a birthday gift,” Lexie remembers. “We ended up planning the weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake under the pretense that their preservation society was hosting a Christmas Home tour. After seeing all the beautiful Christmas decor, we went to a delicious lunch and then walked through the vineyards before taking a rest at the Two Sisters pond, where Constantin proposed.” 

They got to wedding planning immediately. “We had planned to get married in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico,” Lexie says. “I lived in Mexico for the formative years of my life, and my family has been going to Nuevo Vallarta on vacations for nearly 25 years. When we started considering where we wanted to get married, we knew people would be traveling from all over. We are fortunate to have friends and family scattered around the world, so having everyone gather in Mexico seemed like the perfect way to bring everyone together.” But, the world had other plans. “The week we were supposed to fly down to sign all the paperwork, the world went into lockdown.”

They pushed the date a couple of times, but ultimately “decided we would rather stop waiting,” Lexie says. “So, we planned a beautiful backyard wedding in Canada and found ways to incorporate Mexican and Latin touches throughout the day instead.” 

The new wedding date was a lucky coincidence: Lexie and Constantin ended up saying “I do” on September 18, 2021—10 years to the day after they met at university. And, there was at least one element they didn’t change. “After attending the University of St Andrews, Constantin was set on having a black-tie wedding,” the bride shares. “Our university was in a small town and students stayed entertained with countless balls on weekends, so it was fun for us all to pull out our black-tie attire after it was collecting dust for a couple years.” 

They moved the affair to Lexie’s parent’s lake house in Coburg, Ontario. “We had so much fun imagining how the backyard of a house I spent summers at since I was a little girl could morph into our dream wedding spot,” Lexie shares. And, in the process, she discovered countless artisans whose work she wanted to incorporate. “Everything from table linens to pajamas for the girls getting ready to fabric for the escort card board were all made by amazing small manufacturers,” Lexie says. “The chargers and napkin rings were made in Colombia, and the place mats and monogrammed napkins were all made by another wonderful Latin artisan. It ultimately allowed me to see how many wonderful artisans there are out there.” (Post-wedding, it even inspired Lexie and her sister to start Gallola, a lifestyle brand for which she partners with Latin artisans to bring their creations to Canada and the US.)

Read on to explore the unique details of their globally inspired affair, planned by the couple with month-of coordination by Van Dorp & Co., and photographed by Will Reid Photography.

“For the theme, we wanted it to feel charming and welcoming,” Lexie says of the wedding vibe. They chose a palette of light blue, green and pops of pink as a jumping-off point, but it wasn’t limited to the visual. “One of our favorite elements throughout planning was selecting a wedding scent. We went with Jo Malone Orange Blossom and Nectarine Blossom & Honey. We scented our invites and had these candles scattered throughout the yard. We now have a few of the candles in our apartment and it’s a special way to remember our wedding every time we light them.”

Etsy-sourced welcome baskets were packed with branded playing cards from Zazzle, pashminas that matched the table linens from an international manufacturer, homemade vanilla extract, and local beer.

Constantin went all-out for his black-tie look, donning a custom tuxedo by John Ferrigamo Custom Designs and Shipton & Heneage bespoke velvet smoking slippers. “Constantin has been a longtime fan of Beaufort & Blake black-tie shirts,” Lexie says. “They look like normal tux shirts, until the jackets come off and they have fun sleeves and backs. Constantin and his groomsmen all wore shirts with seersucker stripes in our wedding colors. It was fun to see the patterns come out as they all hit the dance floor.” His initials were embroidered onto the cuff, and wedding date on underside of his collar.

“The morning of the wedding, the house was bustling with excited energy,” Lexie remembers. “Friends were stopping in to say hello, borrow a steamer, grab a bite to eat, and offer a lending hand; neighbors popped in to see how the setup had gone. The hair and makeup ladies kept commenting on the fact that they had never heard a doorbell ring so many times or seen as many people slide open the garden doors and pour themselves a cup of coffee. It was one of the happiest and most relaxed mornings I could have ever planned; it really helped us kick off the festivities in such an uplifting and friendly mood.”

“I knew there was the potential for the day to be windy since we are on Lake Ontario. I wanted to make sure my hair wouldn’t poof throughout the day, so knew all along I wanted it to be tied back,” Lexie says. “A low chignon with a Jennifer Behr floral clip that matched the flowers in my dress felt just right.” Her makeup was elevated and elegant.

“While I’m sure no one would notice but me, I wanted to make sure the scents Constantin and I wore complemented the wedding scents we’d incorporated,” Lexie says. “So, I wore a mix of Jo Malone’s Orange Blossom and Wild Bluebell.”

“I went into wedding dress shopping with a completely open mind. While I knew what I liked, I was open to trying on any style or material,” Lexie remembers. « This dress stood out as soon as I put it on.” She went to two other wedding salons just to look, but kept coming back to her original favorite by Alena Leena. “The name of the dress is Ranunculus, which is one of my favorite flowers. It seemed like a sign that this was my dress. I originally chose it when we thought the wedding was going to be in Mexico, but I also loved that the material would allow the grass to be visible as I walked around the garden.”

Each of her accessories was full of meaning. “My earrings were both my something blue and something borrowed,” Lexie says. “They were a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings my father had gifted my mother, along with a mother of pearl jacket she had made to match the flowers on my dress. My necklace is my all-time favorite; my father gifted my mother, sister, and I each a beautiful Fabergé necklace a few years ago. Each one is a little different to be unique to our own personalities; mine is the perfect shade of pink.”

“For shoes, I knew I wanted something beautiful that I could also dance the night away in,” Lexie says. Loeffler Randall’s Camellia pearl pleated bow heel were just the right fit. As for the finishing touches? “I bought my veil from a small shop on Etsy, and the last little detail I absolutely loved was a beautiful patch stitched into my dress with my new initials and wedding date.”

“We did our first look down the road from Lexie’s parent’s house at a beautiful property we have loved for years,” the couple shares. “It was just the two of us, but after a little while, Lexie’s father dropped off our puppy, Ollie. The wedding party and both families also came for some photos.” After they got the shot, everyone—photographers included—headed back to the house and left Lexie and Constantin alone. “It was pretty perfect to have a few moments to let it all soak in, just the two of us.”

“While we didn’t have flower girls or ring bearers, our cockapoo puppy Ollie did walk down the aisle with the maid of honor and best man,” the couple says. “Not to be outdone by everyone in black tie, he had a beautiful needlepoint collar by Asher Riley with his name and hydrangeas to match the bridesmaids’ bouquets, and a needlepoint leash with flags from all the countries Constantin and Lexie lived in: Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Spain, Scotland, and England.”

“We tried to include as many personal elements as we could, to ensure the entire wedding weekend felt unique to us,” the couple says. “Lexie is known to monogram anything and everything, so if something was able to have their wedding crest on it, you better believe it was there.” Of course, that included her bouquet ribbon, a silk wrap around ranunculus, garden roses, and greenery.

Lexie allowed her bridesmaids to choose dresses they loved. “My maid of honor chose a blue floral BHLDN dress first; they had such great options that both the other girls ended up liking and choosing dresses from there as well,” she recalls. “I loved how their looks felt cohesive but suited each of them perfectly.” They carried bouquets of hydrangeas, while the men sported white ranunculus boutonnieres “with a thistle to commemorate where we met in Scotland,” Lexie says.

A family friend played bagpipe for the ceremony, another nod to Scotland. “He piped as all the guests arrived, and as the bride and groom walked back up the aisle with a trio of piano, cello, and violin,” the couple says. 

Lexie’s family has been using Bloom Plus as a florist for years, so of course they were called in for the wedding. “We showed a few photos of what we liked and said we wanted the event to feel happy and filled with flowers and they ran with that,” Lexie says. “We wanted everything to feel natural and lived in, so we collected vases and terra cotta pots leading up the wedding. Our family friend is an amazing potter and even made beautiful vases for our centerpieces and to use around the fire pit to help disguise it during the ceremony.”

“We were able to bring in some of the Mexican elements we had originally planned, including papel picado—the white paper bunting—as people walked into the yard, tin stars hanging from the tree near the ceremony area, and some of my mother’s Mexican glassware as decor.”

Groom Constantin entered with his two sisters at his side, before Lexie walked down the aisle with her parents. She entered to a wedding classic, “The Arrival” by pianist and composer Roy Todd.

“We knew we wanted to say the same vows and originally were going to go with the typical Protestant vows. But, our officiant encouraged us to make them more personal to us,” Lexie shares. “It was a great activity to sit down and write them a couple weeks before the wedding.”

“Someone gave me the advice to make sure we stopped every now and then to take a deep breath and a little mental picture,” Lexie recalls. “The person who told me this has been married for over 20 years, and she still has these mental pictures tucked away whenever she thinks of her wedding. It was a fun way to ensure we really stayed in the moment and soaked in every detail.”

After “I do,” guests moved into cocktail hour, where hors d’oeuvres like empanadas with beef tenderloin filling and tostada de tinga with poached pear and poblano salsa paid homage to Lexie’s heritage. They also enjoyed a trio of signature cocktails: rosé for the bride, French 75 for the groom, and a sweet Pimm’s Cup for dog Ollie.

For their elevated garden party, “we wanted everything to feel unique, as if it had been collected over years,” Lexie describes. “For the linens, I worked with a wonderful manufacturer who used her existing patterns and changed the colors to match what we had envisioned for our wedding.”

“Choosing a photographer was the first thing we did,” the couple shares, noting that getting to work with Will Reid was a silver lining to their original wedding plan not working out.

“We had originally planned to pop out between courses to take photos at a beautiful point two blocks away,” the remember. “In the end, we were having such a wonderful time with everyone that our photographer suggested staying on site and taking photos on the rocks down by the water instead. Looking back, these are some of our favorite photos. The lighting was so perfect that after we took our photos, most of the guests joined and took their own. It was truly a lesson in remembering not everything can be planned out, and remaining flexible can lead to some pretty wonderful results.”

Instead of concepting how to set up a full catering kitchen for their 80 guests, Lexie and Constantin worked with Kaleidoscope, whose chef works out of a food truck. “He drove up to the front of the house, and even opened up his food truck window for late-night snacks,” they recall. “We were so impressed with how he and his team had a delicious formal dinner all served out of his mobile kitchen.” For their creative menu, they again incorporated German, Latin, and British flavors.

Their red velvet cake from The Rolling Pin featured the couple’s wedding crest, and was served alongside Dutch apple créme brúlée with streusel crisp.

The newlyweds performed their first dance to “You’ve Got Me Running in Circles” by Sonny Cleveland, while guests waved sparklers all around them. Then, Lexie and her father swung to “Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy” by The Tams.

The bride changed into a custom dress stitched by a local seamstress and the food truck propped open its side window to fuel guests’ dancing with smoked chicken quesadillas, soft pretzels with beer cheese, and fresh churros. 

It was the perfect evening—and it made an impact as much on the guests as it did on the couple. “While we had a much more intimate wedding than originally planned, it was amazing to see 80 of our closest friends and family meet, especially after so many of them have been hearing about one another for years,” the couple shares. “Even months after the wedding, we love getting texts from countless people getting together and making plans with others they met at our wedding. There have been some pretty wonderful dinner parties, horseback riding lessons, friends in new cities, and walking partners to come out of our wedding and we could not be more thrilled to hear it.”