Three Events, One Epic Love Story: Inside Annika & Leon's Ritz-Carlton Toronto Wedding
A Sangeet. A Ceremony. A Reception. Designed by Ethereal Creators at the Ritz-Carlton Toronto.
Quick Answer: What is it like to have a wedding at the Ritz-Carlton Toronto?
The Ritz-Carlton Toronto is one of Canada's most prestigious wedding venues. With its Grand Ballroom, flexible event spaces, and world-class service, it's the ideal backdrop for multi-event celebrations, including South Asian weddings, luxury receptions, and everything in between. Couples can expect impeccable service, stunning architecture, and a blank canvas for fully custom event design.
Some couples have one wedding day. Annika and Leon had three, and every single one was more breathtaking than the last.
Hosted across a full weekend at the Ritz-Carlton Toronto, this celebration was a masterclass in cultural storytelling, luxury design, and the kind of detail that leaves guests completely speechless (and reaching for their phones every five minutes). We were the design team behind every element, from the very first moodboard pin to the last rose placed on the reception sweetheart table.
Three events. Three completely different design worlds. One cohesive, unforgettable story.
Here's how it all came together.
Event 1: The Sangeet; Jewels, Drama & a Whole Lot of Blue
If you've ever been to a Sangeet done right, you know the energy is electric. Music, dancing, family, laughter, it's the night before the wedding where everyone truly lets loose.
Our brief: bold, dramatic, and peacock-inspired. Think deep cobalt blue, emerald green, sapphire accents, and enough velvet to make you feel like you've stepped into a royal palace.
The Backdrop That Stopped the Room
The centrepiece of the Sangeet was a sweeping feature wall, 12 feet by 40 feet of rich royal blue velvet draping. Hanging from it: five crystal empire chandeliers whose warm glow caught every fold of the fabric. No filter needed. No filter could have helped anyway; the real thing was better.
The DJ Setup
The DJ area had its own moment. Framed by the same flowing cobalt draping, a sleek DJ stage, peacock-printed art panels at the base, and a shimmering crystal rain curtain that cascaded down and caught the light every time someone hit the dance floor. Completely made for the 'gram and completely real.
Tables, Centrepieces & Lounge
Tables were dressed in rich teal and royal blue shimmer linens, topped with cobalt blue candelabras and airy arrangements of light blue delphiniums, green pillar candles, and moss detail. Dinner plates featured hand-painted green botanical designs — because even the tableware should tell a story.
The lounge areas anchored the room with black curved banquettes, bold emerald-velvet ottomans, and jewel-toned sequin pillows. Above, cascading light blue floral arrangements floated overhead — organic luxury at its finest.
Royal blue velvet draping — 12' x 40' feature wall
Five crystal empire chandeliers
Cobalt blue candelabras with blue delphinium florals
Crystal rain curtain DJ backdrop with peacock art panels
Black banquettes with emerald velvet ottomans & sequin pillows
Event 2: The Ceremony; A Mughal Garden Comes to Life
After the energy of the Sangeet, the ceremony called for something entirely different. Warmer. More intimate. Deeply rooted in tradition.
Annika and Leon's Hindu ceremony was inspired by Mughal garden architecture; ornate arches, lush tropical plants, and a colour palette that felt like a Toronto sunrise reimagined in India: coral, peach, magenta, forest green, and warm gold.
The Mandap
Four grand pillars topped with gold matkas (traditional Indian water vessels) formed the mandap, framed by climbing florals, cascading greenery, and an overflowing garden arch. A beautifully placed Ganesh statue sat at the heart of the setup — a sacred and meaningful touch that anchored the entire design in tradition.
The Florals — A Garden You Could Get Lost In
This was one of our most lush floral palettes to date. We sourced:
Coral peonies and peach garden roses
Magenta snapdragons and pink cymbidium orchids
Blush spray roses and lisianthus
Orange marigolds and celosia — for that unmistakably Indian vibrancy
Trailing vines, asparagus fern, and tropical greenery throughout
The result was a ceremony space that felt like a lush palace garden — overflowing with life, colour, and meaning.
The Aisle
A custom blush aisle runner with an intricate pearl and crystal border trim ran the full length of the ceremony. In photos, it's stunning. In person, with 150 guests watching Annika walk towards Leon? It was everything.
The Backdrop: Custom Indian Art Panels
The gallery room backdrop featured three custom Indian botanical art panels hand-illustrated with Mughal floral motifs in saffron orange, pink, and sage green, framed in gold. Beneath them, a rich jewel-toned Persian vinly, a vintage white settee, terracotta velvet poufs, and floral ottomans created a lounge space that felt like something out of a Jaipur palace.
Event 3: The Reception; Blush, Black & Pure Editorial Luxury
If the Sangeet was fire and the ceremony was soul, the reception was pure artistry.
The brief: blush, black, champagne, and completely fashion-forward. A room that would look as stunning in photos 20 years from now as it did that night. We were ready.
The Floor Plan
The Ritz-Carlton Ballroom was laid out with a 24' x 24' diamond-shaped dance floor at its centre, surrounded by long banquet tables, round tables, two statement lounge areas, a statement bar, DJ stage, and a full LED screen. But the layout is only the beginning.
The Custom Floor Vinyl — The Detail That Started Conversations
We installed a custom floor vinyl featuring an oversized organic fluted texture — think sculptural oyster mushroom or pleated silk — across the dance floor and both lounge areas. Guests kept pausing to look at it. More than a few crouched down to touch it. It was one of those details that
made the room feel genuinely different from every other wedding they'd attended. That's exactly what we aim for.
The Sweetheart Table — The Moment of the Night
We designed a custom sculptural arch of ivory tree branch forms, rising up and spreading wide — every branch clustered with hand-placed blush and mauve roses that cascaded all the way down to the table. White cube risers elevated the setup to create a stage-like effect. Annika and Leon sat at the centre, completely surrounded by hundreds of blooms, as if the entire room had been built to frame them. Because it had.
The Statement Bar & Backdrop
Three geometric gold diamond display structures with glass shelves formed the backdrop, set against cream fluted panel bases (matching the floor vinyl texture) and adorned with clusters of blush and mauve roses at every corner and intersection. Behind it all: floor-to-ceiling champagne linen draping. Guests couldn't stop taking photos in front of it. Neither could we, honestly.
The Tables
Long tables were dressed in blush linen runners, topped with crystal acrylic candelabras overflowing with blush and mauve roses. Dark charcoal slate charger plates with delicate blush ribbon napkins. Gold cross-back chairs with ivory cushions. Small silver table lamps for warm ambient glow. Every single detail was intentional — there was nothing on these tables that wasn't considered.
The Statement Lounge Tower
A towering sculptural feather-and-leaf installation in cream and champagne tones rose from a sleek black drum base, ringed at its foot by a collar of fresh blush roses. It commanded the room. It was sculptural. It was unexpected. It was one of the most photographed pieces of the entire night.
And Yes; The Cake
The wedding cake was stunning. A true work of art that perfectly matched the room's aesthetic: blush tones, delicate detailing, and the kind of presence that made guests do a double-take when they first walked in.
How Do You Design Three Completely Different Events That Still Feel Like One Wedding?
We get asked this constantly, and it's actually one of our favourite design challenges.
The answer is an intentional contrast with a unifying thread. Each event for Annika and Leon had its own distinct personality:
The Sangeet was bold, jewel-toned, and full of energy
The ceremony was warm, intimate, and rooted in South Asian tradition
The reception was sleek, editorial, and undeniably luxurious
What connected them all? A commitment to detail, to custom work, and to telling their specific story, not a template version of it. Every element, from the sourcing of specialty florals to the design of custom floor vinyls and hand-built arches, was created specifically for Annika and Leon.
That's what Ethereal Creators does. That's all we do.
