Nigel was one of the best dressed guests at Kelly McShane and Chris Kenny’s wedding.

His black, curly hair was primped and preened, and his silk bowtie exactly matched the bride’s dress.

But he was so excited to get in on the photos, he would not sit still.

“My wedding dress got his stamp of approval in the form of muddy paw prints,” said Kelly.

Nigel is the Kilworthy, Ont., couple’s standard poodle.

”Despite the chaos, the photos turned out great,” Kelly said. “(Nigel’s) nails were painted metallic gold to match our theme. He was a handsome boy.”

Kelly and Chris, both 32, were married Sept. 27, 2014, in the yard at the home they share together.

It was an intimate evening with just 30 guests.

“We had an elegant garden party theme with eggplant purple and metallic gold as the colours, accented by tons of peacock feathers, purple hydrangeas and white Casablanca lilies,” said Kelly.

The centerpieces were white birdcages containing purple pillar candles.

Black-and-white childhood photos of Kelly and Chris were hung on gold ribbons and decorated the buffet area at the reception.

The atmosphere created by the colourful theme was Kelly’s favourite thing about the day.

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“The elegance we created with rich colours, vibrant peacock feathers and sophisticated but simple details felt magical,” she said. “The theme was an expression of us. It was beautiful without being overdone. Less was definitely more.”

Kelly and Chris have never been a pair for making long, drawn-out plans.

They were married less than a year after they first met, and Kelly planned the wedding in three months.

It was a whirlwind romance.

Kelly, a reporter, participated in a nine-kilometre “pub run” in December 2013 for a sports column she wrote at the time from the perspective of a “non-sporty” person. Chris was also taking part in the run.

“The pub run is basically a bunch of joggers getting together to run from pub to pub, stopping to play games, chug a drink and then hitting the pavement again,” Kelly explained.

“I’m shocked he even noticed me since, as a non-athlete, I was looking pretty haggard >> and sweaty by the time we actually met at the

second last pub, but we hit it off right away.”

By April 2014, just four months later, the two had moved in together and, by June, had bought a house.

Chris proposed on the deck of their home, “and that’s where we got married,” said Kelly.

The decision to only invite 30 guests to the wedding – and then selecting those people – was difficult.

“We wanted to keep it small with an intimate group of people. This meant making some tough calls with the guest list, but we were able to celebrate with all of the people in our lives during the Jack and Jill,” said Kelly. “The limited guest list made the wedding day manageable.”

The couple had a wedding budget of $5,000, so maintaining the priority of keeping things simple was key.

The guests were served gourmet wraps and salads from Mariposa Market in Orillia, but Kelly and Chris put together the rest themselves.

This included trays of in-season raw vegetables, such as purple cauliflower, yellow zucchini, grape tomatoes and asparagus, and exotic fruit, like cactus pear, mango, coconut, pineapple and kiwi.

They also served a variety of cheese, including smoked Gouda, brie and extra old cheddar, with specialty crackers.

Kelly and Chris made their own Pinot Grigio for the tables and offered up fancy raspberry lemonade, some of which was spiked with vodka.

The lemonade was served in an old-fashioned juice dispenser, adding to a “picnic feel,” along with an ice bucket filled with bottles of Perrier and citrus slices, said Kelly.

For dessert, Chris’ mom made a three-tiered vanilla cake with a homemade raspberry preserve in the centre. It was topped with a gold “K” and peacock feathers.

The only tough part was, despite a September wedding date, the temperature was nearly 30 C.

“The fondant on the cake started to melt. It got so sticky that we had to cut mammoth pieces apart. It was delicious though, so there were no complaints,” said Kelly.

Despite the melting fondant, the day was “incredibly perfect,” she added.

“We came home from our honeymoon with no wedding day debt, so we got to start our life together stress-free,” she said.

“If you go with your gut and don’t over think it, you will end up with the day you dreamed of.”

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