Real Weddings: Hailey & Anthony

This blog post was originally created by Madeleine Villa.

Hailey and Anthony tied the knot in May of 2018. Their wedding was full of unique sentiments that created a very intimate experience for their guests! Hailey chose Henkaa Dusty Purple Sakura Maxi Dresses for her bridesmaids, see how the bride and groom also incorporated their individual passions (wrestling and Gilmore Girls) seamlessly into their big day!

Can you tell us a bit about the two of you?

Hailey Judges and her husband Anthony sharing vows with one another.

I work reception at a dental office, Anthony is a manager at a local family entertainment centre. We met online, through a dating app. Anthony sent me a message months before I had the courage to respond.

I knew pretty quickly he was "the one for me". We were only dating for two months when my father passed away. We were so new in our relationship, that all I expected from Anthony was for him to say "hey, I'm here if you need me, but I'm going to give you some time and space. Call me when you're ready". He did the complete opposite of that, he was there for me right away and he didn't leave my side. Which was exactly what I needed. He didn't get scared and run off, he jumped right in without a second thought.

Who proposed, can you describe the moment?

Anthony and Hailey kiss after their wedding vows.

We were in Punta Cana with several friends. I told him that even though we were there with six other people, I wanted some one-on-one time with him. I unknowingly set it up for him perfectly!

We had a lovely dinner with the whole group and then we went for a walk, just the two of us. While we were on this walk we passed a beautiful gazebo. I told him this gazebo looked like the Dominican version of the Gilmore Girls town gazebo (Gilmore Girls is an obsession of mine). He proposed to me there in that gazebo. Yes, in his speech he even quoted a little Gilmore Girls. It was a picture-perfect moment!

Could you describe your day and how it came together?

Hailey Judges dancing on her wedding day, image in black and white.

Once we found that venue, everything came together. The Glenerin Inn in Mississauga, Ontario has such a beautiful vintage vibe to it, that set perfectly with what I was envisioning for that day. When the day finally came, everything went off perfectly. It sounds kinda cheesy, but the day was straight out of a fairytale. Our day was absolutely filled with dancing and laughter. I feel like these photos really show that.

Hailey Judges honours her late father on her wedding day by attaching his police pin to her bouquet.

My dad was a Police Officer, so my “something blue” was one of his police pins and my “something borrowed” was his blue sapphire wedding ring. Both of which were attached to my bouquet.

My husband is a big wrestling fan, so we incorporated that in subtle ways throughout the day. Each couple in our wedding party entered the reception to a different wresting theme song and he entered wearing a wrestling belt.

Henkaa bride Gilmore Girls table setting.

I’m a huge Gilmore Girls fan so our tables were different things associated with Gilmore Girls and wrestling.

Can you recall your favourite moment or most memorable detail from the day?

I loved the process of getting ready with my girls. They're my sisters and closest friends. It wouldn't have felt complete without any one of them.

There were so many details to the day I never want to forget, but my flowers stand out the most. I swear I have never seen a bouquet as incredible as mine. Our florist knew exactly what I wanted in a way that was a million times better than what I was expecting.

Why did you choose Henkaa Convertible Dresses for your bridesmaids?

I wanted my bridesmaids to be comfortable. I knew that they would be if they could pick the "style" for themselves. We'd tried many different typical bridesmaids dresses and they all seemed too stuffy.

Once they tried the dresses on, it was a no-brainer. Some of my bridesmaids are pretty modest and the versatility of Henkaa gave them the ability to show as much or as little as they wanted to. Henkaa is unlike anything I've ever seen before.