If I’ve ever heard of a modern-day fairytale, it’s the love story of Ashley and Chris Landowski.
“We met on Tinder,” laughs Ashley, telling me how they originally matched in 2017. “It's pretty funny because he was just about to delete the app, and it was my first day getting the app. We both lucked out.”
Ashley is from Ontario while Chris lives in Buffalo, so it didn’t take long for the couple to move from long phone calls to meeting in person. After their first date at Deep South Taco on Hertel Avenue, they didn’t want to be apart. Yet, as any good fairytale would have it, fate had other plans in mind.
The pandemic separated the two—one in Canada and one in the States, just over the border from each other—for five months in 2020. So when Chris proposed that following spring, it made the moment even more special.
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“Chris and I are big hikers and the first hike we ever took was at Hunter's Creek,” Ashley says. “He took me on that exact trail again and proposed, with a moissanite stone engagement ring he had designed himself. I was totally surprised.”
Day-of details
Just like their courtship, the couple knew the Brooksholm Wedding Barn & Event Center in Pavilion was the perfect spot for their day once they saw it—even though the renovation process was still underway.
“Inside the barn, nothing was done, but the property itself was beautiful,” Ashley says. “The woods where we would do the ceremony, we could tell that it was gonna be amazing.”
And amazing their July 2023 wedding day was. On a sunny, 82-degree day, 120 guests attended their ceremony in the woods, with Chris’ groomsmen walking down the aisle to an instrumental version of “Gangsta’s Paradise.” The bridesmaids wore juniper green, Ashley’s favorite color.
Afterward, Chris and Ashley danced the night away at their reception in the newly renovated barn, including their first dance to “I Don’t Mind” by Defeater.
The couple chose a homestyle buffet for dinner with a late-night station of pizza and pretzels to feed their guests, while an assortment of homemade cookies made by the mother of the groom, cupcakes and a red velvet cake created a delicious dessert table.
Their big day ended with a post-wedding bonfire with their wedding party on the property.
“It had been such a long time since either side of our extended families got together, so it was a big moment,” Ashley says. “We wanted our wedding to be easygoing. I couldn't have asked for anything more.”
The Dream Team
Who helped the couple make it happen
Rings / Bon Fire Craft
Gown / Lillian West via Tatum’s Bridal
Hair / Looks by KQ
Makeup / Samantha Jayes
DJ & Photo booth / The Party Connection
Catering / Zambistro Restaurant
Cake / Wegmans
Photographer / LUPINE & LEAD