Bright lights, big love
Teodora Pasca discovers how a couple’s intense connection to the city led to a one-of-a-kind wedding — times two
Love was all around Yonge-Dundas Square when Keri Tingling and Justice Mounsey met for their first date. The couple walked past the flashing billboards in the heart of downtown all the way south to the waterfront, taking in the city — and each other. Seven years later, they returned to the plaza, this time to take their wedding photos.
The newlyweds have deep roots in Toronto: Tingling moved here to pursue three university degrees, while Justice came with dreams of opening a gym. She is now a nurse practitioner, and he works in marketing for the city.
“We both really love Toronto,” Mounsey says. “It’s where we’ve grown together.” The couple have spent most weekends exploring the city’s eclectic neighbourhoods on their bikes. Their urban expeditions have led them to numerous festivals and concerts. One Halloween, they even dressed up as streetcars: he as the 504 King and she as the 501 Queen.
Marriage had been on their minds for some time by the time he finally proposed on a cruise ship in the Caribbean in 2018. The two were posing for a photographer when Mounsey unexpectedly dropped to one knee; she said yes, of course, to much applause from onlookers. Once they had composed themselves, they went straight to a comedy show.
Each brings something unique to the relationship. He is spontaneous; she loves structure. He is level-headed, even in the toughest of times; she is nurturing, often pausing on their trips through the city to help strangers. They complement each other, a perfect match in a city where differences are something to celebrate.
“Toronto is such a diverse place,” Tingling says. “Every single person belongs and has the freedom to express themselves.” Although she comes from a family in which marriage has always been important, when it came to their wedding, she and Mounsey were open to breaking with tradition. “We wanted it to be our own,” she says.
Their wedding actually happened twice. When July 2020 rolled around, they decided to elope in an intimate outdoor ceremony at the Westin Harbour Castle and then celebrate with their loved ones once it was safer. That also meant they got to make the most of their wedding attire. “A lot of people wear these expensive items (only) once,” Tingling says.
The couple held their full reception more than a year later, on Sept. 18, 2021, at the Palais Royale Ballroom, a historic dance hall that for nearly a century has hosted titans of jazz. Their wedding theme, “City of Arts: A Toronto Love Story,” paid homage to the pair’s connection to the city. The tables were all named after Toronto landmarks — with the couple seated at Union Station (naturally).
The menu showcased the best of Toronto’s neighbourhoods: the Danforth (charcuterie, cheese, and veggie platters); Koreatown (gochujang fried chicken and seared tuna with kimchi); Little Italy (fettuccine in vodka sauce); and Little Jamaica (oxtail, curries, plantain, and rice and peas), a nod to the bride and groom’s Caribbean heritage. For entertainment, the couple lined up a roster of locals, including a six-piece brass band they encountered on one of their rides.
Weddings are primarily about unions — but they are also reunions. “There were a lot of people there that I haven’t seen in years,” Mounsey says. “Some, in decades.” A slideshow, curated from pictures provided by guests, featured photos of the couple and their loved ones at different Toronto landmarks.
The isolation wrought by the pandemic made coming together especially powerful. Tingling was grateful that their guests were finally able to gather to sing, dance and celebrate the newlyweds. “Art,” she says, “can make you feel free.”
Love can do that, too.