Remember this boho cottage engagement/Document Love session? Brittany and James had a rustic farm wedding at James’ family farm on a warm September afternoon.
The day started beautifully, but by mid-day, the rain clouds moved in. Then it rained on and off for the rest of the afternoon. Finally the rain broke off long enough for the outdoor ceremony to proceed. The sun even came out for a bit. It was a beautiful ceremony, relaxed and intimate with their sweet Labrador Abby leading the procession down the aisle. Brittany even went barefoot. The rest of the day was just as beautiful and intimate, finishing with a crazy dance party and sparklers.
When Jin and Frank told me they were having a Loftraum wedding, I was intrigued. It was a venue I hadn’t heard of before or photographed yet. When I first met Jin and Frank, we went for a visit and they showed me the space at Loftraum. It’s got exposed brick walls and is the perfect blank canvas for you to create just what you want. It’s basically a hidden gem version of the similar, but better known venues in the Distillery District such as the Fermenting Cellar.
They planned their wedding with lots of personal touches and brought a romantic rustic garden vibe to an urban setting. But first, let’s go back to the start and I’ll tell a bit about how they met. Like I mentioned from their engagement session, their story is straight out of a novel.
Jin and Frank met in a summer exchange program in Monterrey, Mexico. Even though they were in the same class, they didn’t start hanging out until they were put in the same group activity. Before you knew it, the summer went by while sparks flew and their connection grew. They had a bitter sweet parting at the end of that summer and flew back to their respective cities. Sometimes life happens and you get distracted. They didn’t meet again until 3 years later when Jin was teaching in Korea and Frank was nearing the end of his 9-month backpacking adventure in Asia. But the timing wasn’t right and they parted ways once again. This is where I believe that if it’s meant to be, it will be. Another 3 years passed, and they connected again in New York, in the lobby of the Penn hotel and rang in the new year together. The rest as they say, was history.
Their wedding was a beautiful and heartwarming celebration of love and two families coming together: Frank’s from Quebec and Jin’s from BC. I witnessed so much love, tears and laughter – it was an incredible day to be a part of. Here’s the story of Jin & Frank’s wedding day.
The space at Loftraum has exposed brick walls and is the perfect blank canvas.
Jin and Frank set up the space the week before the wedding and did everything themselves.
Laura and Francis had a beautiful wedding at Holland Marsh Winery on a gorgeous day at the end of June. I’ve been to a quite a few wineries in Ontario by now and it was my first time at Holland Marsh. It is quite a little gem in the country just outside of Newmarket.
Surrounded by family and close friends, it was a relaxed and heartfelt celebration. There is such a sense of family and community at their wedding – I love how a wedding brings people together. One of my favourite moments was when Francis danced with his mom to Barry Manilow’s Can’t Smile Without You, everyone started waving their arms along with the music.
Here’s the story of Laura and Francis’ wedding day!
Stephanie & Matt got married on a beautiful day in sunny Cabo San Lucas, Mexico while spring was still struggling with Toronto. Surrounded by their nearest and dearest, it was a most relaxed and lovely wedding day. I’ve said this before, but small weddings are always more dear to my heart. Not that I think there’s anything wrong with big weddings, but when you are planning something so big, sometimes it’s easy for the wedding to get “out of scope” to speak in project management terms. You start to worry about every single little detail, and lose sight of the reason why you are having this wedding to begin with: a celebration of love and a coming together of family and friends. It’s too easy for big weddings to become a “production”, a “show”, rather than a wedding.
This was not so on Stephanie & Matt’s wedding day. They hung out with their wedding party in the morning while getting ready, got to talk to each of their guests, and had time to just slow down and remember it all.
Thank you Stephanie & Matt for not only having me document one of the most special days in your life, but for making me feel welcomed as one of your dear guests.
