This sweet winter city hall wedding is also seen on The Wedding Co.
Winter weddings in Toronto probably aren’t rare given our long winters in Canada, but Prash & Val’s was the first I had photographed, and I hope won’t be my last!
Val & Prash met in university in the same student club. They got to know each other very well before dating and have managed to make long distance work. For their wedding, they wanted a very intimate & low key day with just their immediate families – which was exactly what happened. A very intimate ceremony at city hall was followed by portraits around downtown Toronto in Osgoode Hall, Union Station and the Fairmont. Then they enjoyed a private meal at Reds restaurant. Val loves snow and even though the wedding was at the end of January, it had been pretty dry up until that point. But the weather gods were kind to us; as we were walked out of city hall, it started to snow! That was the perfect finishing touch to a lovely afternoon.
Intimate destination wedding | RIU Guanacaste, Costa Rica
In October, I had the opportunity to photograph Arlene & Francis’ beautiful Costa Rica wedding at the Riu Guanacaste. Francis and I worked together years ago at our local Chapters bookstore. I think he was still in high school then. It was incredible to see him after all these years and marry the love of his life. Arlene and I hadn’t met before, but as soon as she greeted me at the door to her suite, I knew it was going to be a great day.
From Arlene: “I don’t know where to begin. Janice’s photos are amazing!! When I first saw Janice’s portfolio, I knew I wanted her to be our photographer for our destination wedding. Her photos capture once in a lifetime moments that I now can relive in pictures over and over again (moments I, myself did not know were going on around me or wouldn’t have thought could be captured in one photo). Through her pictures, I am able to feel the raw emotions from that day. I still find myself getting excited or teary looking at the same photo from a few days ago. I especially enjoyed her little ways to get to know us and capture our personalities in our photos. There is just something magical in her photos like going to Disney World as an adult.”
I have always believed that photography is a way of feeling. So if my work is able to touch someone in a way, even just for a short while, then I feel like I’ve done a good job.
On a beautiful Spring day, sandwiched by two days of heavy rain, Janice & Matt got married at the De La Salle Heritage House in Toronto. It’s a lovely location for a wedding! You can get ready here as they have rooms for guests to stay in, have your ceremony here, as well as your reception. Everything is in one place, which makes it really easy and stress free for the big day.
When Janice first emailed me, we bonded over our mutual love for The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (we also share the same first name!). It was a life-changing read for both of us. I could tell then that their wedding would be quite special. Maya Angelou said: I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. This definitely rings true for Janice & Matt’s ceremony. Even after having been to so many weddings, I was still so moved by their vows and the way they looked at each other.
It was a true celebration of love & people. Thank you, Janice & Matt for allowing me to document this special day. Here’s their wedding story!
Last winter I had the opportunity to second shoot with my pal Sara of Sara Wilde Photography for Olivia and Mark’s Enoch Turner Schoolhouse wedding. It was a short day but nevertheless a fun day. They are both big book lovers so naturally their wedding had a quirky book theme going on. Even their wedding favour was books :)
The wedding took place in February – the heart of winter in Canada! But inside the schoolhouse the atmosphere was warm and intimate. If you don’t mind the cold, February isn’t a bad time to get married. It was my first time shooting at Enoch Turner, and it really is a fun venue, especially for smaller, more intimate weddings. Definitely one of the more unique wedding venues in Toronto.
Here are a few favourites from Olivia & Mark’s wedding day. Thanks for having me Sara! xo
Featured on La Bride | A Romantic Greek Island Elopement | Skopelos, Greece
If you’ve watched Mamma Mia, the movie, then you might have wondered (or already know) where they filmed the gorgeous Greek islands scenes (let’s not discuss Pierce Brosnan’s singing…although personally I thought he was ok!).
And you guessed right, many of the scenes were filmed in Skopelos! When Jo contacted me about photographing her and Dan’s wedding in Skopelos, I was ecstatic! Skopelos is in the Sporades group of islands, about 3 hours away from the nearest mainland port of Volos by fast ferry. After the movie was released, mass tourism really hit the island. Luckily from what I’ve seen, that has died down a little. Of the four Greek islands I’ve visited this summer (Crete, Rhodes, Samothraki, and Skopelos), this was my favourite. For me, it has just the right balance between scenery, beaches, architecture and local culture.
Jo and Dan are from Australia, they were planning a big European adventure when the idea came to get married while overseas as well. They chose Greece because it’s somewhere new for them, exciting and full of romance (I couldn’t agree more). Jo and I had already emailed each other quite extensively and talked on the phone before, so when we finally met, I felt like I had known her for a long time. I met them the night before for dinner, and it was quite apparent how genuine they are and the special connection they share. On the wedding day, I joined them on the surreal, dreamlike Amarantos Rocks with their officiant, in addition to their lovely planner Daphne and myself as witnesses. Afterwards I was lucky to join them for dinner at Korali taverna as we watched the sun dip below the horizon.
It was truly one of the most intimate weddings I’ve experienced as a photographer and I couldn’t have asked for a more lovely couple to spend that day with. Thank you Jo & Dan, for having me capture your special day in stunning Skopelos and welcoming me so warmly.
A severe storm battered Skopelos a few weeks after we were there, many areas of the island were severely damaged, including the taverna where we had dinner. These photos will always remind me that there are very few things in life we can have forever, but your memory will always be yours.
It was Alex’s mom who had originally gotten in touch with me about photographing Alex & Tino’s Samothraki wedding in September. Samothraki, or as it is in Greek, Samothrace, is an island in the northeastern Aegean group of Greek islands. If you’ve been to the Louvre in Paris, you might remember the statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Legend has it that the statue is from a temple on this island. As far as Greek islands go, Samothraki is not your typical island. It doesn’t have the houses with white-washed walls and blue domes of the Cyclades like Santorini, but it doesn’t have the crowds either. :) There is tourism there, but not mass tourism, so the island still retains its authentic charm. It definitely takes a bit of effort to get to, but it’s worth it.
Anyway, back to the wedding! Alex & Tino live in the United States, but Tino is half Greek and spent time in Samothraki growing up. It is one of his favourite places in the world. They decided to have their wedding at the lovely Archondissa Hotel, right by the sea just outside the village of Therma. The ceremony was right on the beach, at sunset with their friends & family from all around the world witnessing as they said their own vows. Then everyone had dinner & danced under the stars. It was just as they had imagined it – everyone enjoyed it.
Alex & Tino, thanks for letting me document your wedding day on the beautiful island of Samothraki! Here are some of my favourites from that day.
