Sometimes, when you get married, there doesn’t have to be a single soul around except for you, your beloved, someone to marry you by and two witnesses (by legal requirements). That’s exactly what Lauren & Erik did on an early summer morning. There is something about getting married at the beginning of a day – both symbolize a new chapter. Their intimate elopement was at the peaceful and lovely Bluffer’s Park. This is probably one of my favourite spots in the city. You don’t even feel like you are in Toronto anymore.
There are anywhere from 189 – 196 independent countries in the world (depending on the source), and there are approximately 7.2 billion people on the planet. It’s a pretty big world. But it can also be such a small world.
When I got an email from Johan and Annika who are from Sweden, and read about their plan to travel to Canada to get married, I was quite surprised they found me. The internet is an amazing thing, you never know who will find you on the other end of it. After a few email exchanges, I mentioned I was going to Stockholm in a couple of months, so then we arranged to meet up. It was a coincidence as I had planned to attend a workshop there.
I met Johan and Annika and their adorable son Teddy in a lovely cafe in Old Town Stockholm and chatted about their plans for visiting Canada and to elope. It was all a little surreal for me – they were my first international clients! They were so lovely and I had to marvel at how good their English is compared to my non-existent Swedish (perhaps it’s time to pick up another language…although my excuse is that I already know Chinese and English). Then a few months later, I met my Swedish friends again by the lake and photographed their beautiful ceremony. Here are some of my favourite photos from their elopement!
Martin and Amy’s Inn on the Twenty wedding took place on a beautiful day in June. They got married at the beautiful Cavespring vineyard and had their reception at the Inn on the Twenty restaurant with their nearest and dearest. It was a very intimate gathering to celebrate the marriage of two incredibly funny people.
When Martin and Amy first contacted me, they said they really liked that I captured the emotions from a wedding day so well. That was high praise indeed, so thank you guys, for trusting me to document this lovely chapter in your life. It was amazing to be a part of your day.
At the end of the summer, I photographed Chrissy & Gareth’s Drake Hotel Cafe wedding. When I first met them, they told me that they wanted a non-traditional, intimate and laid back wedding with lots of good food. So they did away with some of the traditions that weren’t important to them, and chose the rad Drake Hotel Cafe as the perfect relaxed, quirky and casual fun backdrop for their wedding. And it was, as they planned, an intimate and casual gathering of family and close friends. From head to toe, their wedding was personalized with what they love as a couple: from Chrissy’s stunning Carol Hannah dress, to the handmade cake by Gareth’s mom, to the delicious marshmallows from Bobbette & Belle as favours, and the “strolling dinner” instead of a sit-down meal.
Chrissy & Gareth, thank you for trusting me to tell your story! Cheers to being true to who you are and doing things your way. Here’s their wedding story:
Near the end of November, I had the opportunity to photograph Alaina & Denis’ destination wedding in Negril, Jamaica. It’s always exciting to shoot in new places. But I’ve come to the realization that no matter how beautiful the setting, it’s the people that make it special. While a wedding is a manifestation of love and commitment between two people, it’s also a coming together of family and friends. So in truth, it’s a celebration of all kinds of love. And I think it’s so fitting because in life, there’s love, there’s also friendship, and family. Alaina and Denis met in university, so besides their closest family, their good friends were also there to celebrate their big day. Witnessing all this love, I couldn’t help but think that as a photographer, I couldn’t ask for more.
Here’s the story of Alaina and Denis’ wedding day: a celebration of love in all its forms, by the ocean with the sound of waves, in beautiful Negril.
Door games are such fun Chinese heritage wedding traditions. Often with random and crazy challenges for the boys.
Like drinking a cup of mixed sauces (consisting of something sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy).
Or doing push ups at the same time.
Or singing along to Bruno Mars’ Marry Me.
Or doing the Single Ladies routine.
You get the idea ;)
This is what happens when boys put on boutonnieres – they go on backwards :D
Remember this relaxed and sunny engagement session on the Toronto islands? Sarah & Dave tied the knot in September at the beautiful Mike Weir Estate Winery. Their Mike Weir Winery wedding combined their fantasy of having a destination wedding in an Italian vineyard with the wish to have all their friends and family be a part of their important day. This was the first wedding ever held at the winery, and combined with decor & florals by Fresh Collaborative Events, Sarah and Dave’s vision was brought to life wonderfully.
As photographers, we don’t often get mentioned in speeches. I think mainly because the fruits of our labour aren’t seen until after the wedding. But at Sarah & Dave’s wedding, Dave mentioned a little moment that happened during their engagement/Document Love session that really stayed with me. I had asked them to express their love for each only by looking each other in the eye and gave them a minute or two to absorb that. Dave said at first it was a bit funny, but then as the moments wore on, he realized that they don’t do this enough: to slow down and just look each other in the eye or just really be in the moment.
So, thank you Sarah & Dave for inviting me into these moments on your wedding day. Here’s their story as seen through my lens.
