Kortright Centre Wedding // Caroline & Henry

Intimate Fall Wedding in Kleinburg

I’m so excited to share this Kortright Centre wedding with you! This was my first time photographing a wedding at the Kortright Centre for Conservation, and boy was it a good time to photograph there. I did not expect the trees to be in such beautiful colours but when I arrived at the visitor centre and saw the ceremony site (they call it The Cathedral of Trees), I was actually in awe. Trees with different shades of yellow and orange surrounded you, and when the wind blew, a few fell. On top of that, it was a sunny day! It felt quite magical.

The wedding itself was a true labour of love: Caroline made all the table decor items including the jars with gold glitter, and she hand-dyed the dinner menu cards. She also hand-knotted the beautiful macrame that adorned the birch branches as the ceremony backdrop. Her brother, bridesmaids and friends helped set up the reception tables, and the ceremony decor, while Henry and the groomsmen brought Caroline’s vision of an outdoor entrance to life.

I also love the way Caroline and Henry did their First Look – they didn’t see each other at first while Henry passed a card to Caroline for her to read before they both turned around. As someone who is better at written communication (it gives me time to think about what I want to say, instead of blurting out whatever is on my mind), I definitely resonated with this twist on the First Look.

Thank you Caroline and Henry, for having me join in this intimate celebration of your love and marriage. It was a pleasure to document the story of this special day for you!


Toronto Canoe Restaurant Wedding // Tiff & Jon

Intimate & Beautiful Restaurant Wedding

Tiff and Jon’s Toronto Canoe restaurant wedding was definitely a favourite of mine from this past year. I know I’m not supposed to pick favourites, but this one, this one definitely has a special place in my heart.

Maybe because I’m a romantic at heart, I love stories of “chance” meetings. You know, the kind of meeting where if one small detail had changed, it might not have ever happened. Tiff and Jon’s meeting was one of those. Tiff and Jon met online through MSN, and at the time Tiff was chatting with Jon through her cousin’s account so Jon didn’t even realize who he was talking to at first. Their online chance meeting evolved into a friendship and it would be another 6 years before they would meet in person (as Jon is from Ohio). For a while time wasn’t on their side and they were each in relationships with other people. Then in 2015 the time was finally right and Jon confided in Tiff that he had wondered what would happen if they dated. And the rest was history.

I have always known that I’m a very emotional person, and I’m an INFP on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. I’m that person who ugly cries at movies. Case in point was watching The Time Traveler’s Wife (the book is one of my favourite) in theatres with a few friends and afterwards, one of them said in disbelief “I can’t believe that was you!”. She was referring to the fact that I was making these awful noises you would make if you were crying very hard but trying not to make too much noise. Needless to say the lesson I learned was never watch sad movies in theatres again, and if I do, only watch them with Mike because he would not make fun of me (haha).

Growing up I always thought I was weird for having all these feelings, I didn’t understand the purpose of this trait. And then years later I became a photographer, and it slowly became clear to me that this sensitivity to emotions is my unique tool in what I do. I’m constantly tuned into them at weddings, and they help me capture all those moments that are so fleeting but represent so much of the story of a wedding day.

Tiff and Jon’s wedding was such a day and here’s the story of their wedding day.

Thank you Tiff & Jon for your easygoing nature and for inviting me to share in your celebration and trusting me to capture it all for you to relive the story.

A New Year’s Eve Wedding at Alton Mill // Lakna & Regis

I haven’t photographed a New Years Eve wedding until this past year, and I have to say, what a great idea! You are getting married at the same time as ringing in a new year, with your nearest and dearest.

Lakna and Regis met practicing Brazilian jiujutsu – actually Regis was Lakna’s teacher! From the first time I met them, I can tell they share an amazing connection. We chatted over tea about their wedding day and Lakna expressed to me how much they like candid images that tell a story and when they saw the wedding I photographed at Alton Mill a few years ago, they instantly connected to my work.

They wanted to share a day of fun, laughter and love with their favourite people, and the wedding was just that. My favourite moments were during the speeches. Regis’ dad had just recovered from a stroke last year, and he played a song on guitar that he used to play for Regis and his brother when they were young. The atmosphere in the room was electric. There was not a dry eye in the room. You can really feel the love and support from their friends and family.

Here’s the story of Lakna & Regis’ wedding day! To love, and to friends & family. xoxo

Restaurant Wedding Toronto // Camille & Jeff at F’Amelia

Intimate & Heartfelt Toronto Restaurant Wedding

As far as choosing a venue for intimate weddings in Toronto, there are definitely lots of options. I’ve never photographed one at F’Amelia before until Camille and Jeff’s intimate and heartfelt wedding there in September. It’s a lovely restaurant that serves delicious Italian food in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood of Toronto. For their wedding portraits, we just walked around the neighbourhood and I absolutely love the feel of the area, so charming!

Camille and Jeff met while going to university at McMaster. To bring everything full circle, when Jeff proposed, he brought Camille back to the place where it all started. Life presented them with an opportunity to bond intensely fairly early on in their relationship when they lived for a few months in Tanzania together and then backpacked through east Africa. To spend so much time together 24/7 in a new and very different environment must have been challenging but also very enriching. I think this experience definitely paved the way for them to go on adventures together. I think no matter how long you’ve been together, it’s always important to experience new things together.

My favourite thing from their wedding was their personal vows during the ceremony when Jeff said that Camille is still the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. And the way they looked each other while the other said his/her vows was really sweet.

Thank you so much Camille & Jeff for having me photograph your wedding day and document your story! I hope these photos will forever serve as reminders of how much you love each other & love being together, and the love you are surrounded in by your friends & family. xo

Thanks Terry for second shooting this one with me!

Godwick Great Barn Wedding // Grace & Danny

Boho & Rustic Wedding | Norfolk, England

Last summer I had the opportunity to second shoot with the awesome Rik Pennington while I was in the United Kingdom for a couple of weeks. Rik is an incredibly talented photographer who has an amazing grasp for light and composition. I had a great time second shooting with him for Grace & Danny’s heartwarming and beautiful Godwick Great Barn wedding.

As an introvert, I can be a bit slow to warm up to people. But when I met Grace & Danny for the first time the day before their wedding, they welcomed me so warmly with open arms, literally. As a photographer, I always try to find the aspects of my subjects that make them shine – qualities that make them who they are. That can be hard when you meet someone for the first time, but Grace & Danny’s warm welcome instantly made that easy. And on the day of the wedding, you could easily feel the sense of community and of family. A wedding isn’t just a celebration of romantic love, it’s a celebration of togetherness in all its forms.

Grace & Danny’s wedding had a lot of lovely details, a lot of which were handmade. It was a true labour of love. But what I’ll carry with me from that day aren’t those details, but the love they showed each other, and to their friends and family and vice versa. Grace, Danny, and of course, Rik – thank you so much for having me! Here’s the story from that wonderful day.

California Wine Country Wedding // Kim & Eric

Rustic California Ranch Wedding | Triple S Ranch, Calistoga

Last month I had the opportunity to photograph Kim & Eric’s beautiful and fun wedding at the Triple S Ranch in California wine country, just 1 hour north of Napa and Sonoma. It was a gorgeous day, the temperature was just right for an outdoor wedding and the sun was shining. Kim & Eric tied the knot under the hundred-year old walnut tree on the ranch, surrounded by their friends and family who came from all across the continent and as far as Europe. There was amazing food, awesome music (with their favourite local band The Soft White Sixties playing), great company and a whole lot of love.

Kim was born and raised in Toronto while Eric is from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. They had respectively moved to New York and San Fran before they met. All signs would have pointed to “no” but it was inevitable really. Their shared career in advertising brought them to L.A. one fateful day as Eric was shooting in L.A. and Kim was visiting friends doing a shoot. They totally hit it off and the rest was history.

Kim is so full of life and passion and her enthusiasm is so infectious. Eric is so warm and down to earth. They both share this goofiness and it’s so sweet.

Thank you so much for having me join you in beautiful Calistoga and document your wedding day!

Here’s the story of their day.

Event design: Event by Katy Elizabeth

All the yummy food & drink: Chef Stephen Beaumier + Event by Katy Elizabeth

Flowers: FV Floral

Hair & makeup: Natalie Blouin

Bride’s gown: Rue de Seine

Groom’s attire: Trumaker

Invitation/stationery: Kim’s mom Robin

Band: The Soft White Sixties

Cake: The Buttery Bakery in Santa Cruz

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