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.
Elegant Wedding in the Olive Groves | Sovana, Tuscany
I had been to Tuscany twice before, but both times it was around central Tuscany, near Siena and Florence. When Laura emailed me about their wedding at Hotel Sovana, I had to Google it to find out where exactly in Tuscany it was. Turns out Sovana is a charming little village in the southern part of the region and is only about a 2.5 hour drive from Rome. Since I wanted to photograph a wedding in Tuscany for a long time, it was an easy decision on my end. Luckily, Laura & Johannes felt the same way about having me document their special day!
Laura is British while Johannes is German but grew up in Tuscany, near Sovana. Since they met, they have visited the area many times and Laura has fallen in love with Sovana as well. They both love the area so much, that when Johannes proposed, one of the first things Laura said besides “Yes!” was “let’s get married in Tuscany!” And so on a sunny August day, they brought together their closest friends & family under the Tuscan sun and tied the knot in the garden of Hotel Sovana lined with hundred-year old olive trees.
I had an amazing time documenting Laura & Johannes’ wedding, as well as exploring Sovana and the surrounding southern Tuscany countryside. I can never get enough of the rolling hills, the olive groves, the smell of vines, the tiny hilltop villages and the friendly locals. I already can’t wait to return again. xo
Strength, bravery, and spirit. And family. That’s what this session was about, and I’m so honoured to have been able to document it for Emily and her family, as part of a charitable initiative for Smiling Eyes.
I also wanted to share what Emily’s mom Megan wrote for me afterwards:
“Our family was celebrating an unusual milestone in our photo session with Janice, and she handled it with grace and professionalism. It was the one-year anniversary of our three-year-old daughter’s leukemia diagnosis, and we wanted to document the occasion in honour of her strength, bravery and spirit. We were referred to Janice by Smiling Eyes, a charitable organization that offers professional photo sessions to families affected by childhood cancer. We were unsure about the whole process, but she immediately put us at ease. She was warm and sensitive to our situation while demonstrating her obvious experience and expertise. Most important, the photos that came out of our session are extraordinary. We are thrilled with the keepsake we now have of this moment in our lives. Janice captured the joy and spark in both of our girls. That was our hope in this venture, and we’re grateful to Janice for this gift.”
I’ve wanted to photograph a wedding in Guernsey ever since I read The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society and this article. So when I received an email from Helen last year with the subject “Wedding in Guernsey!” I was pretty stoked. After a few email exchanges, my visit to Guernsey was booked.
You might wonder just where is Guernsey? It’s one of the British Channel Islands, although they are closer to France geographically.
Now about Helen and Tom. Their first date involved a late night chat, an impromptu late night stroll on the beach and then watching the sunrise together. Couldn’t have been more perfect. They love to travel and spent a year travelling the world together.
The wedding day started with the boys having a (very cold) swim at the beach. So fun! Because you can only legally get married in a church in Guernsey, they found Ste Apolline Chapel that dates back to the 14th century, and got married with 15 of their nearest & dearest in attendance. Then a reception followed at Fairfield with a big marquee, lawn games, yummy food, music & dancing. We took their wedding portraits along the stunning southeastern coast, where the landscape inspired Renoir to create a series of paintings, and was also Victor Hugo’s favourite picnic spot.
It was truly a beautiful day with many memorable moments. But I think Tom’s speech will forever go down in history as one of the funniest Groom speeches (at least in my opinion). I was laughing so hard at some points that it was hard to take photos.
Thank you Helen & Tom, for inviting me to share in your beautiful day, for welcoming me so warmly, and for trusting me to tell your story!
