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
What a year you have been! My second year of being a professional photographer full time and being self-employed. I documented many weddings, Document Love sessions, as well as baby and family sessions. I didn’t realize just how many until I started putting this post together last week. I met new couples, new families, but also saw faces I already knew. I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico, California, Stockholm, Iceland (twice) and Jamaica this year both for destination weddings and for personal travel. It was a great year in many ways.
There were also times when I felt lost, overworked, unappreciated and exhausted. I came back from an awesome workshop in March feeling inspired and hopeful, not knowing that there are always two sides to every coin. I felt lost for a time and didn’t really know why I wanted what I wanted. It was a scary feeling. It’s so much easier to work towards a goal when you know and understand what you want. But without that purpose, it felt empty. I asked myself hard questions, and wondered. Months went by and I didn’t seem to have an answer. Instead I lost myself in the kind of busy that is the summer wedding season. One day I was taking a break and surfing on Pinterest and came across a pin that said “It feels good to be lost in the right direction”. This stopped me in my tracks and pulled me out of the dazed state I was in. That quote described perfectly how I’d been feeling – lost. But what I didn’t realize was that even though I was lost, I was lost in the right direction. After all, I quit my day job for a reason. I wanted to be a full-time photographer, I wanted to have full control of what I do with such a large portion of my time, I wanted to do what I love and I wanted it to be meaningful to me.
I had to go back to the start – why do I love what I do? I realized that never really changed – I love stories, I love photography’s ability to tell stories, to capture moments, to create (in some way) an infinity out of a finite life. But, I also came to realize that because of how much I love what I do, I had become a bit of a workaholic this year without knowing it. I am now a firm believer that too much of anything is not good for us (even chocolate). There needs to be some sort of balance and harmony. I don’t regret working hard. After all, if you don’t put in hard work, how can you reap the results. But, I do feel that there are other things in life I want to do and try while I’m still young. I didn’t want to get out of one rat race just to get into another, more self-imposed this time. Life seems long, when we were young, it felt like we’d never grow up. How many years do we have in one lifetime? 60, 70, 80? The problem is we think we have more time.
I’m asking myself, if I only had one more year to live, what are the things that I would want to do the most? If I were to die tomorrow, what would I regret not having tried? I don’t have the answers yet, but I definitely want to find out.
To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.
I feel I was able to do some of that through my work this year and the past few years: to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel – people at their truest selves, in moments when they forget they are being photographed, I have captured some of that. And I’m glad I did, whether it’s the tears rolling down a groom’s face as his bride walked down the aisle, or the way your grandma looked as she hugged you after the ceremony, or a giggle or laugh that is the trademark of a child that only a parent can know.
Thank you 2014, for the lessons, the heartaches, but most of all, for those moments and those connections.
2015, I’m looking forward to meeting you!
Here are the favourite moments, highlights, and favourite photos from the year – through my lens.
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.
All of my wedding photography packages include high resolution photos that are ready to print. However, in this digital age, I think there is something special about having tangible prints in your hands. In my opinion, having a beautiful wedding album is the best way to not only relive the moments from your wedding day, but as a way to preserve the story for a lifetime. The albums I make consist of a curated selection of images that tell a story from your wedding day.
Having been a bride myself, I try to offer services and products that I can see myself wanting. The supplier I work with is Vision Art, a company based in the United States. Vision Art wedding albums are beautiful and elegant albums with thick, fine art matte paper. The inks they use to print are vivid, museum quality archival inks that won’t fade. The result is an album that not only looks gorgeous but will also last for years. Their albums also lay flat when opened, which is another unique detail that sets them apart from a lot of other albums. And of course, there are lots of cover options available ranging from leather to linen to photo wrap.
The albums also make great gifts for special occasions. Please get in touch if you’d like to order one or if you have any questions.
The images below will give you an idea of how the albums look, though nothing compares to the actual tangible product. It will also show the connection the photos I blog and the wedding stories you see.
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.
