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Tanya & Peter had an intimate and relaxed Quatrefoil restaurant wedding at the beginning of June, with their closest friends and family in attendance. All the elements of the day were personalized and meaningful to them, from the garden ceremony that reflects their love of nature, to the choice of Quatrefoil restaurant as the dinner reception venue that reflects their value of eating sustainably and locally, to their choice of attire which perfectly reflects their sense of style and personality. Most importantly, it was a celebration of their love and their dearest relationships.

After 15 years of being together, you can tell that in addition to loving each other, they have a really strong and deep friendship. You can also tell that they are incredible parents to their adorable son, Harley.

Tanya, Peter & Harley, thank you so much for having me join you on your wedding day. It was truly a pleasure, and thank you for putting your trust in me to document your day.

P.S. I have to give a huge thank-you to my friend, Alex of Young Hearts, for helping me with this wedding. I was set to photograph Tanya & Peter’s wedding on my own, but the day before their wedding, I had just came back from Mexico (having shot my first destination wedding assisting another pal, Sara!) and spent 7 hours in the hospital after my early morning flight back. Though I felt much better with the help of antibiotics the doctor prescribed on the day of their wedding, Alex came along to help me. And the day could not have happened if it weren’t for my sweet husband who drove us around. He’s my rock.

Enjoy the photos!

Vendors:

Venue: Quatrefoil Restaurant

Humanist Officiant: Gail McCabe

Bride’s dress: Laundry by Shelli Segal, Holt Renfrew | Bride’s shoes: Stuart Weitzman

Groom’s attire: Zara

Denis & Kim had a wonderful Mildreds Temple Kitchen wedding last month, where they had a heartfelt celebration with terrific food (best bread pudding I’ve ever had!), amazing company and lots of love.

I’ve been thinking about this blog post for a long time, ever since Denis and Kim first got in touch. Words fail me sometimes, especially when it comes to some of the people I get to meet and the weddings I photograph. Naturally, that is why I’m not a writer. But I will try a little here, and then let the photos tell the story.

I’ve gotten into the habit of sending a Q&A to my couples in an effort to get to know them better. They usually come back to me in the form of snapshots of the couple’s lives, but I was not prepared for the 4.5 pages that Denis & Kim sent back to me (you see, they are both writers). They shared so much of themselves and their story with me, I was deeply moved. As much as what I do on a wedding day is about being an unobtrusive observer and documenting the story as it unfolds, the true magic happens when the people I photograph trust me enough to let me into those stories and moments. Their personalities and sense of humour and love for each other just seeped through the pages, and made a great impression on me. I suspect that’s how everyone they know feel about them (and I think I’m correct in that regard based on what I saw and experienced on their wedding day).

When I met with them in person, they expressed to me how much they loved my work and the photos I took at Greg & Thea’s wedding. They had complete trust in me as a photographer. Whenever something like this happens, I feel two things: 1) absolutely floored; and 2) a bit unnerved. Because I felt that they had more trust in my ability and vision than I did myself. An individual’s personality and their connection with others are so complex, multi-faceted and intangible, that sometimes I think something like a two dimensional photograph will never be able to capture. But I try anyway. And I truly hope I was able to so, even if just a little bit, with the photos I took.

Finally, here’s a snippet from Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, which Kim’s brother, Cade, read at their ceremony:

Often a man wishes to be alone and a girl wishes to be alone too and if they love each other they are jealous of that in each other, but I can truly say we never felt that. We could feel alone when we were together, alone against the others. But we were never lonely and never afraid when we were together.

Thank you Denis & Kim, for entrusting me to tell the story of your wedding day, for being so genuine and kind, and for sharing your story with me.