Falls Inn Wedding

Shana + David

Shana + David had a beautiful fall wedding in September at the Falls Inn this past September.

Even after hundreds of weddings all over ontario I still find myself discovering new venues! The Falls Inn is located south of Owen Sound in the little hamlet of Walters Falls. Meg and her staff there were super helpful and friendly.

We spent the morning getting ready, the boys and girls in their own rooms with lots of running back and forth for me!

Once Shana was ready we used the lobby of the Falls Inn for a first look with her dad, always such a special moment.

Shana + David love spend a lot of time outdoors and the created a sword (fishing rod) arch for Shana to walk under as she came up the aisle during the wedding ceremony.

The ceremony was officiated by John from All Seasons Weddings who did a great job of keeping things light and fun.

Shana + David had booked the entire resort for the weekend so we had our run of the place and with the old mill and grounds there were lots of great locations for pictures including the falls, the overlook and some of the outbuildings.

I always love it when the venue makes an effort to bring some appetizers and drinks out the wedding party during pictures, it’s a nice touch that shows they care.

Shana loves sunflowers and Judi from Judi Nicholls Floral in Hanover, Ontario did an amazing job incorporationg them into both the ceremony and reception decor.

DJ Kaii Dream pulled double duty as both the MC and DJ for the night. There were some great speeches during dinner and the classic shoe game!

You can see a some of my favourite images from their Falls Inn wedding above and the full wedding slideshow below.

The Museum Wedding in Kitchener

Megan + Joshua

Megan + Joshua had an amazing fall wedding at the The Museum in Kitchener, Ontario.

Dinosours crashing the wedding, a ‘beer boy’ walking down the aisle and chicken dance in honour of Oktoberfest!

We began the day with everyone getting ready in some really nice suites at the recently remodelled Walper Hotel which just happens to be across the street from The Museum in downtown Kitchener. Hair and makeup was done by Autumn Artistry and Makeup.

The first look was done in Goudies Land in downtown in Kitchener which was a great backdrop with it’s urban feel and modern look. We then met up with all the families at a nearby park for some formal family portraits. I’ve said it before, but having that first look is such a great idea to make the wedding timeline flow smoother and provide a better experience for your guests. Plus, it helps with those wedding day jitters if you’ve already seen each other by the time the ceremony rolls around!

The ceremony was great, the venue is such a unique space and so different from so many typical wedding venues. I think the highlight for me was the beer boy! What’s that, your wedding didn’t have a full grown man coming down the aisle handing out beers and blowing rose petals… your loss. :)

Second favourite highlight from the ceremony was Joshua getting a little emotional during his vows and accidentally dropping an F bomb. :)

After the ceremony it was off to cocktail hour where a family of dinosours made an appearance… totally normal. Dinner itself was catered by Little Mushroom Catering who I’ve worked with before and they do an amazing job if you’re looking for an offsite caterer for your event! Wedding florals were provided by Hello Gorgeous Flowers.

After dinner were some formal dances and then everyone was on the dance floor for the chicken dance…. I mean, it is October in Kitchener after all! The DJ from Complete events kept everyone on the dance floor for the rest of the night.

Congratulations Megan + Joshua, and thanks again for having me be a part of your big day!

You can see my favourite wedding photographs from the day above as well as the full wedding slideshow below.

If you have access to the full wedding gallery, you can access it here.

You can check out Megan + Joshua’s engagement session we did on a local trail in Cambridge, Ontario.

Check out a blast from the past wedding I photographed at The Museum in Kitchener.

Pickering Farm Wedding

Ailish + Evan

This wedding had it all: a beautiful farm, a bagpiper, gigantic bonfire, a food truck and an amazing group of family and friends.

Ailish and Even actually live up in Ottawa but chose to have their wedding in the small little village of CherryWood where Evan grew up. If I’m being honest, I’m a little jealous that Evan got to grow up in Cherrywood, it seems like an extremely close knit and fun place to live! How many places can you think of where your neighbour opens up their home to 150 people so you can have your wedding?

Hair and makeup happened at yet another generous neighbours house and was done by Glam Galz while Evan and his side got ready at his parents house just down the road. After a great first look and some family portraits we all headed over to the farm for the ceremony which was officiated by Lainie Madgison who did a great job keeping the ceremony light hearted and meaningful to Ailish + Evan.

Dinner was a really nice, casual affair with everyone ordering from We the Fork… I highly recommend the jerk chicken tacos. :)

Everyone had dinner and drinks while speeches from the parents, family and friends carried on. From there it was time to the light the bonfire (by flaming arrow!) and and get the dancing started on the barn stage with a little Whitney Houston’s ‘Dance with Somebody. From the first dance on, I don’t think the dance floor slowed down for the rest of the night!

Helping to put this entire amazing day together was Liz from Alfresco Wedding and Events.

The stunning florals and bouquets were by Euclid Farms.

You can see some of my favourite wedding images above and the full wedding slideshow below.

If you have the password to the full wedding gallery, you can view it here.

JW Marriot The Rosseau Muskoka Wedding

Bryan + Adam

May they live long and prosper!

Bryan and Adam, two of the most die hard Trekies I’ve ever met, had a beautiful wedding in the Muskoka’s north of Toronto at the JW Marriot The Rosseau.

The resort is just a stunning place to be, perched up on a hill overlooking Lake Rosseau which is one of the most exclusive and historic lakes in the Muskokas. I kept look around for Dan Akroyd or Kurt Russell!

We all spent the morning getting ready in some beautiful suites on the resort. A really nice touch was that Bryan and Adam made custom Star Trek communicators and rank pips for everyone in their wedding party (I did say they were die hards!). Easily one of the coolest wedding DIY’s I’ve seen over the years.

We took advantage of the grounds on the resort for some pictures of Bryan and Adam and their wedding party before the ceremony including out on the docks with the lake in the background… it helps when the weather cooperates and you get a beautiful day!

The ceremony location was pretty epic, on a hilltop overlooking the lake and surrounded by outcroppings of the Canadian Shield. The ceremony itself was relaxed and near effortless as Bryan and Adam had already been married during Covid and this ceremony was for their friends and family to enjoy. I love when a true friend of the couple is able to officiate the ceremony, it always makes it so much more personal.

After the ceremony there were some family pictures and then cocktail hour on the patio.

Dinner was intermixed with speeches that were filled with Star Trek quotes, trivia and even impressions… of course if you wanted to see Bryan + Adam kiss you had to get up to the mic and give your best Star Trek line. I even managed to sneak them back down to the water at dusk for some of my favourite portraits we did that day.

The rest of the night was filled with dancing; from their first dance, to dancing with their mother to some truly epic moves on the dance floor late in the night.

In a small world, Adam works with one of my previous brides at Sick Kids! Check out Emily + Aaron’s Archeo Wedding!

You can see some of my favourite wedding pictures above and the full wedding slideshow below.

You can also see a previous wedding I photographed at the JW Marriot The Rosseau.

Royal Canadian Yacht Club Wedding

Rocio + Geoff

It’s not every day I get to photograph a Monday wedding…. and one on an island too!

Rocio and Geoff had one of the loveliest, intimate weddings I’ve been a part of in a long long time. This was a wedding where they were surrounded by family. As Rocio is from Mexico, they’ll also be having what sounds like an amazing reception down there later this spring!

The day began at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto’s Yorkville district as Rocio and Geoff got ready for their wedding in separate suites. I love when couples get ready in the same location (or at least really close) as it lets me be in both places to document the wedding preparations.

From there it was a quick Uber and then a quicker ferry ride (I love being on the water!) out to the Royal Canadian Yacht Club where they had an emotional outdoor wedding ceremony under a big tree overlooking the Toronto skyline.

We made use of the beautiful grounds of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club along with the stunning view of the Toronto skyline for some wedding portraits and family pictures.

The wedding reception was held indoors in what the RCYC calls a ‘covered verandah’ but in reality is one of the most light filled wedding venues (and still with that killer view!).

Rocio and Geoff’s siblings did an amazing job MC’ing the evening, even providing translation between English to Spanish and vice versa. The speeches themselves were very heartfelt with many, many, many funny moments!

The rest of the night was spent dancing away outdoors on the patio and then everyone headed out on the pier to board the ferry back to the mainland.

If I could photograph a wedding like this every week, I’d be a very happy photographer.

You can see some of my favourite wedding pictures above as well as their full wedding slideshow below.

Langdon Hall Summer Wedding

Veronica + Brandon

Veronica + Brandon had a lovely summer wedding at the always charming Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario.

Veronica and the girls began the morning in the Spiral Room with hair and make up by Pearl Group Makeup while the boys spent the morning getting last minute preparations for the wedding done.

Everyone met quickly by the pond where Veronica presented everyone in the wedding party with these amazing framed charactiure portraits that she created herself!   I was blown away by how good these were!

From there, it was a touching ceremony in Langdon Hall’s Summer House that was officiated by Martti Pajunen.  If I was ever to get married again I’m pretty sure Martti would be the one running it.  :). The florals were done by Petals Flower Company.

The ceremony featured several brilliant and personal touches including a knot tying ceremony and ‘pom-pom’ confetti made by Veronica!

The ceremony was followed by pictures on the stunning grounds of Langdon Hall and then a lovely cocktail hour on the lawn of the Summer House… there were some fierce games of Cornhole going on!

Veronica and Brandon surprised everyone at the start of the wedding reception in the Firshade Room with a formal and very well done first dance that they had been practicing for quite a while.   There was an awesome wedding cake by The Cake Box and wedding favours by Ann Haw. The rest of the reception was filled with some touching speeches and dances led by the great Chris from CM Entertainment and was finished off with a cute ‘teddy bear toss’.

Veronica and Brandon had Minosca from The Event Firm helping them out while I had the amazing Ben Benvie helping me out with the photography.

You can see some of my favourite pictures from Veronica and Brandon’s Langdon Hall wedding above as well as their full wedding slideshow below.

If you have access to the full wedding gallery, you can see it here.

Toronto Restaurant Elopment

Kristina + Amin

Another first for me after hundreds of weddings… I got to be a witness at a wedding ceremony!

I joined Kristina + Amin for their intimate elopement at the restaurant Oretta King West in Toronto’s entertainment district for a lovely ceremony and some portraits around the neighbourhood after.

I make it all seem pretty simple and straightforward but there was a huge wrinkle… this was the day of the big Rogers blackout.

With no internet or the ability to call anyone I arrived in the area with no actual address and only a vague notion of where the restaurant was. I asked anyone and everyone I could find if they knew where Oretta King West was but struck out with even the taxi drivers! I finally got a traffic cop to Google it for me and arrived with 10 minutes to spare before the ceremony started!

Waterloo Backyard Wedding

Katherine + Cameron

I spent a lovely Saturday photographing Katherine + Camerons intimate backyard wedding in Waterloo, Ontario.

Katherine + Cameron were surrounded by their closest friends and family to celebrate their wedding, it truly was such a great group of people! The wedding was even officiated by one of Katherine’s friends!

During the ceremony their were some heartfelt readings by the best man, maid of honour and Cameron’s niece.

Katherine + Cameron were surprised with confetti canons as they joined their guest after signing the wedding documents which made for a great moment during the day.

Something I’ve never seen before, and something I selfishly now want to see at every wedding, is that everyone got up and introduced themselves at dinner explaining their relationship to the couple… I’d love it if every wedding did this, would make my job trying figure out who’s who so much easier. :)

They had a great group of vendors to make the day special and run without a hitch including a beautiful meal by Little Mushroom Catering, stunning florals by Cameron Flower Shop, an amazing musical trio by Andriy Tykhonov and some great tents by Tri-City Tents.

You can see my favourite images above as well as a full wedding slideshow below.

If you have access, you can see their wedding gallery here.

Happy Anniversary Elena + Steve!

Wedding in Tuscany Italy

So this is a big one.

I was so honoured when Elena + Steve asked me to join them in Tuscany for their Italian destination wedding. I’ve known Elena for years now, she’s an amazing Oakville portrait photographer.

The wedding was held at a beautiful villa in the hills of Tuscany called La Sorgente Di Francesca. The wedding had multiple events spread over multiple days and this post is just for the wedding, we’ll get to the cocktail reception, civil ceremony and pizza dinner soon!

The wedding day began with a really nice civil ceremony at city hall… a beautiful Italian city hall… in the nearby town of Pontassieve (blog post on this to follow!)

The entire day, and the entire couple days of the wedding, was super relaxed so we had a break for a couple hours before everyone started getting ready for the second wedding ceremony and wedding reception.

One of my favourite moments of the day was when Elena’s father saw her for there first time, his reaction was so joyful and earnest. It’s was obvious to all the special connection Elena has with her parents.

The wedding ceremony was held just before sunset in the front courtyard of the villa with Elena + Steve’s kids as their wedding party. Hard to top a ceremony at sunset overlooking the hills of Tuscany!

The ceremony was an emotional and tear filled including a really touching sand ceremony involving all the children and Elena and Steve as a new combined family. Since Elena + Steve had already been legally married in that beautiful civil ceremony earlier in the day, all the children were even allowed to sign as ‘witnesses’ during this ceremony.

After being showered with confetti by guests during their recessional up the aisle, a group shot with the everyone at the wedding (including my kids!) and some family portraits in the setting sun it was time for dinner. As to be expected, the food was fantastic and everyone enjoyed a beautiful open air meal under the stars and crescent moon surrounded by the tuscan hills.

The evening continued on with a first dance, a fun sparkler cake cutting and then some intense dancing late into the night. Buy me a beer sometime and I’ll tell you a great story about the DJ. (sorry Steve!)

Check out some of my favourite wedding photographs from this Tuscany destination wedding up above as well as Elena + Steve’s full wedding slideshow below.

I can’t ever thank Elena + Steve enough for bringing me (and two of my kids!) along for the trip of a lifetime. Oh the pizza… I ate so much pizza.

Langdon Hall Spring Wedding

Damon + Greg

Damon & Greg had a beautiful wedding at Langdon Hall this spring… the day was filled with many touching moments.

We started with Damon and Greg getting ready in one of the Stable Suites at Langdon Hall, these rooms are some of my favourites on the property.

We headed out for some pictures on the grounds of Langdon Hall, taking advantage of quite a few quiet and intimate spots apart from the main part of the hotel grounds.

The ceremony was held in the old orchard and started with two of the cutest flower girls ever who did their job perfectly! The floral displays from Urban Jungle were really stunning.

A real highlight of the day was when everyone was serenaded during cocktail hour by a couple all the way from France… nothing like some love songs in French to set the mood!

The reception was held in Langdon Hall’s Firshade Room and Summer House.

I say this every time I photograph a wedding at Langdon Hall that the food and service were exceptional and this time was no different! Damon and Greg have a real passion for food and wine so obviously Langdon Hall was the perfect choice for their wedding.

Damon’s family has a Pension background so there a few traditions incorporated into the night including a sugar rubbing ceremony and a knife dance. There were so many great speeches that night from their friends and family including all the doctors in attendance (Damon and Greg are both doctors!)…. I joked if there was one time in my life to have a heart attack this was the night!

After dinner in the Summer house the night moved into the Firshade room for an amazing party led by Chris from CM Entertainment!

Love is love.

You can see some of my favourite wedding pictures above and the full sldeshow of wedding pictures below!

If you have the password, you can see their full wedding gallery here.