backyard wedding

Waterloo Backyard Wedding

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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.



Toronto Backyard Wedding

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Geraldine + Raphael

Well, it’s been a while but I’m happy to say I’ve got some weddings to blog again!

First up is Geraldine & Raphael’s lovely, intimate backyard wedding in Toronto.

I started the day with Geraldine and the girls at an AirBnb in midtown with the girls getting hair and make up as well as some bridal portraits.

Then it was off to a lovely Catholic wedding ceremony at St. Basils Catholic Parish in downtown Toronto. After the ceremony we managed to just dodge the rain to get some family pictures done and then we headed off to the University of Toronto for wedding portraits with just Geraldine & Raphael… where we did NOT manage to dodge the rain but still made the best of it!

So originally Geraldine & Raphael had a big wedding planned with a reception at Fantasy Farm in Toronto’s east end but of course COVID 19 had other plans so instead they had a very intimate, and very nice, backyard wedding reception under a tent catered by some of their favourite local Toronto restaurants.

The highlight of the night was a surprise piñata in the shape of giraffe (GERaldine + RAFael… get it? Get it?) and the flower girls VERY enthusiastic destruction of said piñata :)

Check out some of my favourite wedding pictures above as well as the full wedding slideshow below!

If you have the password to view their full gallery of wedding pictures, you can access them here.

Muskoka Wedding Photography

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Alli + Andy

I love when I get the opportunity to second shoot weddings with other wedding photographers, doubly so when it's photographers whose work I love.

Last fall I had the chance to help out Kate Hood, an amazing wedding photographer up in Muskoka.   You can check out her wedding photography work here.  Kate also does some amazing boudoir work which you can see here (slightly NSFW!).

All and Andy decided to have their entire wedding on their beautiful property in the heart of Muskoka.   The both got ready in their house, portraits in the woods behind, an intimate backyard outdoor ceremony and a cozy tent reception.

Alli & Andy decided to have a first look so they could get most of the posed pictures out of the way before the ceremony and spend more time with their guests.   Well, we finished up some wedding portraits in the woods and headed back to the house but then we all realized that most of the guests were already seated and would see Alli.   Quick thinking groomsmen came up with the idea to spread out a tarp and walk Alli across the backyard... it's one of my favourite pictures of the day.

Enjoy the rest of these pictures, hope I can work with Kate again soon! 

Ontario Backyard Wedding

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Kristin & Adam

As a wedding photographer every year there is one date that you get inquiry after inquiry for once you're already booked.  And this year it was for Kristin and Adam's wedding day.   Thank god their wedding was truly amazing, one of my favourite weddings in years.

Planning a wedding is never easy.  Planning a wedding in your own backyard for 150 people while you have careers and a young family is one hell of a challenge... but I have to say that Kristin & Adam pulled it of amazingly well. 

It was a really relaxed morning hanging out with the girls and then the guys as they all got ready for pictures and the ceremony.   

The first look took place on Adam's stepfathers's dock overlooking Lake Simcoe.  Such a beautiful spot for this!   Afterwords we headed over to a nearby abandoned building and forest for some pictures with the family and bridal party.

The wedding ceremony took place in their backyard under one of the most beautiful old trees I've ever seen.  I seriously would have bought that house just for the tree.

Their little boy and girl did an amazing job and ring bearer and flower girl before Kristin walked down the aisle on the arm of her father for their wedding ceremony that was standing room only.

The ceremony featured lot's of smiles, laughter and great moments but one of the most touching moments during the ceremony was when Adam's grandfather gave a traditional blessing.

One of the great benefits of having a backyard wedding is you get to do whatever you want... including heading straight to the bar after the ceremony for a first drink as a married couple.  The other thing you get to do is have taco's for dinner.  That's right, I said taco's for dinner.   Take that prime rib.  :)

The cocktail hour and the rest of the night was really relaxed with speeches and dancing throughout the night.  I loved how Kristin and Adam just gathered everyone around them at the bar and gave their speech outside under the stars.

And of course, they had a Smoke's Poutinerie truck pull up in their driveway for some late night munchies. 

You can check out some of my favourite photographs above and their full wedding slideshow below.

 

Ancaster Mill Wedding

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Mashael + Augusto had an amazing two day wedding in her parents backyard and then a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony and reception at the Ancaster Mill in Ancaster, Ontario.

I always joke with my clients that it almost never rains on weddings that I photographer... something like maybe 10 out of over 300 weddings?  

Well, this one was the exception to the rule.  But honestly, it really didn't matter.  Everyone was having such a good time and we just sort of rolled with it.  

It's no secret that I'm a fan of weddings where two cultures come together and it was great having both Pakistani and Columbian traditions at this wedding.

Both days began with Mashael getting ready at the Janie Laing Salon in Oakville with her family and friends.   As we looked out the window it was pouring cats and dogs!

We headed back to the house where Mashael put on her traditional Pakistani wedding attire.  It was so cool to see how intricate and detailed it was!   Augusto and his family from Columbia where then led dancing into the backyard by a traditional drummer where he waited for his future bride who made quite the entrance under a canopy of umbrellas!

The rest of the night consisted of traditions like guests feeding the bride and groom and lots of traditional dances... thankfully all under a tent to keep us dry!  The dinner was a fantastic Pakistani BBQ all cooked right on the spot.

Day two of the wedding was a more traditional 'western' wedding at the Ancaster Mill.  We snuck off to a beautiful waterfall for some portraits and then had a intimate outdoor wedding ceremony. My favourite part of the ceremony was the recessional when they danced down the aisle as the guests blew thousands of bubbles.

The reception featured some traditional Columbian dancing, some amazing food stations and finished off with a sparkler exit!

You can check out some of my favourite wedding photographs in the gallery above as well as the full wedding slideshow below!