wedding photography

Toronto Wedding at the Jewel Event Centre

in

Sabrina + Zach

 

Sabrina + Zach's wedding at the Jewel Event Centre in Woodbridge was such an amazing day full of really memorable moments.

Zach and his two brothers started the day with my second photographer Nick at what has to be the coolest barber shop I've seen, the Cabin in Mississauga.  Strait razor shaves for everyone!

The girls spent the morning at Sabrina's salon and then headed over to her parents house where all her family had gathered the way Italian families always do at the brides house before a wedding to wish her well.

The Roman Catholic ceremony was held at St Dominic's Church in Mississauga.

Sabrina had a great aunt who's a Dominican nun who flew in from Italy for the wedding.  She even brought an official papal blessing that she read during the ceremony!

Once the ceremony was over, Sabrina + Zach spent the day riding around in an amazing 1949 Rolls Royce vintage car.  We all headed over to Adamson Estates on the waterfront for some relaxed family portraits on the lakefront.

The reception started off with one of those amazing Italian antipasto tables as Sabrina + Zach greeted their guests and then made their grand entrance with dinner and speeches to follow.

I always love seeing the little family traditions that pop up at weddings, In this case, it was a rousing karaoke version of Piano Man sung by.,. well, everyone.  :)

Once you shoot over 350 weddings you tend to think you've seen almost everything but at almost every wedding I see something new (one of the reasons I enjoy this job so much!).   Sabrina's parents were married 30 years ago and the same wedding band that played at their wedding also played at Sabrina's... Amazing.   They even called her parents out onto the dance floor and let them dance to the same song from 30 years ago.

After the cake cutting and the rest of the speeches the dance floor was opened up and Sabrina + Zach spent the rest of the night dancing the night away with 250 of their closest family and friends.

A big thanks to Nick from Artanis Collective for doing a great job second shooting this wedding.

Mackenzie from Kenzerama Productions did a beautiful job with the cinematography and was really a pleasure to work with all day.   Trust me, this isn't always the case with video crews.  :)

You should also check out their beautiful farm engagement session!

 

Archeo Wedding in the Distillery District

in

Cindy + Enrico 

Cindy + Enrico had a beautiful, intimate wedding at Archeo in Toronto's Distillery district.

Everyone spent the morning hanging out and getting ready at the beautiful Hazelton Hotel in the Yorkville neighbourhood in Toronto.   I must have walked by this hotel, and it's amazing suites, a dozen times in the past and never even knew it was there.

Once everyone was ready to go we piled into the limo for the ride down to Archeo and their outdoor wedding ceremony.

The ceremony kicked off with a truly special moment when one of Cindy's son's walked her down the aisle while her other son sang for her (He's in the band Magic!).

Cindy and Enrico incorporated so much of their own heritage into the wedding ceremony... a native tradition of honouring the four directions and elements, an Italian wine blessing and an Irish hand fastening.   They also had a ring warming ceremony which is fast becoming one of my favourite wedding traditions. 

After exchanging vows and a kiss, Cindy + Enrico were showered with bubbles by their guests as they danced their way down the aisle.  We made a quick trip out to the historic Distillery District for some wedding party portraits and then back to Archeo for cocktail hour and an amazing meal.

I'd like to pause for a second and take a minute to thank Alusha from A Lush Affair for doing such an amazing job with this wedding.  The room looked great and everything went off without a hitch.

When you have such an artistic group of friends (Cindy + Enrico were both actors, Cindy still teaches acting) it's no surprise that these two were treated to several performances during their wedding reception.   Enrico's father recited a beautiful poem in Italian... Well, I assume it was beautiful, all the Italians were tearing up!  :)   And to top it off, two of their closest friends sang and their mentor gave a beautiful toast to the happy couple.

After giving their own heartfelt speech and toasting their guests, Cindy + Enrico did an amazing job getting the dance floor open with their first dance... the party was still going strong when I left late in the night!

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

Also be sure to check out Cindy + Enrico's amazing Toronto Beaches Engagement session.

Hart House Wedding

in

Linda + Andrew



Linda + Andrew didn't choose Hart House on the University of Toronto campus because it looks cool (it does).  Or because of the how good the food and service are (they're great!).

They actually met on the campus as teenagers attending a summer camp and Andrew later attending for engineering so the entire campus holds a special place in their hearts.

And as luck would have it, I chose the exact spot where Andrew proposed for their first look... I swear I didn't know!

We made great use of the campus for portraits, since they're was no wedding party we were able to move quickly getting lots of great pictures!

Linda and Andrew then held a traditional Chinese tea ceremony for their relatives quickly followed by a western wedding ceremony held outdoors in the Quad at Hart House.

The wedding ceremony was held outdoors in the courtyard of Hart House.

I had a great time during cocktail hour as the DJ played movie themes trying to guess which one it was... it's not as easy as you think without the visuals in front of you!

We got lots of great family pictures and everyone had a chance to sample the amazing appetizers and enjoy a cocktail as the sun began to set.

Linda and Andrew entered their wedding reception and performed a beautifully choreographed first dance for all their guests!

The dinner itself was really relaxed with only a few speeches which gave Linda and Andrew plenty of time mingle and socialize with all their guests.  Too often at a modern, hectic wedding this can get overlooked.

One of the best moments during the reception was when Andrew flexed his singing muscles and serenaded Linda with a song.

Once the dance floor was open the DJ did a great job of getting everyone up and moving and keeping them on the dance floor... which of course makes my job easier.  :)

You can check out some of my favourite wedding images above and their full wedding slideshow below!

Ontario Backyard Wedding

in

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.

 

Markham Museum Wedding

in

Jennifer + Andrew


Jennifer + Andrew threw one hell of a party for their wedding at the Markham Museum a couple weeks ago and I was thrilled to be there to photograph it all.

And hats off to these two, planning an entire wedding from 3000 miles away in Alberta and pulling it off perfectly!

After everyone spent the morning getting ready, we all met up at the Markham Museum.  I had never been to the Markham Museum but I was really impressed with the historic buildings and beautiful setting was great for portraits of the family and wedding party.

Dodging the sudden downbursts we get their first look out of the way amongst the historical buildings of the museum and then gathered the family and wedding party for some portraits.  

The outdoor ceremony was touch and go for a while there with threatening rain clouds but they held off and we had a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony!

Jennifer + Andrew were lucky enough to have some friends sing and perform during the ceremony, they did an amazing job!

The dinner was in intimate family style affair under canvas that featured some really amazing and heartfelt speeches and a tennis ball autographed Genie Bouchard....still not sure I 100% believe that one.  :)  

After their first dance everyone, and i mean EVERYONE, hit the dance floor for a great party.

I've posted some of my favourite wedding images above and you can check out the full slideshow below!

You can also check out their engagement pictures that we did at the Markham Museum here.

Heirloom Wedding Photograph

in

Danielle + Felipe   |   Fermenting Cellar 

Here is another wedding photograph from my ongoing series called Heirloom Photographs where I ask couples to choose their favourite wedding photograph and let us know why it's so important to them.  

This wedding photograph is from Dannielle + Felipe's amazing Toronto wedding at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District.

Here it is in Danni's own words....

"Everyone tells you, leading up to your wedding day, to savour every moment because the day goes by so fast. I believed them, but couldn't believe how true that was until the day. This moment was captured by Scott as we were leaving the hotel and heading to the reveal location, probably the haziest moment of the day for me. There was so much adrenaline running through my body at this point - anticipating seeing the man I was going to be calling my husband later that day for the first time. As much as I was trying to savour this moment, the final minutes with my most loving and supportive girl gang before being in the arms of my best friend, I can honestly say I don't remember a lot of it. I was so awestruck when I saw this image of my Mom and I, truly happy, just staring into each other's eyes. This picture completely encapsulates our relationship. Besides my husband, my Mom is my best friend, and in this photograph you can really see the love and bond we share. I will cherish this image for the rest of my life and I thank Scott for capturing so many moments like these that say so much in one single frame." 

Guild Inn Estate Wedding

in

Helen + Nelson

Helen & Nelson had an amazing wedding at the Guild Inn Estate... even with pouring rain and  another wedding party crashing our picture location!  The Guild Inn Estate is a fantastic new wedding venue opening up in Toronto (The official grand opening isn't even for a couple weeks!)

We started the day at the Delta Hotel in Scarborough with some hair and make up and then the guys came over for some door games followed by a traditional Chinese tea ceremony.  We finished up at the Delta Hotel with a first look with Helen in her wedding dress and then we headed off to the Guild Inn Estate for some pictures and the ceremony.

Even though the Guild Inn Estate was still putting the finishing touches on their construction, Helen + Nelson wedding looked (and ran) amazing in good part thanks to their amazing wedding planner Rainbow Chan.   I can't say enough good things about the job she did with this wedding.

Along with speeches and fantastic food, the guests were also treated to a fantastic performance by some traditional Chinese dragon dancers!  Once all the formal stuff was taken care of it was time for some dancing, photoboothing (that's a word now) and amazing late night station.... the fastest way to my heart is with poutine and sliders. :)

A huge thanks to my good friend Sam Wong of Artanis Collective for doing an amazing job second shooting this wedding. It's always great working with talented second photographers!

You can see some of my favourite images above and their full wedding slideshow below!

If you have the password, you can also check out their full wedding gallery here. 

You can also see Helen + Nelson's engagement pictures we did at the Evergreen Brickworks. 

Toronto Reference Library Wedding

in

Noor + John

Noor and John had a beautiful springtime wedding at the Toronto Reference Library.   The library is easily one of the most unique wedding venues in Toronto... it's the fully functional main branch of the Toronto Public Library (you can't even have an event there until after 5pm when the library closes. 

Noor began the day at her parents home in mid-town getting ready and then awaiting John's arrival for the big reveal after John and his brother in law had a relaxing morning getting ready at the Yorkville Marriot.   After their great first look we all hoped into the limousine and headed over to the Reference Library for some portraits before the ceremony.

And what a ceremony it was!  Noor descended 5 stories down a glass elevator as John and their guests looked on to make one of the most memorable entrances I've seen in shooting 12 years of wedding.

The ceremony was officiated by one of their best friends and included readings by friends and family.  

After the ceremony everyone headed up to the reception room and the some of the coolest 'details' I've seen.  Each centre piece was a stack of classic books and everyone's place card was a wrapped book (mine was cookbook!).

The reception began with with  Noor + John's first dance as a married couple.   I have to say that The two MC's at this wedding did a brilliant job... it's not often I laugh at wedding jokes but these two succeeded. :)

Dinner was amazing set of food stations featuring some of their favourite foods... schnitzel, prime rib, poke and biryani.  From there it was some great speeches and then on to the party!

I have to take a minute and thank Trevor from Trevents who coordinated the entire day and did an amazing job!  Trevor is actually an old primary schoolfriend of Noor's.  If you're getting married, give Trevor a call!

You can check out some of my favourite wedding pictures above and the full wedding slideshow below!