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We love Romanian weddings. Apart from sharing a common language with just about everyone else in the party, there is this lightheartedness and openness of feelings permeating in all the proceedings. I’m not sure anyone really internalizes this but in the Orthodox Christian tradition once in front of the altar, the priest never asks the couple to say the I do’s or wows or anything, if you show up to this well in advance planned service, all dressed up, family and friends in tow, the Church assumes not only that you know why you’re there in the first place, but also that whoever had anything to say against the union they’re already forever holding their peace, so you’re there to tie the knot in joyous celebration.
Sorina and Bogdan’s wedding was no exception to those “rules” from getting ready, thru the Ceremony at St. George and the party, all done in good spirits and lots of laughter (including at the ceremony). Even Mother Nature was generous with us this day, offering perfectly spotless weather which lifted everyone’s mood. The evening ended at the Storys Building, a great venue, intimate and welcoming, the perfect place for a good meal and a fantastic party.
A great day indeed and we have the pictures to prove it!
Enjoy!
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Dec 01, 2016 | Categories: Wedding Photography | Tags: Biserica Sf Gheorghe, Osgoode Hall, St. George Romanian Orthodox Church, Storys Building, Toronto, Wedding Photography | Comments Off on Sorina and Bogdan’s Wedding Day, Storys Building, Toronto
We’ve been in Kleinburg many times and to the Doctor’s house a few times, we even went to a New Year’s party there but for whatever reason never got to photograph a wedding there. We can see why Kay and Sean wanted to tie the knot here. It’s a warm, charming place with perfectly manicured grounds, great food and good “old times” atmosphere, the perfect setting for nuptials. It is the kind of place that can make a large wedding feel like a small, intimate family affair.
Laughter, tears, midnight seafood buffet, this day had them all. We had a great time photographing this wedding. The following is a snippet of the day.
Note to wedding invitees of all ages: avoid mild awkwardness by rehearsing your Twinkle Twinkle Little Star lyrics a few times at least the evening before an event. You may never know when you’ll be called to “serenade” your happy couple with it. (see the “serenade series” below)
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Aug 13, 2016 | Categories: Wedding Photography | Tags: Doctor's House, Kleinburg, Wedding Photography | Comments Off on Kayleigh and Sean's Wedding, Doctor's House, Kleinburg, ON
The Distillery District in Toronto is one of our favourite places to go for an engagement session. It’s got an undeniable old charm and plenty of nooks and crannies to find and use. After a pretty long and wet winter and a questionable spring we could finally go out for some fun with Sorina and Bogdan… Too bad we did not bring any yoga mats, the center of the district was filled with people enjoying free hourly yoga sessions under the welcoming, warm Sun. We dodged all the Sun salutations, Warriors and Downward Dogs and got ourselves busy with the task at hand. It was a good day!
Here are a few samples images from the session. Enjoy!
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Jul 03, 2016 | Categories: Engagement Photograpy | Tags: Distillery District, engagement, Engagement photography, Toronto | Comments Off on Sorina and Bogdan’s Engagement, Distillery District, Toronto
It’s nice to start the day bright and early, especially when the schedule is filled to the absolute max… Starting early however has some disadvantages as well as Aaron found out when he learned about one of his traditional game challenges. Pulling marbles out ice water with your bare toes outside, in a crisp October morning is pretty far from exciting but it turned out to do very little in keeping Aaron from acing everything Felanna’s bridesmaids threw at him. Onto the more significant events, we’ve been impressed by the emotions we witnessed throughout two tea ceremonies and by the extraordinary band playing at their wedding ceremony.
We’ve been lucky enough to catch perhaps the last appropriate weekend to shoot a quick outdoor photo session session at the Osgoode Hall before heading over to The Canoe where the reception and the rest of the day played out.
The day is perhaps best summarized in this message we received from Aaron:
“Both of us are so thankful for all the friends and family that surrounded us on our “big day.” We could not have asked for a better start to our lives together then to be so completely surrounded by love and affection. We were warned by our friends well in advance that the day would go by in a flash, and they were correct on all counts. The games, the ceremony, the photo shoot, and the reception all seem to be over in a shot. However, what we could not fail to notice was the joy that our family and friends celebrated our marriage with us. We will be storing up these memories and reminisce over them for the rest of our lives.”
The following is a bit more long winded photographic account of their day. Enjoy!
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Jan 01, 2016 | Categories: Wedding Photography | Tags: Canoe Restaurant, Osgoode Hall, photography, Toronto, Wedding Photography | Comments Off on Felanna and Aaron's Wedding, Canoe Restaurant, Toronto
Cookies! An endless supply of cookies, jar upon jar of the stuff! That in itself would be enough to describe Shiela and Pedro’s wedding day but, as much as we love cookies there were other things, too many to list to love about their wedding. And a couple confusing ones like the elevator system in their hotel. I used to think I was a smart cookie (!) but I had to spend a minute or so to figure out that touch screen thing plus absolutely no buttons or screens inside, like an episode of Alias or something… Anyway… The script of the day was beautifully executed, from the ceremony at the Metropolitan United Church, to the gorgeous grounds and architecture of Knox College and the stylish reception at the Hazelton Manor (where they had cookies!). There was laughter, craziness and a few tears, no wedding is complete without these…
Here is the story of the day. Enjoy!
Wedding Photography, Knox College, U of T Campus, Toronto
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Nov 19, 2015 | Categories: Wedding Photography | Tags: Knox College, Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan United Church, wedding | Comments Off on Shiela and Pedro's Big Day, Knox College, Toronto
We’re back to Sandra and Balazs for their wedding day and this time around we were a bit anxious. Sandra’s parents are very dear friends of us plus a good part of the people invited are also good friends and colleagues. None of these people have ever seen us “in action”… so, we had to be… well… friendly, but we also had to manage the unavoidable distractions so we could concentrate on the reason we were there. Fortunately all our friends are easygoing, relaxed people who, on this occasion, gathered together to celebrate the happy union of Sandra and Balazs, so smile and laughter (along with some happy crying – see the ceremony below) were the order of the day, right from the get go. As couples go it’s simply impossible to imagine someone more in love, they reminded me of Alexandra and myself back when we got married, their love is simply contagious 🙂
McMichael Canadian Art Collection provided the perfect photographic backdrop for this event along with excellent food and drinks aplenty.
We were among friends, we had a good time shooting this wedding, I can only hope we managed to show it in our pictures.
Enjoy!
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Oct 13, 2015 | Categories: Wedding Photography | Tags: Kleinburg, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Wedding Photography | Comments Off on Sandra and Balazs Wedding Day, McMichael Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON
I must have driven past WaterStone Estate a million times never noticing what is really there. Just North of Hwy.9 on Dufferin St. lies this quaint, charming estate, well off the main road, an absolute perfect setting for Laura and Chris’s wedding. Chris likes hunting, something that will become obvious as you scroll down, so Laura decided to incorporate hunting details not only on the decor and groomsmen’s attire but also on her choice of wedding band for him.
If you visited this blog along the years, some of the people in the following pictures will indeed be familiar to you. To describe this event is not easy, it feels like we’re almost family here and we were treated as such. It is hard to describe the mix of emotions in certain parts of this day, the ones present celebrated and the ones not present were remembered and celebrated. Laura seemed to glide effortlessly on cloud nine while Chris’s joyful, easy going attitude proved to be simply contagious to everyone there. The atmosphere was warm, cozy and happy, a stark contrast with the rather rainy disposition of the weather outside. “It’s OK” I told the couple. “Raining on your wedding day represents not only luck and prosperity but also an opportunity for me to have one of those backlit umbrella shots!”.
Thank you guys for allowing us to be part of your day!
The following is a snippet of their day. Enjoy!
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Sep 20, 2015 | Categories: Wedding Photography | Tags: King City, Waterstone Estate & Farms, Wedding Photography | Comments Off on Laura and Chris Big Day, WaterStone Estate, King City, ON
The day was not so great, rain was prominently featured on the weather forecast, a bit dark and totally flat. And then it was the park, Villaways by his name which we have never heard off. As it turns out none of those unknowns mattered in the end, Sandra and Balazs made everything bright and shiny and awesome with their easy going attitude and big smiles so the session was one of the liveliest we had in recent memory.
Sandra’s parents are dear friends of us so her upcoming wedding is something special we’re really looking forward to.
In the mean time, here’s a small sample of how this session went. Enjoy!
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Jul 25, 2015 | Categories: Engagement Photograpy | Tags: Engagement photography, North York, Villaways Park | Comments Off on Sandra and Balazs Engagement, Villaways Park, North York, ON
“I will come by and pick you up tomorrow for ROM…OK?”. Those were the words, delivered in a low voice, almost a whisper, Aaron used to ask Felanna for a date in front of all their friends for the very first time, thus starting a tradition more than three years in the running.
This is what Felanna shared with us: “Aaron and I officially started dating at the ROM about 3 to 4 years ago. Every time we attend a ROM event, it is always special. Spending time together at the ROM has always been different and magical. On one special night in 2011, Aaron won a trip to Antarctica from the ROM. We went in 2013, and I still remember the trip down South. It was definitely an unforgettable moment.
Aaron proposed to me while we were vacationing in Mexico in 2014. We had a wonderful dinner on the beach by the ocean shore. At the end, he went down on one knee and proposed to me. I was totally shocked and could not even say a word, as this was totally unexpected for me. But finally, with a big smile on my face, I said, ”YES!”
The ROM has a special place in our hearts and forever will be”.
It was a great opportunity for us to shoot inside the museum. We are standing members and we ourselves went to the ROM numerous times but never had a chance to actually shoot there.
Here are a few of our favourite shots. Enjoy!
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Jul 22, 2015 | Categories: Engagement Photograpy | Tags: Engagement photography, ROM, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto | Comments Off on Felanna and Aaron's Engagement, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.
Kayleigh and Sean were together for around three and a half years on that Christmas Day Sean planned to propose. Now, I’ve known him for a while, we used to work together and he’s the kind of no nonsense, easy going, at times shy kind of guy that likes taking a methodical approach to planning things, taking all variables into account. That particular Christmas Day however, when he started his proposing things did not go quite as envisioned as Kayleigh’s reaction was one of total surprise and shock. She went “no, no, no…” quite a few times before recollecting and answering the final yes. Sean never acknowledged what was going thru his mind at the same time, he just seems to be over the Moon at the prospect of spending the rest of his life with her.
Their wedding is not for another year however we decided to head out to Scanlon Creek for an engagement photo shoot and get that part of planning out of the way. That lead to lots of laughing, hugging jumping and all other sorts of fun stuff…
Here’s a little snippet of this session. Enjoy!
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Jul 18, 2015 | Categories: Engagement Photograpy | Tags: Bradford, engagement, Engagement photography, engagement shoot, Scanlon Creek | Comments Off on Kayleigh and Sean's Engagement, Scanlon Creek, Bradford, ON