Wedding Photography
After shooting Marina and Omar’s engagement last fall we were fully prepared to try and overcome Omar’s inherent shyness on their wedding day but on this particular day there was no need for any of that, the whole event was so full with energy it was absolutely electric! There was so much laughter, so much emotion in the coming together of these two nice families.
The day was not without surprises however from an oddly sized wedding ring who took a bit of convincing to go on, to impossible downtown Toronto traffic and the hilarious brotherly stories shared at speech time. Would a lullaby alleviate stinging pain? Skateboarding at midnight thru the streets of Toronto a good idea? Jury is still out on these! Can Armenian people dance? OH YES!
What a great day it was! This is just a snippet. Enjoy!
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Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 at 9:14 pm
Comments Off on Marina and Omar Big Day, Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto
I felt incredibly privileged to help H and A on their wedding day. From responding to their simple ad, to meeting them I knew they were a special couple. For them it started with getting engaged, with big wedding plans and living happily ever after dreams. Life, however, happens differently sometimes and 3 beautiful children later, having a big wedding somehow fell by the wayside. Life also occasionally has its way of throwing wrenches in the best laid out plans and when that is discovering you have breast cancer, the situation takes all of a sudden a very serious turn where everything gets put on hold so a family can concentrate on dealing with a life threatening disease. Getting married and making it all “official” takes a whole new meaning in these circumstances.
Having lost family members, including my father to cancer, I’ve become sensitive to situations like these so upon meeting with them our conversation turned towards what I could effectively do to help them have a proper wedding, an event they will look back at without any regret whatsoever. The least I could do in this respect was to shoot this wedding for no money. It turned out to be a very positive conversation and their planning went ahead.
I’m happy to mention other participating vendors also decided to offer their services for free thus making this event a happy, joyous affair I invite you to enjoy below.
P.S. The card I received from them at the end made me remember why I got into photographing weddings in the first place. It is one of the nicest and most valuable things I’ve ever been given and I will forever cherish it. Check it out at the end of this posting.
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Sunday, March 8th, 2015 at 5:10 pm
Comments Off on H and A Winter Wedding, L'Arche Daybreak, Richmond Hill, ON
“Do not approach the bears that might be feeding on the property”. Yes, we knew this wedding will not be a run of the mill one exactly but I could sense Sandra tensing up after she read this little warning casually posted outside the hotel Macy was getting ready at. Speaking of Macy she was terribly late, caught up at her hair salon somewhere in Perry Sound. Gabrielle, the Maid of Honour found herself a little lost in an area where cell coverage is patchy at best. The day was off to a bit of a rocky start. However nothing could possibly ruin the mood of this day so things were smoothly brought back on track and we made it to St. Peter’s Church with minutes (admittedly not that many 🙂 ) to spare.
To say this wedding had everything would be an understatement. From the lighthearted, emotional ceremony to the swiss watch like organized services on the impeccably groomed parent’s property where the reception was held, no detail seemed too small or deemed unnecessary. This might sound a bit boring and precise but the day was anything but. Very casual attire was encouraged and flipflops were provided along with an extensive collection of baseball caps. Bug spray as well, as we were deep into cottage country after all. And if you believe this was not enough try to think how many weddings you attended had a big bonfire (marshmallows included), an ice cream truck, a poutine truck, pit roasted suckling pig, an open bar where there were no two wine bottles alike and enough cupcakes to keep a small town happy for a couple of days.
Good people, good food and good music. What a lovely day this was.
Here is how it went. Enjoy!
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Tuesday, November 11th, 2014 at 12:59 pm
Comments Off on Macy and Geoff's Big Day, Parry Sound, ON
You might remember Kaitlyn and Ryan from a recent engagement session we had with them in Newmarket. I know them for quite some time as I used to regularly spend a few hours in Ryan’s establishment working on clients photos over a cup of Jasmine tea, while waiting to pick up my daughter from her Spirit of Math class. I’ve heard them talking about their wedding, the planning and all the details so when they noticed I was actually in the business, they started asking for my two cents on how to do things. The rest as they say is history and here we are today shooting the actual wedding.
We caught up with the girls getting their make-up and hair done at Charmichael and the atmosphere there was already almost electric in a “it’s actually happening today!!!” kind of way. It only kept going up from there. When we got to Ryan he was stressing over the last details of his wows and for a good reason: he was pouring his soul in them. When the time came, he was so overwhelmed by the moment his voice carried very little beyond the first two rows of family and friends gathered for the ceremony. Pity, for the people in the back missed some of the most heartfelt and well written wows we ever heard throughout our years in the business.
The reception setting was unusual as well, reflecting the easy going, relaxed tone of the party that followed. There were no set places at the tables, friends and family being able to move around, sit with whoever they wanted, grab a bite to eat, a beer and dance as they seen fit as the staff at Cardinal cared for their desires. Needless to say everyone had a great time, the photographers included.
Here’s a little taste of how their wedding day went.
Enjoy!
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Monday, October 27th, 2014 at 7:04 pm
Comments Off on Kaitlyn and Ryan's Big Day, Cardinal Golf Course, Newmarket, ON.
We always love participating in weddings of couples who have been High School sweethearts. There’s this great atmosphere of joy and the irresistible tempo of an event long time in the making. Tanya and Kivar’s wedding was no exception to this rule. The day started on a high note with the boys in the morning with their flasks and their socks and kept getting better. Not even Kivar’s rather serious incident with a cordless drill while building the structures used in the ceremony managed to put a damper in his spirits, or anyone else’s for that matter. It only managed to put a big bandage around his left thumb and an even bigger smile on his face.
The event was held the Evergreen Brick Works, an excellent venue that combines cool and chique with old charm and character, providing the perfect backdrop for all the laughter, pranks and, oh yes, an impromptu recreation of a certain scene from Titanic you’ll see further down this post. Filled with emotion is a dreadful overused expression we photographers keep on going to but this time around it barely seems adequate. More like “enough emotion to last everybody a decade, at least”.
Here is the story of this day. Enjoy!
P.S. A special mention has to go to the Food Dudes . Their catering service was impeccable and the food finger licking good spectacular.
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Thursday, October 16th, 2014 at 11:53 pm
Comments Off on Tanya and Kivar's Wedding Day, Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto
This day was one Sandra and myself were really looking forward to. You see, apart from minor things like an actual blood line, Michaela’s practically family. When we shot her and Jared’s engagement last Fall we knew this wedding is going to be special. The sense of anticipation is literally palpable when very dear people start an important new chapter in their lives and close friends and family come together, some from very far, places like Romania or South Africa, to celebrate their union. As a photographer and friend, such an occasion is one you really need to avoid messing up but at the same time you want to enjoy fully.
When you are surrounded by such warmth and genuine enthusiasm and joy it’s impossible not to be drawn in and participate. From the morning “butterflies” to jumping higher than David Lee Roth we hope we captured it all well enough to let everyone relive and remember it the way it was.
And yes, there was “mind melding” 🙂
Enjoy!
P.S. A final word has to go again to Raluca, Jared and the staff at the Rattlesnake Point who organized and run this event like clockwork. Excellent details, excellent dinner, excellent party, excellent everything.
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Saturday, October 4th, 2014 at 1:52 am
Comments Off on Michaela and Jared's Big Day, Rattlesnake Point Golf Club, Milton
For us this wedding was a bit of a première. We’ve been in the wedding business for quite some time already but it just so happened we never had an opportunity to shoot at Casa Loma. It has fantastic architecture and carefully trimmed and maintained, not to mention beautiful, grounds that are a pleasure to be in. Their Conservatory is a perfect place for a ceremony and there are plenty of rooms to hold cocktails and entertain guests.
Natalia and Erik’s wedding was a bit unusual in its setting. The ceremony, the cocktails and the pictures we’re held at Casa Loma. The dinner was set at the quaint Fieramosca Trattoria and finally the party was held not very far off on The Pilot‘s Stealth Lounge. The amount of effort and energy in designing, decorating and organizing this wedding was simply incredible, down to the exquisite custom hand-cut (by Natalia) invitation we received in the mail.
The ceremony and cocktails were classy (fresh oysters anyone?), the dinner delicious (fresh Italian à la carte anyone?) and the party crazy (pole dancing anyone?) yet when we say all this it still seems a bit understated…
Needless to say we, along everyone else taking part, had a great time at this wedding and the following is a small sample of the events of the day.
Enjoy!
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Sunday, August 17th, 2014 at 11:33 pm
Comments Off on Natalia and Erik's Wedding Day, Casa Loma, Toronto.
You might remember Eva and Mark from our Edward Garden engagement session last year. We had quite a bit of fun on that day, shooting, talking, getting to know them better… Their open, easy going, fun loving attitude could not have prepare us however to the level of energy this wedding had in store for us. There are parties and then there’s this one that must be one of the wildest we ever attended :-).
The morning started quiet enough with preparations at both Eva and Mark’s houses and the bride reveal we set up went very smoothly, precisely as planned. Mark reaction on seeing Eva the first time was just priceless (see the images below) and pretty much set the tone for the remainder of the day. The Spring weather being what it was (I don’t even want to talk about it) we headed over to King Edward Hotel, downtown Toronto whose staff was very kind to accommodate our late request for an indoor shooting permit.
The rest, as they say, was history.
Lighting the house on fire it’s usually just an expression but as parties go, this one is literally as close as it gets without the use of an open flame. Awesome !
The following is a small sample on how the day went. Enjoy!
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Thursday, May 8th, 2014 at 2:00 pm
Comments Off on Eva and Mark's Big Day, Grand Empire Hall, Brampton, ON
Here it is, the last wedding of this year… Even wet, pretty cold and gloomy weather could not dampen the spirits of Laura and Shane on this day not even the late evening chill when we had our attempt at night photography seen below. Their wedding was held at the Richmond Hill Country Club, a quiet, welcoming and very accommodating host (they even allowed us to move their furniture around a bit for one of the group shots). Everything from the ceremony to the reception was exquisitely set and delivered as a surprise Shane prepared for Laura. The wedding cake too!!!
Stylish is the word Sandra and I used a lot when we were talking about this wedding. Warm, intimate, emotional. And crazy. All wrapped up in a smooth blend delivered appropriately at every moment. Just about perfect one might say…
Perfect for good photography too.
Here is a snippet of their day. Enjoy!
It was cold and wet. Perfect timing for my otherwise trusty Pocket Wizards to start acting up…
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Sunday, December 1st, 2013 at 4:42 pm
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Two all Romanian weddings in a year, it must be a special year. You might remember Codrina and Liviu from their Distillery/ Downtown Toronto engagement last summer. Today is their turn to say “I Do” but funnily, in Romanian tradition when you show up in church all dressed up for a wedding ceremony, it is assumed your mind is set and you must be there for a reason so no one will neither ask nor question your grounds for standing in front of the altar. There are no vows and the priest sets the rings the other way around, the bride’s on groom’s finger and the groom’s on the bride’s. The couple exchange them toward the end of the service, this being the only confirmation they are getting married by their own accord.
Our day started at the Godparent’s house where everyone was getting ready. The atmosphere was cheerful and happy despite the cloudy, rainy weather outside and the seemingly ruined plans for a Richmond Green outdoor bridal photo shoot after the ceremony. Our fears were unfounded as the sky cleared in the afternoon allowing us to proceed undisturbed. Besides, speaking of Romanian tradition, a bit of rain on your wedding day is a lucky sign believed to bring good fortune to the couple.
Sandra and I were especially impressed with the service held in the Holy 40 Martyrs Church. It was emotional, heartfelt, beautiful. The priests, Marius Antonel Dumitru and Stefan Dan Morariu have beautiful, deep voices capable of intricate harmonies doubled by a humble, down to earth, truly dedicated approach to their duties. A special nod has to go to George, Codrina and Liviu’s Godfather and one of our old clients who was instrumental in bringing everyone together and making this event one to be remembered (not to mention the main negotiator in bringing the stolen bride back 🙂 )
Without further ado, here is the story of this day.
Enjoy !
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Monday, November 4th, 2013 at 2:37 am
Comments Off on Codrina and Liviu's Big Day, Holy 40 Martyrs Church, Aurora, ON.