St. Lawrence Market is a staple of downtown Toronto. I never had the opportunity to photograph a wedding there, so when the Sara-Christine and Kevin mentioned they’d be hosting an intimate and small wedding at the St.Lawrence Market Kitchen, I was excited for all the possibilities that came along with that for their wedding photography.
The bride and groom crossed paths with me and my photography on a generous recommendation from former colleagues of mine from my days as a photojournalist here in Toronto. Sara-Christine being a journalist herself, I felt a good sort of pressure to tackle this wedding day like a photojournalistic or documentary assignment, so that the images can have an air of authenticity that truly represents the bride and groom’s relationship and their individual personalities. I will admit however, that they made my task very easy, letting go of their reservations and truly trusting my presence, allowing themselves to interact with one another naturally and embracing the fleeting moments throughout the wedding day. I know the term documentary wedding photographer and photojournalistic wedding photography are often used as buzz-words in the wedding photography industry, but this time around, I sincerely felt my approach called for that photojournalism mentality.
Being in an old and historic building, St.Lawrence market provides a beautiful setting for weddings. The bride and groom opted for a casual family style dinner with some incredible food options, including liquid nitrogen popcorn (seriously, you read that right, liquid nitrogen popcorn), and with St.Lawrence Market shutting down for the evening, we had the entire place to ourselves. Their friends and family travelled from all over Canada, the U.S. and beyond to witness their intimate wedding and to experience some incredible food and lasting memories.
The entire wedding was held in the upstairs in the St.Lawrence Market Kitchen, which provides a beautiful and modern open concept space that was perfect for the family style dinner they had planned for the evening. The ceremony took place in front of beautiful floor to ceiling windows and with a breathtaking view of the Toronto skyline, the sun began to set as the bride and groom exchanged vows, rings and shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The ceremony was highly sentimental as the bride and groom read their personally written vows to one another, infusing their personalities into the wedding ceremony in the most beautiful of ways.
Being in such a vibrant part of downtown Toronto led us to exploring a few alleyways and making the most of the authentic old Toronto architecture for their portraits. The vibe of the entire day was relaxed and laid back, full of great conversations and stories about the well-travelled bride and groom. Weddings in the city can in fact be intimate, the urban jungle isn’t always overwhelmingly chaotic as we’re made out believe, yes, even in downtown Toronto of all places.
After getting to know Sara-Christine and Kevin, it was without question that the choice of St.Lawrence market for their intimate wedding, was absolutely perfect. They’ve both travelled all-over the world and are extremely well cultured, so naturally hosting their wedding in one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, and in one of the most eclectic and culturally rich market places in Toronto, it all made so much sense to me, and it was authentically them through and through.
Few places in Toronto are like the St.Lawrence market, and even fewer wedding venues come close to the authentic and intimate atmosphere the St. Lawrence market provides.
I couldn’t feel any luckier to have been part of the select few people who got to experience Sara-Christine and Kevin’s love culminate to this current pinnacle. It was truly an unforgettable experience for me as a wedding photographer, and the memory of this experience will begin and end with the two fantastic people I had the pleasure of capturing and documenting.
Song of the Day
It’s Real - Real Estate
- 3B
