Hotel X Wedding

The blend of modern and vintage is often difficult to achieve, especially in terms of weddings, but Maddy & Adam’s wedding at Hotel X provided what seemed like an endless supply of inspiration and some iconic moments that were among some of the best I’ve ever photographed. Everything oozed intrigue, from the wedding venue of Hotel X, to the rare blue exterior- red leather interior Porsche, to Maddy’s incredible one-of-a-kind look, it’s tough to pinpoint a single moment as THE standout since every moment was worthy of discussing at absolute length.

Hotel X walks the fine line of modern meets vintage in terms of aesthetic, and it does so beautifully thanks to a state-of-the-art modern building that somehow blends beautifully with the historic architecture that surrounds exhibition place in downtown Toronto. That little pocket of Toronto is incredibly unique and offers a hard to believe peaceful energy despite being in one of the busiest places in the entire city. That sort of atmosphere just felt right and extremely compatible with the details surrounding this wedding day. The bride’s room overlooked the iconic Toronto city skyline and her custom designed wedding dress stood alone as piece of art within the four walls of the hotel. Maddy wanted something low-stress and what better way of doing that than by having your four legged fury baby in attendance to watch the events unfold.

On the flip side Adam kept things equally low-key getting ready back in their beautifully decorated home, sharing a rare bottle of scotch with his dad. Speaking of rare, Adam’s dad let him borrow his incredible Porsche, that sported a rare blue colour and red leather interior. It was quite literally a car James Bond would whip around on his own wedding day, the machine is a beautiful work of art and made for the perfect eye-popping accessory. That being said, the car wasn’t just purely for style and a few cool photos of the groom, he actually drove up to the bride for their first look in the car and even brought them around Toronto for a few pit stops before circling back for their ceremony. The bride in her beautifully crafted dress alongside the blue car gave me all the mod vibes I could ever ask for as devout enthusiast of all things vintage and 60’s / 70’s. 

Beyond the incredibly stylish bride and groom, this wedding had its fair share of sincere moments and interactions including the ceremony that was done on the Hotel X grounds overlooking historic buildings and a stunning green-space. It felt as if the group of friends and family were displaced into their own world all the while being in the heart of Toronto. Although the venue and location is incredible in and of itself, the day and decor that brought everything together was captained by the duo of Rana and Theresa at Attia Events, a wedding planner we’re looking forward to collaborating with more in the future. 

Before things got rowdy on the dance floor the bride and groom took a moment to escape and enjoy a few quiet moments at sunset together, in the heart of Exhibition Place right next to Hotel X and they were treated with some of the best golden hour light to enhance the nostalgia of the present moment. In that moment I really witnessed as they let go and appreciated the small details before venturing back to finish off their meal and speeches.

Maybe it’s the build up from COVID or maybe this is just a special group but the electric energy during the party portion of the evening was extremely exciting and sort of just sucked everybody in, Maddy & Adam included. It was the perfect send off to what already was an unforgettable wedding day experience.

It doesn’t take much to inspire me as a wedding photographer, just vintage Porsches and custom made dresses that are something out of Vogue magazine, oh and great people of course, always. Honestly I could say something cliche like those things didn’t matter because the bride and groom as people are enough, and although true, those elements are what really brought out their personalities, who they really are, and ultimately that’s why those elements, and all the others were memorable and truly iconic.  I’ll be look back on my career as a wedding photographer and remember this one fondly, for a long long time.

Song of the day  -  No Surprises by Radiohead

VENDORS

Venue: Hotel X

Hair Stylist: Hair by Banks

Makeup Artist: Romy Zack

Wedding Dress: Custom

Groom’s Suit: Tom’s Place

Floris: Smells Like Flowers

Coordinator: Attia Events

Catering: Food Dudes

Second Photographer: Ryanne Hollies

Casa La Palma Wedding

If you asked me what some of the best weddings look like I’ll instantly tell you that it’s the ones that are seemingly elevated dinner parties with amazing food and an intimate set of your favourite people (and dogs).  I guess if you asked Jen and Rob the same question you might get the same answer because those are the exact things they served up during the intimate wedding at Casa La Palma in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood.  Using an incredible restaurant to host their wedding was probably the best choice they could’ve made considering their high standards for foods and bevvies.

This elopement (or wedding, or whatever you want to label it) had a very low-key, no fuss vibe to it. Jen and Rob were totally chill from the get go opting to have their first look in the beautiful garden lobby of their rustic condo before jetting off to the Fairmont Hotel to spend some one on one time together. The Fairmont Royal Yorkis a stunning place that blends seamlessly the art deco charm at every corner, it made for the perfect atmosphere to welcome the bride and groom who were sporting beautiful contemporary and fashion forward wedding styles that brought the magic all together.  Whether we were jetting through the halls of the grandiose hotel or whether Jen and Rob made their way through a grungy alleyway, they had this effortless coolness that every bride and groom is striding for when getting married in the heart of a metropolis.  Jen’s fashion forward bridal look was inspiring and a modern take on what a city bride should look like. Take notes if you’re a Toronto bride looking to take their look to another level on their own wedding day.

There was a little cute mixed into the cool however, as Jen and Rob took a moment to welcome (and walk) their two cute pups up and down Dundas Street, stepping to the side for a brief moment to let them take the spotlight away from them, if not only temporarily.

The ceremony was hosted upstairs in La Palma and was witnessed by a select handful of immediate family members and two cherished pets.  As the bride made her way through the space arms linked with her father, she could’ve help but reach down and pet the cute bulldog as it was half sprawled across the floor nearly taking up too much aisle space. The ceremony itself was beautiful and intimate, with everyone in attendance giving their full attention to Jen and Rob as they exchanged vows and rings through a few hard fought tears. It’s in moments like these that I realize that THIS is what intimate weddings are really about, feeling the energy and nearly tangible emotions between everyone involved, being so close that you can hear the quivers during the vows, the subtle laugh when the ring doesn’t quite slip on easily enough but ultimately you get goosebumps because you can literally feel the amount of love within a given moment.

Once things were official the small group immediately began to celebrate the union between Jen and Rob and the restaurant transformed into a beautiful private dinner room courtesy of a long harvest table lit by candlelight and enhanced by lovely florals. A wedding at La Palma is a no brainer if you have high standards for foods and bevvies, if you’re craving elevated atmosphere and décor, it has that too.

Throughout the evening the bride and groom indulged in a few signature cocktails, smiling at one another every time their glasses clinked all while their families shared in many laughs as speeches flowed like the premium wine being served.  The food was on par with the atmosphere of the evening and the intimate crew took full advantage of the opportunity to celebrate in what I would consider a very European and traditional way, at the dinner table.

As the evening sun set Jen and Rob took the time to enjoy a quiet moment in the middle of a bustling Toronto street, to soak in the emotions of the wedding day under the moody evening light as the rain drizzled down, but they didn’t care, it was all part of the experience, their experience on their wedding day.

 City weddings, urban elopements, whatever you want to label it, Jen and Rob executed it to absolute perfection.

Song of the day  -  Sometime by DIIV

VENDORS

Venue / Food: Casa La Palma

Second Photographer: Ryanne Hollies

Wedding Dress: Rebecca Vallance

Bride’s Shoes: Loeffler Randall

Suit: Tiger of Sweden

Rings: Alexis Gallery

Florist: May Flowers

Osler House Wedding

This beautiful wedding at the Osler House in Dundas Ontario showcased all the elements and details that make wedding days meaningful. Molly & Maheer opted for an intimate celebration that brought together their immediate families within an emotional and beautiful environment that absolutely captivated me.

The Osler House is a beautiful heritage building that oozes Victorian charm with authentic and genuine vintage elements spread out throughout the house and grounds. William Osler is a renown physician which added an interesting layer to the story of the wedding day since both Molly & Maheer are doctors themselves. Although the Osler House wasn’t the original wedding plan for the bride and groom (what else but Covid?) It turned out to have an interesting layer of meaning especially when digging into Molly & Maheer’s own story. It’s things like that which truly captivate me when capturing the small and unassuming details throughout wedding days.

Beyond the beautiful vintage details that added to the atmosphere of the wedding day, it was all merely setting the scene for what was truly an emotional and moment filled atmosphere throughout the day. It was obvious that both families were tight knit and it really came through during various candid moments that were without a doubt impressionable and unforgettable.

The bride and groom spent their morning alongside their parents and siblings, taking in every moment, sharing some laughs and truly enjoying the experience, slowing down and taking it all in. The getting ready portion of this wedding day was truly family oriented, much like most of the wedding day, as the bride had help from her sister and mother to perfect the final touches of the wedding dress and the groom’s parents and siblings helped perfect the details of his traditional garments. A highlight from this portion of the day was without a doubt the father of the bride seeing his daughter fully dressed and ready for the wedding, leading to an extremely emotional and truly unforgettable moment in time between the bride and her dad.  Admittedly I was somewhat obsessed with documenting Molly’s father, and extremely sweet, humble and kind individual that was completely wrapped up in the emotion of the wedding day (as was everyone else if I’m being honest).

With family at the forefront it goes without saying that the wedding day was truly a celebration of two families uniting, but it was also two different cultures coming together to celebrate the love between two individuals. Weddings have that sort of power, the kind that brings people together from various walks of life, religions, ethnicities and cultures, it’s something I’ve always found fascinating and beautiful, something that truly shines a light on the human condition and how love has the power to make it all come together.

The beautiful natural grounds of the Osler House set the stage for the wedding ceremony and reception, with beautiful tall trees, a manicured garden and the stunning Victorian brick house creating the ultimate background for everyone to enjoy the atmosphere of Molly & Maheer’s union and celebration. Without question the lack of presence from their extended friends and family was felt but a small surprise shortened the wide gap of distance between everyone. A touching series of video messages from the bride and groom’s circle allowed their presence to be felt and appreciate by everyone in physical attendance at the wedding. The pandemic has unfortunately created tough decisions for many people surrounding their wedding plans, but it was touching to see the endless messages from the friends and family that spanned across the country, continent and world, enthusiastically and emotionally sharing their thoughts and well wishes for the bride and groom.

Following the delicious meal and video messages the bride and groom shared their first dance together followed by an emotional dances with their parents as the sun slowly set behind them in the distance. As the evening progressed the group spent time inside the beautiful library room of the Osler House as they shared their thoughts and speeches with one another before the bride and groom were sent off in dramatic fashion via a sparkler exit. 

From beginning to end this wedding day encompassed everything I love capturing about weddings. The editorial essence of beauty within small details, a palpable atmosphere and environment, the intimate documentary aspect of candid moments that I swoon over as a former photojournalist but ultimately it was just a beautiful experience to be around such kind, genuine and inspiring human beings. It might sound cliche for me to say this after working as wedding photographer for the better part of 5 or 6 years now, but it’s truly the people that make my work as a wedding photographer enjoyable and worthwhile.

Song of the day  -  Running by Helado Negro

VENDORS

Venue: Osler House, Dundas Ontario

Second Photographer: Ryanne Hollies

Wedding Dress: Sash + Bustle

Videography: SDE Weddings

Catering: Food Dudes

Cake: Bobbette & Belle

Imam: Dr. Timothy Gianotti

Analog Film : Kodak Portra 400 - Kodak Portra 800

Langdon Hall Micro Wedding

Overcoming changing their destination wedding plans, Lavinia and Michael rerouted their wedding plans and decided to host an intimate fall micro wedding at the stunning Langdon Hall. The wedding industry has had many buzzwords floating around throughout 2020 - micro wedding, intimate wedding and elopement top the list, but at their very core all these events are not unlike one another and ultimately represent a monumental occasion of intertwining the lives of two lovers who, especially this year, have overcome numerous obstacles and shared experiences to arrive to this day. Whatever you want to call this day, it was exemplarily in showcasing the elements of a wedding that truly matter; being with the people who matter most in your life and soaking in the start of a new journey with a life partner.

This micro wedding was special in the sense that the bride and groom decided to host a lunch after their ceremony, giving them an opportunity to mix and mingle with the small amount of guests in attendance and making the most of the beautiful fall October light throughout the wedding day. Langdon Hall isn’t without it fair share of beautiful areas and Lavinia and Michael wanted to take advantage of the beautiful grounds at their disposal, using the nearby pond surrounded by trees to share in their emotional first look.  What followed was a beautiful ceremony rich in tradition and subtle moments of love. Both the bride and groom exchanged emotional vows, the occasional moment of reaching out to simply touch their partner or hold their hand, all the many little things that elevated the ceremony to emotional heights that pulsated throughout the stunning rustic barn like room. Even the small dog in attendance (wearing a tux of course) seemed enchanted by it all.

The beautiful sight of the trees peppered with a mix of yellow, orange and red in the background combined with the hazy glow of the sunlight peaking through the clouds created a dreamlike environment for the bride and groom to roam around together and enjoy one another’s presence during their first moments as husband and wife. We took advantage of another of Langdon Hall’s stunning areas and stopped into their greenhouse to escape the cold and give Lavinia and Michael a more private and intimate setting to share a few quiet moments together. It was within those few moments that I truly got to see the passion that they both had, uninhibited emotion and genuine soulful caresses that occurred naturally as they embraced every moment away from the chaos of the outside world. 

The bride and groom returned to an exquisite five star lunch courtesy of Langdon Hall as they, their friends and family enjoyed the opportunity to have meaningful conversation and enjoy human contact during these wild and unprecedented times. Between courses the guests were treated with various speeches that ranged every spectrum of emotion; with Michaels three sisters dishing up the embarrassing stories of their youth and providing every ounce of nostalgia you could ask for, while Michael and Lavinia’s nephew and niece provided the sincerity of childhood innocence and bravery as they congratulated their aunt and uncle on their life milestone. One speech however that really stuck with me was the bride’s. Lavinia’s emotional speech was highlighted by her gratitude for her parent’s courage to immigrate to Canada from Romania, thanking them for creating a new opportunity for her to achieve her goals and dreams as an artist and designer. Coming from a family of immigrants myself, and now being fortunate enough to have a career as a photographer, I was immediately connected to Lavinia’s story and understood the emotional impact felt by her parents in that moment. It was amazing to see how comfortable every was sharing their emotions with one another, leaving nothing on the table, showing grace and love through ever moment.

The afternoon was capped off with the Jewish tradition of the Mezinka, another tradition carried on by Michael and his family which honours the parents who have just married off their last child. It was obvious that both Michael’s mother and father felt the impact that such celebrations are meant to have, incapable of hiding their overwhelming emotion as their families circled them with pride and gratitude. The Mezinka was followed by another long celebrated wedding tradition of the first dances, as the bride and groom shared in a few heartfelt moments during the dance as their embrace yet again seemingly stopped time.

Wedding, micro wedding, elopement, whatever you want to call it, it doesn’t ultimately matter, what does is that this day was full of emotion and truly highlighted the love felt between Michael and Lavinia as they made the most of their beautiful fall wedding to enjoy the little things in life and the things that matter most. At its core this wedding represented love in every way and it was an enriching experience to be there to document this wedding and further proof that my role as a wedding photographer is to equally capture moments and create images that connect those intangible and deeply rooted feelings. Truthfully, I couldn’t of capture what I captured without the utmost trust from the Lavinia and Michael, and to have crossed paths with them, I’m sincerely grateful.

Song of the Day

VENDORS
Venue/Catering: Langdon Hall
Stylist: Jessica - Toronto Beauty Group
Bride’s Dress: Ferra Sposa
Groom’s Suit: Tiger of Sweden
Florist: Wild Flowers
Cake: Cake Box

Distillery District Elopement

Leanna and Dan’s intimate fall elopement just outside the Distillery District is one I’ve been looking forward to for well over a year now. One major reason is because the fall is the best time of year for wedding photos and its personally the time of year where my creativity blooms. The other major reason is that both Leanna and Dan are one of my favourite couples that I’ve ever gotten to work with in my career as a wedding photographer. About a year ago we had the opportunity to explore their then neighbourhood of Leslieville and Riverdale for their low-key engagement photos that I got to shoot on analog film. I really got to know them in that time and there was something about their energy that rung true with me, the really understood my mission and goal as a photographer and were able to really reveal themselves to me in the best way possible, pushing me to create some of my favourite images ever and giving me a beautiful experience in the process. Now, with their extremely intimate elopement I can confidently echo those sentiments ten fold.

Originally the bride and groom had planned for a very beautiful and very Toronto wedding at the Ocho Hotel on Queen Street West, but as the story goes for 2020 weddings, they had no choice but to postpone their plans. As the year progressed it became very clear to the couple that uncertainty lied ahead with the pandemic, but one thing that was certain in their minds was that they wanted to marry their best friend in life and figured there was no use in putting it off any longer. This realization pushed them to create a unique and intimate elopement experience for the two of them, to share their wedding day together and without being constrained to a timeline or obligations.

Now, I know the term “intimate wedding” is tossed around a lot in the wedding industry, but for the first time maybe ever, I can sincerely say this wedding and elopement experience was utterly intimate and beautifully lived. Undoubtably a tough decision to initially make, Leanna and Dan decided to do their own thing, just them, no family, no friends, no guests at all. Instead of creating disappointing compromise and risk to their circle, they opted to record their ceremony to share at a later date with those who matter most in their lives. The result was that both Ryanne and I were privileged to sign as witnesses to their love and commitment, something that humbled us and really for the first time in our careers immersed us and intertwined us in their wedding story in the most authentic way.

The calming nature of such intimate elopement experiences is that the bride and groom really get to live and experience every moment of the day without it getting by them unnoticed. Leanna got ready at the Broadview Hotel in a peaceful suite overlooking Queen Street East while Dan enjoyed some pints at the Aviary Brewery in the Canary District. They eventually met up half way at Corktown Commons Park where they had an endearing moment during their first look followed by an emotionally impactful ceremony. As both Leanna and Dad fought through tears during their wedding vows that were rich in nostalgia and appreciation for one another, every word, every breath, every pulse of their heartbeat resonated loudly as we all felt alone in the world for a fleeting second. Words can be powerful, they can create visual reminders that transport us beyond a moment and both Leanna and Dan made the most of the intimate setting and really allowed themselves to take in the experience for all that it was.

The elopement progress as they both explored the beauty of Corktown Commons Park amidst breathtaking fall colours and the setting October sun, providing a fiery and ethereal light for the bride and groom to enjoy a few quiet moments as newlyweds. We then made our way back to the Broadview Hotel and enjoyed the Blood Orange sunset, perfectly matching Leanna’s red hair and creating the perfect mood to end our time together before they ran off for a private dinner.

Ryanne and I are major advocates of the urban elopement experience as we’ve helped numerous couples create a beautiful and fulfilling elopement experience right here in Toronto but no other was quite like Leanna and Dan’s. It’s hard to live in Toronto and not have a bias or attachment to various parts of the city, it was obvious that the bride and groom felt right at home hanging around Queen Street East and its neighbouring areas. Ultimately the experience of eloping is meant to create an ideal environment for dynamic emotion as two people share their love for one another in a major way. Leanna and Dan did that and more, they heightened their experience by being somewhere they love, with the person they love, experiencing an unforgettable and beautiful moment to look back on together for years to come.

VENDORS
Location: Corktown Commons, near the Distillery District
Getting Ready Location: Broadview Hotel + The Aviary

Micro Wedding on Film

It goes without saying that micro weddings, elopements, intimate weddings, or whatever you want to call them have been on the uptick in 2020 thanks to the pandemic. In an odd twist however, my journey as a wedding photographer seems to be hitting its biggest stride ever throughout this year and this has been one of my favourite years ever as a photographer and its thanks to brides and grooms like Emily and Cam.

About 2 weeks before their backyard wedding, Emily sent me a DM on Instagram, not unusual for many clients to find me on that platform but instead of reaching out to me on my 3B Photography account (@3bphotography) she found me through my editorial and commercial account (@brjann.bb / www.brjann.com) after noticing a portrait I took of a dear friend of mine that he shared on his stories. She mentioned that Cam and herself absolutely love the art of analog film photography and they want an anti-wedding photographer to capture their upcoming last minute change of plans wedding in Emily’s parents beautiful backyard just outside of London Ontario. They wanted their wedding capture exclusively 100% on analog film, music to my ears and an oddly common request I’ve been receiving from my couples of the past 2-3 years.  Not many wedding photographers still shoot film and even fewer will shoot entire weddings solely on film, but my entire career has revolved around shooting film, from my editorial and commercial work, to my documentary work, analog film has played a central and key role in my life as a photographer so this was something both familiar and exciting for me.

Although the work on that page seems far removed from the work I create for weddings, I was excited that someone wanted me to 100% lean into those editorial and nostalgic influences that draw me to create that work and it was going to be a fun day for me to photograph a wedding in the most authentic way I could imagine. I packed a countless amount of film, loaded my trust Leica with some black and white Kodak Tri-X film, loaded my medium format cameras with a variety of film, like my favourites including Portra 800, Fuji 400H, slide film like Provia 100F and some expired Fuji Superia film and I set off to document their day with a hint of editorial and photojournalism flair, two avenues of photography that have shaped my career and in which I now attempt to blur the lines in between one another when creating images.

Originally slated to exchange theirs vows and host their shindig at the Darling Mansion in downtown Toronto, Cam & Emily opted to shift the party to 2021 and keep the intimate element of their wedding in a more private setting with their immediate families, hosting their lighthearted & emotional ceremony beneath stunning trees in the backyard surrounded by their family.  The intimate setting of the wedding allowed for all the laughs and tears to be heard and felt, a day with uninterrupted laughter and reminiscing. The beautiful home had the perfect mid-century modern aesthetic that enhanced the atmosphere of the wedding / elopement to give it that timelessness element we often look back on with fondness. Watching the bride and groom get ready in different rooms of the house, being in such close proximity but yet distant, creates a unique energy that blends anxiety and excitement, the ultimate formula for me as a photographer to capture incredible unique and heartfelt moments like the ones of Emily seeing her mom and dad for the first time after putting her dress on and completing her anti-bride look, that she absolutely rocked.

Beyond the ceremony the micro wedding had some incredible food at everyone’s disposal, a heated pool that was taken advantage of by the kids and the perfect makeshift dance floor where the bride and groom shared a dance together before having everyone else join in on the fun. Of course, no at-home wedding is complete without the presence of a beloved pet, Tuna, Cam & Emily’s extremely cute dog that managed to sit still long enough for a photo or two before heading back into the wilderness to hunt squirrels. I’ve loved this current shift in hosting weddings at a family property, home is where we often create the most significant memories in our lives and marrying your partner is to embark on a new journey to create a new home together, whatever that may or may not mean to each person. I hope this trend continues into 2021, not because people have no alternative for their weddings, but because they want to create a genuine experience for themselves and their loved ones.

I won’t lie, getting to shoot with just film is basically all I ever want, it allows me to really tap into my creativity and challenge myself as a photographer, I couldn’t be more thankful and lucky that I get to work with such creatively inclined individuals who not only allow me to pursue these visions for their wedding photography, but actively encourage and demand it. Living in a digital age we’ve become dismissive of photography and art in general, the abundance of images has put a priority on quantity over quality and thoughtfulness, but this was an opportunity to create wedding photos that went beyond that and allowed me to create something legitimately tangible for the couple to walk away with. I hope they can look back at the negatives and slides from the roles of 35mm and 120 film that were used for their wedding day for many years to come. I’m obviously biased, but nothing beats the warmth of film, nothing can recreate the feeling of real grain on a photograph, all the little inconsistencies and flaws that make the images feel real,  a feeling that can’t be recreated with digital, a sincere nostalgic feeling that is unique to analog film.

Song of the Day

Houses - Lost Film

VENDORS
Location: Backyard near London
Bride’s Dress: Park & Fifth Co.

Toronto Backyard Micro Wedding

I could preface this entire post by saying how the bride and groom overcame all odds to get married during an international pandemic. I can probably say how Pat & Kate were on an outrageous emotional rollercoaster while planning their initial wedding in Montreal and facing every hurdle possible to finally make it out on the other end and host a truly inspiration backyard micro wedding in Toronto. Yah, I definitely could go on and on about those sort of things that every single bride and groom in 2020 has faced, but this wedding day is much more than a few buzzwords and hashtag opportunities for me.

When I began my career as a photographer over a decade ago I never stop to think or realize that I could someday use this passion and creative pursuit to enrich the lives of the people closest to me. Photography has always been a very personal thing to me which I why it’s so important for me to connect with the people I work with to help me bring that element of personal inspiration into the work I’m asked to create for others. This time around though, I didn’t have to reach very far to find that special something to attach me to the wedding.

Pat has been a close friend of mine for 10 years now, having met back in our College / University days when I still lived in Ottawa. Over the years Pat’s apartment became the cornerstone of our circle of friends, not unlike Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment and role, he was the glued that brought us all together and blended his various worlds into a common place for everyone to be included, where we would throw on American Football’s album on his record player while eating McDonald’s (or Pizza) before watching re-runs of Third Rock From The Sun and laughing our asses off to the Seinfeld theme song. Fast forward a few years and I end up moving to Toronto, and every time I visited friends and family back home in Ottawa I would inevitably hangout with Pat and I would constantly rave about how I made the best decision of my life moving to the big city. Pat would always respond to me by saying “Yah, I can totally see myself moving there, for my career and my lifestyle. It’s such a great city”. A year and a half later, Pat was sleeping on the floor of my apartment for an entire month while he searched for a new job and went to endless interviews, eventually landing a great opportunity that allowed him to not only move to Toronto, but end up living down the road from me.

As our lives went on I kept hearing about this girl he was seeing (Kate) and how great she was, that she loved pop-punk and concerts as much as he did. He wasn’t lying, Kate was as sweet, kind and cool as he made her out to be and she quickly endeared herself to Pat’s group of friends and stuck around in a serious way, eventually moving in together and adopting their cute Beagle Steven. Although I love Pat and think he’s great, I need to take moment to recognize Kate. Working as front line nurse at a hospital here in Toronto, she had to deal with added stress and anxiety while planning and re-planning her own wedding. It takes a special type of person to be so selfless and put their own lives at risk for the sake of helping others for often little or no gratitude. It’s an amazing feeling to know a dear friend of mine has found a life-companion of that caliber and quite frankly, can tolerate his nerdy obsession with obscure pop-punk and emo music.

Now, I’m not taking any sort of credit for Pat and Kate ending up together or meeting, but I can’t help but be slapped in the face by the crazy series of events that lead to Pat and Kate getting married. I never would have imagined my own decision to move to the city would end up being an influencer in the lives of my own friends and family, but here we are, rewritten history, things changed despite the complicated beginning to all of this. 

Initially Pat and Kate were going to get married in Montreal, Pat’s hometown and a close location to Kate’s hometown near Ottawa. I was going to attend their wedding as a guest along with our other friends because Pat couldn’t imagine asking me to work instead of enjoying myself and living the experience of his wedding to the fullest. Ironically, when things shifted to a backyard micro wedding here in Toronto, I not only got that experience, but I also got so much more out of the day. The micro wedding and elopement was strictly immediate family only, something that wasn’t an easy choice for bride and groom considering just how vast their circles really are. With the sudden change of plans Pat and Kate turned to Ryanne and I and humbled us with the request of photographing their wedding, and in turn, being their only non-family guests at the wedding. Having the opportunity to not only attend their wedding but be directly involved in documenting it was something I was beyond grateful for.

The wedding was perfect from beginning to end. Using a family member’s backyard, they held their intimate ceremony beneath a willow tree in an adjacent park as the summer sun beamed through the leaves. The reception and dinner were held in the backyard, decorated with romantic string lights, quaint and kitschy tomato cans to hold the minimal and beautiful flowers and a “personal bar” at every table, personally curated by the bride and groom to help adhere to social distancing practices. Their dog Steven was also a guest of honour, walking the aisle and even hanging out throughout the entire festivities, but as you’ll see, he didn’t last as long as some of us. The coolest element of the dinner was how it was made. It was actually an ole’ fashioned pizza party. The backyard featured a stone oven, so naturally the entire dinner course featured a variety of amazing homemade pizzas (even for dessert!). Pizza and beer, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect combo for this wedding.

The speeches were few, but emotional and heartfelt. There’s something special about being in such an intimate setting with your closest, it brings out emotion and nostalgia that can’t be reproduced in larger gatherings. Watching Pat and Kate’s first dance (to a pop-punk song naturally) was beautiful and emotional. I was transported back to my early 20’s in Ottawa, hitting up Zaphod’s with my pals and singing along to lyrics as we lived out our care-free years. To say I felt a rush of nostalgia throughout this wedding is an understatement.

I guess, all this to say, it’s weird and amazing that my career as a wedding photographer has allowed me to give back to the people who have been so vital at various moments of my life. I can’t thank Kate & Pat enough for allowing us the opportunity to witness their marriage and to trust us completely in capturing it for them and their families. 

I’ll look back on this day fondly for the rest of my life and one day I’ll feel that rush of nostalgia again as I look through these images. I’ll remember taking shots with the bride and groom, remember us all dancing awkwardly, I’ll remember the look in Pat and Kate’s eyes as the sun set beyond the pink clouds, but more importantly, I’ll remember how I felt that day and appreciate the moments I got to experience with some lifelong friends.

Songs of the Day

VENDORS
Location: Backyard in Woodbridge
Stylist: Bride Chilla Yoga + Hair
Makeup: Kyrsten Bryant Makeup
Bride’s Dress: Vogue Sposa
Designer: Anais Anette
Groom’s Suit: Jack Victor