canada wedding photographer Archives

Magical Hockley Valley Resort Wedding

February 21, 2019

Hilary and Mike are awesome! I know we say that about all of our couples (and we totally mean it) but these guys really are awesome! (Oh and so funny too)! They are both in fashion (and it shows) and both have a quirky sense of humour that compliments our own – so what’s not to love? So when they asked us to be part of their Hockley Valley Resort Wedding last spring, we were thrilled! Not only because Hockley Valley Resort is one of our fave out-of-Toronto venues, but also because we just knew that this was going to be a wild party! Nestled in the hills near Orangville, Hockley is a photographer’s dream – it’s scenic, beautiful, rustic yet elegant, and the food is to die for (try the arancini balls, you won’t regret it!) it’s the perfect setting to say your “I do’s”!

As we mentioned, Hil and Mike are both in the fashion industry so it wasn’t a big surprise that their wedding was beautifully styled. Both used the natural elements and backdrop that their venue is so attractive for and created an incredible vibe in an already beautiful space. With soft and muted tones, such as blush, white, and deep greens – the reception decor brought the outside in and felt like an extension of the gorgeous grounds of the venue. Soft candlelight provided a romantic and intimate dinner atmosphere, as happy chatter and wild laughter of guests rang throughout the evening. Dinner concluded with a romantic kiss under the sparklers while guests mingled outside and inside with cocktails and warm beverages, patiently anticipating the night’s dancing festivities! And let us tell you, the dancing was on point! We are pretty sure that no one was left off the dance floor, where young and older generations alike kicked off their shoes and got their groove on! But don’t take our word for it – scroll through the photos and take a look for yourself!

Funky Hotel Ocho Wedding in Toronto

February 1, 2019

There are so many things we love about doing what we do! We get to see some pretty awesome places and spaces, we get to play tourists in our own city and explore new nooks and crannies, we get to meet some pretty amazing couples and families, and we are trusted to do some pretty creative and sometimes kooky things with the people who we work with! I’m not going to lie it’s a pretty sweet gig! And then, once in a while we are asked to really step outside the box and our sentiments about what we do is 100% confirmed! This is exactly what happened with Yalda and Geoff at their Hotel Ocho wedding. Yalda and Geoff are one of those couples that just ooze cool, but in a very unassuming and honest way (you know, like they don’t actually realize how freaking cool they really are!) so when we started chatting about what to do for their portraits, traditional settings just didn’t cut it. Being huge fans of records, we knew one thing for sure: we somehow needed to incorporate their love for vinyl into their wedding. And what better way to do that then to have them visit their favourite records shop, Sonic Boom, (which happened to be located just a stone’s throw away from their venue! Lucky us!) But I am getting ahead of myself let’s start at the beginning!

Yalda and Geoff are adorable, they have contagious belly laughs, they love craft beer, they are kind and thoughtful, and they dance like EVERYONE is watching! Their wedding was a reflection of all of these beautiful qualities and then some. We started the day downtown, Ocho Hotel and their condo respectively. Yalda got ready with her sister and mom in the Ocho’s beautiful bridal suite, while Geoff clinked craft beer with his best buds and his dad at their condo listening to, what else – records! When we made our way for the first look in downtown Toronto in Graffiti Alley, the excitement and anticipation was evident – Geoff admitted he was a little nervous, but that all melted away once he saw his beautiful bride! As luck would have it, hanging out with this cool crew also brought on a celebrity sighting, when none other than GEORGE STROMBOULOPOULOS made an appearance and actually agree to take some photos with the bridal party (common if that’s not cool, we don’t know what is!) After our Strombo sighting (and some fan-girling from my end!) we made our way to Sonic Boom for some record shopping and photo-taking. We always tell our couples that on thier wedding they will more than likely stop traffic – and boy was this ever the case! I think almost every person at the record shop strained their neck to see this beautiful couple peruse the vinyl selection and canoodle in the aisles. (So much fun!)

The remainder of the wedding was equally as magical. Despite the fact that their wedding was a modern and non-traditional affair, Yalda incorporated some cultural elements to her Ocho Hotel Wedding. Being of Persian descent, Yalda, her mom, and sister all set up a gorgeous ceremonial table. All objects within were representative of the couples’ past, present and future and matched with the wedding’s burgundy, forest green, and gold theme. The guests dined amid candlelight, while listening to heartfelt conversations and some hysterical anecdotes! The gifts for everyone included mini succulents, a beautiful keepsake to remind everyone how Yalda and Geoff’s relationship will grow and nourish much like a plant does when sprinkled with oodles of TLC! The first dances after dinner were equally as intimate as the whole day, and when Geoff and his mom took the dance floor there was not a dry eye in the house (see the photo below – it was one of the most touching moments we have ever witnessed!) And then came the party, that just like our super cool couple, this one was OFF THE HOOK!

Whimsical Toronto Wedding in Distillery District

January 6, 2019

It’s been a while since we blogged a wedding! But with a busy season behind us, I finally had a chance to sit down and take a look at some of the beautiful weddings from the last few months. So today we are sharing a whimsical Toronto wedding in the Distillery District. Caileigh and Simon’s Kate Spade-inspired wedding was full of adorable little details, even a custom-made Toronto jean jacket made by our bride. Even the rain that loomed on the horizon of the city couldn’t damper anyone’s joy for being part of such an amazing day (you’ll see!)

We first met Caileigh and Simon through a dark Skype screen. While we happily chatted about all the things we had in common (there were a few), we also came to the realization that these two lovebirds actually lived in our neighbourhood…on our street…on our BLOCK! We were ecstatic – not only because we were neighbours, but also because they suggested doing their engagement session right here in our ol’ stomping ground – Roncesvalles! We had a blast, but don’t take our word for it – check it out for yourself here! This totally set the tone for their quintessential Toronto wedding (getting ready at the Thompson Hotel, photos in Graffiti Alley, and dinner & drinks at the Distillery District – I mean, common, how much more “Toronto” can you get?)

For Caileigh, the day began with a leisurely morning with her girls – giggles, clinking of champagne glasses, and “ooohs” and “ahhs” over our bride’s gorgeous gown. Tears were shed as C’s parents read their heartfelt cards from their daughter but were soon followed by more giggles and “ooohs” & “ahhs” as our bride made her grand reveal. On the other side of town, the boys – from all over the world – reunited at a sweet Air BnB with the most breath-taking view of the city. Although Simon was a little bit nervous (sooooo cute!) his long-time friends made sure that our groom was well-hydrated and cared for. It was the perfect start to a perfect day!

If we had to use one word to describe Caileigh and Simon’s first look on the Thompson Hotel rooftop, it would be, without a doubt, “whimsical”! There was not a dry eye in the house (or rooftop in this case) when Simon finally locked eyes with his bride, the love between this gorgeous couple and joy they felt when they first saw one another in that moment was absolutely palatable! (I may have wiped away a tear or two…or ten…) The rest of the day was no different. Caileigh and Simon were great sports while dodging the rain in Graffiti Alley and then again at the Distillery District. They softly spoke their vows in front of close friends and family, all of whom travelled from all over the globe just to be witness to this amazing event. The southern cuisine of fried chicken, potato salad, and other yummy goodies still makes my tummy grumble and the dessert table enticed guests to “treat ‘yo self” (and we did!) And finally after some serious dancing, the night ended with the beautiful couple dancing under the stars and rain. “Whimsical” was definitely the word of the day for this wedding and we have no doubt that it will also be the theme for Caileigh and Simon’s marriage!

Sarah & Austin ~ A Beautiful & Rustic Wedding in Balls Falls

March 29, 2018

Honestly I don’t even know where to start with this wedding – it makes my heart so happy to look at these photos all over again and re-live the memories we created with Sarah and Austin (who, incidentally, just welcomed an adorable little nugget into their lives! Congrats guys!) We originally bonded over craft beer, (Austin is a brewmaster at Leftfield Brewery – yeah I cannot think of a cooler gig than that), books (Sarah is a librarian – yeah these kids are awesome!) and of course Star Trek (I’m seeing a theme develop here LOL!) Honestly, words cannot express how cool we think these two humans are – I mean, we captured their engagement session at the brewery! Their wedding was equally as amazing, a small and intimate ceremony in a tiny chapel in Balls Falls Park – Austin cried when Sarah first walked in and it took all of our resolve not to start crying along with him, I’m not going to lie though, a few of our own tears were shed! Their reception, or more aptly, their party, which was in a small barn opposite the chapel, went into the wee hours of the morning and was filled with craft beer, dancing, more craft beer, shenanigans with old friends and family, and even more craft beer – it was magical to say the least! I can gab on about this one for hours, but instead I am going to let the photos do the talking! Enjoy, and I dare you not to smile…

Markie & Bella ~ An Epic Creative Bridal Session on Horseback

February 16, 2018

I think it’s safe to say that when someone asks you to do something completely off the beaten path and epic the resounding answer should be a joyful “Heck Yeah!” This is exactly what happened when I was asked to do a creative bridal portrait for a former bride / equestrian, Markie! Markie and Bella have been friends for a long time now, basically since Bella was a wee little thing, but they’re not what you would expect BFFs to be. For one, Bella is about 10 times the size of Markie, has four legs, and would most like be asked to leave any restaurant, bar, or club, which limits one’s dining and hanging out options! Bella is a horse you see, a magnificent and magical beautiful white horse! When we first met Bella on the day of Markie and Andrew’s wedding, we were instantly in love – not only is Bella super photogenic (every photographers’ dream!) but she was also the most unique part of any wedding we have captured to this day. Markie rode in on Bella to the hilltop ceremony (stay tuned for the blog coming soon) and stuck around to witness the vows. Apparently a party animal (pun fully intended) she did not want to leave once the festivities began and hung out at the wedding into the later evening – if this isn’t a sure sign of a good friend I don’t know what it! Fast forward a few months, I opened an email from Markie asking me whether I would like to capture her in her wedding dress riding her beautiful Bella. To say I was beyond excited is a gross understatement, I was over the moon – I mean, how often does a bride ask you to photograph her riding a horse!? It was a dream come true (I love horses myself just never really took the time to learn how to properly ride one – one day!) So, on a sunny fall afternoon, I made my way to Creemore to meet Markie and her Bella to take some photos of the two of them doing their thing. I am beyond excited to share some of my favourite photos of this amazing creative adventure – and have to extend a very special thanks to these two beautiful ladies for letting me capture it all!

Best of 2017 ~ Engagements

February 14, 2018

Words truly cannot express how grateful we are for the couples we work with! You guys truly make what we do absolutely magical. Being around so much emotion always reminds us that love, just like life, is a journey never a destination – it is fluid, adaptive, forgiving, & selfless and we have the absolute privilege to be able to capture it as best we can and to immortalized its beauty. 2017 has been a bit of a tough year for me – running a business and having a baby at the same time is not an easy endeavour but going into 2018 I’m making a point of staying positive and grateful for the wonderful job I have (I get to photograph love! Thats pretty neat!) So to remind myself of how much I truly love what I do despite some of the difficulties, I have been going through our photos from last year and I couldn’t help but smile at all the wonderful memories we created! So part two of our “Best of…” series includes some of our favourite engagement moments and serves as a reminder of the amazing couples we get to hang out with and their love which we get to document. So turn up the music lovers, and enjoy!

The Best of 2017 ~ Weddings

January 19, 2018

This has been a year full of many new adventures and experiences, both personal and professional – not all have been super positive but they all definitely made us learn something valuable about ourselves as people, creatives, and as business owners. We are so grateful to be doing what we do – to have the freedom to be creative on a daily basis (sure it’s not always easy, but it sure is rewarding and fun!) and to bear witness to some of the most vulnerable and emotional events in people’s lives – We feel humbled that couples trust us to capture their most sacred memories and to immortalize their most precious moments, that truly is an honour! So thank you, to all of our friends and family, to our amazing couples that make what we do possible – we couldn’t have done any of this without your support and your trust! Hugs all around!

PS: Choosing a a limited amount of photos for our “Best Of…” slideshow was probably the most difficult thing we had to do so far in the new year! Please turn up the sound and enjoy!

Kirsty & LuKas ~ A Beachside Wedding at Artscape Gibraltar Point

July 21, 2017

As photographers, we have the pleasure of seeing and capturing countless locations and venues, this is one of the great perks of our job. But even despite the fact that we get to shoot in really cool places and spaces, our bucket list for weddings seems to grow each year! So when Kirsty and Lukas contacted us about their wedding on the Toronto Island we were thrilled. An island wedding has been sitting on our bucket list for years, and now someone wanted us to come along for the ride?! YES PLEASE (Happy Dance!) Not only were we thrilled to capture a wedding at such a cool location, but as soon as we met Kirsty and Lukas our hearts just melted – I mean these kids are just adorable – there is no better way to describe them (check out their love story bellow)! What began as a regular meeting in our dining room quickly became a chat-fest of epic proportions that lasted for over 2 hours! We were hooked!

Their wedding at Gibraltar Point was everything we imagined and more. From the boat ride to the island to the shaking of everyone’s booties until the wee hours of the morning, their wedding was simply amazing (s’mores included)! We can gush about it for pages, but instead why don’t we let the photos do the talking…Enjoy!

Lukas & Kirsty’s Love Story:

Lucas and I met on the online dating website, Plenty of Fish. He had been on several dates, I was new to online dating. My inbox was full of tiring “ur cute” messages from guys until Lucas’ came in. “Hey! If you could send one thing into outer space, what would it be? Everyone asks what do you do and that’s boring. If you could do anything you wanted for work, what would it be?” Intrigued, I messaged him back. We met a week later after spending countless hours chatting over Facebook. It took him eight years to propose, but he did it in the most magical way. We were on vacation in Vancouver visiting my brother and his then girlfriend. We took a few days trip to Vancouver Island and headed up into Tofino. We had a few cocktails at brunch (little did I know, Lucas was building some liquid confidence!) and headed to a secret beach some of the locals had shared with us. As we combed the shore for shells, Lucas got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. We collapsed in the sand, holding and kissing one another. At that moment, no one except for us existed.

What inspired your wedding and your venue?

Lucas and I have a strong passion for the outdoors. We spend every weekend from spring until fall camping, rock climbing, paddling our cedar strip canoe and hiking. We wanted to find a venue that was a good balance between a rough outdoorsy place, yet comfortable enough for our guests that don’t enjoy the outdoors as much as we do. Artscape Gibraltar Point was so beautiful! It provided a stunning natural background for our ceremony, reception and photos. I wanted a bohemian vibe to our wedding and with minimal d?cor and I feel Artscape met that requirement for us. Our fabric bunting was handmade by one of my bridesmaid’s father for her wedding last year, we felt honoured to have them hanging at ours. In fact, almost all of our d?cor was handmade!

What was the most unique aspect of your wedding?

I felt the location of our venue made our wedding unique. 75% of our guests travelled from out of town to come to our wedding on Toronto Island. We chartered a ferry that brought our guests through a section of water channels and dropped them off at Artscape’s private ferry dock. Our guests then had to take a short path through tall grasses to get to our ceremony. Everyone raved that they felt they had attended a destination wedding, yet it was right in downtown Toronto. We also kept the vibe to our wedding incredibly laid back. We had guests in shorts and t-shirts and others in full blown designer suits!

What was your favourite part of the day?

My favourite part of my wedding day was that incredible, overwhelming feeling of absolute elation after being pronounced husband and wife. The positive energy at our wedding was palpable. I have never in my life experienced anything like it!

What’s your top 3 pieces of advice to future brides?

1) Always give each other enough space to grow. Each day we have new experiences, learn new things and meet new people, all of which impact who we are and how we see the world and shapes us into who we are today. That will constantly evolve and that’s an amazing thing.

2) Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t waste time being angry about things that aren’t worth it, and keep in mind that the wedding is a celebration for you and your closest!

3) It’s okay to not be on the same page as each other especially where wedding planning is concerned, it’s bound to happen as you each grow and change. The most important thing is being able to recognize when you are both butting heads with each other and having an open conversation about what you each need to feel loved and accepted again.

Vendor List:

Venue: Artscape Gibraltar Point

Dress: BHLDN

Hair: Melody Bostelaar at Lebel & Crowe

Make-up: Carley Chamberlain Makeup

Rings: Charm Diamonds

Tapestries: The Fox and the Mermaid

Paper Garlands: Maisy and Alice

Terrarium Card Box: Ikea

Bar Sign: Michael’s

Invitations: Lipamea

Officiate: Wayne Wright from Kettle Creek Weddings

Ferry Service: Island Princess Ferry

Flowers: Popis Flowers

DJ: DJ Goodvibes (Eric Woolston and Maylee Todd)

Catering: Food Dudes

Bridesmaids live succulent bracelets: Passion Flower Made

Kelly, Vince, & Joie ~ A Fun Family Engagement in High Park

June 8, 2017

There is truly nothing more special than the melding of two families – two hearts, two souls, two sets of dreams to become one…unless there is a third little heart, soul, and set of dreams involved. When Kelly and Vince first approached us to photograph their engagement session we were thrilled, not only are they our kind of people (you know, laid back, easy-going, creative, and slightly dorky) they also wanted to include Vince’s beautiful little girl Joie. We absolutely loved the idea of having a little lady included in their session (I mean who doesn’t love a little girl in a pink tutu!?) but also because we love the idea of this unique little family coming together and sharing their love. We had so much fun roaming high park, swinging on swings, picking flowers, and snuggling. It really made all of us feel like big kids again…

Lena & Hussain ~ An Intimate Elopement in Toronto

June 2, 2017

When we first met Lena & Hussain, I could instantly sense the love they had for each other – the light touches of their hands, the stolen glances at each other, the secret smiles all made my heart melt. Their story even more so. The two met at a holiday party for international students at their university in Montreal in 2010. A few glances across the room, a light conversation, and both were utterly in love. They dated for a few years and then on New Years eve in 2016 Hussain popped the question. For varying reasons the couple decided not to have a big splashy wedding and instead invited only the very closest of their friends and family for a small urban elopement in Toronto. It was an absolutely lovely way to spend a day. Lena and Hussain rented an AirBNB and got ready together with Lena’s mom and Hussain’s sister-in-law – it was a beautiful family affair with lots of laughs, embraces, and even a few tears. We then made our way to city hall, where the couple said their “I dos” while their nearest and dearest watched. Finally, underneath a huge mural of a Persian rug (Lena is Persian so the rug mural held a lot of cultural significance for the bride) the couple danced, snuggled, and laughed while I snapped away. We ended the day with a round of warm cups of tea and coffee – the perfect finale!

I asked Lena some questions about her big day, here is what she had to say:

What inspired your wedding? “There was no “real” wedding involved and I think that was the theme, just celebrating two of us, how we met and how we struggled through life during our “international student days” and how all of those experiences brought us closer. The day was symbolic of our love and we wanted to celebrate that intimately in our new city.”

What was the most important and unique thing about your elopement? “Our photography – usually when you are getting eloped you do not have photos of it, all I wanted was photos, and that was done in the most unique way possible.”

What was your favourite part of the day? “Mine, was when I said “I do.” No doubt.”

What advice would you give to couples who are planning an elopement?

Stay relaxed everything will fall in place.

Focus on what you want not on what others want – it is your day!

Have fun during planning, that part lasts longer than the actual day and should be fun just as well.

Kiss and hug your parents and in-laws as much as you can on your wedding day, this will make your pictures really lovely and it makes them feel special.