Danielle and Michael Boehmer Restaurant

Michael and Danielle’s wedding offered some new opportunities for me. I got to shoot a first look at High Park, followed by an emotional reading of their personal vows in front of a beautiful willow tree. The entire wedding and reception took place at Boehmer Restaurent in Toronto’s West End and it truly felt like being inside someone’s rustic living room, which made sense since Danielle & Michael set out to create an “industrial & rustic at-home” vibe for their urban city wedding.

I also got to collaborate with my good friend Nam Phi Dang, a very talented fellow photojournalist / editorial photographer. It’s always a special treat when I get to work alongside some of my dearest friends in the industry.

Our very different style and approaches allow for such differentiating perspectives and purposes, but somehow it seems to work out well since we all tend to be on the same wavelength and can all appreciate the art of storytelling within a single frame and how that single frame fits into a larger purpose. A nice bonus is that both Nam and I shoot film for most of our work so it was nice to have somehow with a fond appreciation for the photographic process.

Danielle & Mike were the perfect pair for us to work with, and their wedding creating a fantastic atmosphere that lent itself so well to our photography style.

Here’s Danielle’s POV on the wedding

The only thing more important to Michael and I, other than food, is our friends and family. We wanted to create a beautiful evening where people's only obligation to us was to show up at our wedding and eat, drink and leave feeling like they had a phenomenal time.

We decided on Boehmer Restaurant at Queen and Ossington. The family style meal we had was delicious, and the space was intimate and casual enough for our laid-back style, but elegant enough for a wedding. I got my dress at The Brides Project, which was really important to me - I wanted to be able to give back to an amazing organization but also save a bit of dough! My in laws made the seating chart and helped me find mismatched vases for the centre pieces. We donated the flowers that were not taken home by guests to a women's shelter the next day.

It was really important to me that my husband and I write our own vows. We read them to each other in High Park right after our first look. We decided to take our photos before the wedding so that we could focus our time and attention on our guests. Our family observed our ceremony and our friends joined us afterwards for the reception. Because our wedding was more laid back we were able to spend a lot of time with our guests - which is the whole point of having all your favourite people in the same room, right?

We loved having Brian and Nam with us to document our day. We felt like we were hanging out with old friends. They were so thoughtful and considerate, and we knew that they really, truly cared about us. Seriously - Best. Day. Ever.

I’ll never forget that first look and vow reading in front of that incredible willow tree, evidence that creating personal and honest moments is achievable within a chaotic wedding day. Oh, and, I'll also never forget how amazing it was that Danielle's grandmother wore her vintage / retro dress that she wore to Danielle's mother's wedding, one of the coolest details I've ever seen at a wedding!

Album of the day - Owen - At Home With Owen

-3B

VENDORS
Second Shooter - Nam Phi Dang
Stylist - Joli Avail Beauty
Dress - Watters
Suit - Antonio Valente
Shoes - Cole Haan
Florist - Batora Flora
Venue / Catering - Boehmer
Cake - Mabel's Bakery

Meg and Aaron Muskoka

It's hard to beat a Muskoka getaway, especially when it's a weekend long wedding event for your closest friends and family. This wedding was truly indescribable; the forest, the stillness of the lake, the groom jamming out on the drums with his band (actually), two separate parties, and it's all capped off with a beautiful starry night. It's hard to put into words how incredibly cool, indie and honest this Muskoka wedding truly was.... maybe I'll let Meg & Aaron's insight provide context for what you're about to see. 

"Meg and I are nature lovers at heart. When first envisioning our wedding, we wanted it to be equally reflective of both of us by incorporating unique parts of our story and hosting it in a natural setting.

I was born in Sudbury, Ontario, and Meg is from Toronto. Since we are huge nature buffs, we thought it would be romantic and significant to have our wedding in Muskoka as a representation of our two sides coming together. Muskoka seemed like the perfect meeting point between north and south, and a symbolic location to start building our marriage. What better place to lay the foundation of our commitment to each other than the granite backbone of the Canadian Shield.

Aaron is lucky to be in a wicked band, who were a huge part of making our love for music come alive. Our friend Paddy, DJ breezy P, took the reins from there and finished up the night with smoke, lights, lasers and dirty dance beats. Transitioning from the tent band set, to the secret DJ set at the beautiful wood clubhouse, with fires burning at both locations, helped us to incorporate some music festival vibes we hold so dear. Creating a unique experience was key and we felt we achieved that!

We constructed wood centrepieces by hand, made our own candles, created a head table back drop out of birch and vines, as well as overhanging birch lights, and built the arch we were married under. All these personal touches helped to keep us grounded throughout the different stages. We hope to build our relationship in much the same way, from the ground up, working with our surrounding environment to find success.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day to get married. We said our vows on the shore of a private lake that lay still with the sun shining down. We promised to love and take care of each other amongst all of our people while experiencing the support of mother earth and appreciating our small part in this very big system."

The forest, the music, the Muskokas; Canadiana on display at its finest, I couldn't be happier to have been part of it all.

Album of the day  :  The Sea and Cake  - The Fawn

-3B

VENDORS

Second Shooter - Ryanne Hollies
Stylist - Glam Gals
Wedding Dress - Becker's Bridal 
Bridesmaid Dresses - Henkaa
Florist - Cottage Country Flowers
Invitations - Paperless Post 
Venue - Rocky Crest Resort

Tara and Devin Madsen's Gardens

One very tall groom,  one stunning bride, both coming home from Edmonton Alberta for their beautiful and intimate wedding at the Madsen's Garden in Newmarket just outside of Toronto. An ideal wedding venue to set an authentic vintage aesthetic. I couldn't really complain about starting my day off in Keswick, lake side cottage homes aren't too bad of a place to hangout pre-wedding. The day was spent surrounded by trees, gardens, lakes, laughter, Coors Light & two large loving families. 

Music is my influence, album of the day - DIIV , Is the Is Are

-3B

VENDORS
Second Shooter - Ryanne Hollies
Stylist - Victoria Bourque
Wedding Dress - Katie May
Bridesmaid Dresses - Vera Wang
Grooms Suit - Joseph Abboud Custom
Florist - Lori Boddy
Venue - Madsen's Gardens

Meighan & Adrian Scarborough Bluff Wedding

It rained, it poured, but Adrian and Meighan still had the courage to stand on the edge of a cliff at a little secret spot at the Scarborough Bluffs in Toronto.  It goes without saying, and I've said it before, that I get to work with some of the coolest couples around. 

Here's a peek at their wedding day.

- 3B