Summer Wedding At Furnace Falls Farm | Bronwyn & Andrew Get Hitched on The Hottest Day On Record Since 1916!
If you could travel in time together, what time would you visit?
“We're happy in the here and now! Other than, maybe, going back in time just a few years, so that we could have met earlier :) ”
Today I want to tell you about one of my favourite days in 2021.
It was the day of Bronwyn and Andrew’s wedding at Furnace Falls Farms in Lyndhurst.
This blog is going to be filled with photographs of Furnace Falls Farm: their barn, the property, and small details around both indoors and outdoors.
A view of the fields from the back of the barn at Furnace Falls Farm
Why so many details?
Because I think it's such a simply stunning place and I need to share all these little details with you!
I'm not a posed-detail kind of person.
In fact, all the photographs I take of landscapes or wedding details are truly from the heart: they are candid and unstaged photographs of the things that strike me visually as being important or beautiful or memorable on a wedding day.
Just look at these gorgeous flowers, for instance. I’m a little obsessed with cosmos, so I took many photographs of those flowers (first two images below).
How is this approach different from a traditional wedding photographer’s approach to wedding day details?
Well, traditional wedding photography aims to capture the same details at every wedding.
With traditional weddings, there’s a “shot list” or list of photographs that are must-haves, and the photographer has to make sure they’ve captured each item on that shot list.
For instance, there has to be an image of the rings, and the shoes (both for the bride and for the groom), and the dress, suspended from rod or pole. Traditional wedding photographers sometimes get fancy by trying to figure out where they can suspend the dress, and what backgrounds to make it really appealing.
Often this means that they will have to instruct the couple on where to stand during the getting ready process, so that they can get just the right angles and light.
For me, the only image in this gallery that falls into that more “traditional” type of wedding detail photograph is the image of the bridesmaids’ dresses all hanging down from a curtain rod.
However, this is not a traditional wedding detail shot of the dresses. This is not what this photograph is about.
I took this photograph because I loved the way all the different fabrics and materials looked together. All those warm, light tones… and lace. It was really visually appealing.
Now let's get into the wedding day itself!
I arrived at Furnace Falls Farm in the morning, and the day was already hot. It would turn out to be the hottest day on record since 1916 in Ontario.😎
When I arrived, Andrew (the groom) was hanging out on the porch.
And upstairs Bronwyn (the bride) was brushing her teeth and getting ready.
Pretty quickly after that, their family started to arrive. There were lots of warm hugs (haha, warm because they were affectionate, but also warm because it was HOT outside!).
They all shared some bubbly and a few snacks.
I’ll pause to say here that the staff at Furnace Falls Farm were incredible, and the chef not only accommodated my plant-based diet but went over and above - she took me outside to the herb garden to show me what she used in the veggie wraps - it was a freshly-picked plant called “land seaweed” (or Okahijiki), and it tasted delicious!
Bronwyn then sat down to have her hair done by the wonderful stylist Tina Coutanche.
Tina did the other women's hair, too!
And as you’ll see later, everyone looked absolutely beautiful.
I love the face Bronwyn makes above, in the photograph on the right.
Let’s chat about “unflattering” facial expressions
I always try to sneak in a few photographs that capture completely candid emotions like this. Often times, these are photographs that the partner will really enjoy - because typically the two partners get ready separately, they get to miss all these little moments. And photos like this later make them smile and get to feel like they were able to experience the morning from their partner’s point of view a little bit.
If you’re self conscious of your facial expressions, that’s completely understandable: we all have insecurities. I have found that one of the best ways to overcome this self-insecurity is to TAKE photos of things that make us uncomfortable. For me, it was my double chin. I didn’t like my chin my whole life.
But once I became a photographer, I made a point to take selfies of the most “unflattering” angles and intentionally make double chins and show them to the world.
And pretty soon, I got to love my double chin. I know it sounds a bit like I’m lying, but I’m not, I promise!
It’s totally transformational, to just trust that the people who love you and know you best already know all the magical ways in which your face can bend and twist. And they LOVE you for all those expressions!
Expression makes us human. ❤️
While Bronwyn was having her hair done, her sister and her father were distributing balloons all over the property to make it even more festive (above).
Meanwhile, the rest of the bridesmaids were looking for flowers to put in their hair.
Luckily, Furnace Falls Farms has giant grounds full of flowers tucked in little pockets surrounding the vegetable gardens.
I also took a few photographs of the couple, sharing moments together before Bronwyn got her dress on.
A quick kiss stolen right before Bronwyn put her wedding dress on, before the first look.
The bride and bridesmaids all got ready upstairs, with gorgeous light flooding in through the big windows.
Here is a series of the mother of the bride and sister of the bride (and maid of honour), getting ready in this beautiful light.
Bronwyn does her own makeup by the large window which lets in plenty of light
Bride and maid of honour (bride’s sister) get ready for the wedding, doing their own makeup.
I love this moment between the sisters (below). This is the type of moment I describe to couples when we chat about whether they want getting ready photos.
Getting ready photos for me aren’t about staging dresses and rings and telling everyone where to stand.
They’re about moments like this one.
And some super cute and quirky things happen, too!
These three images are really funny to me, though I don't really remember what Bronwyn is doing. Maybe she was giving makeup tips or… I don't know really.
Anyway, they were funny moments and so I kept them in the gallery.
I also loved the series of images of Bronwyn having her stunning floral crown put on. The floral crown was designed by Elizabeth Hess of Creative Gardens Floral Design. And I adore it!
It looks really stunning. One of my favourite images is the one of Bronwyn's mother looking over Bronwyn when she has her floral crown on. (image above and right)
I took some time to compose and take this shot, because I wanted the facial expressions on both women to be seen, so I had to make sure that I was using a wide depth of field, rather than a narrow one.
But these are just technicalities, and probably you don't really care about these much.
Let’s take a look at how happy everyone is as Bronwyn gets her dress on. Oh, and this stunning dress is from Lovebird Bridal in Kingston.
And of course the deodorant shot!
Because on this hot and sticky day, deodorant was really crucial. And one day, this little detail will remind everyone how the day FELT, not just what it looked like.
Real brides put on deodorant, and get photographs taken of this moment on their wedding morning :)
You can imagine my shock and horror when I realized I hadn't brought deodorant with me!
I had to borrow (or rather, take) one of the bridesmaids’ wet wipes that she had so thoughtfully brought. I super appreciated that!
The First Look
Whether to have a first look or not is a personal decision. Some couples get ready together, and see each other throughout. Other couples, like Bronwyn and Andrew, saw each other all the way up until dress went on.
And then we had a first look to capture Andrew’s reaction to the dress!
You do you :) If you want to take a minute to do a first look, that’s easy-peasy! And it can happen just about anywhere.
I got a couple of photographs of Bronwyn coming down the stairs, and I converted these to black and white images. I thought that they looked much more stunning this way.
Then we stepped outside and Andrew turned his back towards the door, so Bronwyn could walk behind him and surprise him. When he saw her, his face lit up.
Right after this, we walked around to the back of the house to take some couples photographs around the property.
The challenge here was figuring out just how to stop taking photographs, because everywhere we turned, there were beautiful gardens and flowers and backdrops. Furnace Falls Farm is just a really stunning place. I've included only three of the couple's photographs here, but we took a bunch more.
Here are some funny images of behind-the-scenes and what everybody was doing.
The first one is Bronwyn and her sister, both pulling some kind of faces, which I think is super adorable and a very cute candid wedding-day moment.
Then we have a series of images of both sets of parents getting ready to head to the ceremony, and some of the couple’s friends sitting on a bench, waiting for things to start.
When the guests start to arrive, it’s exciting and butterfly-inducing at the same time - because it’s nearly GO TIME!
Inside, it was getting very hot so Bronwyn turned on the fan and pointed it right at her legs to cool down. #resourcefullness
And then it was time for the ceremony. Although Bronwyn had been concerned about the heat, just as the ceremony was about to begin, thick dark clouds rolled in, and a cool wind began to blow.
It was literally like a shifting of the seasons happened over a five minute period. (Apparently there was a tornado that day!)
It was the perfect timing.
Guests sat on benches close to the massive tree where the ceremony took place, with a cool breeze and ten-degree temperature drop making this afternoon ceremony really comfortable, despite the prior heat.
The musicians (Jon McClurg and Anthea Feaver) played a beautiful acoustic folk set, while guests arrived and seated themselves.
Then it was time.
Time for the bride to walk down the aisle, and for this couple to begin their married life together.
I've included some images here from the ceremony that were my absolute favourites, but there are many many in the gallery that I couldn’t share with you because otherwise this blog post would never end!
When photographing ceremonies I always try to capture photographs of all different angles, focussing in on people's faces, then zooming out, layering some of the images with the guests’ expressions in one layer and the couple in another, and trying to of course get images of the wedding party on either side
The only way to get the complete story - all the feels - is for me to make sure I can be EVERYWHERE, from all different angles, during the ceremony.
And this can all happen very unobtrusively, too! Because I’ll use my long lens, so that I don’t have to be getting in the way of your guests’ view, or hovering around and distracting you during this intimate and amazing moment.
And then, they walked up the aisle happily into their married life.
Bronwyn and Andrew share an unscripted kiss on their walk up the aisle after their wedding ceremony 🥰
The Group Photos & Wedding Party Photos
(to have them or not to have them… and how long should group photos take, anyway?)
At this point we stopped to take a couple of group photos of the wedding party, but we probably took around 5 minutes or so to do this. Here we are, getting into position.
Like I said a million times before, group photos do not have to take ages. People don't need to be getting hungry and grumpy just because the couple wanted to have a few group photos to remember people with.
You can have your cake and eat it, too!
How?
Well, firstly, don’t treat the group photographs like a photographer from the 1800s would have.
You don’t need to be PERFECTLY posed.
You don’t need to be aligned based on your clothing.
In other words, you don’t need to OVERTHINK these photos.
To be frank, I think most photographers who take 2-3 hours to do group photos at a wedding are overthinking it.
It doesn't make any sense to take two hours for these photos. Because you want to get on with your wedding, AND you want to make sure that your guests - the people who are most important to you - are also able to have fun, and not just standing around waiting for their photos to be taken.
I think really long group photo sessions take away from the joy of the wedding.
And this is why I never ever have group photo segments in the wedding that take longer than 30 to 45 minutes, and that is an absolute maximum, which only happens when we have more than 100 guests and a long list of group shots.
A typical wedding for a typical couple that books Quirky Love as their wedding photographers usually requires only about five to 15 minutes for the group shots.
I'm not bragging, I'm just really proud of this fact.
This also goes for couple’s photos, too! And separate photo of the bride, groom, marrier, etc.
We can of course take time out to do those, if you like, and we’ll have lots of fun! But we don’t need to spend ages doing it. I’d rather you use that time to reconnect with each other after the ceremony (when all the butterflies have gone and you just need to take a few breaths together as you begin your new life!)
Bronwyn enjoys her beautiful wedding dress and poses for a quick shot, with the fields of Furnace Falls Farm behind her.
I always tell couples that they need to focus on relaxing, connecting both with each other as partners and also with their friends and family on their wedding day, rather than standing around getting pictures taken.
And you should never worry: plenty of pictures will be taken, they just won't be posed and stiff.🤩
Newly married: let the celebrations begin!
Then it was time to make a grand entrance.
The newlywed couple enters Furnace Falls Farm for their reception and waves to their guests.
… actually, let’s rewind a little bit.
Even before anyone made an entrance, I took a few photographs of the Furnace Falls Farm barn, all set up for the reception.
It’s such a beautiful space that I had to share these with you, and I hope you enjoy the details!
The beautiful barn at Furnace Falls Farm, ready for the wedding reception. Hand-picked flowers fresh from the fields outside adorn the tables. The stunning and colourful bunting decorations were hand-sewn by the bride!
Like most receptions, there were a few speeches.
The speeches were very short and sweet, and I tried to make sure I got different angles and sides of these photos.
The bride’s sister (and maid of honour) gives a speech at the wedding reception, while their parents look on and take videos.
During dinner, the couple went around to chat with their guests.
I loved how they spent time with each table, each person, making sure to make everyone who was there feel loved. Awww.
The bride stops to chat with her grandmother at the wedding reception.
And here’s a typically "quirky” image - simply to fulfil my own creative whims. The flowers, shot with flash using a slow shutter speed.
A typical “quirky” shot - the wedding bouquet at night!
One of the most fun things about this wedding is how they had this huge outdoor space where people danced, mingled, ate the late-night pizza, and all sorts of other things.
We used that large space outside the barn to take a big group photo of the whole crowd.
I'm proud of this group photo. Not only because it shows so many lovely faces of all their guests, but also because of the technical challenges I had to think through while taking this photograph.
Big group photo of the entire wedding and guests just outside Furnace Falls Farm, behind the big barn.
The challenge was this:
Take one big group photo of EVERYONE at the wedding.
After dark.
In multiple layers.
You see, we didn't want to make Bronwyn's gran have to walk down those stairs again. It was getting late, and her legs were tired.
So we ended up making it easy on her. She was already sitting there on the bench on the right, so we had everyone else gather in the open space below.
But then I had to light each group with different light sources, because one light was just not enough.
And I had to make sure everyone was in focus, which meant a big depth of field.
Which meant shooting at a high aperture.
To those still following, you might appreciate this photo too 😜
To those not caring about the technicalities of it, you might simply enjoy this big group photo for what it is: a collection of happy people come to celebrate Bronwyn and Andrew's wedding at Furnace Falls Farm on this gorgeous summer day.
Let’s DANCE!
The dancing/party portion of the night is pretty much my favourite thing that happens at most weddings.
Before the dancefloor was open, the couple did their first dance.
Bride and groom at their first dance of the night, with their guests looking on.
Because it was dusk, I wanted to capture the beautiful sky above, but that meant that the people would be in almost complete shade.
So of course, I had to put up some big lights on either side of the dance floor.
I adjusted the settings so that the people's faces were well-lit, but the clouds are also visible behind them like in the image of Bronwyn and Andrew having their first dance. Or in this image here:
One of the images that took me the longest to make is the one of Bronwyn and the full moon.
I worked this one for quite a while. Bronwyn actually had no idea I was taking this shot. That’s because I used my zoom lens. She was just talking to her guests, probably about 30 meters away from me. Paparazzi, right? But it’s with good intentions!
So, I used my “long” zoom lens to try and get both the moon and her face in the same shot.
I took many photographs of this, but I wasn't happy with any of them.
The closest I got to being satisfied with this shot was this one here.
And of course I captured lots of happy dancing photographs as well because this is what makes a wedding a spectacularly joyful event.
People get drunk and dance.
Or they get high and dance.
Or they stay sober, and still dance!
It was really fun.
When I see people doing something really cool, I’ll ask to take their picture, like I did here with these two women who were smoking. I thought they looked so awesome how they were sitting together, and laughing.
And now, I want to leave you with a few more of my personal favourite photographs from this wedding, that don’t fit into a particular category, because they are mostly candid photographs of things that were just happening.
So that was at Andrew and Bronwyn's amazing wedding on the hottest day of summer, in which there was so much love, so much joy, so much family and friendship, and so much cause for celebration.😍
I am so happy this wonderful couple finally got to have the wedding day that they deserved and they had planned for so long.
The pandemic threw a bit of a curveball and threatened to disrupt their original plans, but they made it happen on this day in August of 2021, despite the heat and tornado, and it is a day that I will never forget for the rest of my life.
One of the last images of the night, bride and groom enjoying a dance at the end of their wedding reception
Wedding vendors who brought magic to Bronwyn and Andrew’s day:
Dress: @lovebirdbridal
Venue/food: @furnacefallsfarmretreat
Hair: @tinacoutanchehair
Floral crown: @creativegardensfloraldesign
Ceremony Musicians: Jon McClurg and Anthea Feaver
Did this wedding story at Furnace Falls Farm inspire you?
If so, click the button below and let’s daydream a little together about what your very own wedding or elopement could look like here, or at another similar country venue.