There are so many beautiful places to take photographs at the Hidden Meadows (A.k.a. Bee Spot) that it’s almost difficult, because you have to choose…

Luckily owner Nadine pointed us to a place in the fields that was easy to access and I loved it because it had a generous smattering of pink echinacea! It was so beautiful to use that as the backdrop (and foreground) to the wedding party photos.

We didn’t take too long here, because it was bright and sunny and we didn’t want people to have to squint too long in the sun. We took a few photos and went back to enjoy cocktail hour.

Denise and Kevin are awesome, and I’ve already gushed about them and how cute they are together over here on their engagement blog.

But today’s all about their wedding.

Their gorgeous, GLORIOUS, backyard wedding, right in the back of their lush property, very near to where I live.

(So close, in fact, that at the end of the wedding, when I headed home and parked my car in my driveway, I could still hear the distant pumping of the music from the tail-end of their wedding… and swallowed through a major case of FOMO haha.)

To be fair, they met about 30 years ago, but didn’t really connect until much later. They were married once before, and have older children (who were an amazing and important part of the wedding day!)…

So for this wedding, they just wanted to make it really their own.

Nothing fussy or stuffy.

That’s why they chose Spearhead Brewery for the venue.

Since it’s nearly Halloween, how about a Halloween Wedding blog?

Now, just because you decide to have your wedding on Halloween doesn’t mean you need to dress up like a ghoul, or involve any aspects of horror.

In fact, it could mean that you’re just into all things goth and vintage, and you want to wear a black dress and a red cape and—

Oops, I’m giving it all away before I’ve properly introduced the story!

Let’s start from the beginning.

Amber and Pete are two cool kids in love. They are young, but their love is mature, like the kind you cultivate after years being together and weathering all sorts of shite.

Bailey really wanted a queer-positive team to make her guests feel safe and seen and heard. Some of Bailey’s most important people - her most loved ones - are queer. So, it was super important for her to have a photographer who not only knows their way around a camera on a wedding day… but also (and perhaps even more importantly!) makes everyone who Bailey and her partner Chris invited to their wedding feel welcome and loved.

And this is my jam.

Libby and Bernie’s children had put together a gorgeous slideshow of photographs from Libby and Bernie’s 65 years of life.

This is when I got all choked up.

There were imaged of them as a newlywed couple…

Images of them as parents to very young kids… the same kids that were gathered here today to celebrate their parents… and had brought their OWN children…

Wow, do I have a good story for you today! (it’s a bit different from usual, because the images you’ll be seeing are actually the full spreads of the couple’s wedding album)

FINALLY I’m able to blog about this wedding, because Val & Thomas have revealed their surprise elopement to their family and friends. All in all, the news was received really well!

Some family might have been completely thrown off, and maybe even unhappy. When I had a spur of the moment elopement, my aunt wasn’t thrilled about missing it. But it was nothing personal - we didn’t omit her because she’s not special to us - she definitely is! We didn’t invite anyone because we literally had two days to plan, and it required an overseas trip…

I was completely excited for this day, even though I didn’t know many of the details. All I really needed to know was that the colours would be gorgeous, all the important folks were attending, and that everything else would be just right.

The forest was adjacent to Lu’s parents’ place, in Landsdowne. It was a beautiful drive there, the trees were just starting to turn colour. I drove onto a forest county road lined with yellow and orange trees.

Sarah and Mike are a bit of an exception. Theirs was one of the earlier weddings I photographed this year, though I also had one in March, and previous years, I’ve photographed a fair share of winter weddings.

April can be a beautiful month to get married, especially if you have a great indoor venue, like the Frontenac Club Inn, with access to the outside in case of great weather.

There’s nothing to fear in having an early spring wedding. Sure, trees aren’t blossoming quite yet in Ontario (I always get a bit envious when I see my European friends and family posting all sorts of beautiful blossoms and flowers in March and April, while we’re still covered in ice here in the Kingston-Toronto area…)

A Beautiful Sunny Day For An Elopement In Tamworth, Ontario

We had planned to meet at the Hidden Meadows in Tamworth just a few minutes before 2pm. Rebecca would change into her dress and shoes quickly, and we would head to the fields.

I met up with them at about 1:50, just in time to see Rebecca and Dave pulling in.

Baby Cole was in the baby seat, and they took him out. He was very curious about this place, and sat patiently in his car seat as his parents unbuckled him and got him dressed for the elopement.

What can we say? The first kiss as newlyweds is an important part of the wedding ceremony. And as with dancing, there are many different kinds of kisses. We love to capture this important ritual, its another favourite part of any wedding.

Kissing helps couples bond, improves compatibility, and boosts happiness. It also improves your immune system, reduces stress, and lowers blood pressure; what could be better?

They weren’t looking for anything stuffy and formal, mind you.

They just wanted the folks who were near and dear to their heart to be photographed all in a group!

This is why having me, their photographer, at their rehearsal dinner made so much sense.

We could take time to get a bunch of group photos on the Friday at the rehearsal, and reduce the amount of time we would need to take group photos on the Saturday, their actual wedding day.

Ellen and Tim are both incredibly sweet people, and they are loved and adored by SO many, reflected in the large wedding party they had.

With big wedding parties, it’s important to arrive with enough time during the getting ready portion of the wedding, so that you can capture not just the folks getting married but everyone else in their midst.

What can we say? We love it. It's our absolute favourite part of any wedding. Weddings are a celebration and we don't think there's any better way to celebrate than by having a dance party. We love the faces, the movements, the wild abandon, the romance, the groping - ALL OF IT! Bring it…

It's our bread and butter. Whether DJ, live band, or iPod on shuffle, we're IN!

Let’s talk about microweddings! It’s been a long year but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the couples we’ve photographed, it’s that humans have an incredible gift for resilience and being creative during times of limitation.

Microweddings could be the way people choose to get married this year, and maybe for a little while longer this decade, just until things calm down a bit and people feel safe. Or it’ll be like the roaring 1920s and all the weddings are going to turn into 90’s style raves complete with glow sticks and love bombs.

I don’t like to start with a brag, but this styled wedding shoot was recently featured in Today’s Bride!

That feels pretty epic.

I cannot take most of the credit though, because that goes to the amazingly talented wedding planner Heather McArthur of Bowtie Services.

She planned the theme (FIRE & ICE!), the colours, and scouted the models & vendors. All I had to do show up and shoot. And that’s what I did.

If you’re asking yourself whether a second photographer is necessary for your wedding…

Or you’re wondering how I got my start as a wedding photographer…

Read this blog with photos from one of my first weddings, back in 2016, shooting for the talented Tim Forbes.

Many couples yearn for a quiet and magical elopement, full of nature’s wonder. And this is exactly what you’ll find at the Hidden Meadows, any week between June and October.

She had to wear a black garbage bag for a part of the day, but it was for a good reason! ❤️

Read the story of Sara and Iain’s wintry wedding day on the blog today!

At their ceremony, Sarah played the ukulele and sang a beautiful rendition of Ingrid Michaelson's "Giving Up" for Oliver. LOTS OF TEARS were shed. Rings exchanged, and a kiss to seal the deal and it was OFFICIAL: THEY WERE MARRIED!