White Tent Summer Wedding At The Hidden Meadows a.k.a. Bee Spot | Maeve And Mac Tie The Knot Amidst Acres Of Wildflowers And Bees And Butterflies
How are you two most different?
“Maeve is strict and Mac is very easy going - we keep each other even keel”
A Summer Wedding Under The Stars In Tamworth
If you’re looking for the perfect spot in nature to get married and elope in Ontario, then look no further than the Hidden Meadows.
It’s 50 acres of wildflowers, planted flowers, bees, birds, butterflies… It’s magical
Tucked away right in the heart of Tamworth (Yes, it’s literally a 30 second walk from Tamworth downtown!), this place has all sorts of magic for folks wishing to get married or elope.
In fact, I’ve photographed both before, and you can check out the previous stories at the links below:
🎉 Late September Viking-themed wedding
🎉 Early fall elegant elopement with just close family
🎉 Spring elopement with a baby in tow!
This place suits all sorts of wedding plans, for all sorts of folks. Not to mention, the owners are fantastic, and always go over and above for every single little detail (Nadine is often seen picking fresh flowers from the fields if the bride needs a bouquet, or the flower girls want to hold a little bit of colour in their hands as well).
Getting Ready Photos
For this wedding, my second shooter Casey accompanied me.
She went to hang out with the guys, so she could document their getting ready, while I was with the girls at the Hidden Meadows house.
It’s so nice to have coverage of getting ready at both places, because that’s the one part of the day that you won’t be able to witness with your partner (unless you choose to get ready for your wedding together, which is a very modern and cool thing to do!)
In the girls’ quarters, they were mostly all crammed in the gorgeous bathroom, doing hair and makeup, braiding and straightening… It was an all-hands on deck type of affair.
The boys took it a bit easier, by the looks of it. They seemed to go from PJs to dressed-up in no time, and that left lots of time for laughing and cheersing.
One of the favourite moments of the day was when Maeve’s mother handed her something blue: a hand-written card. Maeve definitely teared up during that one, and I was lucky enough to catch it, even as I had to hop into the bathtub to have the space for the shot.
What a sweet moment. This picture - a tender hug between mother and daughter - speaks of so much love ❤️
Private Vows Between The Couple
While the guests were arriving and the wedding party were assembling over at the main ceremony location under the big maple, Maeve and Mac wanted to do a quick exchange of private vows.
Mac had to come out blindfolded so he would not see the beautiful Maeve, all done up.
They stood with their backs to each other and told each other beautiful words. I was too caught up in trying to get good photographs to catch all the vows exchanged, but that’s probably for the best, as these were meant to be just between the bride and groom.
Ceremony Under The Big Maple Tree
Afterwards, Nadine promptly whisked us away to the ceremony location via ATV, the choice mode of transportation on the grounds at the Hidden Meadows.
I’ve been on that ATV more times than I can count, and I love every ride, the wind whipping past your hair as the fields of flowers float by.
Nadine first delivered me and Mac at the ceremony, so that he could take his place, and so that I’d be ready for when Maeve would walk down the aisle.
Then, she brought Maeve over in her truck.
Maeve walked down the aisle with her grandfather, of which I took entirely too many photos (but all of them were so good I had a hard time choosing which ones to deliver).
The ceremony was beautiful and short and sweet. Everyone watched joyfully as the couple sealed their vows with a kiss and were declared married.
Wedding Party Photos In The Fields
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.
Reception Under The Big White Tent
The reception was a bit of a blur, because it was all really fun and easy.
Under the white tent, the tables were decorated with flowers picked right from the fields.
Beside the tent there was a table for gifts and a polaroid camera for guests to use, so they could put their picture in an guest book for the couple, along with a nice message.
There was a delicious dinner catered by Barn & Country Catering Services.
(It’s really difficult for me not to overeat at weddings. I remember having the jackfruit sliders, and they were yummy, and I think I went back for seconds? hm.. It’s very possible.)
There were speeches - which I usually document by trying to capture not only the main speaker, but also some of the reactions from the crowd. Sometimes you get tears, sometimes laughter, and sometimes both! It’s unpredictable and awesome what can happen at speeches.
Then there were drinks and cocktails supplied by the Mobile Bar: Maiden Voyage Mobile Bar Co.
And there was a live band! They were called The Weber Brothers .
It was a funny thing, because all of Tamworth had somehow heard about this live band, and there were distant neighbours sitting on porches, waiting for the musical entertainment.
And they were GOOD.
At one point, as a surprise from Mac, he actually got up on stage and got behind the drums to accompany the band. It was a lot of fun for Maeve to watch her new husband playing drums with the band on their wedding day.
There was a LOT of dancing, starting with the first dance.
First Maeve and Mac danced together, and I tried to use the light in different ways to capture a bit of the magic of that moment.
Then, Maeve danced with her grandfather while Mac danced with his mother. That was also beautiful, and actually Maeve got tired before her grandfather did! She had to take a little breather :)
Finally, everyone joined in, and they were still dancing later into the night when I left.
This wedding was such a great one, for so many reasons. It was all outdoors, and the weather was beautiful. The mosquitoes were kept at bay with some handy bug spray that was available everywhere.
There was great food and great entertainment. Great, happy, joyful and loving people…
There wasn’t a single thing that I would have said should have been different.
And did I mention the wedding favours? They were bottles of hot sauce! I mean… that’s pretty awesome, and what a great idea!
What a beautiful day!
Maeve and Mac stop for a quick kiss among the pink echinacea at the Hidden Meadows in Tamworth, right after their wedding ceremony.
Magic Vendors of the day:
Dress: @bridalsbyalmor
Planner/Coordinator: @hidden_meadows_weddings
Music: @weberbrothers
Flowers: @theplantedarrow
Venue(s): @the_bee_spot
Catering: @barnandcountrycatering
Assistant editor: @m.didyk