Winter Styled Wedding Shoot at The Frontenac Club, Kingston

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

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 Bowtied with Love

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.

“This shoot was designed with trendsetters who may have a bit of a rule breaking wild side in mind.”

says Heather, our wedding planner for this styled wedding shoot.

“The color inspiration for the shoot began with the icy blue dress and the vintage 1980’s Blue Spring china.”

Because Heather and the other wedding pros involved in this styled shoot did such a fantastic job, this blog has been quite difficult for me to put together.

Simply put: I don’t know where to start! I want to make sure you see the wonderful work of the incredible wedding pros that are available in YGK, and hopefully - book them for your wedding.

After much thought, I decided that splitting up the photographs from this styled shoot would make the most sense if I did it by categories.

So here it goes!

Our wonderful venue: The Frontenac Club

Here’s what Heather the wedding planner (of Bowtie Services) says about this venue:

“The backdrop for this winter wedding shoot, the Frontenac Club Inn, has been showcasing some of the city’s most beautiful limestone since 1845.

The Club was also recently renovated with lavish finishes, and decor in a stunning neutral palette with pops of deep blue, which made it an easy choice for an icy yet elegant winter theme.

The Club’s 20 guest rooms provide the perfect space to cozy up for an intimate micro-wedding.”

I’ve photographed at the Frontenac Club before, but not since it came under new ownership and had a COMPLETE remodel.

This place was stunning before, but now….?

Now it is a show-stopper.

It is sleek and modern and feels luxurious without any over-the-top kitch. It’s simply a luxury venue for anyone wanting comfort, style, and a little bit extra.

That’s it! I couldn’t reduce the photographs I had of the Frontenac Club from this styled winter wedding shoot to less than twelve! Hope you enjoyed those. Isn’t the colour scheme absolutely gorgeous? And of course Heather took it to another level with her details in blue and turquoise.

The Table Setting

I make a living out of photographing beautiful details at weddings. Despite this, Heather’s table settings at this wedding shoot blew me away. From the hand-calligraphed globe decorations by Jennico Calligraphy, to the flowers from the Kingston Flower Market, to the carefully folded and arranged napkins and place settings. Couples with gorgeous cocktails from the Frontenac Club itself, this was one table I wanted to sit at!

Wasn’t that gorgeous?

Those tiny touches, including the candles from Yummie Candles, really give this entire table setting such a feeling of luxury!

The Custom Calligraphy Invitations

Jennifer of Jennicocalligraphy is something else. She makes everything she touches sing. Jennifer is not only a talented calligrapher, she makes incredible designs for her invitations. She uses wax and hand-paintings with beautiful watercolours.

If you don’t already follow her, check out her work on Instagram. You won’t be disappointed!

The Rings & Belt

Above you got a sneak peek at that beautiful ring duo from Curiosity And Happenstance, but here are a few more shots to do the jewelry justice. You’ll see the stunning earrings and bracelet from there as well. Also included are shots of the gorgeous belt from Lovebird Bridal. Again, all this is thanks to Heather, the wedding planner, who has the greatest talent for combining ideas and vendors into true and inspiring magic.

The Hot Chocolate Bar!

Because this was a wintery wedding, Heather’s idea to stage a hot chocolate bar outside, next to the fire, was GENIUS!

There were all sorts of cookies included in there, including desserts from Sandie’s Cookie Creations, and chocolate-covered berries from Cocktail Hour Treats. I’ll mention the cake in its own category soon, so don’t worry!

If you’re planning a late fall or a winter wedding, you should definitely pay close attention to these cosy and heart-warming ideas for how to make your outdoor experience a tasty and cheery one, even when it’s chilly out!

My favourite was probably the hot chocolate blocks that you literally dissolve in mugs of hot water. Such a wonderful way to warm your hands and connect with your partner while waiting for your beverage to melt into itself ❤️

I mean, come on! Doesn’t this just make you want to throw on a shawl and sit outside like our happy models? Sure, I’m not technically a winter-loving person, but I could get behind a warm fire and a hot chocolate bar at my wedding. It’s a no-brainer!

The CAKE!

The time has come to reveal this gorgeous creation that was completely unique and fit to perfectly match this fire & ice shoot. Nothing about this wedding-styled shoot was exactly typical, so why would the cake be?

So what was it? It was an all-black three-layer buttercream delight. Cake artistry was by Cake Cupboard, and there’s nothing really I can say to describe it because it was purely delicious. Moist and flavourful on the inside, and completely show-stopping on the outside.

By the way, I really scored big at the end of the night because I got to take it home, where me and my kids and husband DEVOURED It in about one sitting. Is it possible it had poppy seeds inside? It’s possible. I couldn’t tell you, because I inhaled it.

Luckily, I got photographs of its existence! Here you go. Enjoy!

The Gorgeous Flowers

I would like to turn to the flowers next. And here I’m talking about not just the bouquet, but also the anklet, boutonniere, and table flowers. These were all lovingly created by Kingston Flower Market and were officially one of my favourite things to photograph during this wintery wedding-styled shoot.

So let’s enjoy those deep colours and make it fill us with flowery love.

The Fireplace Garland

The rooms in the Frontenac Club are stunning and brand newly remodeled. They have a giant fireplace, around which Heather scoped a beautiful garland lovingly created by Julia of Wild Woods Floral Design. This made the room cozy and wintery, and was the perfect backdrop against which to pop some bubbly.

The Handwritten Sign & Jacket

There are some details that just complete the entire experience. The jacket & sign were two of those details. Just when I thought our wonderful vendors couldn’t deliver any more magic, they did!

Some of my favourite photographs from the day

There are a few photos we took that don’t fit into a category above, but should be included nonetheless. So here they are, in no particular order.

This wintery styled wedding shoot was one for the books. Her theme was genius, and she pulled the ideas together so perfectly that it was as though she had been planning it for months, not mere weeks.

If you’re getting married in Kingston, you really ought to have a chat with Heather. She will make your life 1000x easier, not just on your wedding day, but in all the days and months leading up to it. After having worked with heather multiple times now, and meeting her past clients, I have nothing but incredible things to tell you about her. So go ahead and get in touch :)

Video by Leigh J Films

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Thank you to all of the amazing people/vendors who assisted in making this shoot come to life! 

Magestic Venue: Frontenac Club Inn

Planner & décor & pulling-all-together-fairy: Bowtie Services

Photography magic: US OF COURSE ❤ Quirky Love Photography

Videography magic: the amazing Casey of Leigh J Films

Spectacular Calligraphist: Jennico Calligraphy

Florist extraordinaire: Kingston's Flower Market

Epic Garland: Wild Woods

Delicious Berries: Cocktail Hour Treats

Desserts to die for: Sandy's Cookie Creations

Cake: Cake Cupboard

Twinkly Candles: Yummie Candles

Sparkly Jewelry: Curiosity and Happenstance

Dress❤️: JJ House

Dress belt: Lovebirds Bridal Boutique

Suit: RW & Co.

Hair: MacKenzie Hair

Makeup: Jess Bird

Nails: katznails5

Models: Katrina & Ricardo

And for couples that are not 100% sure about having a winter wedding, here’s what Heather has to say about that:

“There are countless reasons to fall in love with winter weddings: Crisp, clean fallen snow, and snuggling by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa, while wrapped in a fur blanket.

Although the winter days are cooler and nighttime comes earlier, many venues offer discounted rates and your guests’ schedules may be less hectic, making the winter months an ideal time for a wedding.”

read more on her blog.

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