My latest wedding was this past weekend at Chippewa Park. Sarah and Andrew chose me to capture their special day I couldn't have felt more honoured. First of all, the location is fantastic, it's so beautiful there that anytime I get to shoot a wedding at Chippewa, I feel so lucky. It also helped that Andrew and Sarah were the absolute perfect couple to follow around for the day. Lastly, it was perfect weather for a wedding. The sun was shining with a few clouds dispersed in the sky offering the occasional shade.
My day stared in the early afternoon catching some fleeting moments of Sarah and her bridesmaids, two of which who were men! As soon as I saw that I thought back to my own wedding where I remember my wife saying she probably would have had a couple of her male friends in her bridal party. I spent about 10 minutes in one of the cabins observing the nervous energy that comes with every wedding. Before I knew it, we were making our way to the main area where the wedding would take place. After a short period, and some great initial candid shots of guests it was time to get the ceremony started. It took place in behind the main building at Chippewa in the open grassy field.
The ceremony itself was a pleasure to photograph. There was so much genuine emotion, not only from Sarah and Andrew but all the family and friends in the crowd. You could really feel all the love and admiration. As with most ceremonies, it was over before it began, at least that's what felt like. It was then time for some family and group portraits. We decided to do all the portraits right in front of the building which was built from logs. It made for the perfect backdrop.
Unique to Chippewa is the fact that it has a small amusement park which lends itself to some great photos opportunities and that is exactly what happened once the wedding party set out on the rides. The first ride was the bumper cars which was so much fun photographing. Everyone had a great time on those. I almost wish I had hopped on to capture some photos from the action but I just stayed on the side lines and photographed from afar. Next up after that was the Merry-Go-Round and eventually the Tilt-A-Whirl. Suffice it say, I came way with some truly unique photos.
The last part of the day was the reception. From the speeches to the dances to the garter toss, there was never a shortage of important and fun moments happening. The food was also fantastic and was made my Pinetree Catering. The had the food truck there as well. Along with the food and people, the decorations were fantastic as well. There were so many different things to take in that I had to make sure I got everything. From an appetizer table with endless arrays of food, to a tea station and also a couple different dessert tables to name a few.
My favourite part of the reception was by far all the dancing photos I captured. I only included but a few here but I came away with more then any other wedding I can remember. I still can't believe just how many people got up and danced throughout the night. Once my night was over, I said a quick goodbye to Sarah and did my best to find Andrew but he was somewhere I couldn't find him. I know that wherever he was though, he was having a good time because both Sarah and Andrew were smiling the entire day. That is always a good sign that you are enjoying your wedding day which is how it should be. Thank you to both of them for letting me be part of such an important day.
