Sophie + Caleb Wedding - Whitewater Golf Club

My first spring wedding of the year was at the Whitewater Golf Club with the amazing Caleb and Sophie. I had the pleasure of photographing their engagement session last year and I knew right way after capturing them during that day, that their wedding was going to be a great time. Let's just say that I wasn't disappointed. Upon arrival, I didn't even see Caleb or Sophie, but I wasn't expected to. Not many people were there at 1:00pm so I unloaded my camera gear and started to get some photos of the decorations and atmosphere before everyone arrived. 

I recommend this for every wedding as it gives me a moment to take it all in and also get photos of things before they are altered or moved around. As the guests started to arrive I continued to get some candid photos of people, as I do with every single wedding. Honestly, the candid photos are the ones that couples tend to like the best, so I make sure to get a ton of them during the entire wedding day. I would go as far as saying that the bulk of the photos from each wedding are the natural, unposed ones. 

As I mentioned before, Caleb and Sophie were so great to work with during the engagement session. They were extremely relaxed and easy going. That came through with this wedding as well. It wasn't your traditional wedding where they had to only see each other at the ceremony. They were walking around talking before hand and we even did portraits before the ceremony took place. I'm not saying it's imperative all couples go about it this way, but it really allows for a a more spaced out wedding where the portraits aren't so rushed. I also got the chance to so some quick ring photos as well. 

Whitewater is such a beautiful location, inside and out so people not only took advantage of mingling inside but the patio served as a the perfect spot to hang out as well. As the guests arrived I was told that Sophie would be spending some time getting ready downstairs so I followed her down there and captured some fun shots of her and her bridesmaids. Again, everything was just so relaxed it made my job that much easier. 

Sophie and Caleb had decided to do the bulk of the portraits before the ceremony so we gathered everyone up and headed out to the front area where there is a nice field surrounded by some trees. Having shot here a few times before, it is the perfect locations for the family portraits as it is close and the backdrop is pleasant enough. Even though we had left plenty of time to get the portraits done, we did have to cut it short because of rain. Luckily, we did get all the group photos in, as well the guy and girl photos of each wedding party. We weren't too concerned with the couple shots of Sophie and Caleb because we would have time later in the evening around sunset to get those ones. 

Once we headed back to the reception area to prepare for the ceremony, everyone was getting excited for it start. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating. As soon as we were just about to get going, the rain came down hard. There was a moment when they were considering doing indoors, and they even moved almost all the chairs inside. Luckily, that was the last of the rain, and the ceremony would take place outside after all. I was so thankful, because the lighting was absolutely perfect. It was overcast which made for the perfect atmosphere. Plus it meant it was bit cooler as well.

The ceremony was beautiful, but it's hard not to be with such an amazing location as the backdrop and of course such a great couple in Sophie and Caleb. It didn't rain again and everything else went off without a hitch. Once the ceremony was done, everyone headed back inside to get ready for the reception.  As with most receptions, the food was fantastic and the speeches were also very moving and funny. Obviously, not being part of the family, I am a little detached from everything, but with that being said, I could fee the emotion in the air and I made sure to capture all those emotions. 

Other highlights include Caleb and Sophie smashing cupcakes into each others mouths, a garter and bouquet toss which had some splendid moments. And of course the first dance, followed by the dances with both father and mother. I also got the chance to do some portraits with Sophie and Caleb out on the golf course just as the sun was setting. I truly believe every single wedding couple should get away for at least 20 minutes to do this. Not only did it give them a bit of a breather from the whole day, but it also allowed us to just focus on the two of them, even just for a bit. It also goes without saying that shooting portraits as the sunsets allows for the absolute best lighting of the entire day. Suffice it say, we came away with some intimate and unique photos that I hope they will both cherish the rest of their lives. 

That was my night for the most part as my work was done at 10pm that evening. There were so many great moments throughout the day but on a personal note, my favourite one came from something new that I just started doing this year. As any wedding photographer would admit to, there are very few lulls during a wedding but seeing as how I had a moment to eat, I took those fleeting moments to obviously scarf down some fantastic prime rib as well as do up a short slideshow of the day. It was only 20 or so photos but it only took a short amount of time for such a truly memorable payoff. I chose some of my favourite photos from the day all the way up to the reception and created an short little looping slideshow on my older then old iPad. I handed it to Sophie and Caleb and left them to it. As I walked around to take some more photos I couldn't help but peak over to see how they were doing. To my surprise, the slideshow brought a smile to Caleb's face and tears to Sophie's. That moment, right there, reminded me why I love wedding photography so much. After that, I made sure to pass it around to all the guests in the reception and I think just about everyone viewed it. 

In the end, it was a small gesture on my part, but one that I think, at least gave them a sneak peek into the story I would eventually tell about their wedding day. Which is what I am sharing with everyone right now through the photos below. Lastly, something new I am offering for free at the moment is a personalized slideshow for each wedding. Even though it is a substantial amount of work, I just love the end result and it's worth the extra time and effort. You can see that directly below. Thanks as always to the Sophie and Caleb for letting me be a part of their wedding day!

For those who would like to view all the photos from the wedding day, follow the link below.
http://chondonphotography.pixieset.com/sophiecalebwedding/

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Sophie + Caleb Engagement - Centennial Park

We have been so lucky with the weather lately and this past Saturday was no exception. It couldn't have been a nicer day to do an engagement session with Sophie and Caleb. I will be photographing their wedding next May but they wanted to be sure to get some engagement photos done well before the wedding. The location they chose was Centennial Park which is very convenient as they live right down the street.

As soon as we all arrived we immediately started walking down the trail stopping along the way. I must say, sometimes it take a little while for couples to get 'comfortable' in front of the camera but Sophie and Caleb were absolute naturals. I honestly really didn't have to tell them anything other then where to stop and interact. This made the day so easy, relaxed and extremely fun. 

After walking through most of the park we ended up back where we started in the parking lot. Before we finished up, we made sure to go down to the river and get some beautiful photos on the water. What I found cool was that in a couple of the photos you could actually see their breath. It just added this nice little touch. As I was saying earlier, they were both very easy going and they proved it on the final few photos. I asked them both to walk back on to the bridge so I could get a nice wide angle shot of the two of them. 

And, that was it. The hour went be extremely fast and I'm very happy with how the photos turned out. Both Sophie and Caleb were a pleasure to photograph and I simply can't wait until the wedding next year.