Cheyanne + Jason Wedding - Fort William Historical Park

My last wedding of the year was definitely one to remember and a fitting end to a crazy and fun year. Cheyanne and Jason had their wedding at Fort William Historical Park, which, as I mentioned on many occasions, is one of the most beautiful locations in town.

The ceremony, because of the season, took place inside. It was a very elegant set up, for an intimate group of people. It was a short and sweet. ceremony, but one filled with so much emotion. Soon after it was done, the entire wedding party made their way to the inside of the park.

Luckily the weather held up with a slight hail storm hitting us just as we were finishing up. It was more than enough time to get all the group and individual photos done. I of course made sure to snap a ton of candids in between. Cheyanne and Jason even brought some umbrellas that we had some fun with.

The reception was a blast! It was a laid back evening, but a fun one. The entrances were full of energy, the speeches offered a mix of laughs and tears. The first dances were so beautiful and of course, the dancing afterwards resulted in so many good photos.

I still can’t believe this wedding season is over. It was my busiest yet, and I simply can’t wait until next year.

Jason + Jen Family Portraits

When Jason asked me if I wanted to capture his wife Jen’s birthday party at their home, I immediately said yes. It’s not often you get to take photos for another photographer. A great one at that! It was a nice small intimate get together at their home which made it that much more fun.

I made sure to get a lot of candid moments, mixed in with a few posed, yet natural, photos here and there. It also helped that there were babies too. I love photographing babies!

Rebecca + Jason Wedding - The Chanterelle

I was back at the Chanterelle for another wedding, this time with Rebecca and Jason. This one was a lot bigger than my last one, and took place in the main ballroom. My day started about 30 minutes before the ceremony was planned to start. So that gave me a chance to spend some tie with Jason and the boys, as well as some of the closest family members.

Soon after, Rebecca arrived and the ceremony. Looking on, waiting for her to make her way down the isle, and I just took in the rows of guests anxiously waiting too. It has felt like forever, since I last saw that indoors.

The ceremony was short and sweet with a lot of great little moments that I was able to capture. For the portraits, we hopped on the bus and went to the Law School down the street, which is where I originally went to high school, when it was one. It was fun spending about 45 minutes taking photos of the wedding party and their family. the weather held up, even though it was a bit windy.

There was still some time to kill, so I suggested the guys get some photos done downtown, in front of the nice graffiti walls. Those actually ended up being some of my favourite photos from the day!

We then headed back to The Chanterelle, for the rest of the evening. The appetizers were absolutely amazing, along with the dinner. There were lots of great speeches, some tears and a lot of laughter too. Just before I was done for the night, Rebecca and Jason did their first dance, and the parent dances. It was the perfect end to an extremely fun day for me. I’m super thankful, as always, that they chose me to capture their special day.

Jennifer + Jason Wedding - Pass Lake

Even though Jennifer and Jason live in Southern Ontario, they decided to have their wedding here in Thunder Bay with family. The location, their parents’ camp out on Pass Lake. It was definitely one of the most beautiful settings I have had the pleasure of being at for a wedding. Luckily I was there from the afternoon to the late evening, which allowed me to spend some quality time with everyone.

The day started with Jennifer getting ready in the main house. I could feel the anticipation in the air, but otherwise, everyone was pretty laid back. It made for a great atmosphere to take photos in. Both candid, and of course some posed. The only drawback was that there was cooking going on in the kitchen, which was making me hungry.

Next up were the guys. It was a very small wedding, so it was just Jason and his brother. As you can see from the photos, there was no mistaking that they were brothers. From there, I wandered around the property to capture all the nice details and scenery, along with candids of people as they arrived. It was an overcast day which made for the perfect weather for photos.

The ceremony began a little bit later in the afternoon and it was a short but definitely didn’t lack on sweetness, and laughs. With the backdrop of the Lake behind them, it was pretty difficult not to come away with great photos.

We then did some family portraits and eventually the first set of photos with just Jennifer and Jason. The reception took place under a nice big open tent. The great thing was that everyone wandered around and mingled, which allowed me to continue to get nice candids.

The rest of the night was super fun, with the usual speeches, first dance, cake cutting and just general good times. I got to meet a lot of the friends and family which is probably the thing I like most about these short ‘backyard’ weddings.

The highlight of the day for me was meeting their grandmother. I learned quickly that she spoke her mind, and didn’t hold anything back. Long story short, she told me the they shouldn’t even have hired a photographer. She didn’t believe it was worth it. She then went on to ask me how much I was charging! After telling Jennifer and Jason about this, laughing as I did so, word quickly spread and everyone was not surprised. That was just how ‘granny’ was. I took no offence, and to be honest, it’s those fleeting conversations that I embrace as weddings are adapting to become smaller and more intimate. I just hope she likes these photos!

Jason + Family Portraits - Thunder Bay Marina

This past weekend I had a great time photographing Jason and his extended family. We chose the Thunder Bay Marina as the location and, aside from it being a bit chilly, it ended up being the perfect location. All the kids had a great time and were running around when they weren't sitting still to strike a pose. Although, we had to make sure they stayed away from the trails, as most of them were iced right over. I think I even almost fell once myself.

Some of the family was visiting from New Zealand so suffice it to say, it was a little colder then they were used to. But, with that being said, everyone was a great sport. It goest to show you, that winter photos can be just as nice as warmer weather ones. I couldn't have asked for better kids to photograph too. No matter what they were asked to do, they embraced it with open arms. 

We came away with so many great photos and I'm so glad I was able to capture some memories that will hopefully last a lifetime.