Patrick Chondon 9/26/19 Patrick Chondon 9/26/19

Melissa + Ryan Wedding

Last month, I met yet another amazing couple in Melissa and Ryan. They tasked me with capturing their wedding day, and that’s exactly what I did. I had a great time doing so. My day started with their ceremony which took place at Faith City Church. It was my first time shooting at that location and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was inside. As guests arrived, I worked the candid scene and just looked for moments while everyone waited for the wedding to start.

I would estimate the ceremony taking about 1 hour if that. I find most ceremonies nowadays aren’t really too long which is nice for everyone involved. The next stop was for portraits, which took place at Seaman Park, which is essentially the entrance to Centennial Park. It’s always a beautiful location and one I have used a few times for weddings in the past. There is a nice open field surrounded by trees and an easy path down to the water. We took care of all the family portraits by the trees then eventually headed down to the water for some more bridal party portraits and of course just ones of Melissa and Ryan.

The last stop of the day was Current River Recreation Centre, where the reception was to take place. Just like the the previous portion of the day it was very laid back. There were some first dances, some heartfelt speeches, a trivia game and of course the shoe game too, which is always great for the crowd. They even Mackinley The Magician performing card tricks throughout the night. I would have loved to have him do one for me but I of course had to work. Regardless, I made sure to get a lot of photos of him interacting with the guests.

As it usually does, the whole day flew by. Ryan and Melissa were an amazing couple to photograph and the entire wedding party were a blast to hang around with!

Patrick Chondon 6/30/17 Patrick Chondon 6/30/17

Maureen + Ryan Wedding

I didn't really know what to expect going into Maureen and Ryan's wedding, which took place this past weekend in their backyard. It was going to be a short wedding as they only had me for 2 hours so I knew I had to work extra hard to make sure I capture enough moments without really forcing anything. Well, lucky for me, a lot happened in that 2 hours and it may go down as my most unique wedding to date.

As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by a very inquisitive family dog who just wanted someone to throw his tennis ball. Sadly, I just didn't have the time to do so, instead I took a nice photo. I then made my way around the property a bit and inspected where everything would be taking place. As soon as I found the tent where the ceremony was going to be, I noticed a huge lifted truck painted green with skulls all around. Right then I knew, it was going to be a very different wedding.

As guests gathered, I did my usual thing and took a lot of candid photos. Soon after, Ryan arrived driving a side by side towing his groomsmen behind them. He, along with the boys were all dressed up in very stylish came attire. That was the first of many firsts that day during any wedding that I had previously photographed. As everyone got settled and made their way to the tent area, the bridesmaids and eventually Maureen made their way toward the alter.

The backdrop for the ceremony was simply awesome, as Maureen and Ryan stood in front of his truck. As with most ceremonies these days, theirs was fairly quick, which I'm sure guests in general really appreciate. They soon sealed their vows with a kiss and it was time for another first for me. Out in the open field, they rigged a hay stay stack with some explosives. I was told, along with all the guests, to put ear plugs in. Admittedly, I wondered if they were really necessary. How loud could it be after all? Thank god I did. Andrew, who's wedding a photographed a couple years ago, set up with this monstrous rifle, and fired one shot into the hay stack. Then BOOM. The loudest explosion I have very heard could be seen off in the distance, with the ground and hay flying everywhere. It was really a site to behold.

Once the dust settled, we did all the family portraits. We used the backdrop of the open field along with a beautiful old barn for most of the portraits. Of course, we also took advantage of the big truck for a lot of truly unique photos as well. My favourite was definitely Maureen, in the back of the truck, holding the long rifle giving me one of the best bride poses ever. It was a fitting end to such a fun and unique wedding.

To be honest, that is what I love most about shooting weddings in general. I always have to be on my toes. A lot of the times I have no idea what is going to be thrown at me and I am constantly adapting to different situations. Thanks you to Maureen and Ryan for letting me be a part of their wedding day.

Patrick Chondon 10/31/13 Patrick Chondon 10/31/13

Ryan + Chelsea Wedding

This was probably one of the most last minute weddings I have ever done. Ryan had contacted me about a week prior to their wedding, we met a few days later and then the wedding was here. Just like that. Right up until the Saturday the actual location wasn’t even confirmed. They had it narrowed down to two locations, and depending on the unpredictable weather, they would choose accordingly. Well, with it being a bit too cold outside for an outdoor wedding, they went with the Conservatory. I had previously shot a couple weddings here before and I simply couldn’t wait to do so again. It’s such a great location to work with.

The ceremony itself was very small and intimate. In total there were about 7 people at the wedding, including the bride and groom. This really allowed me to get some nice candid shots of everyone. Once the wedding started Ryan and Chelsea took their spot on the small bridge. As everyone watched on they said their vows and then it was over. Short, sweet and very joyful. As always, we took some time to get some family photos against the various beautiful backdrops within the conservatory. It was then off to the Mission Marsh for some portraits with Ryan and Chelsea.

The weather was very brisk and Chelsea was a real trooper. She was just in her wedding dress with really no protection from the cold. Even after multiple offers from Ryan willing to hand over his jacket she politely said no for fear of ruining some of the photos. It definitely wasn’t in vain as I think these are some of the best portrait shots I have gotten this year. They were very natural behind the camera and it really showed. My favourite was a very simple yet effective shot where they were holding each other down the trail.

After about an hour walking around we quickly finished up with one final shot with the Sleeping Giant in the background. Then it was time to get Chelsea back into the warm vehicle to try and defrost! Ryan and Chelsea were a pleasure to photograph and as always I am so lucky to have been part of their day.