Celebrating the Acquisition of the Victoria Inn

I was on-hand this week to photograph a ribbon-cutting and gala dinner at the Victoria Inn to celebrate the culmination of a collaboration which they say is a step toward economic empowerment and community viability.

To learn more about this very important event, check out the news release at the TBnewswatch website.

Family Day Powwow - Victoria Inn

Some highlights from the amazing Family Day Powwow that took place at Victoria Inn. It was such a great turnout and I just did my best to capture some of the excitement while I was there for about a half hour.

Jamie + Cory Wedding

One of my last weddings of the year was another family affair. It was my wife’s niece Jamie and Cory’s wedding. It goes without saying that I was very excited to capture it. I knew it would be a fun day, but that didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be working hard all day, which is exactly what happened. 

My portion of the day started first thing in the morning with Jamie and the rest of her bridal party at the Victoria Inn. The original plan was to spend about an hour with them, then head over to the where the boys were at their house. Well, I rarely find that weddings go as planned and I ended up spending a lot more time with the girls then originally planned. It was fine by me though, because there was a lot going on, and I came away with a ton of good photos. To be honest, there is usually more going in when the girls get ready then when I photograph guys.

I photographed the girls while they were doing their makeup, nails and pretty much all else that goes into getting ready for the Jamie’s big day. All the photos below are simply a small sampling of what I captured, it was definitely hard to narrow it down. My favourite part of this portion of the day is when Jamie got a brief moment to say hi and bye to her two little ones. I eventually had permission to leave when Jamie and the rest of the girls were all dressed up, so  I rushed to where Cory was getting ready and instantly took a handful of photos. I was literally in and out in 10 minutes. The boys had to hurry up and get to Mount McKay where the ceremony was taking place. 

Once I arrived at Mount McKay I grabbed my cameras and got some photos of guests arriving and eventually the rest of the wedding party. It was kind of a unique wedding in that there was a first ceremony for close family and then another shortly after where everyone could attend. As a photographer, I will never complain about being given the opportunity to photograph two ceremonies for one wedding. They both had a completely different feel and the photos I took reflected that. 

The main (second) wedding took place in the main grandstand which was quite beautiful with the mountain framing everything behind. I had a lot more room to work with during the second ceremony, and there were more people which meant more opportunity for candid photos which I love to do. As soon as it was over, everyone gathered around the outside of the grandstand and congratulated the bride and groom, then it was off to do some family portraits. It was actually quite a hot summer day so my main goal was working in the shade as best I could. It was hard to do because we were in the wide open, but I did manage to eventually find some. That is where we did all the family portraits, and there were quite a few. 

The portraits took a little longer then expected because we had to wait around for a bit, but I was still able to get a few quick photos down at the entrance to the mountain where there is a beautiful swing hanging from a tree. I didn’t even know it was there until Jamie suggested it. I have since used that location one time since then for a portrait session. 

It was then time for a short break so I went home, regrouped and had something to eat. Before I knew it, it was time to head to the reception at the Victoria Inn. As usual, before all the guests arrived, I got some detail shots of the decorations and of course cake. From that point on it was just a matter of looking for moments with people interacting and having fun. That was not hard to do. One of my favourite moments from the ceremony was when Jamie was handed a beer outside in the hall, and as soon as she opened up, it started foaming from being shaken. Like any crazy bride would do, she quickly brought it up to her mouth and I drank the whole thing. Everyone around her cheered their approval. 

As mentioned in the first paragraph, this wedding included some extended family of mine so the table I sat it included some close friends and relatives. Plus, my wife eventually showed up which was so awesome. Oh, and did I mention, it happened to be my birthday. It was the second year in a row that I was shooting a wedding on my birthday. 

I’m not one for attention and especially when I photograph, I try to be discreet unless I’m interacting with people. Well, I got called up to the head table to get a group shot, but I soon realized that it was a trick to get me to the front. Before I knew it, Tony was on the mic getting the entire crowd of 200+ people to sing happy birthday to me. It was a cruel thing to do but greatly appreciated. I can go on record and say that it was the most people at one time that have ever sang happy birthday to me. Suffice it to say, I was a bit taken aback. 

After the speeches were done, it was time for the cake cutting and then eventually the dancing. The first dances were very nice and with the huge dance floor I had a lot of room to move to compose some really good photos. Then it was time for the dancing to start and a lot of the crowd do so immediately. Because I was with friends and family I stayed longer then I was required to and hung out for a bit. The good thing about staying a bit later then usual, is that I was able to get some epic dancing photos, the garter and bouquet toss and eventually a huge group of people forming a training dancing through the entire room. It was a fitting end to a long but extremely fun wedding. 

Family weddings are always fun to photograph, and Jamie and Cory’s wedding was no different. It was some of the most fun I have had at any wedding all year. They were so kind and generous and extremely easy to photograph. The same goes for all their friends and family as well!

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Brent + Steph Wedding

What can I say about Brent and Steph's wedding day. It was such a blast and the day went by so very fast. I couldn't have asked for a more fun couple to photograph. Plus their entire wedding party along with the family were equally as fun and easy going. There were a ton of moments that I was able to capture and you can see a bunch of them below. But first, a little about my experience from the day.

My part of the day started at the Marina with the guys anxiously awaiting the guests to arrive. The ceremony took place at the Spirit Garden which is such a lovely location. It took about 20 minutes for the guests to start arriving so that gave the guys some time to loosen up with some drinks. Plus it was a pretty hot day so of course it was important to stay 'hydrated'. 

In that time I simply walked around and just documented the guys interacting and talking. It also gave me a chance to scout the location, even though I have been there many times before. Although, this would be my first wedding to photograph there. 

Once the guests started to arrive Brent snuck away for a while so he could spend some time to himself. The rest of the guys helped seat the guests and greet people. I think that is the way it should be and it was a great idea. I was able to get a whole bunch of candid photos of the guests arriving and mingling. Especially some with the kids as well. 

Just before it was time for Steph to approach the area I hurried over to the path in behind the Spirit Garden to get some shots of those anxious moments. One of my favourite photos of the entire day was of Steph and her Dad just slightly peeking over the hill. It was only a split second but it's photos like that, that I absolutely always look for. And then just like that everyone took their seat and it was time for the girls and eventually Steph to make their way down the isle. 

It all happened quite fast but I'm sure it felt like slow motion for Brent. With the Marina one side of the and all the guests on the other, Brent and Steph said their vows. It was a very beautiful ceremony and looking at the reactions of the guests, and often an emotional one. He would later get teased for it, but Brent had a few moments as well. I learned that this would happen on multiple occasions throughout the night. And there is nothing wrong with that. I think I even had tears a couple times on my wedding day. 

Once the ceremony was over, everyone spent some time congratulating the newly wed couple. It was then off to the back part of the marina that overlooks Lake Superior. This is where I suggested we do the family portraits. It ended up being the perfect location as it wasn't very far from where the ceremony was and there was a nice low brick wall that everyone was able to stand in front of. With the Lake in the background it was the perfect backdrop.

We finished up there and then made our way back to the Spirit Garden to get some group photos as well as shots of Brent and Steph. The backdrop here was fantastic to work with as we used the logs on the hill. I also decided to take advantage of the chairs from the wedding that were still set up. It was then off to the central part of the marina to get some more portraits of the wedding party. It goes without saying that there are always going to be formal portraits, but everyone made sure to still have fun with and the result as some very natural looking portraits. 

The gang then jumped back on the bus and before we made our way to Vickers Park, they made a pitstop at the liquor store. Yes, the liquor store. Hey, when you run out of drinks you gotta do something about it. Suffice it to say, I followed them in and was actually able to get a few good photos of them inside. Then.... it was off to Vickers Park for some more portraits. Not only was the weather awesome for their wedding, warm and cloudy, but Vickers Park was very green and the trees looked amazing. So that is what we used as a backdrop, the trees. 

Some of the best photos of the day happened at Vickers Park. My favourite from this portion of the wedding was one of the group shots. I had Brent and Steph move forward about 10 feet in front of the rest of the group so that I can isolate them yet still see everyone else in the background. On my cue everyone was supposed to jump behind them as Brent and Steph kissed. It was great the first time around but just to be safe I got then to do it one more time. Well, the second time around, the girls jumped but the boys didn't, they just pointed and laughed. It was just such a priceless and spontaneous moment which I loved. 

It was then eventually off to the Victoria Inn for the reception. I made sure to show up about 30 minutes early to get some photos of the decor and details. I have shot a few reception in the same ballroom but I'm always amazed how different and beautiful it looks each time I do it. Brent and Steph did an amazing job making it their own. As the guests arrived I continued to get my usual candid photos. Eventually dinner was served and the speeches began. I was able to get some good emotional moments from some of the guests and a bunch from the wedding party. And yes, I believe shed a few more tears at the reception, and there is nothing wrong with that! 

After a nice photo slideshow which documented Brent and Steph's life, it was then time for the first dance. With all the guests watching on it was very sweet seeing Brent and Steph do their first dance. You could tell that they didn't even notice all the people around them watching on. Steph then had a dance with her father and Brent with his mom. The band then started up and everyone else joined in. Along with the guests dancing I was able to get a few good shots of the Steph and her grandfather dancing too. It was a very special moment. The cake cutting was the last thing to take care of and then my day was done. 

As I mentioned earlier, it was a pleasure being a part of Brent and Steph's special day. There are too many favourite moments to mention which says a lot about the entire day. Just like I always do I would like to thank both of them for choosing me to document their wedding. I couldn't be happier with all the great photos I came away with and I just hope they like them as much as I do!

Before heading down to all the photos, check out 7 of my favourites converted to my vintage style. These are included in every wedding I shoot and each one is completely unique from the next. It's not everyone's cup of tea but for those who like this kind of treatment might think it's pretty cool!

Ceremony

Portraits

Reception