Maureen + Ryan Wedding

Patrick Chondon June 30, 2017

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.

Shannon + Chris Wedding - River Valley Farm

Patrick Chondon June 29, 2017

Chris for the day. I had already photographed them a year earlier for their engagement photos at Lakehead University. Before we got the wedding site at River Valley Farm, my day started with the bridal party getting their hair and makeup done at La Moda.

Upon arrival, I immediately had my camera in hand and weaved my way in and out of the girls getting ready. Luckily, La Moda, is fairly spacious which allowed me to get some good angles and moments of the girls. After about 15 minutes or so, I then made my way across town to Fort William where the boys were gathered. They were already dressed so I just did my best to capture some of the interaction between all of them. I had about 15 minutes to work with again and I think I got some pretty cool shots.

Leanne + Peter Wedding

Patrick Chondon May 23, 2017

My first official wedding of the year was a short one for me, just 3 hours, but I came away with so many great photos, you would think it was much longer. Leanne and Peter decided to get married down at the Thunder Bay Marina. They live in the condo right on the water, so it made perfect sense. Before everyone made their way to the marina, everyone hung out in their condo, which gave me ample time to capture a lot of moments. It was a very laid back and easy going wedding. There was no first look, or anything like that, just everyone getting ready and celebrating before the actual wedding.

Jennifer + Robert Wedding

Patrick Chondon December 21, 2016

My last wedding of the season was actually the most interesting one of the year. It was a surprise wedding! Yup, my first ever surprise wedding. Usually when I shoot them, everyone actually knows exactly what is going on. In this case, Jennifer invited about 25 of her closest friends and family over, for what they thought, was going to be family portraits. Admittedly, I was a tiny bit nervous because I only had an hour and half to work with and I wanted to make sure I came away with a lot of great moments. Well, it couldn't have gone any better, as the photos turned out great.

Jesalynn + Chris Wedding - Fort William Historical Park

Patrick Chondon December 17, 2016

Jesalynn and Chris celebrated their wedding just under a month ago and I was lucky enough to be chosen to photograph it. My day started at the Lakehead Unitarian Fellowship Church which is where the ceremony took place. It's a very small church but it was the perfect venue for an intimate wedding. It was a also a great place to photograph a ceremony because it had huge a lot of windows that let in a ton of natural light, which made for some good dramatic shots.

Lacey + Andy Wedding

Patrick Chondon November 17, 2016

This past October saw another fun filled wedding with Lacey and Andy. They were such a fun, happy couple to photograph. Every time I turned around to take a photo of them or even someone else, they were always laughing and smiling. You could just feel the joy the whole day. It really came through in almost every photo I took that day.

I met up with both of them in the early afternoon at the Victoria Inn. We weren’t there long but I did manage to get some photos of them getting ready and before we all headed off to Vickers Park. Once we got to Vickers Park, Lacey and Any did a bit of housekeeping, to make sure everything was in order and then we spent some time getting the wedding party portraits done. Vickers is such a beautiful location and the weather was so nice for an October afternoon.

Heidi + Rob Wedding

Patrick Chondon November 4, 2016

As the wedding season winds down for me, it's easy to look back on the year and really appreciate all the amazing couples I had the chance to photograph. Case in point, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to document Heidi and Rob's wedding day. My day started in the early afternoon at the Prince Arthur Hotel where Rob and the guys were getting ready.

When as I arrived, I was great by all the guys, all of whom I was meeting for the first time. I'm a pretty easy going guy so after the quick introductions I just settled in and started taking a ton of candid photos, along with some detail shots. Shortly after I arrived, Rob's father showed up for a bit and helped him prepare for his big day. I came way with so many good photos from that part of the day.

Alexa + Shawn Wedding - Mine Centre

Patrick Chondon October 24, 2016

Ok, so where to start? Officially Alexa and Shawn celebrated their wedding at the begging of October but it really did feel more like an adventure! The wedding took place in Mine Centre, and the reception in Fort Frances, which is 45 minutes away. Since the wedding was out of town, my wife Anne joined me and we made it a little getaway at the same time. I am so used to doing weddings alone here in town that it was so great having my wife join me for this one. Plus, it gave her a chance to relax while I shot the wedding on the Saturday.

Amy + Andy Wedding - Chippewa Park

Patrick Chondon October 20, 2016

Amy and Andy recently got married at Chippewa Park this past September, and I was lucky enough to be chosen to photograph it. The wedding itself too place at Chippewa Park, nestled in the forest down this beautiful short trail. I have been to Chippewa many times but I never even knew this little area existed until I arrived for the wedding. It was definitely a pleasant surprise, and as a photographer, I was excited to be able to shoot a completely new location.

Raeanne + Lance Wedding - Valhalla Inn

Patrick Chondon October 4, 2016

Raeanne and Lance recently got married this past September and I was fortunate enough to be entrusted to document their day. Each wedding I do is a new adventure and challenge and this one was no exception. Both Raeanne and Lance were such a great couple to photograph and follow around for the day. That also goes for the entire wedding party. Everyone was extremely easy going and that just made my job that much easier.

Lindsay + Markus Wedding - Tapiola

Patrick Chondon September 14, 2016

A couple weeks ago I was lucky enough to be a part of Lindsay and Markus's wedding. To see some of the fleeting moments from the day please take the time to view the slideshow as well as all the images below. As you can see from the photos, it was such a fun day. Although, it was a bit stressful for me on the way to meet up with Markus and the boys getting ready. I was betrayed by Google Maps. It told me to go to one end of the road, where I thought Markus was getting ready, it turned out it was the other end of the road. Luckily, I still managed to get to the house only a few minutes late. Who knew you can drive that fast down a dirt road in a Mazda 3.

Courtney Lynn + Jake Wedding

Patrick Chondon September 5, 2016

Out of all the weddings I have done so far this summer, Courtney Lynn and Jakes wedding is the closest I have come to a destination wedding. Even though it took place in Thunder Bay, Courtney Lynn and Jake now live in New Zealand, and a lot of the guests that attended the wedding were also from New Zealand as well. Being originally from Thunder Bay and having lived in New Zealand for the past 5 or so years, Courtney Lynn decided to have the wedding in Thunder Bay mainly because most of her family still lives here. I had met with her about a month before the wedding for the first time and I was immediately surprised that she had an accent from living abroad. Suffice it say, I heard much stronger accents come the day of the wedding and it made for quite the surreal celebration.