Jessica + Jonathan Wedding

Patrick Chondon September 5, 2017

Looking back on the beginning of August now that it seems Fall is now upon us, I really do miss the hot weather, even though I often complained at the time. I also remember the beginning of August because it was my first wedding of that month, Jessica and Jonathan's. My day started with Jonathon and the boys in their hotel room at the Prince Arthur.

As soon as I arrived I could feel a bit of nervous tension but otherwise everyone was super relaxed. I soon learned that all the guys had a great sense of humour (as well as the ladies), which would make my day that much more fun. In typical fashion all the guys slowly got ready, helping each other out and joking along the way. I was able to get some really great candid moments in the short amount of time I was them.

Gaby + Michael Wedding

Patrick Chondon August 29, 2017

Gaby and Michael celebrated their wedding day this past July at the Best Western in Thunder Bay and they chose me to capture the entire day. My started in the afternoon photographing Michael and the rest of the boys getting ready. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, although you could just tell that Michael was anxious to get the wedding started. Luckily for him, it wasn't too far off.

Before the ceremony started though, I made my way to Gaby's room to get some photos of her and the rest of the girls. Once I was with them I could really start to feel the excitement, especially when Gaby put on her dress. It goes without saying that she looked absolutely stunning which I know everyone else thought as well.

Laura + Beau Wedding

Patrick Chondon August 16, 2017

Most of the time I have long wedding days, anywhere between 7 to 10 hours. Those usually allow a lot of time to capture a ton of moments and great photos. Well, my recent wedding with Laura and Beau had me photographing them for only 2 hours. The challenge with short wedding days like theirs, is that I really have to make sure I'm on my game to get a lot of quality photos in such a short amount of time.

Ashley + Isaac Wedding - River Valley Farm

Patrick Chondon August 13, 2017

River Valley Farm was host to Ashley and Isaac's wedding this past July. Even though I had photographed at this location twice before, this particular wedding was different in one significant way, it is where Isaac grew up. HIs parent's have been kind enough in the past to let only a few other couples use the venue so I was lucky enough to be a part of this wonderful location.

Lorissa + Kyle Wedding - Fort William Historical Park

Patrick Chondon August 2, 2017

Lorissa and Kyle got married at the beginning of July and I was lucky enough to photograph their beautiful wedding. My day started with Lorissa and the rest of the bridal party, as well as some family members, at their house. I always enjoy the 'getting ready' photos because it gives me a chance to kind of ease into the day and also get more acquainted with the wedding party. Plus, there are always so many great candid moments to capture. This particular time was no exception.

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.