Growing up in Parry Sound, Leanne found that water, canoeing and kayaking became a huge part of her life.  So, when she and Rick decided to get married it was only natural that the wedding would be near water.  The perfect location proved to be the Stanley family cottage, which sits on a wonderful part of Georgian Bay, just north of Snug Harbour overlooking part of Franklin Island.  

On a bright, hot, July day I joined up with Leanne as she was getting ready at a long time family friend’s house not far from her folks cottage.  We captured a range of shots of Leanne, her mom, and the girls getting ready and then, as Leanne has been part of the Canadian championship dragon boat and outrigger canoe teams for several years, we made sure to get some shots of her by a canoe with Georgian Bay in the background. 

Leanne and her gals arrived at the wedding site by pontoon boat and her father walked her up the long rocky pathway from the dock to the ceremony site which provided a dramatic, sweeping view of the Bay. 

After the ceremony and family photos we did a large group shot of everyone who attended the wedding. While this can sometimes take some time to set up, it worked out well for us this day, as everyone moved into quickly into position and I was able to get some height by perching on a nearby rock outcrop and shooting to get the Bay in the background.

As the guest enjoyed cocktails Leanne, Rick (an athelete in his own right, with several triathlons under his belt), the wedding party and I hiked up and along some of the nearby rugged Georgian Bay shoreline for a range of images.   In the close up image of the rings, you’ll notice that this pair had some very special rings.  Leanne’s wedding band was custom made with wave designs encircling it while Rick’s ring has some  Hawaiian wood built into it.  Leanne had been competing in Hawaii and brought the wood back from there specifically to have it built into Rick’s ring.

Following a great meal catered by “Now that’s Catering” Rick and Leanne had their first dance on the deck overlooking the Bay just as the sun was starting to settle low in the sky.

One of the things I love most about wedding photography is getting to know wonderful couples, their friends and families.  This was the case with Caroline and Randy.  I shot their wedding in October and enjoyed every minute we spent together.

This couple have a strong bond with each other as well as their family and friends.  Randy and Caroline are especially close to Randy’s mom, dad and grandmother and we had fun incorporating them into the photo session.

The wedding and reception took place just south of Parry Sound and we did some of the post ceremony shots in the woods near the cermony site and then headed off to Georgian Bay’s wonderful shoreline for some more wedding party and couple alone shots before stopping off at the family home for a quick marshmellow roast over an open fire and then off to the reception.

After the wedding Caroline and Randy headed off to Scotland for a wonderful honeymoon to see the sites and to visit with more family; talking with them after their return from overseas it was clear that this will not be their last trip as a couple to that wonderful isle.

Family and friends play an important part in Brandy and Todd’s lives so when they were planning their September wedding  they took care to  incorporate both into their special day.  This included having me shoot their spring engagement photos during sugaring season at the family sugar shack that Todd’s grandfather built several years ago and where family and friends helped produce the maple syrup that Brandy and Todd gave to their guests on their wedding day.

Brandy and the girls got ready at Brandy and Todd’s Parry Sound home and we got some shots with Brandy and the girls and Brandy with her parents before heading off to the church.  As is the case in many churches no flash was allowed however the light from the church’s large stained glass windows added some great natural light to the ceremony.   After Brandy and Todd greeted friends and family at a receiving line outside the church we did the family shots at one of Parry Sound’s great parks, using the Sequin River as a backdrop.  Just before heading off to Brandy and Todd’s Georgian Bay Cottage for wedding party and Bride and Groom shots, Brandy’s brother Bob took a bad spill on some wet grass and had to head over to the local hospital.  We continued on the marina and made our way down the Bay to the cottage where we got some great shots of Brandy and Todd with their wedding party, and alone as a married couple.

While the skies threatened rain most of the day it held off until we got all our shots in and we making our way to the reception hall.  Brother Bob was able to rejoin us there, with the help of crutches.

I shoot a lot of receptions and one of the things  I really love about them is they almost always provide some great insight into the couple, their family and friends.  This was certainly the case with Brandy and Todd’s reception.   One example of  this was when Todd surprised Brandy with an original song “Forever Starts Tonight”,  that he and a friend professionally produced specifically for Brandy.  Todd sang the song to Brandy and convinced me and many others, both that he has a great voice and the song has good commercial potential.  A bit later another deeply meaningful guesture was when Todd presented his father with a guitar that his father had used extensively in his younger years.  Todd and Brandy had the guitar restored to its glory days condition, another demonstration of  the importance of family to these two.

Mary-Lyn and DJ have been in love with each other for many years.  Although they now live in Barrie, they have strong ties to the Parry Sound area and they had planned for their early September wedding to be on the back deck of the Stockey Center.  During our walk about a few months earlier we had selected a number of great Georgian Bay shoreline locations for post ceremony images. 

As it turned out the day of Mary-Lyn and DJ’s wedding we had one of the wildest rain and wind storms in years.   The wild weather required that the location of the wedding and the post cermony shots be changd to inside locations but it did nothing to dampen the strong feelings these two have for each other.

When I connected with the girls, while they were in the later stages of getting ready, it was clear that the strong wind and rain could not put out the sparkle in Mary-Lyn’s eyes.  The ceremony was held inside the Stockey Center’s large performance hall/reception center and then we went up to the second level and balcony area to get shots that captured some of the atmosphere and passion of the day.  Part way through the reception, the rain and wind stopped for about 15 minutes allowing us to slip out side and get some, after dark shots of DJ and Mary-Lyn with the Big Sound in the background. 

I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Courtney and Parry several times over the past year.  We did their engagement shoot in Killbear Park last fall, then I built a custom sign in book for them, and earlier this summer we had an awesome time shooting their wedding celebrations.  Courtney got ready in one of Parry Sound’s great bed and breakfast’s near the waterfront, then we did a “First Look” session before the church ceremony.  We had scouted out a spot a few months before and Parry waited there at a designated time, then Courtney got positioned so that Parry couldn’t see her until she stepped from behind a fence… I shot while Courtney peeked around and then stepped out into Parry’s view for the first time.  The look on both their faces was incredible.   Afterwards we did a number of shots of just the two of them, along the edge of the Sequin River just as it passes under the impressive railway bridge and out into the Big Sound.  Then we were off to the church for a wonderful ceremony, followed by a great photo session along the rugged Georgian Bay shoreline.  Finally we headed over to the Stockey Center for their reception.  All in all it was an awesome day… great weather, great couple and lots of  great chemistry.

When I did their engagement photo session last fall I knew that Georgian Bay and the outdoors played a big part in Lacey and Jayson’s lives.  They continued those themes for their wedding in Pointe au Baril this July, right down to the bride’s, camo shoes and wrapping for her bouquet.  Lacey got ready at her folks place at Sturgeon Bay Marina and then headed off to the cutest church I have seen in years.  Almost everyone, including the guys and gals, arrived at the church via boat.  Their britteny spaniel joined in the wedding party and made himself at home at the foot of the table as Lacey and Jayson signed the paperwork.  After the regular family shots we headed out on the Bay to the historic light house that guides boats safely in from the big open water to the sheltered channel to Pointe au Baril.  We had a great time and got some awesome images using the light house and the great Georgian Bay coast line as a backdrop.  Lacey proved to the the most venturesome of all of my brides, ever!  She and Jayson made their way up the steep, narrow ladder-like stair case and through a tiny opening to get to the top the lighthouse for some more great shots.  The reception hall was also on the water and was decked out with it’s own lighthouse, a shooting gallery (you had to hit a duck to get the bride and groom to kiss),  and a live band.  Everyone had and awesome time and partyed on well into the night. 

Ashley and Jason both have strong ties to Parry Sound and Georgian Bay so when we were doing our walkabout a several weeks in advance of their July wedding they opted to use a truly awesome stretch of the Bay as the back drop for many of their wedding party, and alone as a married couple, for the first time images.    I caught up with Ashley and the girls at Ashley’s father’s home on Oak Ridge Drive and worked with the girls in the later stages of getting ready and then we got some great “were ready”  shots.   The wedding was in one of the wonderful churches in Parry Sound and then we took a range of family shots at a scenic location in Parry Sound before heading north of town to get onto the Bay.  The wedding party was great and made their way up and down some of the more rugged parts of the Georgian Bay shoreline, bare feet and all.  After they headed back to the hall, Ashley, Jason and I stayed back and got some great shots of the two of them alone, for the first time, as a married couple, using the pines and rock of Georgian Bay as the backdrop.  Then we headed north abit closer to where Ashley and Jason are building their new home in Carling Township and got some diffent types of shots of them alone, using some tall water reeds as well as some   CP train cars as backdrops.  A small selection of the images from Ashley and Jason’s special day follow.