Continuing with highlights from 2009 weddings…. Jenn grew up near Parry Sound and she and Ryan both love the rugged beauty of the area so they selected Stockey Center as the venue for their wedding. I connected with Jenn and her gals in the later stages of them getting ready at her Mother’s home close to Killbear Provincial Park and we got some great shots of the gals getting ready and then all done up. Then with the weather co-operating Jenn and Ryan had a great ceremony on the back deck of the Stockey Center, overlooking the Big Sound portion of Georgian Bay. Following the ceremony and family shots we headed off to an area we had selected for shots of the wedding party and of the newly married couple. Everyone had a blast as we rambled over the rocky outcrops with the Bay shimmering in the background. Jenn and Ryan had their reception in the main hall at the Stockey center and in keeping with the northern theme had their wedding cake designed in the shape of an inukshuk. A selection of shots from their day follow.
Christina and Craig have strong ties to Parry Sound and Georgian Bay. Craig spent much of his youth helping his Dad work on some of the most scenic parts of Georgian Bay and many of their friends live and work in the area. When we got together to scout out spots for the bride and groom and wedding party shots a few weeks before the wedding we were fortunate to have access to some amazing Georgian bay properties. During the walkabout Christina soon concluded that she would be going with bare feet for that part of the day rather than the shoes with four inch heels she had been thinking of wearing. After shooting the gals getting ready and the wedding cermony, which was held in one of Parry Sound’s wonderful churches, we headed off to the locations we had selected during our walkabout. Christina, Craig and their entire wedding party quickly got into the swing of things and we had a great time.
Lee and Rob selected Horseshore Valley Resort as the venue for their “special day”. I met Lee and the girls at Lee’s parent’s cottage on the shore of Lake Couchiching near Orillia and got some shots of Lee and the girls and Lee with her folks, before heading off to Horseshoe Valley Resort, near Barrie. A massive downpour enroute made me wonder if we would need to bring out the umbrellas but just as I pulled into the resort the storm broke and left for the rest of the day. I met up with Rob and the guys and we got some shots of them waiting for the main event. The cermony was outside under the large tent the resort provides for outdoor weddings. After the ceremony we captured family shots and then a variety of wedding party shots at different spots on the property. Then Rob, Lee and I headed off to a spot we had scouted out a few months earlier. Lee had wanted some barn shots so we had found an abandoned barn the seemed perfect for the occassion. I’ve posted a selection of the images below. This was the third of my 2009 brides who wanted to incorporate some barn shots into their wedding day photography, so I’m rapidly getting quite a selection of bride and groom barn shots… maybe there’s a Brides in the Barn photo book in there…..
Tara and Cameron are another couple I worked with in 2009 who traveled a long way to get married near Parry Sound. They both live and work in the Yukon city of Whitehorse and their wedding party was a mix of representatives from both Ontario and the Yukon. Cameron has strong family ties to the Parry Sound area so it was a natural choice for their wedding location. Tara and Cameron chose Crane Lake Resort as the venue for their special day. It proved to be a great choice with lots of great spots for images with a strong, rugged outdoor feel. This was a good fit for this couple and their entire wedding party, who all clearly love both the outdoors and outdoor activities of all kinds. Tara and Cameron were a real pleasure to work with and they quickly convinced me that the Yukon was yet another location that had to be added to my places to visit list
Sharon and Paul love to visit their cottage on Parry Island on the shores of Georgian Bay so when planning their wedding it was a given that it would be ”up north”. When we did their engagement shoot the year before I took them to a secluded spot on Parry Island that I thought would reflect their love for the area. They loved the spot so much that they wanted to do some of their post ceremony wedding day shots at the same spot. The wedding was an outdoor event at a large home on Lake Manitouwabing so once we did the post cermony family shots we headed off to Parry Island and introduced their wedding party to some of Georgian Bay’s truly beautiful landscape. After abit the wedding party headed back to Lake Manitouwabing to join the celebrants at the pre-dinner reception cocktails and Sharon, Paul and I stayed back to get some couple alone shots. On the way back to the reception we stopped at an abandoned farm and got some interesting shots of the couple using the old log barn as a backdrop.
Increasingly we are having the pleasure working with couples from all over the world. In 2009, one such couple was Chantelle and Paul. This wonderful couple, live in Christchurch New Zealand. They chose Mowat Island, near Parry Sound, Ontario as the spot for the Canadian version of their marriage cermony.
Chantelle, a Canadian, met Paul in New Zealand, while Chantelle was there studying to become a teacher. While their official wedding took place in New Zealand a few months earlier the couple wanted to have a Canadian ceremony, so early last summer I had the pleasure of working with them on one of the most scenic locations on Georgian Bay. In honour of the event Chantelle’s parents proudly flew both the Canadian and New Zealand flags at their Georgian Bay property.
The wedding party was a Canada-New Zealand mix and was a blast to work with. All all the guys, including Paul, are proud New Zealanders. Their zest for life was clear in all they said and did. Working with them convinced me that New Zealand has to be moved up higher on my ” must visit” list.
Rain resulted in us bringing the umbrella’s out just as the shoreline ceremony was getting underway, but this gave me an opportunity for a range of interesting shots. After the ceremony the rain got stronger so we opted to move inside. Chantelle’s parent’s huge, historic log home proved a welcome refuge from the rain and was a great spot for some fireplace shots.
When it became clear that the rain was going to prevent us doing the Georgian Bay type shots Chantelle had her heart set on I suggested that they party on and that I return in the morning to pick up where we left off. This worked out well. The next morning was a wonderful day with no rain in sight. Chantelle, Paul and their wedding party slipped back into their wedding day clothes and and we were able to get a great series of images before several members of the wedding party had to head off to catch flights home.
Many of the couples who contact us for their wedding photography have a strong love of the outdoors and Katie and Jason are no exception. These teachers from from London ON have a passion for both fishing and the outdoors. They love Crane Lake and had a great outdoor ceremony there last summer. Katie and the girls got ready at her parents cottage on the lake, then we headed over to Crane Lake Resort for an outdoor ceremony. After the ceremony and family pictures we boarded a pontoon boat and headed off to an secluded island down the lake for some shots of Katie and Jason with their wedding party and of them alone. We all had a lot of fun getting the shots and after we were done we headed back to the resort for the reception, where the fishing/outdoors theme continued.
One of the things I enjoy most about being a wedding photographer is regularly meeting wonderful people. Allison and Steve were no exception. Early last summer I had the pleasure of working with them when they got married at their cottage, on the shores of Georgian Bay, just north of Snug Harbor.
We had a great day, and although it threatened rain, we were blessed. Instead of rain we got some absolutely spectacular looking skies that added to the rugged beauty of the spots we had scouted out during the walk- about we had done several weeks earlier.
Following the shoreline ceremony in front of the cottage we gathered up the wedding party and headed off to take advantage of the incredible surroundings for a series of striking shots. As is often the case the girls quickly removed their shoes in favor of bare feet as we made our way across the ancient granite outcrops.
A few months after we did Lisa and Graham’s engagement shoot we shot their wedding. We met up with Lisa as she was getting ready at her parent’s cottage on Brown’s Lake, just south of Parry Sound, ON. From there Lisa was flown to the wedding site by Graham’s father, Bruce, of Gordon Bay Marine. The CNIB Lake Joseph Center provided a great venue and atmosphere for the cermony and reception. After the ceremony and family shots we headed off down the lake for wedding party and couple alone shots. During the reception, later that evening Lisa, Graham, and I snuck away for abit to get some shots of them alone, as the sun was low in the sky, casting a magical glow over Lake Joseph. Later in the evening the live band, “Just for Kix”, regulars at “Bass Lake Road House” kept the party going on into the night.
Lorie and Dave were another great couple that we got to work with in 2009. They both grew up near North Bay and now live and work in eastern Ontario. With strong ties to Lake Nippissing and vacinity, they choose a resort on the shores of Lake Nipissing for their wedding. They had an awsome day, with a shoreline cermony, followed by an ancestoral blessing that celebrated Lorie’s aboriginal roots.
In addition to an outdoor theme for their wedding, Lorie had her heart set on incorporating some barn shots into their post cermony photographs. Fortunately we located a great barn, not too far from the wedding site, and got permission to use it for some of the post cermony photo session. The barn venue worked out really well and even came with a horse! We ended up with a slew of great images. After the barn shoot we made our way back to the resort, and went into the night with the reception and dance. During a break in the dinner, Lorie, Dave and I slipped out an played along the shore line getting a great range of shots as the sun began to slip away for the day.
