A Bride's Best Friend

In the town of St. Jacob’s in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, there is a beautiful wedding venue that was perfect for our dream photoshoot to take place. Stephanie from Sprightly Events and I wanted to plan the perfect non-Christmasy winter wedding… while using emerald green as our main colour choice! However, our main inspiration for this shoot came from our model bride Erica and the relationship she has with her fur baby, Koda. Having a husky as a Dog of Honour? Yes please! The perfect pup for our perfect winter shoot. And although the weather didn’t quite cooperate with us, we were able to get the perfect wintery wedding feel at Cellar 52.

Weather wasn’t the only struggle we faced when planning a winter wedding in Ontario! We also needed the perfect team. The dream team of vendors who would use their creative freedom and come up with something beautiful. You tell me, did they deliver or did they deliver? Our incredible team of local wedding vendors from Cambridge, Waterloo, Kitchener, and St. Jacob’s pulled out all the stops! This wouldn’t have come together without my co-planner Stephanie. Her eye and sense of design was perfect. Do you see those table settings? That’s her handy work. That’s the thing about a wedding planner and coordinator, they are doing their job right when you don’t even realize how much work they have done!

Emerald green was definitely THE colour of this wedding. We didn’t want to bother too much with having a lot of accent colours because we wanted the green to shine. So we stuck with a neutral palette with whites, blacks, and golds. Cellar 52 was the perfect wedding venue because it can truly conform to any style. We love the clean lines, contrasting white walls to dark floors, and the added benefit of having a bridal suite upstairs for getting ready! They even have a great patio out the back with bulb lights that you know would just look stunning for an evening reception. I’m a huge sucker for bulb lights.

Our florist truly outdid herself. We gave her a few requests and then she ran with it. She ran a marathon with it! When she came to deliver all the florals to the venue more and more kept coming and each piece was more beautiful than the last. Stephanie and I LOVE having edibles in our floral arrangements. There’s just something so unique and so special about having that unexpected pop of food peaking out of a bouquet. For this wedding we consulted our florist and we landed on artichoke hearts, dark plums, and wild berries. These foods all give a wintery feel and contrast so much in texture that we couldn’t resist. Plus, all the different textures really shine through in the photos, and as a photographer, I appreciated that very much!

Can we talk about the stationary now please?! If you are planning a wedding in the Waterloo Region, Toronto, Hamilton, basically any wedding in Ontario, you have probably come across our stationary designer. She won the Stationary Designer of the Year award at the Ontario Wedding Awards 2020 and we couldn’t be more excited for her! Again, we gave her our colours and she NAILED IT. That gold foil? That emerald marble? Swoon. Just swoon. If I received this invitation for this wedding I would be dropping everything and attending, knowing it was going to be amazing. That’s a lot of pressure to put on an invitation suite, but it’s true! Invitations are the doors to your wedding, the first time people are going to get a hint of what you’re planning. I love wedding invitations!

That cake though. I love what wedding cakes have become lately. Pieces of art. This cake is a work of art. Like, how could you not want to dig in and taste all that cakey goodness?! Imagine this, you walk into a wedding and BAM, this cake is front and center on the dessert table. What is your first thought? WOW. That was mine when our baker first delivered the cake. It was everything I had dreamed it would be!

The icing on the cake was how great of a dog Koda is! He may have looked a little bored at times, but he was better behaved than any of my kids would have been! I love it when dogs are guests at weddings. I have seen brides bring their dogs for the ceremony, or just for a quick hello and a few pictures during the day. I think it’s so important to be able to include our fur families into our weddings. For our bride, her dog is her best friend, her hero, her companion. They have been through it all together and seeing him stand up with her just melted my heart!

Our bride is stunning but she was even moreso because of our talented hair and makeup artist! Wedding hair and makeup is definitely an understated area when it comes to styled shoots. Our beauty teams deserve so much credit for making everyone look fabulous all day long! I love this elegant and neutral look, it suits Erica to a T. And those dresses! Even though she was just modelling, Erica mentioned so many times how much she would love to wear these for her real wedding! Steph and I love the idea of the reception dress. I can’t wait to see it implemented more in our 2020 and 2021 weddings! The wedding dress is classic, ivory, very bridal, perfect for a wedding of course. Having a reception dress can transition a wedding from day to night, from ceremony to celebration! Not having to worry about spilling drinks on your wedding dress, feeling more comfortable maybe, easier to move in, easier to dance in, and another way to tie your whole wedding theme together! This emerald dress did just that. Transitioned our shoot from wedding day to wedding night and it was perfect. We couldn’t have asked for better way to showcase how showstopping a reception dress can be!

I hope you all love this wedding inspiration as much as we do! Whenever Stephanie and I plan a styled shoot, we love using local vendors to showcase. There is so much talent in the wedding industry here in our Waterloo Region, I feel so lucky to be a part of it!

Photographer and Co-Planner: (That’s me!) Light and Love Photography @lightandlove.photo

Co-Planner and Coordinator: Stephanie of Sprightly Events @sprightlyevents

Venue: Cellar52 @cellar1852

Florist & Decor: Kathy of Flowerz Design @flowerzdesign

Stationary: Heather of Red Bicycle Paper Co. @redbicyclepaper.co

Cake: Q's Cakes & Cafe @qscakesandcafe 

Hair & Makeup: Rachel of B Pretty @bprettymua

Dresses & Jewelry: La Crème @lacremestjacobs

Model & Dog Owner: Erica @ericapeighton

Meagan + Phil // A Valens Consveration Area Engagement Shoot

Meagan and Phil are a special couple to me. Meagan and I go way back to elementary school. She was one of my idols even though she was only one grade ahead of me. We continued on to the same high school where we road the bus together. You see, I grew up in Cambridge Ontario but lived in a rural area. Meagan also lived out in the country so we had loads of long bus rides together. We have lost tough throughout the years but when I got her wedding inquiry I recognized her name immediately.

Let me tell you, it makes a HUGE difference when you feel like you know your photographer (and in this case, she already did!). It’s one of my biggest business goals to connect with my couples. For the main reason that I want them to feel comfortable being themselves. When a couple can just be themselves their photos become real memories and tell a real story of their relationship. So one of my questions during a potential client interview is, “what are your hobbies? what do you like to do together?” Sorry, that’s two questions! This lets me in to see what kind of engagement session we can have, I love to do something during an engagement shoot that the couple already does together, making them even more comfortable.

When I asked Meagan this she said she would love to do them at Valens because they love to explore the park and they do it quite often. I was super excited! That’s where I grew up, my childhood home is in the conservation area , plus my love of water and voila! the perfect engagement session for them!

They decided on a November session so they could be all cozy and warm and cute and man were they ever. Add that splash of red to a beautifully overcasted evening and I was doing happy dances every time I checked the back of my screen.

We had a lovely walk around the lake, to the iconic Valens Lake bridge, then to some beautiful yellow leaves that stayed just for our session so we could add some fall colours in and have some fun leaf throwing.

These two were perfectly in love and I could see it with every frame. I’m super excited for their wedding day and the magic these two will create with me!

Monica + Stuart // An Unforgettable Distillery District Wedding

When I first spoke with Monica on the phone we talked for almost two hours. She was looking for a specific kind of photography but also someone that her and her fiance, Stuart, would get along with. One of the first things she told me was that their wedding was going to be very personal. They were having their buddy officiate, her wedding planner was a friend, and almost all of their vendors they had had a relationship with previously. I loved that she really knew what she wanted and she knew how important it was to connect on a personal level with her photographer.

At the end of that initial phone call, it felt like we had been friends forever and that is the dream right there for me. Having clients turned friends allows me to really capture the relationship! Monica was so great with communicating with me what she wanted while also trusting me to do what I do best! Which is take pictures while joking, dancing, and laughing with them!

From the moment she sent me a picture of her wedding dress I was hooked. She kept me in the loop with all of the planning and I was able to really build a bond with her and her wedding. I loved knowing all the details before showing up on the day! I always joke that in another life I would have been a wedding planner. I am basically obsessed with all things weddings and details and I still get so excited every time I walk into a ceremony space or reception area and see all the hard work and attention that went into planning.

I walked into Archeo and was just floored by how stunning it was. Monica and Christine from Flower Treasures pulled off a romantic, intimate, and fun wedding! I knew immediately it was going to be one of the best weddings of the year! And from a wedding photography standpoint, an absolute dream to photograph.

I’m getting ahead of myself! First I went to the AirBnB that Monica rented for getting ready in. This is always a tricky part of the day because not all houses have great light. Renting an AirBnB with beautiful natural light and without the clutter of a regular home gave us the perfect backdrop for bridal detail shots, getting dressed, bridal portraits, first look with brides maids (and fun pictures with bridesmaids in PJs!), and first look with dad. I would highly recommend paying looking into to reserving a house with natural light if you want pictures in the morning while you’re getting ready.

On the other hand, Stuart and his groomsmen got ready in his friend’s condo, and lucky for us, they had an awesome roof to take pictures on! If you’re using a smaller space for getting ready, see if there are alternate locations in your area that we can also do photos in!

Once we arrived at Archeo it was pretty much smooth sailing. Monica and Stuart opted for a first look (which I highly recommend… stay tuned for a post on why) and from there we did all of their family photos, birdal party photos, and bride and groom portraits! Monica was a princess in her gown, and we cannot forget the beautiful moment where they met Riley, their fur baby, for a quick wedding day family photo. Riley was so excited to see her mom and dad, it was such a sweet moment.

I’ll never forget Monica and Stuart’s ceremony. Archeo has a beautiful patio with amazing stringed bulbed lights, and of course, the signature red brick background of the Distillery District. Their vows were personal and touching, funny and sweet. They had their friend marry them which was the perfect tough to this personalized ceremonies. I love it when couples write their own vows, and I almost always cry… okay, I always tear up. I love love!

The wedding continued in it’s perfect, with one of the most delicious wedding meals, doughnut table, and as you know, I love some good (and bad!) dancing! And you know it’s a great wedding when your photographer doesn’t want to leave!

This beautiful wedding wouldn’t have been possible without the following incredible vendors

Coordination and Florals: Christine of Flower Treasures flowertreasures.com

Cake: Tasty Treats by Robyn @tastytreatsbyrobyn

DJ: Adam John goodkarmaevent.com

Hair: Jacqueline @jacquelinephoenix.hmua

Makeup: Anna lashesandlipstick.ca

Dress: Blush by Hailey Paige at Pearl Bridal pearlbridalhouse.com

Venue: Archeo, Distillery District archeo.ca

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal davidsbridal.ca

#MonicafoundStulove

Contest Winners // Alex + Evan + Del

First off, I love hosting photoshoot giveaways. Not just because I tend to boost my following but also because I get to meet really great people who I might not have met otherwise! When I first relaunched my business I held a giveaway for Southern Ontario. My existing followers did a great job of spreading the word and trying to get my name out there! It’s so hard to start over in a new city and so this photoshoot giveaway was the perfect opportunity to spread the word that I’m back and I’m here in the KW area!

*Fun fact: I actually grew up in Cambridge! I love being back in the tri-city area, especially since we are so central to so many great locations for pictures and amazing wedding venues!*

After my giveaway closed I entered everyone’s names into a random generator and I got the cutest little family! Alex and Evan are engaged (and hadn’t done engagement photos yet) and they have the cutest little baby girl Del, who just melted my heart. I’m such a sucker for chunky cheeks! Plus they also brought their fur baby along and we got to capture the whole family as well as sneak in some engagement photos!

I love how these turned out, they were so much fun to work with! We went to Victoria Park which is a really popular location for pictures because there is so much variety and beautiful landscape, but since I’m new to this area, I haven’t done any shoots there yet! I loved it! I love all the bridges and the willow tress and the klittle creek. I’m definitely excited to shoot there again!

Usually there are a few jitters at the beginning of the shoot when we’re first meeting and start taking some pictures, but not this time. Alex was a pro and you could tell that Del was comfortable in front of a camera! Evan was great and they all took direction so well and were just such a joy to photograph. I love seeing the relationships and personalities in front of the camera. Seeing the love that Alex and Evan had for each other and for Del was so cute and I had so much fun that we definitely spent more than an hour taking pictures! It’s so hard for me to stop when I’m having so much fun!

A Golden Engagement // Erin + Dan

Okay, how is it that I am pretty good at keeping up with my personal blog but when it comes to my professional blog and drag my feet? Anyway, that’s just been on my mind lately!

Back in September I booked my first wedding since rebranding and relaunching my photography business here in Waterloo! I was super excited to meet Erin and Dan, they were so easy going and relaxed, it was definitely a good start to working in this area! It’s always hard to start building this kind of business again and again and so I’m super excited that we are in the Kitchener Waterloo area to stay and I can develop lasting relationships in the wedding industry here and meet new, amazing clients!

So after booking, the fun begins! Erin and Dan are having a Niagara wedding next year and although they are excited, Erin had originally dreamed of getting married under a big tree before they fell in love with the Niagara vineyards (which are super timeless and a very good choice for weddings!). So her only request as far as locations went for their engagement shoot was a big tree. She still wanted to have those pictures so I kept that in mind as I looked for places.

While I was looking, I had volunteered to photograph a small race in Cambridge at Riverbluffs Park. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw these beautiful willow trees and I immediately thought of Erin! Plus the Slit Barn is really close to Riverbluffs Park and that is also an excellent spot for pictures (and weddings!). We met up there and although it was a little bit chilly, they powered through and we had a fun time and they got to watch me climb and jump and hide in bushes!

This is why I love engagement sessions and despite the advice to take the out of my wedding packages, I leave them in because I love this opportunity I get to work with a new couple. It helps me get to know how they photograph and how they work in front of the camera. It helps them warm up to me and get to know my style of shooting and be more comfortable in front of the camera on wedding day. So my advice as a wedding photographer is to do an engagement shoot with your photographer!!! I promise it’s worth it and you’ll get some really fun pictures. Some of my favourite pictures are still my engagement photos, even though that was 9 years ago and we rocked the white shirts and jeans!