There are still a lot more weddings I can look forward to photographing this year but Darlene and David’s was one that couldn’t come soon enough, for a couple reasons. The first one being that it was at Old Fort William which is one of the nicest locations in town. Secondly, upon first meeting them prior to the wedding, I knew it was going to be a very intimate and fun wedding. Well, it met both those criteria and exceeded beyond what I expected. I arrived, as I always do, about 30 minutes before the wedding to capture some unique and candid photos. With guests constantly arriving, mingling and taking their seats, there were definitely lots of opportunities for photos.
The ceremony took place just in behind the main building right by the pond. This is where almost all the weddings usually take place and there is a good reason why. It is beautiful. As everyone waited for Darlene to make her way down the aisle, David and his best man along with other family members waited down the paved path. As people showed up they said hello and even got a chance to talk a bit with David. It was kind of nice to have it set up like that, where David is able to interact with everyone who wanted to, before thew wedding. The wedding didn’t start on time, which is often the case, but Darlene was later tested because supposedly she had to send someone home to grab her shoes which she forgot.
Well, the shoes finally arrived and they were ready to get started. Everyone made there way to their seats and the ceremony began. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. It wasn’t too hot, and there were even sporadic clouds to offer some shade. Darlene and David would eventually meet at the alter and it had officially begun. Soon after saying their vows, and sealing it with a kiss, they made their way to the signing. The final task was one that I haven’t really seen before but it was very cool. Everyone was asked to hug the person beside them in celebration. If presented a few really sincere and delicate moments between the guest and even the wedding party.
Once everyone cleared away, we quickly went through the portraits. I must say, with rain looming, these were the fasted portraits I have ever done at a wedding to date. The good news is, is that we came away with all the ones we wanted. Afterwards, I made my way upstairs to the balcony and grabbed a few more pics of guests mingling and waiting to enter the reception area. It continued to rain a bit more so they opened the doors and the reception was officially on. The ballroom at Old Fort is very nice and the decorations and decor that David and Darlene chose only accentuated that. It took a while for people to eventually sit down, but then again there was no hurry to do so. That is the great thing about an afternoon wedding.
As afternoon snacks were served, the speeches also began. There were a few tears shed and all the speeches were all very heartwarming. The food was great and completely different then other wedding I have photographed or attended before. They decided to go with kind of an English Tea theme. There were different sandwiches, jams, sausage rolls, teas and a few other surprises as well. I’m not really doing it justice as the names of all the snacks made me feel like royalty. Let’s just say everything tasted fantastic and it really came together with the overall decor. The last speeches were from David and Darlene. As a photographer it’s obviously my job to take photographs, but even for me, I wanted to just take some moments and listen to what they were saying. You could tell just how much in love they are with one another. It came through, in not only the speeches, but the entire day. I don’t think David or Darlene stopped smiling the entire day.
My day was done after that. We quickly gathered by the cake, got a few photos of the cutting and then I was off. It was great to be a part of Darlene and David’s special day. One of the main reasons I love being a wedding photographer is obviously because I enjoy taking photos, but another reason is because I get to experience a couple’s most important day in their lives over and over again. And then I get to tell that story in my own special way.
