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.
The more weddings I do, the more I realize they aren't following the traditional structure. For Rob and Heidi's wedding, they wanted to do a first look, which took place at Waverly Park and then all of their portraits as well. I'm hoping more couples continue to do it this way, because it really does leave more time for all the formal (and candid) portraits. Plus, it usually gives the bride and groom a bit of a break from the day and it allows them to spend just a bit of time together 'alone'.
At Waverly Park, we did the first look photos as I mentioned above, and then it was a no brainer to get some photos in front of the law school. Prior to the wedding, Heidi asked if it were a good idea to get some smoke bombs, and I immediately said yes, of course. Well, we put the first couple ones to use in park as you can see from a couple of the photos below. This was my first time shooting with smoke bombs so it was a learning curve for me. I think it worked out pretty good though.
Once we were done at Waverly Park we headed to the back alley off of Court Street. That may sound a bit odd, but it's actually pretty darn cool. All the walls have graffiti on them and it's just overall a very unique backdrop. Luckily we saved a couple smoke bombs so we used them up in the alley. By far, some of my favourite photos came from this portion of the shoot. I will definitely be suggesting other couples to potentially get smoke a smoke bomb or two. I have so many ideas now, after Heidi and Rob's wedding.
The last stop for portraits, was Heidi and Rob's new house that they just recently moved into. They wanted some photos in and out of the house, which I thought was the perfect location because it obviously meant so much to them. It was such a beautiful house too. It almost impossible not to come away with some great photos. I could have easily spent an hour in their just photographing their actual house, because it was so nicely decorated!
The ceremony took place at The Red Lion, which is a restaurant/bar downtown. Downtown Thunder Bay is continuing to get more and more great venues and The Red Lion is right up there as one of the coolest ones. I was so excited to get the chance to shoot a wedding inside of it. The way they had it all set up and decorated set the perfect mood for the ceremony. Everything was just so laid back and casual that it really came through in the photos. The funky atmosphere totally suited Heidi and Rob too.
Lastly, the reception took place at yet another amazing venue, Bight Restaurant & Bar. I have been to Bight a few times before but never to shoot a wedding reception. Upon entering the reception, Heidi and Rob had a photo station set up where they took photos of the guests with Instax Mini 8's. The resulting photos were placed on a wooden frame. The guests had fun getting their photos taken and it was really great idea, one that I see more and more couples doing. Of course, later in the evening, I still surprised Rob and Heidi with my own prints from the day. :)
Just like the ceremony, the reception was laid back too. Speeches were mixed in with dinner and drinks so all the guests could mingle and have a good time during the entire night. The dancing took place in the adjoining hallway which also served as the perfect place for guests to hangout. The entire day just flew by, mainly because I had so much fun, and Rob and Heidi were such a blast to photograph. Please be sure to view the photos below, but not before you watch a short black and white slideshow showing some of my favourite photos of the day.
