Another beautiful Saturday afternoon, another gorgeous wedding. Samantha and Brandon were the latest couple that allowed me the pleasure to document their special day. It all started with some getting ready shots, first with the women, who were over at the Victoria Inn. As soon as I arrived I started snapping away capturing some candid moments. Some of the reactions were priceless, and those are my favourite types of photos. After spending a bit of time with the girls, I rushed over to where the guys were staying, which was the Valhalla Inn. Luckily, Thunder Bay is pretty small so it doesn't take long to get anywhere.
Just like the getting ready photos with the girls, it was the same with they guys. They were all pretty relaxed, even Brandon. Although, I could still feel some of the nervous tension in the room which is completely natural. It was then off to the Thunder Bay Marina for some pre wedding photos with the whole wedding party.
The bus unloaded everyone at Byte Restaurant and we were off from there. There were some quick 'first reaction' photos and then we just walked all around the Marina, stopping here and there for portraits and plenty of candid photos along the way. Our final destination at the Marina was Breakwater Taphouse, for a cold refreshment which was very much needed seeing as how hot outside it was. Everyone relaxed for a bit but that didn't mean I stopped taking photos. Some of my favourite shots came from this part of the day.
Once everyone was refreshed, they hopped back on the bus and I jumped in my car to make my way to the final ceremony which took place at the Fort William Country Club. Admittedly, this was my first wedding there and I've been doing this for almost 6 years. After spending some there for this wedding, I really hope I have many more weddings there as it's absolutely gorgeous.
As soon as everyone arrived, there was a quick washroom break and then we all hopped on the golf carts and drove out to the fourth hole. Even though we didn't have much time, we got a lot accomplished. I was able to get some portraits of Brandon and Samantha with some of the surroundings as well as the entire wedding party. I knew I had to at least get a wide angle shot with Mount McKay in the background. The best part about the 4th hole was some very kind golfers allowed the wedding party to borrow their golf clubs and hit some balls. So I captured some very fun action shots of the guys and gals actually hitting golf balls!
Things slowed down a bit once we got back to the club as it was time for the girls to get ready and wait for all the guests to arrive. This is usually the time of day that I get the most candid photos. Well, this and the actual ceremony. Once everyone arrived, the ceremony took place and like with everyone wedding I do, it was quite beautiful.
The reception began shortly after which took place inside the club house. After seeing all the wonderful guests interact at the ceremony and also spend quite a bit of time with the wedding party, I knew the reception was going to be a great time and an awesome opportunity to capture some fun and intimate photos. The food was really good, the speeches were funny, there was the shoe game and of course the first dances. They even had a photo booth set up with a Fuji Instant Camera which the guests loved. After taking the photo, they were asked to put it on a frame so Brandon and Samantha would be able to share in those moments. It was a really a great idea.
The evening ended for me with a whole lot of dancing and eventually some really nice fireworks. Not only did everyone in the room pretty much dance at some point, everyone also went outside for the fireworks. I even managed to peel my way through the crowd to get a few shots of the happy couple looking on. It was a fitting end to my night as the whole seemed like one giant celebration which is how it should be. Not only were Brandon and Samantha the perfect couple to photograph and so were the friends and family. I'm so glad I was able to be a part of their wedding day.
