My first wedding of the year was just as beautiful as I hoped it would be. Lisa and Joel decided to have a backyard wedding with just a few of their closest friends and family. As much as I enjoy shooting large weddings, it’s these intimate ones that really resonate with me. Before we arrived at the backyard ceremony, we started the short day at Seaman Park, right by boulevard lake. That’s the where the first look and the formal portraits took place.
I met Joel in the trail off to the side of the park where he anxiously awaited his future bride. It was a very serene moment, and definitely one of the highlights of the day for me. Once Lisa arrived, Joel made his way to her and from that moment, their wedding day began. We then headed down to the rapids to get some family photos first, then some of just Lisa and Joel after everyone left. Thunder Bay has so many great spots to photograph right on the water, and Seaman Park is one of them. You really can’t walk away with bad looking photos from there.
On our way to the house, Lisa and Joel wanted a few quick photos at The Hodder, as this is where they first met. Of course I said yes! We soon arrived at the house after that and I spent about 30 minutes capturing a lot of the details and some candids of everyone in attendance. It was such a laid back atmosphere, which I think comes through in the photos.
The ceremony itself was short and sweet, but not without its beautiful candid moments and emotions, which I always try to document. Afterwards everyone just hung out for a bit, and we got some more portraits against the beautiful backdrop that said ‘LOVE’ on it. The kids listened so well when they needed to, and I was super impressed. Once they were done their photos though, it was back to running around and having fun. I made sure to get some of that excitement.
The last part of the day for me was the first dance. As everyone watched, the kids ran around with bubbles, laughing and running. It was the perfect end to a perfect wedding day. I’m so thankful I had the chance to meet Lisa and Joel, and be a part of such an important day!
Also … along with photos, I snuck in a little bit of video here and there where I could it. I surprised them with a short little highlight film from the day. The ultimate compliment was Lisa saying she had tears as she watched it.
