Kristina & Liam || Wedding Postponement Session

As mentioned in my first post about these sessions - I came up with Wedding Postponement Sessions for my clients because we needed a few silver linings.

I thought that by visually marking the occasion of original wedding dates we’re acknowledging and celebrating the tough decisions that couples are making together. In my own personal experience, these types of moments in life are what create stronger bonds, give greater depth to our connections, and lead us to appreciate the joy and gratitude that arises.

Kristina & Liam were originally getting married this coming November of this year. Because we did a winter engagement session, I thought we could take advantage of my recent time in Ottawa (for a wedding) and the summer weather (given that they’re wedding is postponed to next November). We landed on Mont St-Marie, where Liam has a family cottage that they can escape to.

The pandemic, they told me, has not been easy for them. Adapting to work-at-home and isolation was already proving difficult, when Kristina’s grandfather went into the hospital unexpectedly. Sadly,

We weren't able to visit or speak to him until his final days, and on May 3 he passed. This was especially difficult for both of us - as he was the person that raised me, and who was going to walk me down the aisle, and who I had hoped to have my father-daughter dance with. After dealing with such a large loss already, the idea of having a wedding when the grief was still so fresh, and in needing to adjust our expectations for our perfect day (we don't think we'd be allowed to have any where near our guest count, for example), it didn't feel right to move forward with our date.

Postponing for them meant also delaying a celebration of the challenges they had gone through together. The good news is that these two adore each other and if anything, strengthened their love for each other.

Kristina says of Liam:

He's always so positive, about everything (a glass half-full kind of guy).

And when I asked Liam for one of the things he loved about Kristina, he laughed and said:

Everything

Instead of a celebrating with a wedding this year, Liam took to making a fire with a few firestarter cubes (because hasn’t this year been challenging enough??). There is such a marked difference in the summer heat wave when you drive up to the Gatineau Hills, a fire is welcome! I got to know these two even better over a lot of laughter and getting creative in creating photographs that acknowledge the time they had in the summer of the 2020 pandemic.

Sarah & Beau's Winter Elopement in Montreal

My 2020 Wedding Photography season kicked off earlier than I thought it would when my longtime friends Sarah & Beau reached out to tell me they were going to make their longtime relationship Official by inviting their closest family and friends to attend a civil wedding ceremony in Downtown Montreal.

If you’re a Montrealer that went to University in the early aughts, you might have frequented a few of the local watering holes, like I did, and came across Beau Kavanagh and The Broken Hearted entertaining crowds. Finding this out was such a “what a small world” moment for me when I met Sarah on my daughter’s schoolyard. Our friendship is of the sort where we quickly hopped over pleasantries and engaged in personal conversation layered with a deep appreciation for each other’s wit & humor (much to our daughters delight in being allowed a lot more time on the playground).

For a wedding photographer who thrives in the details, walking into Beau & Sarah’s home and then their shop, Kavanagh Auctions is akin to winning the lottery. These two are eco-minded with a great eye for art, history and design. It feels a little like walking into a candy store or a Wes Anderson set design. That said, it was wonderful to balance out the abundantly detailed photographs with photographs taken inside their empty warehouse, flooded with that cool winter light that was especially cool that day.

Words give no justice to how honored I felt to be a part of this wedding day, finding myself choking back tears when they read their vows and I was not the only one! If you’ve ever considered a simpler ceremony and do not want to have it at the Palais de Justice in Montreal (which is… not the most aesthetically pleasing place to get married) then consider Mona Salehi Notary that has some quaint spaces to get married in front of a small host of family & friends.

The small reception afterwards was held at… and this is where I say again “what a small world!”…. my old Apartment that I had lived in almost a decade ago in NDG. I couldn’t believe it when I was given the address! I wolfed down about six date squares in which I was told that in B.C. they’re known as “Marriage Squares” , which if you think about that’s what I make too.

Enjoy this very arty, witty, emotional, family and love-filled wedding day. I couldn’t be happier for Sarah & Beau.

NOTARY & CIVIL CEREMONY VENUE Mona Salehi Notaire RINGS Elaine Ho FLOWERS Flore L’Atelier COUPLES PHOTO LOCATION Kavanagh Auctions

Wedding Photography: The Best of 2019

I find it incredible looking back at where I was last year at the start of January 2019.

I have so many ideas for my wedding photography and those ideas get infused with more experience, feeling inspired by my clients, my surroundings, other artists and so on. It’s my intention to always find the heart central to each unique celebration I’ve been honored to be hired to photograph. Every venue has it’s own unique stamp, as does the light at the time of year, the way the sky looks that day, and how each couple brings their own personalities to the forefront.

I challenged myself to choose under 20 photos from each wedding I shot and I put it all into a little slideshow which I am posting below. You can also visit the scrolling version here on a separate Best of 2019 page.

Thank you to all the couples who invited me to their celebrations and Happy 2020 to you all <3

Venues: Le Mount Stephen, Plaza Volare, Le Strathmere, La Toundra, Cafe de L’Horloge, L’Eloi, Le Belvedere, Chateau Royale, Le Peaches & Cream, Hotel Lac Carling, Eco Spa Highland, Abbaye d’Oka

ps. Looking ahead at 2020… I’m excited with the couples I have gotten to know and look forward to capturing their day! I will be traveling a little more and look forward to sharing where these weddings will be taking me. My next wedding is at the end of this month and while August of this year is pretty much full there is still breathing room for other 2020 wedding dates for the remainder of this year. So if you’re looking for a wedding photographer for 2020 - reach out!

(and note that if you’re looking for a photographer for 2021? I have started booking those weddings too!)