It was past midnight when I pulled out of the Toronto Hunt Club on May 25th, the sky was clear and the moon was full. I had spent the entire day with Kristen and Ryan and their entourage of 16 bridesmaids and groomsmen. A twelve hour or so glimpse into the lives two people I might not have had the pleasure of meeting if not for a job in wedding photography.

I thought about the speeches I had recorded, and the conversations I had. After twelve hours with all the important people in their lives I felt like I knew Kristen and Ryan so much better than I did at the beginning of the day. I smiled, because I knew that this attempt to push my work as a storyteller further into the realm of sound as well as visuals was going to explain what I had the pleasure of experiencing myself. A wedding day full of laughter, one liners and love.

A photograph does not explain, it can only acknowledge, the very muteness of what is. Sound brings another dimension and I am so thankful to be able to share their wedding with a few selected words spoken over dinner. I hope that the combination does justice to the day, and to Kristen and Ryan. Thanks so much for having me along.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Collingwood Ontario Wedding Photos // Brittney and Michael

Blue Mountain, blue sky, something blue.

I arrived at 10 in the morning and parked my car on the gravel with a little time to scope out the village at blue mountain. I can’t remember being there prior to May 4th even though as a snowboarder I must have been to the biggest hill in Southern Ontario. I walked around trying to place Collingwood in my memory but I was struggling.

Brittney was getting ready in the Trillium house and I headed over there thinking about the place and meaning it had for her and Mike. The meaning it would have after today finished.

Brittney got ready, no rush, a small bit of nerves and a long veil later she headed to the top of Mountain. I headed to see Mike where the boys met for a beer before the ceremony. Strangers congratulated him, told him about being married for 50 years and their own wedding days. Four men in suits stand out.

The sun shone the rest of the day, and Brittney and Mike were married.

Photos were taken,

a delicious meal enjoyed,

speeches to melt your heart,

and then…

… a dance party ensued.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Scroll through slowly and the audio will match the photos.

Wedding Team//

Cake and Cupcakes – K&S Custom Cakes

Florals - Paperwhite Flowers

Hair - Sarah Trelford, Trends

Makeup: Jennifer Bartelt

“We agreed to love each other madly.”

― Jack Kerouac

I like to think I have an great internal navigation system. I refuse to use a GPS because I feel more oriented looking up directions, following a map, searching for landmarks. As I drove into Collingwood Ontario at the beginning of May this year and saw Blue Mountain rise above the highway I knew I was headed the right way to Britt and Mike’s wedding.

Brittney and Michael were married at the summit of the mountain with a view over the village like no other. The band played and a dance party was had on a beautiful day at Blue Mountain Resort. A quick look at their wedding photos below with a full story of photographs to come next week.

“Brittany you look beautiful” Brittany’s mom Sue spoke in almost a whisper.

“…and you were mine first…”

Brittany’s eyes lock with Sue’s in the hustle of wedding preparations, and they both smile that same closed mouth, lips turned up, quiet smile, that because of genetics or possibly a lifetime together mirrors the other. I can only wonder what Sue is thinking; if she is remembering tying Britt’s shoes before her first day of kindergarden, or if she thinks back to when she waited up on the couch sipping tea as Brittany broke curfew at sixteen. Maybe my imagination is limited by where I believe my own mother’s thoughts might go on her daughter’s wedding day.

The day rolled on and together the girls headed up the mountain where Brittany would meet Mike, and above the city of Collingwood they would start life together. Sue stood in front of the couple at the start of the ceremony, and like any mother would spoke from the heart.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Happy Mother’s Day.

>