Annabelle & Nick

An intimate, bohemian barn wedding

The beginning of an adventure

This story began in a similar way to Alison & Brad’s story, but this time I knew the groom first. Nick and I were co-workers at that big ol’ company I worked for. Actually, Alison, Nick and myself were all on the same team and spent many an afternoon having coffee and eating chocolate that I kept in my desk drawer. (PM tip: chocolate is always a good way to start a conversation or impromptu meeting. Well, it at least eases my pain. 🙂)

After I left the big ol’ company Nick contacted me for some tips on planning his wedding and so Nick, Annabelle and I met up for lunch. I get a bit animated when I start talking about wedding planning, so they must’ve thought I was a little off my rocker, but the real kicker was when they said they weren’t going to hire a photographer. What! No photographer! Tragedy! It’s like Ferraro Rocher without hazelnuts. Abercrombie without Fitch. Autumn without Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte. It just doesn’t happen.

But it was still early planning days and although I’m sure I looked sad for them, I offered to take engagement photos for them. Nothing formal – just to get out, get dressed and have some fun. At the very least, they’d have some fun photos of them together and I’d get to take my camera out on a double date.

Engagement Session – Graffiti Alley, Toronto // 2016

Perhaps I’ll put the rest of the engagement photos up another day, but fast forward 6 months later I got a text message from Nick asking if I was available to shoot their wedding. The funny part was I was staying in New Jersey for a few months at the time and so I had a U.S SIM card in use. One evening I had to put back my Canadian SIM to check on my account and out popped Nick’s text. I was surprised and happily accepted.

8 months later – engagement to wedding

I left Toronto the day before the wedding with a car full of gear and a stomach full of butterflies. I always get the same feeling of anticipation the day before a wedding. Usually I need coffee to keep me awake, but adrenalin starts pumping through me the day before and doesn’t really end until a few hours I get home after the wedding where I then pass out.

The drive up to Bromont was fairly uneventful except when I realized a couple of hours into the drive that I’d forgotten my shoes for the wedding. I was starting to get antsy anyway and ended up spotting the Wal-Mart in Napanee. So I made a pit stop – got some gas, got my shoes, some peanuts for sustenance – then kept on driving. City driving I despise. Long road trip drives, I love.

A warm Montréal welcome

Getting to the Beatnik Hotel was fairly easy, but it took me by surprise how far off the beaten path I had to go, which, by the way, made me even more excited. A part of the way is on a gravel road. I’d looked up photos, but it was more remote than I had expected. As you drive in you can see the barn where the ceremony would be held up on a hill. And it gave me an inkling of what the weekend was going to look like.

I pulled into the parking lot at about 3PM on that warm Friday afternoon and I was excited to take a walk around the grounds at sunset and catch the best light of the day. I arrived with another car ahead of me and they introduced themselves and only then did I clue in that I would have to put my rusty French to use throughout the weekend. I should say, incredibly rusty French. I was pleasantly, yet, very surprised at how much I could understand. But really, it’s not saying much. Although I understood what they were saying, I could only respond in English. They, of course, were very sweet and spoke to me in English. And the PSA of the month is:

<PSA>Go to class, kids. More specifically, go to French class. Worth it.</PSA>

Once I was settled into my room I took my camera out for a walk and started to test lighting and itching to get to know the grounds. I found the dinner reception hall where Annabelle, her friends and family had the decorating well underway. I had asked Annabelle to send me photos of her family so that I could be a little more prepared on that day – I’d have an inkling of who I was taking a photo of. And I’d also have a cheat sheet on my phone. 😛 This is something I ask for at any wedding I do, whether it be coordinating or photography. It just gives me a head start and it takes a little less guess work out and puts a little more confidence in. But I had the luxury of extra time at this wedding to recognize faces and look at all their lovely work.

While wedding prep continued, I ventured outside. It was so quiet and beautiful that I had to press pause for a moment and be thankful for being away from the city and out in the open field. The sky was giving way to sunset – the wind was light and the air was crisp. And when I returned from my walk, dinner appeared in front of me.

What a beautiful sight it was.

Food truck! 

Poutine! 

Jackpot.

Le Smoking BBQ . Montreal’s award-winning ribs, brisket & pulled-pork poutine. Check them out for your next event!

Everything on this menu was a hit. Compliments to the chefs!

Mother of the Bride with her poutine. 🙂

Dinner and games were underway by 7pm. After scarfing down some amazing poutine & ribs, the thoughtful couple had put some activities together for their friends to get to know each other. Honestly, I couldn’t tell who knew and didn’t know each other. That’s how awesome it was. If this was a networking function, this would be networking at its finest. 

Participation at 100% and everyone was enjoying themselves. What more could you ask for? 

You’re hired! (Father of the Groom)

But at 10PM I had to call it a night. After a long drive and an eventful evening I headed back to my room to set up and rest up.

I don’t know about you, but it’s never difficult for me to fall asleep at a hotel.

The sounds of love, life & laughter

I woke up the next morning to warm sunlight streaming in. The bed was so comfortable it was hard to get up. Looked at the clock and it was 8AM – I could sleep in a little longer, but when I realized where I was, it was pretty difficult to go back to sleep. So I got myself ready for the day then headed out to the common area to get some coffee. As I sat there sipping my coffee and editing some photos I’d taken the day before, I found out that there were a few of Nick’s friends who were up until 6AM talking and catching up. Luckily, the ceremony was scheduled for 4PM, so some guests enjoyed a late start to the day, some had a quiet morning sitting outside with their coffee and pastry, while others went for a walk or a run as around the hotel there were some walking and hiking trails. I made a mental note to wake up early the next day to catch the sunrise on one of the trails.

Spoiler alert: didn’t happen.

After my caffeine fix I headed back to my room for my gear and at 12:30PM, I was on the clock. I don’t really know where time went from that moment on. One minute melted into the next. But the things that stood out to me:

The Dress // @elsagary

What can I say about the dress except how much I loved it. I was obsessed with the back of Annabelle’s dress. I didn’t realize how many photos I took of it until I was editing. It was a simple, yet chic spaghetti strap dress paired with a lace coverlet. The train was just enough and it fit her perfectly. You could tell it made her feel amazing and comfortable all day.

The Bouquet // made by Annabelle

This is probably one of the sweetest ideas I’ve heard. Friday afternoon Nick went out and chose fresh flowers from a local flower shop for the bride’s bouquet and the flowers in her hair. Also, the flowers in the reception were picked from Nick’s parents’ garden. Can’t get much more personal than that.

Simple & beautiful.

The Love

Everything about the ceremony was so wonderfully personal and the couple had many of their family and close friends involved. The whole day really did feel like a celebration – of love, of life, of simply relishing in each other’s presence.

And I have to stop and say how incredibly warm, welcoming and fun Annabelle and Nick’s family and friends are. I mean, look at this crowd:

It’s one good looking crowd.

And it’s a testament to how awesome this couple is by the love and support exhibited at this wedding. It was incredibly heart-warming and I’m so happy to have been a part of it.

I could go on and on, but I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story.

During cocktail hour we stole a little time away for a photoshoot in the golden light. It had slipped my mind how fun it was to photograph them. We ventured further into the tall grass with the setting sun and beautiful backdrop of the field and hills. It doesn’t get much better.

Plus, we ran into dinner. Bonus.

The day ended exactly the way it began – with lots of fun and energy. The reception was quite the party with singing and a whole lot of dancing. The food truck from the night before returned at 1AM for a late night snack. I didn’t get to enjoy it this time ’round as about 12.30AM I headed back to my room and passed out. It was a happy exhaustion. Shoutout to the DJ, Anthony Gucciardi, for a pretty amazing set. There was never a dull moment on that dance floor and the party continued late into the night. Or morning rather.

But who wouldn’t want to party with this crew?

The couple planned and ran the entire weekend; you could see all they wanted was to make sure everyone was included and enjoying this special day with them. 

And when I think back to the text message Nick sent me early this year, I remembered asking him if they were sure. Perhaps if they hired someone with more experience or closer to Montréal. And he responded saying they wanted someone they knew. They wanted to surround themselves with friends, with people they felt comfortable with. 

All I can say is that I count myself lucky to have witnessed and experienced all that happened that weekend. I drove back to Toronto feeling like I’d had one of the best weekends in a long time. It wasn’t work at all. 

Félicitations, Annabelle et Nick!

Et merci. Merci beaucoup.