When Christie first reached out to me to see if I would be willing to photograph her and Ben's Ontario reception, she had me hooked right away with their lovely story. After meeting through work in Hawaii and falling in love, they married in a small civil ceremony this past spring and were coming back to her hometown of KW to have a celebration with friends and family on the east coast. When she told me that it was only going to be the people to whom "you say 'I love you' at the end of a phone call and mean it", I knew we were going to get along fabulously. Her grandfather was going to be the officiant, his dad the best man, her sister the maid-of-honour and Ben's son was the ring bearer. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding. Another huge bonus was the fact that the ceremony was being held in the pine forest at Chicopee Ski & Summer Resort, a stunningly beautiful clearing with soaring pines and sweeping green lushness. Count. Me. In.
The day of the wedding, we started with a first look, with both Ben and little man waiting for the gorgeous bride to arrive. It was so sweet to see how this family just radiates love and connection. Right afterward, Christie and Ben said their vows, in private and just for each other - my new MOST favourite thing. They wanted so much to say the words with deep feeling and sincere honesty, right to each other's hearts. How I managed to get any shots through my tears is still a little surprising, good grief it was amazing.
Then we prepared for the ceremony, flower petals being laid on the path to the altar and Grandpa taking his spot in front of the guests. They said their vows again and finally exchanged real rings, after wearing place-holder rings since their elopement. They greeted all of their guests, many coming from Conneticut to support Ben and people from all over Ontario to celebrate with Christie, who then went to enjoy nibblies while we took our time doing portraits on the stunning Chicopee property. Big shout out to Mother Nature who gave us the most perfectly-filtered overcast light to fill the forest. You ROCK.
Thank you Ben and Christie for trusting me to share this special day with you and your wonderful friends and family. I truly enjoyed each and every minute.
M xo
