It started as soon as we met up with Jay and his guys at the House of Barons in downtown Ottawa. Jay, a guy who looks super tough and manly (and respectfully is – seriously, I wouldn’t suggest messing with him), is so kind and loving of the people in his life, and this was clear the second he started talking about Karen and just how excited and happy he was for this day.
Over at Le Belvedere’s cabin, the girls got ready and I had a few quiet moments with the bride. She told me how lucky she felt to have found Jay and how amazing of a man he is. She also told me about his family and how this loving group had welcomed her with open arms and made her feel like she had always been a part of it.
Skip forward to their portraits, after the bridal party had headed back to the reception and it was just the four of us. It wasn’t hard to capture loving moments between the two of them and they fell instantly into any pose we gave them. But my favourite was when I was taking some photos of Karen on her own. As we took the images, I could hear Jay behind me, ‘Wow’. One word was all that was needed to describe not only the unbelievable beauty that was Karen (seriously, she was stunning!!), but also the immense happiness that was felt about these two starting their lives together.
These moments made me realize again just how special these two people were and how perfect they are for each other. Their entire wedding day was filled with a million little moments like these and I am so happy to have been witness to them all. I mentioned in their sneak peek that I was truly honoured to be part of their wedding day, and though I feel honoured at all of our weddings (really I don’t say that lightly), this day was very special to us and will be one we remember for a very, very long time.
Wedding Photographers: Stephanie Beach Photography (us!)
Venue, Catering: Le Belvedere
Florist: Ottawa Flowers
Bride’s Dress: Renewed With Love
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: David’s Bridal
Groom + Groomsmen’s Suits: Moore’s
Hair & Makeup: Liana Lacroix Beauty
Men’s Barber: House of Barons
Officiant: Rev. Matt Gallinger
Cake: Wicked Desserts
DJ: DJ Grimm
Stationary & Wedding Website: Minted.com