Orange Art Gallery Wedding: Christiane + Adam

The last wedding of the season is always so bittersweet for us. We are pretty exhausted and looking forward to some time to catch up on the behind the scenes part of the business, but at the same time, we are sad because we know it will be a few months before we get to once again spend time with our couples on their wedding days. But ending it with a high note is always a good thing, and I can’t think of a better couple to wrap up our 2016 season with than Christiane + Adam.

I started the day downtown at the Chateau Laurier for Christiane’s prep. Not only is this one of my favourite places to shoot, but it was just the perfect place to start this beautiful day. The classic elegance of the hotel and its surroundings matched one side of this gorgeous bride.

And that dress!! It was absolute perfection. Made of lace and raw silk, it was without a doubt the dress for Christiane (huge props to the ladies at The Handmade Bride who always know how to get the perfect dress for each and every one of their brides). And of course her maid of honour, Mom and future Mother-in-Law also had stunning personalized dresses for the occasion in one of my favourite wedding colours – plum. These ladies were so much fun to spend time with and I can’t think of a better way to have started this wedding day.

Meanwhile, Dave got to hang out with the guys at the couple’s apartment and meet their fur-child The Brother. We love it when animals get involved in the wedding day as they really are such important parts of their owner’s lives, and this guy was quite the character (or so I am told).

Fortunately the guys didn’t mind Dave showing up quite ahead of schedule (the reason behind this will be a story for another time) and were pretty chill and relaxed before heading over to the hotel.

And then came one of my very favourite moments in a wedding day – the First Look! Not every couple opts for a first look but I absolutely love them, not only does it give you more flexibility when it comes to your portraits, but it also gives you a few precious minutes to yourselves (something that is pretty rare on wedding days).

We were hoping to do Christiane + Adam’s first look on the private balcony of the Chateau, but there was another wedding in the room connected to it later that day and we didn’t want to interfere with their plans. But honestly, even though there were a few people walking to and fro behind them, it didn’t seem to impact these two whatsoever. It was so sweet getting to be a part of this special moment and to see the reactions.

A few more portraits around Major’s Hill Park and a small portion of the Market, and these two lovebirds were off to get hitched. They couldn’t have picked a more unique wedding location if they had tried and it matched the other side of Christiane + Adam. The Orange Art Gallery was not only a great backdrop for their day, but it also made for some fantastic viewing opportunities during cocktails and the reception. And when put together as beautifully as it was, it was truly complete perfection (definitely check out the vendor list at the end of this post because this wedding team was fantastic!)!

The little nods to their wedding venue spread throughout their wedding really were the perfect way to have theme without going completely overboard and whacking everyone of the head with it. Their guest book was in the forms of mini canvases that everyone decorated (the couple is planning on making them into one large piece for their home), little easels were the place card holders, and of course this all matched the art gallery venue.

I mentioned in their sneak peek that this was the final wedding of our 2016 season and that I honestly couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up it all up with, and that is 100% true. Christiane + Adam are such kind, warm people with such big hearts. They were such a joy to work with leading up to their day and made our job so easy and even more fun that it already is on the day itself too. The love they share is the kind that just makes you instantly happy to be around and I thank them for that. And, to make thing even better (as if that was even possible), they have some of the very best people in their lives. Their family and friends were an absolute blast and made the long day of coverage go by in the blink of an eye. Thank you both so much for choosing us to be part of your day and letting us capture all those wonderful moments for you.