So, it’s that time of the year again, time for all the end-of-the-year posts. Historically, I have always started off my End-of-Year Series with a Thank You post as a way to recognize and show appreciated for all the amazing people who let us be a part of their family milestones, whether is be their engagement or wedding day, or family session (maternity, newborn, cake smash, growing family session, etc.). And don’t get me wrong, that is what this post will be too, but 2020 was a very different year than any else my business has experienced and I therefore think it needs a bit of explanation (for lack of a better word).
In fact, the year was so odd that I initially considered adding a question mark after the Thank You in the post title. Sort of a thanks but no thanks sort of situation. I decided against that as, in the end, Dave and I survived 2020 fairly unscathed, and I am extremely grateful for that. It was tough on the business for sure, we lost 75% of our weddings, and although the number is harder to calculate, my guess would be that we lost about 60% of our family sessions as well. That was a very hard pill to swallow and having to come to terms with the fact that I would be meeting absolutely none of my original 2020 goals was hard for me too. But in the end, I did what I needed to do, and the business survived, which is more than a lot of business owners can say, so I am not going to complain too much about the losses and sacrifices.
There will be a highlight post for our family sessions a little later on this week, so for now let’s focus on those weddings shall we? Even though there were far fewer weddings for us this year, the ones we got to be a part of were nothing short of amazing! We were able to be a part of 8 wedding with some wonderfully sweet couples. And I wanted to give a special shout-out to each one (and give you guys a chance to check out their stunning wedding days again).
Jennifer + Steve
Our first wedding of 2020 and it was a spectacular one to say the least! Jenn + Steve had a laughter-filled day complete with a snow storm, so many wonderful stories, and of course, their adorable twin girls. This was the perfect way to start off our year!
Side note: I got to work with this adorable family again when they joined us for our Christmas Mini-Sessions and I loved getting to see the girls again as they have grown so much this year!!
Alexis + Peter
This was a chilly wedding day to say the least, but the love between and for Alexis + Peter kept everyone toasty warm. After their surprise proposal at Upper Canada Village, I knew this day was going to be amazing and as it turns out I was 100% correct! These two are some of the sweetest, kindest people out there and being able to capture their wedding day was nothing short of an honour.
Lauren + Simon
You may be noticing that there isn’t a blog post for this one, and that’s simply because at the time I didn’t know how to handle covid elopements. Lauren + Simon were supposed to be married during the pandemic and didn’t want to delay the official start to their marriage, so they opted for a tiny, private elopement in her parents’ backyard. And since this was near the start of the pandemic, when I say tiny I mean it. They were limited to 5 people at a time, which meant their officiant (Keith of Exception Ceremonies), did his thing and once he was done, I did mine. They had family join them via Skype and Zoom and have plans for a reception this year to celebrate with more people in person (fingers crossed of course).
Allison + Matt
My second covid wedding was held in a beautiful little park and was actually a surprise to every not involved in the day itself. Allison + Matt were planning a big wedding out East, but obviously had to change those plans, so instead they opted to have a small elopement with a couple friends and then announce the whole thing afterwards as a surprise for their family + friends. They of course had some wonderful photos, if I do say so myself, and a video of the ceremony too.
Tara + Dion
It has been almost exactly 6 months since Dave + I had captured a full wedding day, or even worked together at a wedding, so we knew our bodies were going to take a beating as we got back into the swing of things. But Tara + Dion were so completely worth it! And their wedding day was beyond gorgeous, and not just because it was at Stonefields Estate. The sheer awesomeness that is Tara + Dion made this day absolutely magical and being able to capture them sharing it with as many of their friends + family who could make it was really special.
Currie + Dan
Where do I even start with Currie + Dan?! This Lord of the Rings themed wedding was so incredibly special to us that it’s actually hard to put into words. I found myself in joyful tears at multiple parts of their day, I even had to rely completely on my autofocus during their ceremony as my eyes were so filled with tears I couldn’t see a lot of details. I have known Dan for as long as I have known Dave and he has been a part of so many special moments in our lives. And I have adored Currie from the instant I met her. We hang out with them on a near weekly basis for our regular D&D game and genuinely love spending time with them. It was not only an honour, but a true joy to be able to capture their wedding day for them and to be able to see them so happy and so loved.
Melanie + Michael
I think Melanie + Michael were on plan W by the time their wedding day came around. They were originally planning a very different day, but in the end the changes may have made their day even more gorgeous as, despite the many, many hours of physical labour required, their private wedding venue was undeniably spectacular, and all the extra care and precautions they took for their guests made sure everyone was beyond safe throughout the entire time. But what more would you expect from two people as thoughtful and loving as these guys?!
Tanya + Scott
The last wedding of 2020 and it definitely did not disappoint. Tanya + Scott put so much love into their day and filled it with beautiful personal touches and their unique flair. I loved literally every second of this day, even when we were hit with a torrential downpour and the guests literally held down the decor, tables and even the tent!
This was definitely a shorter list than I thought I would be writing this time last year, but I will happily take it as all of our 2020 couples worked so hard to keep their wedding days special and memorable. Our covid couples in particular had to deal with so many ever-changing policies and procedures to ensure that not only could their days go ahead, but they could do so in a safe manner than kept all of their loved ones healthy. It wasn’t an easy year for event planning and I was so impressed with the efforts that all of couples went to!
I also want to give a huge shout out to all of the vendors we have been lucky enough to work alongside in 2020. Everyone in the wedding and event industry knows this was a tough year, and it was hard for all of us to stay on top of everything, but I was so happy to see that all of the everyone just wanted the best for our couples and went above and beyond to ensure everything was just perfect for them, as well as being safe. So thank you all for your hard work and dedication and I urge anyone reading this to check out the original blog posts for these wedding days so you can find out all the other talented professionals who helped make these weddings a reality.
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