As a Waterloo Wedding Photographer, it is imperative that you shoot a wedding at Waterloo's Abraham Erb Grist Mill. And, as a Kitchener Wedding Kitchener Wedding Photographer, it was a pleasure to shoot in the heart of Kitchener, at the MUSEUM, and right across from the MUSEUM, at the Walper Hotel. The colours of the wedding perfectly complemented the venues, and brought a very elegant feel to the day.
I started my day by visiting the boys as they got ready. Colin and his groomsmen were excited for the big day - the final moment had come. I loved the colours of their suits - burgundy is not a colour that is not the most common, but the guys pulled it off AMAZING! The guys got their suits from RW & co. in Kitchener, Ontario.
Then, I headed over to the Walper Hotel in Kitchener, Ontario. I LOVED the room that Michelle had at the Walper Hotel. The lighting was absolutely amazing. I am lover of natural light, and as a photographer, I feel that the Walper Hotel is a goldmine for photography. The room was also plenty spacious, so there was plenty of room to admire Michelle's dress, as well as enough room for hair dressers, makeup artists, Michelle's bridesmaids, and family! That's a lot of space! And when I'm photographing wedding preparations, I appreciate all the extra space that I can get. It also allows everyone to be a more comfortable and relaxed, so as to not allow nerves to get to you!
Now, let's talk about Michelle's and the girls' robes, I love them - very cute, and again really went with the whole theme of the day. Michelle's hairpiece was from Etsy - and I think worth every penny. I think I have two favourites - if I'm allowed to have more than one favourite from Michelle's attire - that would be her bouquet - made by Chessy Potage, and it was LOVELY! This is one of those bouquets you see on Pinterest, and I have to say I loved the wild arrangement of flowers. Now the second thing I loved about Michelle's attire - was her dress. It was modern, classy, elegant, feminine, and all the other dainty adjectives you can think of! MIchelle found her dress at Sophie's Gown Shoppe in Kitchener, and I am a fan.
Finally, we headed to the Grist Mill for the ceremony. Now here is something that I think a lot of brides don't realize:
Sometimes, you don't need to decorate a whole lot! Sometimes, minimal is better!
And that's exactly what I noticed with how the Mill was decorated - minimally. Sometimes, you just need to appreciate architecture for what it is, and I'm glad that Michelle and Colin chose to do just that for their ceremony. The burgundy colors along with the wooden beams of the mill brought a whole another level to aesthetic of the ceremony.
And as always, I really appreciated the intimate nature of the ceremony.
When I first meet couples, I like to ask them some questions, and their responses tell me everything I need to know about them as a couple:
Colin, what do you love the most about Michelle?
Her thoughtfulness towards others and sense of humor (as well as putting up with my sense of humor. Her continued care of others and the greater good and sense of morals (she helps me have some). Her ability to see the good in people.
MIchelle, what do you love the most about Colin?
Colin is so easy going and lives very much in the present. He knows how to find humour in everything - or at least not let things get him down. He is friends with everyone - so easy to get along with, has a great sense of humour (albeit a bit dark at times), and is super loyal and dependable.
Finally, we ended the night with the reception at the MUSEUM. The MUSEUM does a great job at transforming to the space to a hip, and modern spot to spend the night. It is especially good for having rectangle tables - now this may sound absurd, but I love banquet style tables, and prefer them over round tables every day! The thing with round tables is: well, they're not the worst ever, but with banquet style tables, you have more of a refined look, and I feel that for a wedding, it might be a good decision! As a photographer, banquet style tables are especially good if I were to take group photos - everyone looks like they are the same size, but with a round table, the individuals who are closer to me will look larger, and those further away look smaller, and while this isn't a problem because I can easily rearrange people, but we are losing out on precious time for photos! In another post, I will write about why having a second photographer in this scenario might be best.
Other thank that however, the MUSEUM is always a great host for weddings - guests are open to explore another floor, and hey, who doesn't like exploring a children's museum at night?
You will note once again that the decorations at the reception were very tasteful, and guess what - a lot of it was DIY. I have an appreciation for DIY weddings, because they truly reflect the couple's personality. For instance, Michelle and Colin chose to make cute little tea jars for their guests, and I think that while this idea was simple, it was really unique, and I loved my tea! The tea was from Distinctly Tea, a cute little tea shop in Stratford - and guess what, they have everything!
The cake was made by Casy Kramer (and it was very yummy), the macarons were from Harry Ten Shilling - I have been there on one other occasion, and it is a cute little tea shop in Shakespeare, Ontario. And finalllllly the best part of the night (for me at least) - the music - and it was amazing - and I loved their selection - and they were so polished - I should definitely go to more of their shows - The Honey Badgers.
Michelle and Colin - thank you for allowing me to capture your big day!