A Big Spring Wedding at the Isabel Bader Centre | Lauren and Jameson's Wedding
As I write this, it’s coming up to one year since I photographed Lauren and Jameson’s wedding last May.
Theirs was one of the first weddings I had last year, and it was such a great way to kick off the busiest season I’ve ever had. This blog is their wedding day story.
Get a few photos of the getting ready
I drove to the house where everyone was getting ready the morning of the wedding, with my trusty friend and 2nd shooter Joanna Semrau in tow. Joanna and I practiced going through the list of names of the family & wedding party, because names are something I struggle with.
So yes, before each wedding, I’ll go through the list and try and remember who is related to whom and what their names are. Once I had to draw a whole family tree, because there were nearly twenty people in the same family, related in various ways haha.
Anyway…
This gorgeous wedding day, we pulled up into a beautiful driveway along Thousand Islands Parkway, which was the home of Lauren’s parents. If you haven’t driven along the Thousand Islands Parkway, it’s such a stunning place, near the water. It’s winding road, not quite a county road, not quite a quiet road.
Already, the house was bustling with activity.
Jameson’s wedding party were getting ready downstairs in the walkout basement, so Joanna made her way there to capture the fun.
On the main floor, the bridesmaids were chatting, having snacks, and starting to put on their makeup. With multiple people in the big room, I had fun trying to get different angles and compositions. Busy getting ready sessions at weddings are really nice - as a wedding photographer, you’re trying to tell the story that precedes the ceremony.
Usually there are really cute and tender moments between the folks gathered there to help, and sometimes it’s’ really funny, too. Jokes, eating, toasting. It’s really fun, and I recommend getting ready photographs to anyone who is trying to figure out how long they need a photographer for on their wedding day.
It might cost a little bit more, but you’re really getting all chapters of the day represented.
And you also get some awesome candid photos of special moments like this between Lauren and her cute pup. Pets are super important, and I cherish any chance to get them into the wedding photo gallery. Not everyone can bring their dog to the wedding ceremony (although some people find a way to make it work!), but we can usually photographs them at home at some point during the wedding day. It’s important.
Getting into the wedding dress makes for nice photos, too, no matter what the location.
Some people get worried if they have a room that’s not perfectly lit, or has visual clutter. To me, that’s always super secondary to the most important story you want to see: yourself, getting into your wedding dress.
I’m not an overly sentimental person, so I understand that this moment in itself might not be be special to you, but trust me when I say that it will be a meaningful and interesting moment when you look back on it, decades later.
(Yes, nearly two decades have passed since my wedding day, and I wish I had a similar set of photos from my own wedding.)
ermagaaad, you look stunning!
Lauren’s bridesmaids wait to see her all dressed up for the first time. The faces say it all ❤️
After a hudle, the bride and groom had their first look. They stepped outside for a moment alone, which I always support wholeheartedly. Make time for your partner(s) on your wedding day!
In true paparazzi fashion, I snapped a couple of photographs of them.
I can’t read lips, so their moment was theirs, but the images turned out really well and I think they’ll cherish them for a long time to come.
The couple had told me that they had some neighbours with a beautiful dock overlooking the St Lawrence River, where they wanted to do bridal party and family photos.
So we went for a short little drive. On the drive there, I gave the groomsmen a ride, and learned that one of them was a wedding photographer himself! That is always fun :)
Oh, and Lauren leaving the house to get there is one of my favourites from this gallery.
There’s actually a funny (or scary) story on that dock, because the owner tried to remove a big metal flagpole out of the way, thinking it was going to be in the way of the photos, but in doing so, it ended up crashing to the ground, and had I not stepped out of the way in the last second, I would have been crushed. Yikes. It took me a few moments to collect myself after that. But all is well that ends well :P
The sun was pretty bright that day, so we had to give these ladies a little bit of extra light from the front. What you don’t see here is my second shooter Joanna, holding the light to their left, trying not to fall into the water. Did I mention that being a wedding photographer is always exciting?
Afterwards, we made our way into Kingston, to the Isabel Bader Centre for the ceremony and reception.
Things got emotional.
Their grandmothers were ring-bearers ❤️
And then…
When you see your person.
This is the moment it all comes together.
THIS is the moment all your worries and butterflies melt away.
When you see your person, waiting for you, at the end of that aisle, throwing away all those silly little worries that mean nothing, and reaching out to hold on to the only thing that ever really mattered: love.
There was not a dry eye in the house when Lauren walked down the aisle with her dad.
The outdoor ceremony at the Isabel Bader, overlooking the water.
This image above took me a while to edit. Below you’ll find the original. I had wanted to preserve the details in the sky, and for that reason, I didn’t want to overexpose the sky. But also wanted to the audience members to be properly exposed, which required some work in editing. Nothing too difficult, ultimately. I’m happy I got the balance I was looking for.
Outdoor ceremonies in full sun can be tricky, especially when part of the guests (or all the guests) are in the shade, as they were here. But an experienced photographer should be able to handle this type of situation easily. I’m not bragging, I’m just saying that it comes with the job. You learn really quickly as a documentary photographer that you don’t always get the light exactly the way you’d have wanted it, and you have to think fast on your feet.
Original straight out of the camera image of the wedding ceremony.
During the ceremony, I’m getting lots of different angles of course. In this space, because there is only a narrow band to walk up front, I had to carefully plan the shots so as not to disrupt things.
One of the best part of the day is when you say your vows, exchange rings, and seal the deal with a kiss. It’s a palpable weight that comes off your shoulders, because the ‘hardest’ part (i.e. the part most folks are anxious about - being in front of everyone - is now behind you. Not only that, but now you’re officially partners. So it feels like you’re unstoppable.
Then come the hugs…
If you’ve got a hundred guests or more, as Lauren and Jameson did, the part after the ceremony where people want to congratulate you and hug you and say hi can be quite long. It’s totally amazing to be so loved, but just make sure you factor that into your day.
If you’re planning to have any ‘formal’ or traditional photos done after the ceremony, chat with your photographer ahead of the wedding about how to make that happen.
You don’t want to be scrambling and stressed about this :)
Lauren and Jameson planned it so that their family photos were mostly done before the ceremony, so they had plenty of time to enjoy all the hugs.
And I included so many of these photographs in their wedding gallery, because (a) I don’t want to make assumptions about who is important to them and who is less important, and (b) these can be soooo meaningful down the road.
The grand entrance
The grand entrance is kind of grand in a literal way at the Isabel Bader Centre. Here’s what it looked like on this wedding day.
Of course, you can opt out of a grand entrance.
It’s not necessary, and if it stresses you out, you can simply choose to walk in to the reception hall with the rests of the guests, and without much ado.
The wedding is yours and you call the shots!
I got a funky lens filter thingie that I played around with a bit that day, and this is one of the images. This can be quickly overused, though, so I tried not to overdo it haha.
Wedding speeches are all about capturing the emotions
When the speeches portion of the evening comes by, I know that I have one job as a wedding photographer: to capture the emotions.
Things can happen fast, and what’s weird is - when you’re focusing on photographing things, you sometimes don’t even listen to what’s being said fully. It’s hard to be so in the moment with the photograph and also be paying full attention to the speech. But you have to have one ear open, because the laughter (if it’s a joke) or the tears (if it’s something tender and vulnerable) can happen really quick!
When I design wedding albums, I usually include a lot of speech photos, and give the couple the chance to decide which ones are the important ones to them.
Couples’ photos at dusk
We hadn’t been sure whether we wanted to get sunset photos or not, but the day of, I saw how gorgeous the light was outside and we couldn’t resist.
Here are just a few of the photographs we took when we stepped outside for fifteen minutes.
That delicious glow of the sky, and the melting of the horizon - it made for a stunning backdrop for these newlyweds.
Dances and more dances
Some folks like to do a first dance, and Lauren and Jameson decided they were going to do this.
I wanted to show the guests behind them, but in all my careful compositions, there’s one thing I missed: a photo of them dancing against the backdrop of the sunset outside.
I was kicking myself, but all in all, it wasn’t a deal breaker. Sometimes you miss something that could have been really cool, but then you realize that you were getting equally cool stuff at the same time. Photography is about making a million decisions on the fly.
You have to roll with it :)
The dancefloor opening up is a really exciting time. People are fed, happy, and ready to dance! I’m always ready to photograph. And I’ve figured out how to use light in just about any situation, so no matter the venue - big, small, or backyard type - there’s a way to light it to showcase the hilarity and fun of the moment.
Something I do have to remind myself is to step away from the dancing and see what else is going on.
I’m happy I went outside for a quick perusal, because I got a few shots of the dancing guests inside the building with this epic dark blue sky, and even snagged a couples’ photo of these lovely folks on the bottom left.
I’ve really enjoyed writing this blog and revisiting these photos. It definitely brightened up my day. That was a beautiful wedding in every single way, and I am happy to remember it over and over.
A whole bunch of thanks ❤️
There’s a whole list of folks who made this magic, and first up are Lauren & Jameson. @fullwelljameson + @knight.lau
Their love, kindness, and warmth was the focal point of this entire wedding day. They recently celebrated their 1st anniversary, and it seems marriage is working really well for them - they’re still as much in love, or maybe more! (They’ve been getting up to all sorts of amazing things, including doing that CN tower rope walk that takes a ton of guts!)
Anyway, Lauren & Jameson: May your lives be filled with the same love you put out into the world.
I have to give a big shoutout to my assistant editor Maksim Didyk, who right around this time was living in war-torn Ukraine, having near-nightly bomb raids, and yet still wanted to help with these edits.
Thank you Double A DJs AA DJs for keeping the party going with great tunes (and for being so kind and cool)
Thank you The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts for the most stunning backdrop - it’s always epic! For cooking us a delicious dinner, for busting your butts all night to serve and take wonderful care of EVERYONE there, for making sure there are plant-based options, and for checking when there was doubt…. Thank you for taking such good care of the photographers, by making sure we get plenty of apps as they come out… and for everything else you did to host this gorgeous wedding!
Thank you Kingston's Flower Market for elegant and beautiful florals - in all-white this time, and just as magical as always!
Thank you Dolce Vita - Kingston Wedding Officiant for the lovely ceremony - each time we meet, I adore your professionalism and warmth!
Thank you Lovebird Bridal Boutique for the dress - you provide so many amazing choices to the marriers of Kingston!
Thank you @taylorcameronhairstylist for the gorgeous hair - and for driving from out of town to get it done
Thanks to all the happy folks who were there including @haileyhill7 and @emmamiddlestadt
And @mo.barnes and @sarahamymcneil
And @sam.hepperle and @sydney.hampton who were there for so much love and laughs and group hugs with Lauren (and all the boys and everyone else I don’t have an IG tag for) to make this day amazing, to show your support & love to this couple!
Thanks to @jeremydalyphoto for taking an awesome photo of me with the happy couple & generally being a great and super chill photographer-guest and not guest-photographer
HUGE thanks to my friend & 2nd Shooter @jssemrau who was there for the laughs, the tears, and the pole that almost fell on me, but didn’t! I got incredible photos back from her, and they truly enriched the wedding gallery we ultimately delivered to Lauren and Jameson.
(to see the original post this excerpt was from, visit here for FB and here for IG).