McKenzie Pavilion Ceremony + Gorgeous Backyard Reception | Bailey and Chris's Early Summer Wedding
What is your favourite memory of dating Chris?
“When I got home at 1am from a multi-week work trip, He had left banana bread and flowers out for me” - Bailey
When Bailey messaged me, it was already May.
She was getting married in late May, and she was looking for a wedding photographer.
And…It just so happened that I was going to be photographing her BFF from high-school’s wedding just a week after Bailey’s wedding.
Wait.
Does that make sense?
Bailey was BFFs with Denise, in high school. Denise was getting married early June, and Bailey was getting married late May. They BOTH ended up having Quirky Love Photography as their wedding photography team. 😍
And why not?
Bailey really wanted a queer-positive team to make her guests feel safe and seen and heard. Some of Bailey’s most important people - her most loved ones - are queer. So, it was super important for her to have a photographer who not only knows their way around a camera on a wedding day… but also (and perhaps even more importantly!) makes everyone who Bailey and her partner Chris invited to their wedding feel welcome and loved.
And this is my jam.
Kaylan was my second shooter for the day (here are her photos from that day!)
It was so much fun to have another queer-positive female photographer onsite for this wedding. It’s always fun to have a second shooter because it enables you to chat about photographs that inspired you… photos you’re excited you took. You can share ideas with them, like “Did you see the bride’s shoes?” or “Wow, her grandfather is SO photogenic!”
It also gives you a companion for dinner.
And an assistant to carry your lights 😜
So anyway… let’s talk about Bailey and Chris’s Wedding, which was beautiful in every day.
The Late Spring Wedding
Late spring is a gorgeous time to get married. Everything is green. After waiting MONTHS for things to blossom and for those leaves to unfurl… it’s finally happened!
But Bailey and Chris’s wedding was going to be special in another way: they were expecting a baby in the VERY near future.
And with a few pregnancy complications, Bailey was really looking forward to being married to Chris, and having one less major thing to plan before baby’s arrival.
Getting Ready Photos
When I arrived at Bailey’s parents’ place, everyone was already getting ready.
Bailey was having her hair and makeup done at the same time by two trusted friends, and her family and friends were setting up the gorgeous backyard. There was a white tent with stunning wooden rented tables and chairs, adorned with decorations. In between the place settings on the tables were little clay birds that Bailey herself had created! It was magical.
There were also vintage teacups on one table, for later, to have tea with the cake.
Meanwhile, over with the guys, Kaylan was snapping away some epic shots of the window-lit room and the tie-tying and suit-wearing…
It’s really great when you can have a second shooter capture what the second partner (in this case, the groom) is doing with their part of the wedding party at the same time as the first partner. That way, we can put ALL of these in their album…. and it makes for a beautiful interlaced story of the morning of the wedding: getting ready photos!
(But of course, when they’re candid getting ready photos, there’s nothing you really need to do other than just go about your morning as you normally would if a photographer wasn’t there! that’s the whole thing about being a fly on the wall! Haha. You aren’t there to disturb or disrupt anyone’s morning!)
Ceremony at McKenzie Pavilion in Kingston
Their ceremony was going to be at the McKenzie Pavilion downtown.
Now, if you haven’t seen that place, it’s pretty gorgeous. The pavilion faces the water, and is on the edge of Queen’s university and City Park. It’s also a walk away from Breakwater park and downtown Kingston.
As far as wedding ceremony locations in Kingston, it’s hard to beat McKenzie Pavilion.
The only thing that we, wedding photographers, need to consider is the light.
Because the pavilion is …. well.. covered… it means that under the pavilion is quite dark compared to the surroundings.
So if it’s a nice sunny day, that means that you’re either having to overexpose everything on the outside (that means make it look brighter and washed out), OR, use some strategic lights to help bring up the lightings under the gazebo.
I chose the second route this time around. (I’ve photographed at this pavilion before, and done it differently).
One of the big reasons for this was that Bailey’s father had forewarned me he had a big surprise: the coastguard was going to be making an appearance in a vessel just off the shore of the pavilion.
So what, you may ask?
Well… aside from it being an awesome gesture for Bailey (because she charts nautical maps for her career!), this meant that the water and surroundings had to be nicely lit… NOT overexposed… but then so did the people under the gazebo during the ceremony.
No problem.
I put two bright lights on either side of the beginning of the aisle, and it all worked out.
The ceremony was beautiful and not too long. The vows were heartfelt. Bailey definitely got emotional. She needed a handkerchief to wipe her tears away on multiple occasions.
The coastguard vessel showed up, as promised.
It was all picture perfect.
After the signing of the papers, we went to take a few family group photos.
I particularly loved the BIG group photo of EVERYONE.
I used a couple of lights for this one, because it was a bright sunny day and I wanted to give everyone’s faces a bit of a light boost.
There were also TONS of candid (documentary) moments that Kaylan and I captured in this segment.
Oh, and we made time to get a few photos with that Lion, which had Ukrainian signage underneath it. Chris is Ukrainian, so this lion memorial was very important.
Then we all headed back to the house on the tour bus. (you know that red bus that does Kingston tours? Yeah, it took us back and forth from the ceremony to the house! So much fun! I had Kaylan ride in there with everyone to get some bus shots, while I took my car so I could move my lights around.)
Handfasting ceremony under a willow tree at the park
I love backyard weddings with a little white tent.
This was super magical.
Before we all went to the backyard, the guests threw seeds at the newlyweds. We got a few awesome photos of this moment. (the part you usually wouldn’t see in photos is the bit where Bailey is fishing seeds out of her hair and cleavage. Because as much as it’s a brilliant idea to throw biodegradable things at the newlyweds, like flower petal confetti or seeds.. they can still get STUCK! It’s not the first time I’ve caught a snap of such a thing happening (see Ellen and Tim’s wedding blog here.)
Everyone mingled and enjoyed their time together while Bailey and Chris and their wedding party made their way to a nearby park, where a very special willow tree would provide a spectacular backdrop for their SECOND ceremony, a handfasting ceremony.
That’s right, the couple had TWO ceremonies.
This willow tree had been super meaningful to Bailey. They had a quick ceremony and some couples photos there, that I think turned out beautifully.
After that, it was time for the RECEPTION!
Reception and speeches in the backyard!
We captured some photos once everyone was sitting down for dinner & speeches.
Speeches can be very emotional, and I usually look to capturing those emotions in layered photographs. I love to photograph the speakers themselves, but also the reactions. So it feels like you can relive the moment afterwards.
And check out this spectacular gift that Bailey’s aunt gifted the couple: a handmade GIANT birdhouse which is an exact replica of Bailey’s parents’ house! WOW!!! It was out of this world. (Bailey is a HUGE birder and bird photographer. So this gift was so meaningful, in so many ways)
Cutting & Divvying up the CAKE!
My favourite part has come! (haha, I joke…. only partly!)
It was time to cut the cake. Bailey and Chris had two family recipes baked into this cake - one for each layer. I thought that was so sweet! (they were both delicious, by the way, because I got to take a piece home!)
The cutting of the cake and dishing it out to the guests was itself an interesting event. I positioned myself on the other side of the table, so that I could get some fun moments.
and then… it was a wrap!
We’re still finalizing Bailey and Chris’s wedding album, but this was a wedding I will always remember. It was heartfelt, joyful, and the people were SOOOOO welcoming.
It was also just a month or so before Bailey’s baby was born, and I was astounded at how much energy she had, despite being heavily pregnant. (There’s no competition, by the way. I remember being SUPER tired when this pregnant… so don’t feel bad if you were too!)
Weddings can happen at any time of the year, and at any point in your lives. Before or after baby, before or after other significant milestones.
The important thing is that you take a day to celebrate the person you love…. and have some cake! 😜 Just like Bailey and Chris did.