Anne and I recently ventured back to our previous home of Toronto to The Berkeley Church for Julia and Greg’s wedding. They currently live in Guelph, Ontario and decided to venture into the big city for their nuptuals.
We’ve seen a number of couples who have decided to see each other before their wedding and they decided to do so as well. After they initially saw each other, we spent some time in the area photographing the two of them and then ultimately heading to St. James Gardens for a little fun with the bridal party.
Their wedding was held in the upper section of the Berkeley Church – amongst their beautiful and tall stained glass windows with lots of bright sunlight flooding through them. Greg is a chef who trained in our fair city of Stratford – and after he and Julia fed their guests very, very well during the reception, we were all treated to an aerialist performance before their first dance.
Julia and Greg: Best wishes to you both for a very happy and joyous life together. Your bridal party and families are lovely and it is great to see you have such great support for your life together.
If Greg and Julia have given you access to their online gallery, please visit our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “client gallery.”
Hello, this is Zeus again, but you can call me Zeubie. Woof.
We went to London, Ontario again to visit a very cool Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named Amara. She is only 3 months old and it is amazing what a bundle of energy she is. Her name has African origins which is quite fitting for her.
We had a really fun time together playing with her toys and just romping around. She also has the best homemade treats (I tried to sneak one but it was high up on the table so I couldn’t get it) that her mom and dad always give her.
It was great to meet you, Amara. Please say hi to your mom and dad for me.
Woof.
Take care,
Zeubie
p.s. If Amara has given you access to her online gallery, you can visit our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery”.
A couple of weeks ago, Anne, Dave, Jeff and I went to Niagara-on-the-Lake to photograph Melanie and Adam’s wedding. For those who have not been there before, it is a very beautiful place close to Niagara Falls, Ontario – a quaint town filled with vineyards, gardens and lots of scenic beauty. Our friends at Occasions Niagara planned this lovely event – and like every wedding we’ve seen this summer, Mother Nature gave us an amazing (or downright bizarre) assortment of weather – everything ranging from sunny, blue skies to torrential rainfall and high winds.
Melanie and Adam currently live in Vancouver, British Columbia but decided to come to Ontario for their wedding. They also chose to see each before the wedding ceremony – and after their first glimpse of each other (in a lovely ivory wedding dress and a designer suit respectively), we then headed out to the Niagara Botanical Gardens, which is one of the nicest gardens/parks I have seen in Ontario. After we finished the bridal party and family photos there, we ended up at Chateau des Charmes (another really beautiful place) for their evening wedding service and reception.
To the delight of their guests, Melanie and Adam also arranged for a spectacular fireworks display at the vineyard… plus they closed off the evening with a duet they composed.
Melanie and Adam: We send you our best wishes for a happy and prosperous life together. You chose a really beautiful place to get married at and we hope your wedding day was everything you wanted it to be.
If Melanie and Adam have given you access to their online gallery, please visit www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery”.
p.s. For those of you who are regular readers of this blog, you might have noticed that this is the first complete black and white slide show I have ever posted here. As Melanie loves black and white images, I decided to feature their wedding on our blog as such.
I recently had the honour of spending some time with Christiana and Taso – two really lovely people who decided to come our fair city of Stratford for the their engagement session. They will be getting married early next year and it was wonderful to get to know them a little better after corresponding via email for almost a year! They are two of the most patient people around… we’ve had to postpone our session several times due to inclement weather and as you can see in the slide show, Mother Nature was very kind to us during their session.
Christiana and Taso: It was wonderful to spend some time with you and I send you lots of love and happiness – I know your wedding will be a very joyous event and that you will enjoy it to its fullest. Congratulations on finding each other (gotta love Greek school!)
If Christiana and Taso have given you access to their online gallery, please visit our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery.”
For those of you who know fashion… or more specifically, wedding fashion, Vera Wang is known as one of the top, if not the best wedding dress designer around. Period.
Recently, one of our lovely brides (hi Vivian!) was invited to the Vera Wang bridal salon in Yorkville (Toronto) – she had her (lovely) gown created there and the staff were very kind in letting us capture some images of Vivian in their shop and on the property.
So, if you are looking for something different – and simply beautiful to wear as you walk down the aisle, check out Vera Wang’s Bridal Salon in Yorkville.
For you ladies who like to come to our fair city for a day of theatre and SHOPPING, I am really happy to announce the recent opening of Danna Nicole in downtown Stratford.
Danna (the owner) is a friend of ours who has redefined customer service (for the better) in retail, but most importantly, she has an amazing eye for fashion, colour and texture. If you are looking for the perfect outfit – for a prom, cocktail party, the theatre – or even for the bridesmaids in a wedding, you owe yourself a visit to Danna Nicole. I promise you that you won’t be disappointed.
Last week, Anne and I had the pleasure of heading to Sarnia, Ontario for Candice and Mark’s wedding. It was a bit of homecoming for the two of us as Anne was born and raised in Sarnia – and I spent the better part of my (long lost) youth there. So, photographing these two amazing people in our home town was really special for us.
Candice and Mark currently live in Vancouver, British Columbia, but decided to head to Sarnia (where Candice grew up) for their nuptuals. Mother Nature gave us the most unusual (and amazing) assortment of weather on their wedding day: sunshine, cloudy skies, rain, humidity, thunder, lightning, violent storms, pelting rain, high winds and calmness – several times over. Needless to say it made for some interesting moments and photography.
After Candice got ready at her parents’ home on Lake Huron, we ultimately met up with Mark at Our Lady of Mercy in downtown Sarnia. Just seeing the two of them smiling adoringly at each other during the entire service makes me realize how fortunate I am that I get to do what I do.
The families and bridal party then headed back to the lake… and after the family photos, we had exactly 11 minutes and 36 seconds to get the bridal party shots completed (on the beach) as a huge storm was rolling in (aside: holding a camera out in an electrical storm is not a good idea). The bridal party were really great sports about it and made the most of our short time outside … and I have to say it is the most fun I have ever had in under 12 minutes!
We finally ended up at the Sarnia Riding Club for a fantastic reception … and not to forget, one of the nicest sunsets I have seen in a long time.
Candice and Mark: You two were made for each other and we are truly honoured that you chose us to document your wedding day. You, your families and the bridal party were unbelievably kind to us and we really appreciated your hospitality. You are all wonderful people. Thank you again – we both send you lots of love and wish you much joy and happiness together. We know that you two already have an amazing life together and that it will only get better.
If Candice and Mark have given access to their online gallery, visit our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery.”
Anne and I along with guest photographer, Joel Robertston, witnessed an absolutely beautiful (and elegant) wedding day with Vivian and Vincent. A few short weeks ago, I also spent some time with them during their engagement session – they are a very playful (and fun!) couple so I was really looking forward to photographing their wedding.
Our day started early in both Scarborough and Richmond Hill where we had a few games (aside to Vincent: you are a really good sport) followed by two Chinese tea ceremonies at their parents’ homes.
After Vivian had a change of gowns, we went to St. Agnes Kouying Tsao Catholic Church in Markham for a really lovely service. Mother Nature decided to stop the rain we had in the morning and since we had lots of lovely sunshine, the bridal party headed out to The University of Toronto for a few photographs and a lot of fun.
On the way to the reception, we took a small detour… Vivian was invited to Vera Wang’s boutique in Yorkville. She had her dress created there and the staff were very kind in allowing us to showcase Vivian and her lovely gown in their shop.
At the fabulous Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville/Toronto (where they had their reception), people mingled and simply enjoyed each other’s company. After a wonderful meal, Vivian and Vincent moved into the theatre for a few games… and judging from everyone’s laughter, they had more than a good time.
Vivian and Vincent: You are two of the kindest and most gracious people on the planet. We truly appreciated your hospitality and how well you and your families treated us. May you have an absolutely wonderful life together and we send you nothing but our best wishes.
If Vivian and Vincent have given you access to their online gallery, please visit our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery.”
Anne and I had the pleasure of photographing Ginger and Rafal’s wedding in Toronto. It was an elegant and theatrical affair held at the beautiful Old Mill in Toronto and organized by Silver Platter Events. You’re probably wondering: why did I use the word “theatrical” to describe their wedding? Well as it turns out, Rafal is a movie director and Ginger is an actress, so the entire wedding day had a wonderful theatrical feel to it.
Another word one could use to describe this wedding was “international” … there were relatives and family from all over the world as their families are from Germany, Japan and Poland (not to forget, many guests came from other countries too). Combine that with wonderful ambiance, great food and exceptional entertainment and you have one amazing wedding celebration.
Ginger and Rafal did something a little different for their first dance… they performed the beautiful (and seductive) Argentine Tango. Not only can they direct a movie and act, they certainly know how to dance up a storm!
Thank you Ginger and Rafal (and your families) for your warm welcome and hospitality. You are all very gracious people and we certainly appreciated how well you treated us.
If Ginger and Rafal have given you access to their online gallery, go to our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery”.
As I mentioned in my last post, Aliyah and Nazeem’s wedding was a wonderful two day affair. On day number two, we spent some time with Aliyah at her home in Mississauga before Nazeem and the groomsmen came to pick her (and the bridesmaids) up in one of the biggest limousines I have ever seen.
We all headed down to the Distillery District in Toronto for an afternoon of photographs. There are always many people down there and it was fun to watch everyone trying to catch a glimpse of Aliyah and Nazeem.
Their reception was held at Atlantis in Ontario Place. I wrote about Atlantis last week… what an amazing place. Lots of great food, excellent company, some awesome dancing and a beautiful venue made for an incredible party.
Aliyah and Nazeem: you are both wonderful people and it was an honour to serve you and your families. Anne and I truly appreciated your kindness and hospitality and we wish you much love, joy and happiness together.
If Aliyah and Nazeem have given you access to their online gallery, visit our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery”.
Anne and I were treated an incredibly beautiful and colourful event earlier this month in the Toronto area … we photographed Aliyah and Nazeem’s Nikah which is an Islamic marriage ceremony. I had the pleasure of spending time with the two of them this spring at their engagement session at the Distillery District in Toronto where we had a great time.
We started out at Aliyah’s home in Mississauga and then headed out to Chandni Banquet Hall in Brampton for the Nikah followed by some family photos … and Aliyah, Nazeem and I managed to get away for a few minutes in order to capture their first photos as husband and wife. Did I mention before that I love the colours?
Tomorrow, I will post the second part of their two day wedding celebration… there were simply too many images to put into a single slideshow!
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Joanna in London, Ontario at the London Bridal Expo held at the Western Fair Grounds (for those of you who are getting married in London, it is a wonderful show to attend for meeting wedding vendors and getting some great ideas). And a few days later, I was thrilled to have Joanna and Ryan ask us to photograph their wedding this fall.
We decided to spend some time at the University of Western Ontario, their Alma mater, which has a beautiful campus. Combine that with great weather, lots of fun and laughter – and you have great engagement session!
Joanna and Ryan: you two are an extremely playful and loving couple and a lot of fun to be with… I can hardly wait to photograph your wedding. Thank you again for a wonderful afternoon.
If Joanna and Ryan have given you access to their online gallery, please visit our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery.”
