Anne and I had the pleasure this past winter of meeting Catherine and Stephen at the Bridal Expo in London, Ontario. We found out that they planned to get married in Mississauga, very close to where we lived prior to moving to Stratford.  And when they let us know that they wanted us to photograph their wedding … well, we were thrilled to hear the news.

Catherine started her morning getting ready at the Waterside Inn in Port Credit (where they also had their reception). After spending some time with her and the family, we then headed to St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Lorne Park – and stopped en route to visit Stephen at his family’s home.

Mother Nature did manage to cooperate with us for most of the day, so after the service, we went to visit Benares Historic House – a beautiful location where we decided to have a little fun.  Then finally, we went back to the Waterside Inn for their reception.

Catherine and Stephen:  you and your families are wonderful people and thank you again for kindness and the honour of photographing your wedding.  We enjoyed our day with you and we wish you lots and lots of love (and happiness) in your life together.

If Catherine and Stephen have given you access to their online gallery, please visit our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery.”

Late summer weddings are always lovely – and Janet and Don’s wedding in Toronto recently was no exception. Anne and I met them late last year and we were really looking forward to photographing their wedding.

After spending some time with Janet and her family, we met up with Don and his family at the church.  Janet and Don were married at Corpus Christi Parish in the Beaches in a really lovely service.  We were then wisked away to the absolutely beautiful Toronto Hunt, which IMHO, is one of the nicest venues for a wedding (and reception) in Toronto.  The grounds are simply beautiful – with its elegant clubhouse and perfectly landscaped grounds.   And not to forget, it has an incredible view of Lake Ontario and the service there is second to none.

Janet and Don:  Anne and I wish you a lifetime of happiness and thank you for the honour of choosing us to be your photographers.  You had a really lovely wedding day and we trust you enjoyed it to its fullest.

If Janet and Don have given you access to their online gallery, visit our home page at www.roelphoto.com and click on “online gallery”.

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.”

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.

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!

See you then…