Natasha & Rhys’ Canada Lodge Wedding

On a gorgeous sunny day in late October Natasha and Rhys got married. The blue skies gorgeously contrasted in colour with the falling Autumnal leaves.

I arrived at the cabin in Canada Lodge to photograph Natasha’s details early. I started by photographing her shoes, jewellery, invite, engagement ring and flowers. I photographed the dress in her mums cabin as the dress was a big surprise and hadn’t been seen by the rest of the bridal party.

Once all that had been captured I then made my way in to photograph the hair and makeup. I tend to wait until the base has been completed and capture the finishing touches. This is because most brides don’t want to see the before bits.

My second shooter for the day was Dale, he photographed Rhys getting ready in the morning.

I captured some group photos of the girls and Natasha and her family while she was still getting ready, I love those PJ shots before the dressed shots, slightly more informal and just full of fun and smiles.

Then it was time to get Natasha dressed, for this only me, the videographer, hair and makeup and Natasha’s mum were allowed to be in the room for her to dress, initially with us turned around for privacy of course, once she was ready to be buttoned we could start capturing.

Once she was dressed I placed her for the big reveal to her bridesmaids, they came into the cabin with their eyes closed and once in position I told them to open their eyes, their expressions were priceless and lovely. We then went on to invite Natasha’s dad in for his first look at his daughter all dressed up for her wedding day. This brought on emotion that Natasha found very difficult to keep in. At times like this any hug or look can be hard as happy tears just flow, but know that I find all these moments very precious because I know how much they will be cherished.

After some portraits using the window light and a few group shots I then left to be in position at the Lodge.

The ceremony was gorgeous, the decor was very modern utilising black metal plinths, candles in storm lanterns and bud vases with single white roses. The talented John Adams sang during the bridal procession, the signing and walking up the aisle. You could see how nervous Rhys was, but as soon as he saw Natasha she seemed to put instantly at ease. It was beautiful.

Straight after the ceremony we did a confetti aisle. Then I left them alone for some mingling, whilst standing back and capturing natural candid shots. As the venue wanted to show them the reception room to ensure they were happy, we took this opportunity to photograph the details, the bride and grooms reaction to the room and the table plan. The modern minamalist style perfectly suited the style of the wedding, pretty, light and sophisticated.

After a while I then started my group list. Groups are a necessity, you can have lots or not many its up to you – as long as you provide enough time for them and PROMISE not to grumble I’m happy. I giggle when I hear people talking about groups being boring as I think ‘well its not my list!’, I just capture them to the best of my ability.

Straight after groups I photographed the portraits, now this venue has so many spots for photos its hard to not go over the top, but I always like to head for the large tree with the lodge in the background, then move from there. I love this tree, its huge and perfectly positioned next to the lake. Natasha and Rhys were very chilled during their portraits, they put their full trust in our creativity and I’m so grateful for that, as thats when we do our best work.

Due to the movement of one of the speeches we had to head back early and were unable to photograph portraits with the swing, so I promised we’d head out for some there at night with my strobes and off camera flashes.

As it was late October all my plans needed to be made knowing the sunset would happen during food, the sun is completely out of my control and once the suns gone so is all the natural light.

The speeches were very heartfelt and beautiful, I love hearing the little stories of my couples as little ones, when they were born and growing up, its so lovely.