COVID-19 Wedding
Most of my 2020 weddings ended up rescheduling to 2021 due to COVID-19. However, there were a handful of couples that decided to hold out and cross their fingers in the hopes that things would get better after the pandemic. Luckily things did. While COVID-19 didn’t completely go away, the restrictions in place did lighten up as things went by. It is why this wedding was able to still happen even if it had to be downsized.
Originally this couple was planning a relatively large event. 150+ guests with two photographers all day and a photo booth. They had to cut out a lot of the fat but in the end, they did have their wedding which is better than most. It was much smaller and simpler but truly beautiful. Usually elopements are pretty small scale all around. In this case, the wedding details were still there. Stunning dress, elegant bouquets, limo. So even though they only had a mini 3hr event, there was a lot crammed into those 3 hours.
St Ann Roman Catholic Church
They had a church ceremony at St Ann Roman Catholic Church. Such an elegant venue to work out of. Stunning art pieces and a breathtaking birdseye view from the balcony. Most of the churches I’ve worked in during COVID-19 have had safetey measures in place to promote social distancing. Normally that means signage, tape markers, and acrylics. I understand the safety precautions but from a photographer’s perspective, they are so distracting in the photos. So I really did appreciate that St Ann Roman Catholic Church provided a coordinator who escorted guests to their seats. It meant most of the protective identifiers weren’t needed.
The couple had a very simply Catholic ceremony with an optional mass for anyone who chose it. Afterward, everyone headed outside for a quick group photo before heading in their own seperate way.
Battlefield Park
After the ceremony, the entire bridal party headed to Battlefield Park for wedding photos. This was my first time at this location and I was pleasantly surprised. Hamilton always seems to provide me with amazing portrait locations. Almost makes me want to move there. Battlefield Park is a living history museum. The site is of the historic Battle of Stoney Creek which was fought during the War of 1812. And this time of year, it had some amazing fall colors.
