COVID-19 Wedding
Wow, this year has really been a whirlwind in the wedding industry thanks to COVID-19. The few couples that opted to follow through with their initial wedding date put in so much work to make the day feel special. Coronavirus seems to be the thing that is dominating all the conversations lately and rightfully so. It is impacting our lives in almost every way possible. As a wedding photographer, I am seeing a massive impact on the wedding industry and how it is impacting couples getting married.
While most of my regular weddings are rescheduling for 2021, this particular couple decided to downsize their guest list and follow through with the original date. They only found me a couple of months before the big day when they realized it was possible for the event to happen. I did their engagement shoot in the fall, and their wedding a few weeks later. Such an adorable couple. Their constant giggles were more infectious than COVID-19 itself.
St Thomas More Parish
They had a church ceremony at St Thomas More Parish. This was originally my most nervous part of the wedding to shoot. The church is very traditional and has quite a few restrictions when it comes to wedding photos and videos. No flash. No photos during mass or preyers. The fact that I was providing both photo and video for this ceremony did not help. Let alone that I was doing both myself in order to keep the couple’s guest count down.
Luckily, one of the nice things about Catholic ceremonies is that they are long. Which allows for lots of opportunities for great memories. They had a candle unity ceremony and even live-streamed their event for all their loved ones who weren’t able to attend. The reduced numbers also helped significantly to avoid cellphones and guests blocking camera shots. Do I miss full church wedding ceremonies yes. But I am still loving the extra freedom of using an empty room.
Miller Lash House Estate
Once the ceremony was complete, we did some quick family photos outside the church. The rest of the afternoon was spent with the couple at Miller Lash House Estate. It was my first time at this site. And considering I live in Scarborough, I’m really surprised that I didn’t know about it before. This was honestly my favorite part of the day. These two are an absolute pleasure to photograph. The chemistry is amazing and I never have to provide instruction to get them to smile. Liana also provided a collection of inspirational Pinterest photos they wanted to recreate which is always helpful. It gives me an idea of their personal style and photo taste. And it provides some really nice variety when combined with my classic wedding photos.
We did conclude the evening with a cake cutting in their apartment. They spent the remainder of their night having a virtual reception with their family via Zoom. When you consider how late most weddings traditionally go and how tired couples are by the end… this set is absolutely amazing. Their wedding day was done by 6:00 pm leaving plenty of time to enjoy the wedding night.
I also did this family’s Engagement Shoot, Wedding, Maternity Shoot, Newborn Session, and Fall Mini.
