COVID-19 Wedding
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.
It seems almost surreal. This time last year, we went into our first Covid-19 lockdown, and all my couples rescheduled their big events to 2021. There was still this belief that everything would be back to normal by then. Now while there are still a handful holding out another year, it seems most of them are sick of waiting. They want to get married and start their life together.
Maya and Roger were originally planning my biggest wedding of the year in 2020. Two photographer, photo booth, and multiple video add-ons. And after capturing their engagement shoot, I was really looking forward to working with them throughout the entire process. I was gutted when they had to reschedule because of Covid-19. And with the restrictions constantly changing, they had to replan their dream wedding almost four times.
Central United Church
They had a church ceremony at Central United Church. 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 jumping the broom element in their ceremony and even live-streamed the 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.
Richmond Green
We did do some family photos outside the church, but the majority of their photos were done at Richmond Green. I was a bit nervous upon arriving. It seems their recreational centre was converted into a vaccine clinic. Which meant hundreds of people roaming around. Luckily the portrait area of the park was still relatively quite. And with such a small guest count, were able to get a full additional round of family photos.
Their original plan was to have a small reception at a nearby hotel. However with the latest restrictions, that was no longer an option. So instead we concluded with a little cake cutting back home and some speeches. Small and simple for sure, but I can’t wait for their big reception party next year. I think we can all use a celebration once this pandemic is over. But for now, check out their post wedding shoot at Graffiti Alley.
I also photographed this couple’s:
