Kortright Centre for Conservation
This is my first time photographing a wedding at Kortright Centre for Conservation. Normally when I shoot at a new location, I don’t have time to scout it out in advance. I’ve never had an issue with it either. Between quick google search to get a feel for the location is all I really need. It’s amazing what you can learn from a google earth walkthrough. I, however, underestimated the sheer size of this site. I was lost in the woods with a bride in high heels, and a wedding gown trying to find a signature photo op location. And what’s worse, even the venue’s employees were no help in directing me. Lucky for me this conservation site is still gorgeous. So even though we weren’t able to hit all the famous landmarks, we were still able to get some great results.
They had an outdoor ceremony in the woods. The trees provided some great coverage for an otherwise windy day. The bride was on a high after a random elderly stranger outside her apartment gave her a $20 bill. He just saw the bride in her wedding dress and felt compelled to give her a gift on such a big day. Something I’ve never seen happen from a stranger. The groom was a social butterfly as guests arrived and cracked jokes throughout the ceremony. It was elegant and yet still very casual.
Reception
The reception at The Hideout was epic. This venue is normally a bar/live band night club. It was a regular hangout spot for my friends and me during our university years. It hosts a lot of local indie rock bands. And I knew this since day one as it’s in the original wedding contract. What I didn’t know was the groom owned the place. That he hosts some of the best indie rock bands in the city and is kind of a legend himself.
When I found out, I completely changed my style of shooting. Now instead of photographing a wedding reception, I captured the highlights like a live concert. The party that ensued was definitely my favourite of the year. While most weddings with a live band will feature one band doing covers, this wedding circulated a variety of performers. Every 30min, a new band or musical artist would take the stage. It reminded me of royal balls where artists would perform for the king and queen’s respect.
