Royal Botanical Gardens
The Royal Botanical Gardens is by far my favorite wedding venue to work out of. I’ve been a recommended vendor with them for a few years now. I’m fully familiar with their six ceremony sites and four reception halls. However my favorite feature of theirs is the indoor Mediterranian Garden. It is a multi-room year-round greenhouse. I make a point of incorporating it into my couple’s wedding day each time. It doesn’t matter if the weather is beautiful, rainy, or freezing cold. This location is perfect every time. It also changes with each season. For example, during the holiday season, a Christmas train set runs through the trees adding a fresh festive element.
While most venues charge a fortune for professional photo permits, the Royal Botanical Gardens includes it in their package. So if you book your ceremony or reception with them, the Mediterranian Garden and Hendrie Park come with it. They have additional gardens you can add on as well based on how fancy you want to be. This particular couple decided to utilize the Rock Gardens for their wedding photos. This year, they had a collection of burgundy flowers blooming again the stone pathways. They looked amazing with the colour scheme of this wedding. However this is one of the few venues I know that will blow you away even with their most basic package.
Kid Friendly Wedding
I generally consider myself to be an affordable photographer in the wedding industry. At least for the quality of work I offer. There was a time I used to charge a lot more. However, it led me to a completely different demographic of wedding couples. Brides would show up to our original meeting with a binder full of plans. Plans for their wedding that they’ve written out since they were two. These people often had unrealistic expectations when it came to their wedding day and inevitably transformed into full blow bridezillas. So I found by reducing my rates, I opened myself up to a better grade of people. Couples who have lives, and mortgages, and have been together for years. Couples who see their wedding day as a stepping stone. An excuse to sign some paperwork and throw one heck of a party.
These two for example have been together for years. They have two kids who are absolutely adorable, and they loved having their photos taken. When I get kids like this, I get a little carried away with photos. Normally I want wedding photos to revolve around the couple. However, even they can appreciate it when the starts of the show are their own kids.