Sharon Temple Wedding
This year has definitely been my busiest as a wedding photographer. Not just for the sheer size of some of my weddings, but also for the quantity. I honestly thought that elopements and micro weddings would slow down when covid restrictions loosened up. But here I am, photographing big weddings on the weekends, and having elopements take over my weekdays. But then I get couples who plan something perfectly in the middle. A small wedding with some big flair. Here’s to Aubrey & Brandon’s cozy wedding at Sharon Temple.
Music History
The Sharon Temple is associated with the Children of Peace, a breakaway sect of the Quakers. One of the greatest differences between the Quakers and the Children of Peace was the inclusion of music in their meetings and celebrations. Music would eventually become such a deeply connected part of the Children of Peace and their Meetings that they would refer to their First Meeting House as “The Music Hall”, and most notably they would be responsible for creating the first civilian band in Canada.
This was one of the main reasons the couple selected Sharon Temple as their wedding venue. Both of them have deep roots in music. They were actually referred to me by another musically inclined couple whose wedding I photographed back in 2017. In fact, the Aubrey even performs professionally in a band. When she mentioned her bad would perform at her wedding ceremony, I assumed it would be a string quartet. Maybe a saxophone / guitar duet sort of situation. But I was blown away by the 30 person orchestra that showed up.
Music played a huge element in the day. An assortment of talented musicians performed throughout the day. But the showstopper was the full orchestra that performed at the civil ceremony. They brought down the house. Or at least the flooring. Between the weight of the musicians and guests, the flooring caved in. Luckily no one was hurt and the show did go on.
Reception
The rest of the evening was spent outdoors. Cocktail hour was scattered across the grounds. And the couple had a tent setup for their outdoor reception. Super casual. They had a buffet dinner, no assigned seating, and a signature cocktail that was incredibly addicting. No crazy wedding gown to maneuver. The bride wore a blue dress to match her blue engagement ring. This simple dress gave her the freedom to party the night away without a care in the world.
