Lauren & Stephen - Fall Wedding at Wintermoor Apple Orchard

wedding date - september 20th, 2019

Stephen & Lauren’s story started in 2014 at UPEI where they were both students. She was a vet student and walking a training dog (Pearl) across campus one day. As Stephen approached on the path, Pearl stopped, rolled over, and waited for a belly rub from Stephen. He kneeled down to pet the dog and chatted up Lauren too, while getting a look at her name tag. A Facebook friend request led to chatting more, and their dating began. Three years later, they got engaged one evening after dinner at the top of the CN Tower.

When planning their wedding Lauren & Stephen wanted a relaxed, happy atmosphere where family and friends could enjoy themselves. Their day was definitely the fun and easy celebration they had hoped for.

I always love photographing weddings at unique locations across the Island and this was a new one for me, Wintermoor Orchard in York, PEI. I’ve photographed there several times before but never a wedding ceremony so this was fun. The nice thing about Fall weddings is the timing of photographs usually syncs up perfectly with the best looking light of the day. That was the case for Lauren & Stephen’s photos. They had the most perfect golden hour sunshine coming through the apple trees, and a great sunset at Covehead Lighthouse.

Congratulations Lauren & Stephen - it was a pleasure!

one piece of advice from the couple:

Stephen - Don’t sweat the little things/details. It will still be the best day of your life. Lauren – Have fun! Find ways to make it personal and representative of you individually and as a couple.

number of wedding guests: 100

Ceremony space - wintermoor apple orchard, york, pe

reception space - pei brewing company

coordination - elysian weddings and events

hair - grand senses salon and spa

makeup - kate ellis, rebecca powers

officiant - brenda bulger

Wedding dress - Morilee, The Wedding Chapel Bridal Boutique

florals - bernadette’s flowers

cake - Ellie Bakes Cakes

Transportation - coach atlantic

DJ - robbie doherty

stationary - shutterfly

2018 Favorites

2018 brought another year of adventure. New people, new places, and so many new experiences. I’ve been welcomed into the lives of strangers and friends during nearly 200 photo shoots this past year. It is always a time consuming and difficult task of narrowing down my personal favorite photos from my wedding and portrait work, only some of which can fit in this post. For many different reasons, these are the photos that stand out to me personally.

Working with people every day is the best part of this job, and being invited to be a part of all your moments is so appreciated. To every single person who was behind the camera this year, I thank you for allowing me to tell a little part of your story. I’ve had a blast. 2019 is sure to be another big year, and I hope to see you along the way.

Many thanks, and enjoy.

Sydney & Phil - Married at Clinton Hills

wedding date - july 21st, 2017

Sydney & Phil connected on their first date in Toronto where Sydney accidentally arrived late, making Phil wait for her "dramatically" in the rain outside. Thankfully after meeting they were both completely at ease. During that date they broke the rules and talked about all topics you shouldn't discuss on a first date, but agreed on most points. After lots of healthy conversation and some debate, they quickly agreed to meet again soon, and ever since their second date two days later, they've been pretty much inseparable. 

Getting engaged was a joint decision they made, even shopping for the ring together. It was always clear that they would be together, so a wedding was just a formality - albeit a fun one! It was important for Phil to speak to Sydney's parents before proposing, so they planed a trip to see them in PEI. Phil asked the question under a big old tree in her parent's backyard, where they later took their first look photos on the wedding day. 

When Sydney & Phil talk about their wedding day, the thing they always come back to was what a positive, happy, and incredible day they had, surrounded by their loved ones. Most guests travelled from off Island to be there and everyone enjoyed the Island hospitality and beautiful scenery. The weather called for heavy rain and thunder showers that day but thankfully we dodged them throughout all the outdoor activities. Just as Sydney began to say her vows during the outdoor ceremony at Clinton Hills, a dramatic and loud clap of thunder hit, causing everyone to laugh and hope for the best! The rain held off just until we were all under the dry cover of the barn, when lighting and thunder began to roar outside. 

Sydney & Phil are two of the kindest and sweetest people you could ever meet, and working with them for this special day was so memorable. I absolutely love these photos and hope you will too!

advice from the couple

"Get a wedding planner. :) All the details were far more overwhelming than we anticipated, and although we were beyond lucky to have my friend Maggie coordinate everything, and lots of family members willing to help, we wish they all could have just enjoyed the day with us.

Also, try to put as much meaning into the day as you can. All of the personal touches of things that people did for us (through things they made, or sentiments they shared) are the things we will carry with us forever."

number of guests - 70

ceremony and reception venue - clinton hills

officiant - richard oastler & erica otto (family)

hair and makeup - Bounce! hair studio

wedding dress - wtoo by watters, felichia bridal

groom's suit - michael kors

flowers - flower buds

decorator - the wedding chaperone

coordinator - maggie o'dea (friend)

dj - matt horner (friend)

cake - krista macquarrie

caterer - broadway 45

stationary - paperless post & katerine yager (friend)

transportation - twilite limo & prince edward tours

photography - brady mccloskey photography

Jossie & Liam - September Wedding at The Rivershed

Wedding date - September 10th, 2017

Jossie & Liam are big animal lovers and came up with special touches to include them into their wedding day. Jossie is a long time staff member of The PEI Humane Society, and the couple has fostered countless animals in their home over the years. When Liam proposed to Jossie, he brought her along as he pretended to be looking for a family friend's lost dog in Victoria Park, but when they found Divot he had an engagement ring on his collar! On their wedding day the same dog was their ring bearer and carried rings on his collar once again. 

Adorable foster kittens from the PEI Humane Society helped the girls get ready the morning of the wedding, and these cute photos went viral - being featured on The Dodo, Yahoo, Yahoo News, and CBC! All kittens were quickly adopted afterwards. 

Jossie & Liam were married at his family's Summer home on the water in Cymbria, and hosted their reception at the newly opened Rivershed events venue in Oyster Bed Bridge. Guests enjoyed a long cocktail hour with delicious food and an intimate dinner with great speeches, all followed by the best private fireworks show I've ever seen. This day was so nice to capture, and these are two of the kindest people you could meet. Thank you Jossie & Liam for allowing me to capture your special day <3

Wedding advice from the couple

Just relax! Don't stress about the small stuff, it's not worth it :)

Number of guests - ~80

Officiant - George Clark Dunning

Hair - Crissy Crane
Makeup - Chantelle Brown

Wedding Dress - Perfect Pear Bridal

Florals - Hearts and Flowers

Groom's Suit - Moores Clothing for Men

Decorator - Debby Penny

Venue - The Rivershed

photographer - brady mccloskey

Laurence & Peter - Outdoor Wedding at Shaw's Hotel

wedding date - September 4th, 2016

Laurence & Peter wanted the focus of their wedding day to be about celebrating with friends and family in a relaxed and casual atmosphere on beautiful Prince Edward Island. Although Laurence is from Montreal and Peter from Halifax, many of Peter's family is from the Island and it is where they spend a lot of their vacation time during the year. When it came time to plan their wedding, PEI seemed like the natural fit! Many guests travelled from away so the Island became the home base for a week of activities to thank everyone for coming from afar. 

The picturesque Shaw's Hotel provided the wedding venue on a sunny and warm September afternoon. After the backyard ceremony, we escaped to the beach for photos while guests enjoyed lots of time to mingle, drink, and eat some Island seafood chowder. We all gathered again on the back patio for some stories and laughs before heading inside for their incredible meal and more speeches. Laurence & Peter's friends even surprised them after dinner with a hilarious puppet show depicting how they met and fell in love! Then, it was on to the 'Lobster Trap' barn to dance the night away. 

Thank you Laurence & Peter for choosing Prince Edward Island for your beautiful wedding day!