Last summer, S & M held the most wonderful cottage wedding that really has stuck in my mind for a long while. To start, S and M are the kind of people that you would want to bottle up and keep for a rainy day – they are the most kind, sweet and genuine people. It was even more evident in the way they chose to celebrate their love and marriage, in front of their closest family and friends, in the backyard of a close family friend’s cottage. Honestly, when they mentioned they were having a cottage wedding, I was dreaming up all sorts of possibilities but everything exceeded what I envisioned! I personally always enjoy weddings that are held on private properties, whether it’s a family cottage or a family farm or even just your own home! Because my photography work really focuses in on the emotional side of things, I love it when details like that have meaning!

The day started off with the girls and guys getting ready. If you follow along the photos carefully, you can see there’s a sprinkling of photos of french bull dogs but to be exact, there were 7 french bull dogs present in the house that day. It certainly made the morning more entertaining trying to dodge and not try to step on any of the dogs as I moved around the room trying to catch all the moments. The room where the bride and bridesmaids got ready had these huge windows that looked towards the lake and the tents of where they were going to get married just moments later. S had the most stunning details. They went with a more formal, classic and glam style to the wedding and I loved how the bridesmaids wore black with simple green bouquets – so timeless! S’s dress was also one of the most stunning dresses I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing. Again, keeping with the classic and timeless style, it was long-sleeved with the most beautiful and intricate details.

Following an emotional first look and portraits in the woods and on the road leading up to the cottage, their wedding ceremony by the lake was just perfect. It is always such an honour to experience and photograph these special moments because throughout the whole day, you could just see the love beaming from each and every single one of their friends and family. To top off the night, S and M joined me down by the lake for some sunset photos, which I would never say no to! The deck now had a completely different vibe from earlier in the day and so glad I was able to capture moments of that cozy, quiet time that they were able to enjoy. If you make it to the end (yes!! Thank you!), you’ll see that all the trees on the property had been carefully lined with string lights. The string lights made the whole space so romantic and although it was a team effort from the couple and their families that took them a total of 6 days to complete, I’d say it was all worth it <3