Toronto engagement photo shoot with a lovely couple
Georgia and Gabe are one of the most relaxed couples I have ever met.
With only a couple of weeks away from their wedding, they are taking it all easy, enjoying the process and having fun with each other. They aim for a nice party with family and friends who, as they told me, have a very similar approach. Can’t wait!
They live around Churchill Park therefore, even though we originally thought of going to the Brickworks, it made more sense to have some photographs taken at the park. Which I also happen to live close to and love. Every time I go there for a creative project I am amazed at the way I can see it with fresh eyes. This gives me much joy and sparks my inspiration.
The session was a lot of fun and they really were up to anything. We shared some good laughs which made it all even more pleasurable.
Georgia and Gabe, so happy to have met you and I look forward to seeing you again soon on your wedding day!
Manuela
Fun engagement photo shoot in Collingwood
Because of all my recent travels I am a little bit behind with my blogging, but I am working on getting up to date 
This past Saturday I photographed Cayley and Ian’s wonderful wedding. I will write about this later.
When we first started discussing their wedding package, Ian suggested we took their engagement photos up in Collingwood where his parents own a gorgeous cottage. So off we went on a very cold November day. The drive up was simply magic! (in a few days I will share some of the images I took on the occasion).
Even though Cayley and Ian almost froze in the end, we had so much fun together and took full advantage of the light and the unique decor.
The photos we took that day ended up in a beautiful guest signing book at their wedding reception which marveled many of their guests.
Will be back with more on this beautiful couple’s union journey. M
More engagement photo fun at Churchill Park!
I know I said this before, but I love Churchill Park. It is my oasis 10 minutes away from where I live. I take walks there to clear my head and simply take in the smell of leaves and the fantastic views over downtown Toronto. I walked there a few days ago and, to my disappointment, all the graffiti was gone! Therefore, Mona & Emon were the last to get some cool vibrant engagement photos against it. That day was quite something! It started with light rain and then, all of a sudden, the clouds broke into white puffy patches just to make room for an amazing blue sky. The sun started to shine, the light became beautiful and warm, we had a blast! Even more exciting, Mona and Emon decided to get married down South. I can’t wait to join them in Punta Cana in January! M
Engagement photo journals: FUN, FUN, FUN!
I met Liz while shooting a lovely wedding a couple of years ago. She was one of the bridesmaids. I was very pleased when she contacted me asking if I would photograph her own event. I did not know exactly what to expect when she mentioned they would like to have their engagement photos taken in their own backyard. When I arrived I was blown away with the abundance of inspiring corners. We literally played around for a couple of hours. Their interaction was so dynamic, cheerful and lovely that it made it so very easy for me to capture all the images below. I think it is pretty obvious how everything went that day! I very much look forward to celebrating more with you guys! Hug, M
Engagement photo journals: the textures at Churchill Park
I live in the Annex. One of the reasons why I love my neighborhood is that it offers such a great variety of cool spots and different looks. Old beautiful churches, stone walls, lovely parks. One of my favorite ‘playgrounds’ is Churchill Park. Because it has everything: little hills, trees, colourful walls, even graffiti. I do not think I could have thought of a better place for lovely Andrea & Matt’s engagement photos. These two really fit in. The softness of the greens and yellows, the interesting structures went very well with their calm and nonchalance. I had fun watching them being themselves and I hope they enjoyed the experience as much. Looking at the images we got I like to believe this was the case.
I truly look forward to their nuptials, they are simply a joy to spend time with. Hug, M
More fun at Toronto Harbourfront!
It is interesting how ‘explorable’ some places are. No matter how many times they get to be visited, there are still little surprises hiding around corners…this is the case with the Toronto Harbourfront. Mostly very busy, on the day of the shoot the usual crowds were somehow missing, maybe due to the rain threat. Lucky us, as the light was absolutely incredible. My very sweet ‘models’, Giselle and Anthony, were so good! Not only I diverted them from our original plan, but I got them to step on moving platforms, jump into docked boats, walk up and down little hills. I know they were tired at the end, but content with the adventure I am sure, as the colours were truly fantastic. Some of the photos even look like they could have been taken on the East Coast… Well, I guess sometimes mind travel is better than no travel at all
I look forward to your wedding this summer, dear Giselle and Anthony! Enjoy the warm weather until then and prepare yourselves for some fun! Yours truly.
Engagement photo journals: spring colours in High Park
High Park is not quite off the beaten path and is always a busy spot. Yet, when spring hits, I can’t think of a better location which is rich and colourful and constantly inspiring. Sadly, we missed the Japanese cherry blossoms which are always a delight to experience and would have worked so well with beautiful Kiyomi’s half Japanese descent. But we were still fortunate enough to find a lot of flowers around which made for a soft, dreamy like backdrop. Kiyomi and Jaish will get married this summer at Atlantis by the lake. Their wedding images will be quite different, so altogether the 2 collections will provide the couple with some amazing visual memories of such an exciting and important year of their lives.
Looking forward to your day! Hug, M
Engagement photo journals: fun at the Harbourfront
Laura and Greg will get married this summer. One warmer day at the beginning of April, we went down to the Harbourfront for their engagement photo shoot. As much as I love the sun, it was casting some harsh shadows on their faces that day and I felt bad to see how hard they were trying not to squint. Regardless, we ended up with a happy collection of photographs depicting who they are and how they feel for each other. I loved shooting there as the place truly felt like our own playground, generously offering inspiring elements as backdrops.
Thank you Laura and Greg for being such sports, I look forward to spending more fun time in August!
Engagement photo journals: shapes, curves, structures
Jen and Ben are two lovely people with an interesting life story. After a few years spent in Liverpool, they are now looking to settling down in Canada. Their wedding will be held in August at the quaint Hernder Estates Winery, Niagara. We got to spend a couple of hours on a borderline rainy day and we had a lot of fun in spite of the random drops falling from the grey sky. From my perspective it was heaven because as we all know, such days offer the most incredible even light. Taking wrong exits and sometimes going in circles, we accidentally discovered magic spots that made for interesting backdrops. It so happens whenever we allow it. Relaxed, fun, spontaneous and truly loving, this is who they are and I hope I captured their character the closest possible.
Dear Jen and Ben, thank you for a great time and I very much look forward to more this summer!
Wedding photography and life stories
Kristin was Cristie’s maid of honour at her September 2007 wedding (not to mention the fact that Cristie will now be Kristin’s maid of honour in July!)
Kristin called me end of last year asking if I was available to photograph her wedding. She is marrying Matthew, her high school sweetheart.
They met 17 years ago while going to the Appleby College in Oakville. As it holds so much meaning to them, this is the spot they chose for their engagement photos.
On July 11th they will get married in the quaint chapel on the Appleby premises. As Kristin stated, it will all look very much like
‘A midsummer night dream’…
For the engagement shoot, Matthew brought his two dogs, Chloe and Brutus, his loyal friends of 10 years…
Walking around the Appleby grounds with the four of them, taking fun shots and watching them interact reminded me of my blessings.
Kristin and Matt, I can’t wait for your big day, we will have fun!
