Stephanie & Michael 02.11.22

When Stephanie first reached out to me and told me a little bit about her and Michael’s story, I thought to myself, it’s a real-life fairytale. They met in California, where Micheal is from, at a work conference, a trip that Stephanie almost didn't go on because of COVID19. Little did she know that in making the decision to go she would end up in her finding the love of her life. Not long after meeting, Michael moved to Canada and the rest is history.

Originally their plan for their wedding was to get married at a pop-up wedding venue in downtown Toronto and then have a reception with all their family and friends. The pop-up venue came with a photographer so I was hired to capture the reception. But like so many weddings before theirs, COVID shut things down again and they were forced to re-think their wedding day. Luckily, photography studios were still open, and the internet exists, and you know me, if there’s a wedding, I’m there. As all horrible things go, there are always silver linings; like having your wedding at a unique fully out-of-the-box venue.

Stephanie and Micheal's wedding day was more intimate than they originally thought it would be, with Michael’s family on Zoom, Stephanie’s parents and brother there in person; a close friend, (who’s also their wedding planner and who officiated their ceremony - a woman with many hats) and myself. It officially is the smallest wedding ceremony I have ever had the privilege to photograph.

Micheal and Stephanie got ready in the same area (at different times) and then shared an emotional private first look followed by their bride and groom portraits. Their ceremony was romantic and tender, which was then followed by waves of congratulations and well wishes from family there in person and on Zoom. I left the studio with a full heart and the goofiest smile on my face; dive into some of my favourite images to see why.