One of the first weddings I photographed this season is South and Eli's beautiful wedding at Le Belvedere in Wakefield, Quebec. If you have never been to Le Belvedere or to Wakefield for that matter, you should make a plan to visit. Wakefield is one of the prettiest little towns along the Gatineau River. It is a wonderful mixture of nature, art, and good food.
Not far from the town is Wakefield's red-covered bridge - the setting for South and Eli's "first look". I am a big fan of first-looks. I get to see and capture such raw and candid emotions from my couples that you often don't get during the ceremony. South and Eli's was no exception. South walked the length of the bridge towards Eli; grabbed him by the waist. When Eli turned around, it was pure happiness.
Before heading back to the venue, we got some portrait work done with the bridge as our backdrop. Eli and South's photoshoot on the bridge is easily one, if not, my favourite one this season, as you can probably tell by the amount of times I have displayed it!
After the first look and portrait work on the bridge, we headed back to Le Belvedere, which sits up on the edge of a cliff overlooking the stunning Gatineau Hills. Despite the threat of rain and unrelenting winds, the ceremony began and ended without a hitch.
The reception followed thereafter, where we got to witness not only the celebration of the joining of their two families, but also two cultures: Lebanese and Laos. There was a chair dance to begin the festivities and impromptu Dabkes throughout the night - a mix of circle and line dancing. Not to be outdone, we also saw South's side of the family lead everyone to some tradition Laos dancing. To cap the night, South and Eli's first dance was held outside, surrounded by their friends and family holding sparklers.
Congratulations to South and Eli. Thank you for trusting me to document your day.
Special thanks to the following peers who made the day go without a hitch:
Wedding Venue: Le Belvedere, Wakefield, Quebec
Wedding Dress Designer: Zac Posen
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Make Up Artist: Makeup by Caty
Flowers: Lindsey McFadden, Autumn’s Fine Flowers
Bridemaids' Dresses: David’s Bridal
Men's Vest/Jackets/Slacks: Moores
Caterer: Le Belvedere, Wakefield, Quebec
Decorations: Amy & Jen Decor
Wedding Cake: Winnie Mui
Place cards/Menu design: Wishtree Invitations & Design inc. #wishtreeinvites
