Toronto Wedding Photographer | Miller Lash House Wedding Photos
Secret Garden Themed Wedding
Kelly & Steven
Today I’m sharing with you photos from Kelly and Steven’s Miller Lash House wedding (with a secret garden theme!) Their Miller Lash House wedding took place on a gorgeous sunny Toronto day. (Well, Scarborough, technically.). The ceremony was outdoors in a unique circular 360* setting, while the reception was held in what felt like a tented garden. I just love all the decor that Kelly chose! But we will get to that in a moment!
How They Met
Kelly and Steven met at the Filly and Firkin Bar. (I believe that bar is closed now.) Kelly was at the bar with her friend Nancy, and Steve was at the bar with his friend Neil. Kelly had been hanging out with a guy all night, and after chatting with Steve at the bar, Steve could tell that Kelly didn’t really like the guy – so he pretended to be Kelly’s boyfriend! The guy knew Steve was lying, and clearly didn’t like that. Apparently, this guy had bothered other guys that Steve knew at the bar that night, and the poor guy ended up getting punched. When that happened, Kelly and Steven ran from the bar. The next day, Steve asked Kelly to go out for coffee, and they found out that they were both normal human beings…. haha! After the coffee, they drove around for a couple hours just talking. Steven got hungry and ended up eating McDonald’s.
They dated for just over 6 years before Steven completely surprised Kelly by proposing!
The Proposal
In the summer of 2016, Kelly and Steven were at a City and Colour Concert at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto. They were at the very back of the venue, and when “their song” was being performed, Steven completely shocked Kelly with a proposal!
The Miller Lash House wedding ceremony was held outdoors, in a unique setting where the guests sat on ALL sides of the bride and groom during the ceremony! The circular setting was certainly interesting from a photography point of view! Kelly’s parents walked her up the long aisle (as seen in the first photo above), and Steven saw his bride for the first time as she approached the altar, which was beautifully decorated with gorgeous floral arrangements and greenery!
The Wedding Party
I don’t even know where to start with this wedding party. They were quite possibly the wildest, funniest, most entertaining wedding party I have ever encountered. I’m fairly certain that because of them, Kelly and Steven have the largest “outtakes folder” that I have ever created – haha! They clean-up pretty nice though, and I’m not just saying that because I’ve photographed 3 of the members of the wedding party previously 😉
The Newlyweds!
We actually didn’t have as much time as I usually like to do the bride and groom photos, but we made good use of the time we did have! Kelly and Steven are naturals in front of the camera!
The Reception
Below you can see some of the Secret Garden Themed decor that I mentioned earlier. I just love it – so elegant! The doorknob table-numbers are brilliant!
The reception area was tented, but with open sides so you literally felt like you were inside a hidden garden!
The newlyweds danced to “their song”, which of course was the same song that was playing at the concert when Steven proposed – “We Found Each Other in the Dark” by City and Colour.
Are you getting married? Looking for a Toronto wedding photographer? Get in touch to have me, Jennifer Newberry Photography, capture your wedding, whether it’s in Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Toronto, Barrie, Waterloo, Hamilton, London, Muskoka, or beyond! I’d love to chat about your wedding plans!
Danielle and Kyle got married on Canada 150 this summer! They didn’t actually know it was Canada’s 150th birthday when they set their date, but it worked out – and it was certainly a big celebration! Spoiler alert: Danielle and Kyle’s wedding was AWESOME. Even cooler than this Caledon wedding photographer could have imagined! They had an antique Ford Model T car, acrobats, aerial silk dancer, a contortionist, farm animals, hay bales, an old log cabin, not one but TWO barns (including a “bar barn”), an old english telephone booth, a vintage carriage (which we didn’t end up using for photos, but it was still cool) and *drum roll*…. an ice cream truck!!!!
As easy as it would have been to have a “Canada 150 Wedding”, they didn’t go that route. Though Danielle did have her toes painted red with a Maple Leaf, and Kyle was wearing Canada-themed socks, that’s about the extent of the Canada-specific celebrations went. Really I would have to say that the ceremony was an “elegant rustic” theme, while the reception was more of a “circus acrobat” theme
How They Met
Danielle and Kyle met at Wynn Fitness, where Danielle worked. She was working at the juice bar, and Kyle was working out in the gym. Danielle used to offer Kyle free samples of smoothies, which he always declined. One day, a friend of Danielle’s offered to buy Kyle a Gatorade (this friend knew that Danielle had a huge crush on Kyle) and the three of them striked up a conversation. Kyle and Danielle eventually got to talking, and he said he had an old school Camaro, and Danielle asked to go for a ride. They went on their first official date to Tu Casa Restaurant, and were engaged 3.5 years later!
The Proposal
Danielle came home from work, opened the door, and Kyle was standing. He had candles, a bottle of wine and plant on the table beside him (all of which they already had). Kyle opened his laptop and there was a PowerPoint display, explaining how he loves Danielle and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. He then got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Danielle, of course, said yes!
The Wedding
The entire wedding took place at Danielle’s father’s house. It was a great setup for a wedding! They had an outdoor ceremony in front of an old log cabin (which was a bit risky because it lightly rained on and off for a bit, but it stopped raining just in time!). The reception was held in the main barn on the property. The barn next to the main barn was the “Bar barn” where the drinks were served.
Getting Ready
The girls got ready in the house. Since it was raining on and off during this part of the day, I opted to do most of the detail photos indoors. (Well, except the shoe photos, I did those on the covered porch.)
During a “rain break”, I did get Danielle’s dress hung up on the porch of the house for some photos – I just love how they turned out!
Danielle’s bridesmaids helped her get ready, and it was impressive to me because I didn’t have to pose or “stage” anything! They were just doing their thing (perfectly photogenically might I add!) naturally! It’s rare and awesome for me as a Caledon wedding photographer when this happens.
Look at these two! Ready to get hitched! Danielle had Kyle choose his own suit, and it was to be a surprise for her – so at this point she had no idea what he was going to show up in!
The Ceremony
Danielle was driven across the property by her father, in his old Ford Model T antique car. (It was quite the effort to stuff that huge wedding gown in there! lol).
Often when I see dads escorting their brides down the aisle, they generally have a very stoic or serious look on their faces. I love how Danielle’s dad was all smiles! (And any guy I’ve photographed, knows how happy I was with the “hand in pocket” lol!)
Since Danielle and Kyle didn’t do a First Look, the first time Kyle saw his bride was when she walked down the aisle with her father. I always love to do the shot above (right), as it captures the groom’s face as he watches his bride come down the aisle!
Wooden benches were set-up for the guests to watch the ceremony, and they (was it Kyle? I think so, but I might be wrong) built a platform for them and the officiant to stand on during the ceremony.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds went back to the antique car and got in the back, and Danielle’s father escorted them back up to where the reception & cocktail hour was going to take place.
The Wedding Party
Although the wedding party didn’t stand up with Danielle and Kyle during the ceremony (they were sitting in the front rows), they certainly were still a big part of their day!
Little Clarke was a most adorable flower girl!
The Newlyweds!
I suppose now is a good time to mention that Danielle is a professional acrobat! When I asked what was the most important photo they wanted taken, she said “Me doing a handstand in my dress” – and so, that was the very first “Bride and groom” photo we did!
I’m going to pause here for a moment just to mention, that while Danielle, Kyle and I were doing their photos, the guests were enjoying drinks and appetizers at cocktail hour. But amongst the guests mingling around were two awesome acrobats (and friends of Danielle’s) who were performing while walking around the crowd!
Anyway, back to the bride and groom photos, we did photos all around the property. Danielle and Kyle are so photogenic, they made my job easy! Though I suppose, with Danielle’s job she’s probably very used to having cameras around!
The Reception
As I mentioned earlier, the reception was held in the main barn on the property. Danielle and Kyle did a beautiful job of decorating it!
When guests first entered the barn, they greeted the newlyweds and some of the wedding party in a short receiving line, and then were greeted by the acrobats who were performing during cocktail hour. The acrobats did a “champagne pour”, where one of them was sitting up in the silks dangling from the ceiling pouring the champagne into a glass the other acrobat was holding, and then handing out to guests. I’m told Danielle is usually the one up in the silks pouring the champagne when she does events!
The MC was none other than Danielle’s friend and contortionist, Gabriella! Two bridesmaids carried a purple suitcase into the middle of the barn, which Gabriella came out of and did a short performance before announcing the entrance of the bride and groom.
During the reception, the main event was the incredible aerial silks performance by Danielle’s friend and bridesmaid, and one of Kyle’s best friends, Jennifer Roy! Honestly, I took so many awesome photos during her 8-minute performance, that I couldn’t just choose one or two for the blog. So have a scroll, here are all my favourites 😉
As you can see (above right), Danielle was moved to tears by Jen’s awesome performance! Danielle herself can also perform the aerial silks. Sidenote for Danielle: My daughter really wants to see you perform sometime 😉
As if all of the above wasn’t exciting enough – an ice cream truck showed up!
Even though it wasn’t quite dark enough, we went ahead and did a sparkler exit anyway before I was done for the night. Fun times!
Congrats Danielle and Kyle! I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of your AMAZING and unique wedding day!!!
Here are some of the incredible vendors that helped make Danielle and Kyle’s fantastic Caledon elegant rustic circus acrobat Canada 150 wedding happen! (Whew, that’s a mouthful!):
Wedding planner: Margarite from Mystical Weddings & Event Planning
Cake Artist: Artsy Tartsy
Band: BPM Krew
Makeup: Maddox Lou (Danielle’s friend)
Hair: Teresa Cascioli
Favours: Niagara Winery
Invitations: VistaPrint
Wedding dress boutique: David’s Bridal
Bride’s shoes: Kate Spade
Bridesmaids dresses: David’s Bridal
Bride’s wedding band: Humbertown Jewellers
Groom’s wedding band: Tiffany’s
Toronto Contortionist: Gabriella De Bartolo
Aerial Silk Dancer: Jennifer Roy
Caledon wedding photographer: Jennifer Newberry Photography
Are you getting married? Looking for a Caledon wedding photographer? Get in touch to have me, Jennifer Newberry Photography, capture your wedding, whether it’s in Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Toronto, Barrie, Waterloo, Hamilton, London, Muskoka, or beyond! I’d love to chat about your wedding plans!
Miller Lash House Wedding Photographer | Scarborough Wedding Photographer
Kelly & Steven’s Sneak Peeks
Kelly and Steven went with a Secret Garden theme for their Miller Lash House wedding in Scarborough – and it was BEAUTIFUL! The Miller Lash House is exactly the perfect venue for a Secret Garden themed wedding I would say! I can’t wait to share photos of all the beautiful decor!
Kelly wore a beautiful Stella York wedding gown, that fit her absolutely perfectly! And Steven looked quite dapper in his black-on-black suit!
Three of the youngest wedding party members are missing in the photo below – but aren’t the ring bearer (one of 3), and flower girl (one of 2) an adorable brother-sister team? This was an incredible wedding party to work with. The guys were “animals”, as Steven put it, and the girls are one of the most loyal group of friends I have ever seen! This wedding party is extra special as well, because I’ve previously photographed 3 of them!
Congrats Kelly & Steven!
Are you getting married? Looking for an Scarborough wedding photographer? Get in touch to have me, Jennifer Newberry Photography, capture your wedding, whether it’s in Scarborough, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Toronto, Barrie, Waterloo, Hamilton, London, Muskoka, or beyond! I’d love to chat about your wedding plans!
Every Canadian will always remember what they were doing on Canada’s 150th birthday! I was Danielle and Kyle’s Caledon wedding photographer, photographing their EPIC Canada 150 wedding!
Danielle and Kyle’s wedding literally had everything – including circus acrobats!
Danielle is an acrobat (and an acro instructor!), and as she said in her speech, she couldn’t imagine her wedding without “a little bit of circus”. There was an incredible aerial silk performer, two acrobats that performed during cocktail hour, a contortionist, an antique car, farm animals, hay bales, old log cabins, not one but TWO barns (including a “bar barn”), an old english telephone booth, a vintage carriage (which we didn’t end up using for photos, but it was still cool) and *drum roll*…. an ice cream truck!!
Here’s a peek into their day!
Before their wedding day, I ask all my clients what’s the #1 photo that they want. Most brides say “Me and my new husband”, or “Us and our families”, but not Danielle. Nope, the #1 photo she most wanted was, and I quote, “Handstand picture”. She wanted a picture of her doing a handstand in her wedding dress. Yep, it happened! (Yes, the sparkly white tennis shoes were her wedding shoes!)
Another “must have” photo for Danielle was the sparkler exit photo. It wasn’t really dark enough when we did it, but we made it work!
Congrats Danielle & Kyle!
Are you getting married? Looking for an Caledon wedding photographer? Get in touch to have me, Jennifer Newberry Photography, capture your wedding, whether it’s in Caledon, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Toronto, Barrie, Waterloo, Hamilton, London, Muskoka, or beyond! I’d love to chat about your wedding plans!
Being Lindsay and Mark’s Newmarket wedding photographer was an absolute joy – working with a wonderful couple, at a gorgeous venue, on a sunny day, what more could a wedding photographer ask for? A cool theme, that’s what! Lindsay and Mark had a travel-themed wedding, and Lindsay turned out to be quite crafty by adding all sorts of DIY (“do it yourself”) touches, like origami made out of maps, hot-air-balloon shaped lanterns, a very awesome seating chart, and she even made Mark’s cufflinks!
Lindsay and Mark met at work. After working in the same building for some time, their paths crossed while practicing yoga at the company gym and then they started carpooling to work with a mutual friend (who did a reading during the ceremony, and is married to the Best Man!).
After countless hours of flirting on the company’s internal instant messenger, Mark finally got up the courage to take Lindsay out on a date. They had dinner at Fred’s Not Here and went to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to see Beethoven’s 9th. After 2 years of dancing, cooking, doing yoga, and travelling the world together (6 continents!), Mark completely took Lindsay by surprise and popped the question! I’d say it’s fairly obvious what her answer was 😉
The proposal: Mark invited Lindsay out for a nice, casual dinner at Sassafraz. It was an incredibly hot day, but Lindsay paid no attention to the fact that Mark was in a dress shirt and blazer (because he needed a pocket for the ring). After dinner Mark suggested going to a gelato restaurant down on Queen St. E. (which doesn’t actually exist). They got out of the cab at Kew Gardens and Mark suggested a walk through the park. As they approached the gazebo, a musician starting playing (the same musician who played during cocktail hour at the wedding!). Mark and Lindsay danced a few times, and still Lindsay had no idea that Mark was about to propose. At the end of the second song, Mark dropped to one knee and proposed.
The wedding ceremony was held in the gazebo at Waterstone Estate & Farms. I love these styles of open gazebos, because you have the roof for shade, but there’s still enough light coming in for great photos. In line with the travel theme, the front row of seats had these unique “air mail” reserved signs!
Lindsay looked absolutely perfect in her vintage-style wedding dress. I didn’t realize it until I put the music together with the photos for the slideshow (at the bottom of this blog post), but Lindsay and Mark really have this very elegant, classic look. If I ever plan a stylized shoot with an elegant 1920s couple, Lindsay and Mark are definitely my first choice! (That and they’re both fantastic dancers!)
Lindsay’s bridesmaids are such a fun group of girls! Not to mention that the day after the wedding, I realized that one of them is practically a local radio celebrity! (Yes you are Jocelyn!)
Mark looked great in his tux, as you can see! He actually seemed very comfortable in it, oddly enough. As I mentioned earlier, Lindsay actually made his cufflinks! At first I thought they were little globes, because that would go well with the travel-theme, but they are actually made from tiny gears from a clock or a watch. They looked great!
Mark’s groomsmen (and groomsmaid!) were a great bunch of people also! And I must say, Heather’s dress was PERFECT! She totally matched the guys, yet was different and stylish in her own way.
The ceremony was wonderful. Kate (the best man’s wife, and Lindsay and Mark’s mutual friend who they carpooled with to work originally) did a reading, as well as Mark’s uncle (another local radio celebrity! I actually recognized his voice, and was just a tiny bit starstruck when I realized who he was. ha), who was stepping in for Mark’s grandfather.
The entire wedding party, with the newlyweds!
I tried something new with this wedding, and it worked out really well! We were a bit tight on time between the ceremony and reception, so what I did to make sure I got all the shots I wanted was this: I wrote out a posing workflow. Yep, I actually wrote out a list of the poses I wanted to do, and put them in order for time efficiency. We got all the shots done so fast, we had a good 20 minutes to do some extra shots and more creative stuff! It was great, I’m so happy it worked out so well!
There were a lot of travel-themed decorations at the reception, naturally. The name cards were actually maps, folded origami-style into hearts! There were also maps origami-folded into flowers placed in various places. A banner made of maps cut into triangle ‘flags’ was hung above the fireplace. Each of the tables was named after a place that Lindsay and Mark have travelled to. There were globe centerpieces at every table. There were even photo books on display from Lindsay and Mark’s various trips. The lighted M & L sign kind of gave a “your name up in lights” feel to it all as well. It was great! And to top it all off, Lindsay made the seating chart herself, a map of the world with the various places they’ve visited, and guests placed at each city. “Where in the world are you sitting?” was the perfect seating chart title!
To win the centrepiece (the globe), guests at each table had to find countries on the globe. Sounds easy enough, right? Except they were countries like Croatia, Algeria, etc… It was more challenging than you’d think!
These two, in the photos below, are Mark’s grandparents. They have been married for 59 years! Since they were married the longest, they won Lindsay’s bouquet – and they are just the cutest couple too.
Lindsay and Mark had been taking swing dancing lessons, and they performed an awesome choreographed swing dance as their first dance! It was definitely the best First Dance I’ve witnessed to-date! I found out later that Lindsay is quite the dancer, and Mark isn’t too bad himself. I can say for sure that in all the years I’ve been photographing weddings, this was the first time I wish I’d brought my video camera so I could do a cool fusion video or something!
Lindsay and her father also did a choreographed dance. Lindsay’s mother told me that they (Lindsay’s parents) have been taking Latin and Ballroom dancing classes for years, so apparently they are a family of dancers! Definitely the best Father-Daughter dance I’ve seen to-date as well. Though, I guess that’s expected from people who have been dancing for years and years!
There was a fantastic sunset, just as the party was getting started. And Lindsay and Mark were kind enough to let me borrow them and try doing a “sparkler photo without using any sparklers” – I think it came out pretty well!
Congrats Lindsay and Mark! You two are so perfect together, and I loved being a part of your special day!
To see more of Lindsay and Mark’s Newmarket wedding photos, watch the slideshow below! (If you can’t see the slideshow below, click here.)
Are you getting married? Looking for a Newmarket wedding photographer? Get in touch to have me, Jennifer Newberry Photography, capture your wedding, whether it’s in Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Toronto, Barrie, Waterloo, Hamilton, London, Muskoka, or beyond! I’d love to chat about your wedding plans!
