Cara and Leon booked us for their wedding day in October, and they wanted to capture the urban Toronto in early spring for the engagement session. And they specifically wanted the pictures to be in black and white. So we came down to Union Station and captured the following.

For most photoshoot locations we would usually pick a time when there are few people around. That applies for most parks and some places of interests. This not only ensures we do not waste time on waiting for people to pass by, but also elimitate the chances of us capturing perfect emotions and expressions with some random people in the picture.

However for many urban streets and transit junctions such as Union Station, people in the background just enrich the picture with the perfect sense.

Many chooses to get married in winter time because they feel the world becomes less noisy and more romantic when covered in white. Xiang and Yao, his fiancee who travelled back from Ottawa, had their simple yet elegant ceremony on this lovely winter day.

The Chinese wedding started from Yao’s home with a really short set of door games that ended almost as soon as it started as Xiang and his brothers broke into the house.

The wedding party then headed to Graydon Hall Manor for the wedding ceremony. The Graydon Hall is located in a populated residential area near Don Mills and Highway 404. Many who lived in that area, including the cinematographer at Yao and Xiang’s wedding were not aware of the existence of such a nice wedding location amongest these apartment buildings.

This is one of the smallest weddings we worked on this year, only in terms of the number of guests attended. But in terms of the emotion this sweet couple brought us, this wedding is second to none. It is human nature that when you are on a job for long enough, you get used to what you see at work and are less likely to have any emotion to it. Being a wedding photographer or cinematographer is no different in that respect. However, the personalized vows and speeches made us feel their passion in love. Their parents, although weren’t able to attend their Toronto ceremony, also sent touching words and advices through video streaming.

The Old Mill Inn and Spa has always been one of the top choices for wedding ceremonies and reception of a medium to small scale in Toronto. The all in one hotel, chapel and banquet halls give the retro touch to weddings. From the hall ways to the garden, every spot is perfect for pictures.

Whenever I am asked about MC’s, the first recommendation would always be “find the most talkative friend”. Believe it or not, we always have a friend or two who are enthusiastic about this and would work as the best host and/or hostess for your wedding. It so happened for Joe and Nicole’s wedding, their friends not only did a professional job hosting the party, but also put lots of thoughts into every little detail that made the entire party coherent with the twist of comfort and intimacy.

When the French gentleman met the oriental wedding culture, Marcel did a good job completing his series of tasks by embarrassing himself and his fellow groomsmen and running around the block, before he finally meets Carmen in their sweet apartment near North York Centre.

Marcel’s family drove a long way down from the far northern part of Canada, and welcomed by the Chinese style traditional tea ceremony in the party room of the newly built condominium. The sweet couple then headed downtown in a 1950′s vintage Bentley limousine.

It was a hot day and we were almost steamed in the Trinity St Paul Church, fortunately the ceremony was short and sweet, and each guest gets the programme sheet printed on a fan that helped ease the sweats.

The evening party was held in Rosewater Room on Toronto Street, a cozy dining hall that’s the most suitable for the level of intimacy that they advocated. With the live jazz music and songs, the candle litted room and the same day edit clip, this is surely a day to remember for the rest of their lives.