Oh, what a super cold day it was this past Friday for this Elm Hurst winter wedding! Cold, but so beautiful! The sun came through the clouds so often during the day that suffering through the temperatures made it all worth it. I only met Lydia and Richard a few months ago at our consultation, and again shortly after for THEIR ENGAGEMENT SESSION. Spending that time with them, I noticed very clearly that these two just wanted to be married and spend the rest of their lives having fun together. And I knew that their wedding day would be all about that fun! Was I right!!!

On the drive in, my second photographer and I tried to chat on the phone a couple of times, but it did not want to work for us. I was a little worried whether that was a bad omen. However, I wasn’t going to focus on that. Walking into the girl’s getting ready suite, a waft of hairspray greeted me. It became a bit of a joke with the girls. And as her maid of honour and one of her bridesmaids were her sisters, who had both used the same hairdresser; Amber. And Amber outdid herself!

The whole suite was a bit of a mess, but with the help of Mom, Amber, and Jolena (the maid of honour), it all came together. The first look happened nicely on time, and the sun came out right as Lydia walked up. This made the whole world even more magical! Because of the cold, these girls (& gents) could only spend a maximum of 10-15 minutes outside. It felt like -16C for most of the day.

We knew it was time to go inside if Lydia turned purple or her smile froze. I’m not kidding, this actually happened! At the last of the bridesmaid’s individuals, Lydia’s smile was more like a grimace. At first, I didn’t know whether I was doing something wrong, or if she was trying to be humorous. But her smile seriously was that was frozen. So we went back inside to warm up and enjoy a Subway lunch.

The ceremony was at the Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Norwich. It was safe to say that Lydia was thrilled to put her signature on the paperwork. Richard as well, of course! At this point, we finally decided to take the flowers outside, knowing they were going to freeze. A short stop at the Norwich Dam Conservation Area for some more wedding party portraits and a few more husband and wife portraits, and we were on our way to the reception.

Approximately 100 people were waiting for them when we came back to the venue, so we’re sure that they had a fabulous evening with all their loved ones! Lydia and Richard, you looked amazing on your wedding day, I hope these pictures do you justice. Serving clients like you is so wonderful, and it was a pleasure getting to know you. I know you’re in Jamaica right now, soaking up the sun, and I might be slightly jealous. But planning your whole big day in such a short time and do such a fantastic job surely is hard work, so you deserve a break. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together!

And for the final touch, Mom’s necklace. Lydia literally became giddy when it came time to put this on; the love between Mama and daughter was so obvious!

The next few images were captured by Brittany Almas of Brittany Deanna Photography. Brittany is such a dear friend and did an amazing job at Lydia and Richard’s new home, capturing the guys getting ready. Working with you was such a joy, Brittany! Thank you for all your help on Friday, it was so appreciated. I’d love to do it again!

These two decided to do a first look, and I was so thankful! The sun set before 5:30 PM, and it was so nice to get extra time to spend 10 minutes outside here and there.

Some more captures by the amazing Brittany Deanna Photography!

Jolena was such an amazing maid of honour for Lydia! From picking up her dress everytime Lydia had to walk, to organizing the entire day. A big shoutout to their whole crew, they really made it fun for Richard and Lydia!

This was the third and last time that Lydia’s dad would walk a daughter down the aisle. I’m sure that this was a bit of an emotional moment for him!

And they’re married! Look at Richard looking at his wife!!!

After the ceremony, we finally took the flowers outside! I was so excited to get to capture these beauties in the snow, even though I know the temperatures killed them very quickly.

It’s always such a gift to get to capture engagement rings twice! Especially when they’re as beautiful as this one…

These two braved it out in the cold for so long, and I’m so proud of them! They held up better than even my equipment, which just really didn’t seem to like the cold! Re-focusing took much longer than normal and my battery died so quickly!