S + M unknowingly chose the first warm weekend of the year to get married, and we were so thrilled to celebrate with them yesterday at Rowenna’s Inn. They had such an intimate and sweet ceremony with 25 people, and we spent so much of the day outside, soaking up the sun and getting gorgeous portraits of them. The day was slow-paced and relaxed; S + M had time to enjoy cups of tea together during their cocktail hour and we played around with the sun and lighting during their portrait sessions. It was a beautiful, warm, and cheerful celebration and we are so happy for them.
Getting Ready
When we first arrived at the venue, we separated to capture both the bride and the groom getting ready. Rowenna’s Inn is so regal and elegant; the details, the flowers, the dress, and the accessories all matched the elegant, royal, Pride and Prejudice vibe of the whole wedding day.
It was a slow start to the day, so we took our time setting up and capturing beautiful detail photos of the couples’ accessories and outfits. The bride was getting her hair and make-up done in the bridal suite. Not only does it look out onto a view of mountains and a lakeview, but the room is surrounded by big windows that bring in so much natural light for really bright and clean photos. The suite is beautifully furnished, and the walls are all white which gives all the photos that extra bridal touch. It was such a warm and sunny day for their wedding, so the bridal suite had amazing light and shadows cast into it through the windowpanes. We used the sunlight and shadows for some really dramatic and unique detail photos.
Photos
Once the couple was all ready and dressed in their wedding attire, they had their first look just outside the inn. It was the sweetest moment and they had the happiest reactions; they both just couldn’t stop smiling. After that moment, we walked around Rowenna’s Inn and captured couple portraits of the two of them. The whole time they were so giddy and couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. It was so sweet to see how excited and happy they were to be married.
Rowenna’s has so much variety for photo backdrops. In a short amount of time, we got photos of them out in the greenery, in the tall trees, in front of the elegant inn, and we even found a rustic white barn that worked so well as a minimalistic backdrop.
Ceremony
After we did bridal portraits and family photos, it was time to make things official! S + M chose to have a family friend officiate their ceremony, but to make it all legal they had a marriage commissioner come in before their ceremony and help them sign the papers. They had their best man and maid of honour sign as their witnesses. What was meant to just be the legal part of the day turned into a really endearing moment. The marriage commissioner got them to stand together and hold hands in the bridal suite and repeat the phrases that make it all official. There were tears and big big smiles all around.
From there, it was straight to the ceremony. They exchanged heartfelt vows and there were tears on both sides of the family. The couple had the BIGGEST smiles walking back down the aisle when they were finally pronounced husband and wife. They headed right outside where they were greeted by all their family and friends with huge hugs and tears. With such a small guest list, everyone was able to hug and have a quick moment with both the bride and groom before we walked around for more photos at the venue. By this time, the sun was nearly setting over the mountains so we got incredible golden light for their second round of portraits.
Cocktail Hour
There was tea and coffee served for the guests while we were out for golden hour photos with the bride and groom. After the outdoor photos, we took some photos of the newlyweds in the now-empty ceremony space. We recreated a photo of the bride’s mother from her wedding day, which the bride plans to get framed and give as a gift to her dad. When we were done with photos, S + M drank tea together and enjoyed mingling with their guests before dinner.
Reception
The dinner was a sit down 3-course meal, and between courses different family members gave speeches. There were no microphones because it was such a small group. It was a very casual and light environment, which is exactly what the couple wanted.
After dinner and dessert, there were a few games. The couple played the shoe game and the newlywed game where they had to guess how the other person would have answered each question. After that, the event was officially over and the bride and groom gave a heartfelt thank you speech. The bride presented her bouquet as a gift to her mother for doing so much of the work to plan and organize the day. Some people stayed and played board games before heading out. Most of the guests had a room at the inn and were planning to stay the night.
Summary
Saul and Maritha had the sweetest and most intimate wedding day… we were so honoured to be a part of their celebration. It was clear that they were so excited for their wedding day, but even more excited for their married life afterwards. It was a warm, sunny, and beautiful spring day, but they said they would have been just as happy if it had poured rain. It was all about them and their love, and nothing could have changed their excitement.
The Team
Venue: Rowenna’s Inn at Sandpiper Resort https://sandpiperresort.ca
Hair & Make-Up: Beauty by Bryn Taylor https://www.instagram.com/beautybybryntaylor/
Flowers: Lam’s Ear Floral https://www.instagram.com/lamsearfloral/
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