Our journey with Sierra & Spencer started what seems like moons ago. They reached out to us in the early stages of planning their wedding at Strathmere while both attending university in Toronto and it became quite apparent from our initial consult how sweet and genuine they both were. Soon after booking us, we scheduled their engagement session at Princess Louise Falls in Orleans. A spot we had not heard about until then, yet has since become one of our favourite locations.

Their wedding came almost a full year later and was held at Strathmere in the garden house. It’s a lovely venue that we’ve had the pleasure of shooting at many times and it never disappoints. This time was a tad different and offered some excitement in the form of a torrential downpour that we narrowly missed during their formal photos. We also had a blast documenting their beer crushing abilities! Impressive guys! For anyone out there considering a wedding at Strathmere, go for it! You won’t be disappointed!

Jess and I have photographed well over 100 weddings and until recently, we never really put much thought into how our couples felt about their wedding day. After delivering their images and allowing them to relive their day, we decided to ask some questions to see how they felt the day of and how accurate our telling of their story was through our eyes.

Everyone loves mushy love stories so we started by asking them some basics. Here’s what they had to say:

How they met

Spencer and I met in out first semester of University at a dinner between our two Greek affiliations. It was the end of September and after the dinner he carried a pumpkin I’d wanted back to my school residence for me and then sat and waited at the bus stop for 45 minutes for the next bus (it was a sunday… OC Transpo sucks on Sundays lol). I don’t think I could have counted the number of times I said I’d NEVER date a frat guy… but to be fair, I never said I wouldn’t marry one 😉

How the proposal went down

Sierra told me back in 2012: “All I want for graduation is a ring or a puppy… and I’d rather a puppy,” but I don’t think she was too upset with my choice. After walking the Carleton stage June 7th 2016, we went canoeing. In the middle of the lake, in the middle of a surprise thunderstorm, I asked Sierra to marry me. She didn’t seem to miss the puppy.

What vendors did you select and why?

1. Flowers: Something Borrowed Blooms (SBB)

YES YES YES, I had 10 bridesmaids, 10 groomsmen, 2 flower girls, and 18 tables… the florals for my wedding were quoted around 5-7K. I used this company to RENT my flowers and even with the American exchange rate and shipping ALL my bouquets, centrepieces, boutonniere’s, and ivory lengths cost less than half of that.

2. Florist & Wedding Planner: Styled With Love

Lauren Sinclair was our local florist who made a beautiful fresh floral piece for the main table and decorated our arbor. She also saved the day with set-up after a few hiccups (she’s also an amazing wedding planner!)

3. Suzy Q Doughnuts

They catered our Doughnut wall which was a huge hit! Highly recommended!

4. Make Up Artist: Radiant by Raadhaa

I chose Raadhaa because she was one of the few people I saw online in the local Ottawa community that worked with a variety of skin tones, which was important to me!

5. Dj: Extreme Entertainment DJ Services

Extreme DJ Services was a huge hit! The dance floor was bumping all night thanks to his ability to read the crowd.

6. Photographers: Joel & Jess Photography

From the moment we skyped them they felt like friends who we wanted to have with us on our special day. They were absolutely amazing, and blended in SO well. I honestly don’t even remember seeing them throughout the night and somehow they captured the most beautiful candid shots!

7. Calligrapher: Krieger Customs

What was the bride’s favourite part of the day?

Finally getting to see Spencer! The whole morning went so fast until the last 30min before the ceremony. At that point I just wanted to see Spencer so bad it felt like time was crawling.

Most people don’t know this but I called the wedding planner at 4pm (ceremony was set for 4:30pm) to ask if it looked like their were enough people to just start early! She said it didn’t work that way… Patience has never really been my strong suit (Spencer would definitely agree with me on that one), and the procession was the first moment I regretted having TEN bridesmaids!

Waiting for my turn to walk felt like a lifetime… But it was worth it once I FINALLY saw him. Oh and I also LOVED icing him at the reception, that was a close second.

What was the groom’s favourite part?

As cliche as it sounds: seeing Sierra for the first time as she walked down the isle. The rain had just stopped, and the sun was out to welcome her to the family. I was entranced as she walked down the isle, and couldn’t see anything else the whole time she was standing in front of me. All of my nerves dissipated when I said my vows, because I knew when I looked at her that the decision to encourage each other for the rest of our lives was the best one I had ever made.

What advice would you have for anyone planning their wedding at Strathmere?

Rent your florals! It will save you so much money! Secondly, it will be one of the fastest days of your life, take pauses throughout the day to really take it all in. Oh, and definitely invest in great photographers 😉

Here is a brief look into their day and how it unfolded.