Bodega Ridge Wedding

This Bodega Ridge Wedding was amazing, beautiful, fun, emotional and so much more.  A weekend long, wedding event that embraced and celebrated, Tessa and Matt’s love, but also family and friendships.  

Nothing is more meaningful to a photographer than being invited to shoot a momentous occasions.  It is a huge responsibility to capture authentic moments of emotion, and when Matt and Tessa called me to ask if I was available to photograph their wedding day I have to admit that I was incredibly honoured.  I have shared several special moments with the two of them over the past few years, including capturing their two exquisite babies, Madelyn and Luke, as newborns & toddlers. Both children are growing into gorgeous, friendly and engaging children and I have loved having this beautiful family in front of my camera as it grew from two to four.  It was with great excitement that I boarded the ferry to Galiano Island, an incredibly beautiful island on the West Coast, where Tessa and Matt were getting married.    

Galiano Island, and specifically Bodega Bridge, is, in a word, spectacular.  The vistas of the soaring mountains in the distance, sunlight dancing on the water and the mesmerizing sound of the ocean set a stunning stage for Tessa and Matt’s weekend-long wedding. Even the little details, like the fairy lights twinkling in the marquee, the colourful flowers and the dazzling blue sky, helped to create an enchanting aura.  And yet, all paled in comparison to the radiance emanating from this happy couple, who wanted nothing more than to gather family and friends to celebrate this very special day.  As Tessa said in her wedding blog, they were, ”Beyond honoured and excited to share our special day with all of you; the people we love the most.” 

As with most brides and grooms, the wedding day itself seems to pass by in a joyous blur and sometimes they don’t always catch every moment.  I love capturing all of those: the images that they imagine prior, the candid moments that they weren’t expecting, the spontaneous laughter, and the joy.  Most importantly, capturing how the day felt is most important to me. I want Tessa, Matt, and theirs friends & family to look at the pictures and be brought back to the day, to the moment of the “I-do’s” ,the crowded dance floor, the laughter and the love.  The moments they may have missed, but now have to look at and remember forever.

 

When Matt and Tessa walked back down the aisle to petals being showered over them, I felt the joy and elation that radiated from them both.  I had felt it from the moment I arrived, until I left the island.  The photos I took that day encapsulated all the uninhibited delight that I had witnessed. I am so excited that they will have these images to look back on and share with their children, family and friends.  To see how they were celebrated; how they felt that day.  I am so grateful they invited me to photograph the day for them, to trust me and my camera and let me preserve their memories forever.

 

This wedding, for me, was incredibly special as they were allowing me to photograph the start of another momentous chapter in their lives.  Thank you, Tessa and Mike, not only for including me but also for trusting me to capture your stories.  

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