To say that I am so excited to be sharing an Elora Mill wedding is definitely an understatement.

About two weeks after Stephen and I moved to Fergus three years ago, he came home and said something along the lines of “did you know they’re opening a wedding venue around the corner from us?” and I nearly passed out. The last thing I expected after moving out of Toronto was for there to be a wedding venue within a five-minute drive. Low and behold, a quick Google search led me to a Pearle Hospitality website announcing the plans for an Elora Mill wedding venue renovation complete with renderings that I immediately fell in love with.

For the next two and a half years, we spent almost every weekend hovering over the construction site before heading down the street to our favourite breakfast spot. We got so excited every time something new happened! Even if most of the time it was just a couple of rocks moving a few feet to the left. When I heard from a few other vendors that it would be opening its doors for weddings in June 2019, I felt like Disneyland opened up down the street.

 

I can’t even begin to explain how perfect the Elora Mill ended up being for Jenny and Cal’s October wedding

To fill you in a little bit, Jenny and Cal actually met at The Keg where I worked alongside them for a few years after college. I never could have imagined photographing their wedding back then, so when Jenny approached me about it last year it was such a dream come true. Every time I photograph weddings for friends, I feel like such a broken record, but there really is no better way to experience the emotions of the day than to be there with them from beginning to end!

Jenny started her day in one of the Solarium Suites which is basically a photographer’s dream! It is a gigantic room encased in floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Grand River. This ended up being the most calming setting to start the day alongside her two close friends and soon-to-be sister! They popped champagne in the cutest floral robes, listened to the A Star Is Born soundtrack, and reminisced on the beautiful life that she has built with Cal over the years.

Meanwhile, Cal was anxiously awaiting seeing her for the first time in one of the Terrace Suites. If anyone else is planning an Elora Mill Wedding, I can’t recommend these two rooms enough! The walk-out terrace was the perfect place for them to share their first look without having to travel off of the property, and somehow still made it feel as private as possible even though they were surrounded by open space.

 

Without a doubt, my favourite part of their day was their emotional ceremony.

I don’t think I will ever forget the visual of Jenny walking down the aisle towards her husband and tilting her head back to try to stop the tears and catch her breath. So many people have started to put all of the focus on the groom’s reaction at this part of the day, and I think that they forget what an impactful moment it is for the bride, too! Looking at the photos from their processional makes me hold back tears, in the same way, every time.

Throughout the whole day, what really stood out to me was all of the warmth that you couldn’t help but feel. It seemed like every time you walked into a room, whether it was one of their getting ready spaces, the Foundry chapel, or the Irvine Room for their reception, you just got hit with a wall of love and support coming from every direction. I think that this says so much about who they are as a couple! Every single guest, myself included, is their biggest fan.

Jenny and Cal – thank you so much for trusting me with a day you’ll be looking back on for the rest of your lives! Being able to photograph moments for people who I absolutely love is something I’ll never take lightly. It is seriously a day that I will never forget!