The National Club Toronto Wedding | Anna + Dave, Part 1

"Dave and I clicked with Ally right from the beginning! She was very open to our vision and she went above and beyond and created the most beautiful photos for our engagement and wedding. Her photos are unique, mixing vintage nostalgia with an urban flair. We had our wedding downtown in a historical venue. Ally was able to combine our love for things traditional with our love for the city life! It was such a pleasure working with you. Your calm and understand nature kept us sane through one of the most craziest and exciting moments in our lives. Thank you again!!" 

Thank you Anna and Dave for leaving me such a sweet review on Google.

Anna and Dave attracted rains. Three months before their wedding day, we drove for an hour for our first attempt to shoot their engagement photos in a lavender farm in Hamilton. Right before we arrived the farm it started pouring. We ended up turning back and rescheduling the engagement session for a better day. It was another rainy day comes their wedding in September. Many cultures believe that rain on a wedding day is good luck. As a wedding photographer, I enjoyed the texture found in rainy day wedding photos. It's moody and subtle. We started the day at the National Club where both the girls' and the boys' getting ready took place. The National Club is a great wedding venue for its classy look. Anna said it's Greek wedding traditions for the bride to return home before the wedding ceremony. So I followed her and her bridesmaids to Anna's parents' home to document some tears and laughers before we headed to Islington United Church. Islington United Church is a beautiful church in Toronto for weddings ceremonies I must say. The rustic look added more warmth to the wedding ceremony and made it a true celebration. In part 2, I will finish writing up Anna and Dave's unique wedding day (EDIT: part 2 is up now and I ended up saving Anna and Dave's post wedding photo shoot for a different entry - stay tuned for part 3). In the next post (or maybe in part 3 now that I think of it, just so I can keep each post short and sweet), you'll find their after session (EDIT: part 3, Anna and Dave's post wedding photoshoot slash more wedding portraits are here now) for that Anna and Dave wanted outdoor wedding photos on a off-location that they didn't have the time to get to on their wedding day. It's actually a great idea as it took the stress out from getting all pictures done on the wedding day when the bride and groom should really focus on enjoying the celebration. A post-wedding photoshoot or pre-wedding photoshoot for that matter can be more fun than the wedding day portrait and a good excuse to wear the wedding gown again on a different occasion. More importantly, it's about doing something that works for your unique wedding instead of worrying about getting the wedding day routines done.

Lots of love,

Ally

King City Rustic Barn Wedding // Hyun Mi + Max // Part 1 Outdoor Wedding Ceremony

Dear Hyun Mi and Max,

Thank you so much for having us at your beautiful DIY barn wedding. Thank you for throwing such a beautiful, rustic country party. It's such a honour to document this special day for you on your family farm and the first wedding on this unique wedding venue in Toronto. You both, your bridal party and your families and friends were amazing. Henry and myself felt so welcomed and enjoyed every bit of the celebration. On a less serious note, thank you for picking up my sunglasses at the end of the crazy night!

I wish you lots of happiness and beautiful memories together. I also wish your barn wedding venue to be a great success. Can't wait to come back and photograph more cool rustic weddings there!

Lots of love,
Ally

See part 2 of Hyun Mi and Max's wedding here: King City Rustic Barn Wedding // Hyun Mi + Max // Part 2 Wedding Portraits and DIY Reception

Second Shooter: Henry Chen | Wedding Planner: Danielle Paik | Venue: Garden of New Eden | Bride's Dress : Alfred Sung, Jai International | Hair: Hair Sketch |Make Up: SOYU M.U.A | Groom's Attire: GGIO | Cake: Steffies Sweets and Treats | Flowers: Delight Floral   | Caterers: SEOUL HOUSE on Steeles | DJ: Teddy Hwang | MC: Sung Bang 

Sunnybrook Estates Wedding Creative | Lemon Party with a Touch of Lavender | Toronto Wedding Photographer

In collaboration with some talented wedding vendors in Toronto and our so kind, non-professional models Montana and Simon, the wedding creative shoot at Sunnybrook turned out to be a great success. I had so much fun working with the team and getting our beautiful bride, Montana, to fall in love with Simon, our groom whom both Montana and myself first met that day. I'm happy that, after some warmup, the creative shoot didn't feel staged at all. There's something quite satisfying and magical when one's able to turn two strangers into lovers for a few hours. I think good photography is a magnet and it connects people, both the people who were in the picture and those who view the photographs later on. Hence, to all camera-shy brides and grooms-to-be's, taking natural wedding photos isn't that bad. It's in fact something very achievable and super fun. At least, unlike Montana and Simon, you are really becoming husband and wife and are already in love with each other. That saves my some time convincing you to fall in love. Now let's enjoy these frames with Montana and Simon, in a bright, summery wedding theme featuring lots of lemon yellow and lavender purple. Be sure to check out our vendor list at the bottom. 

Photography - Evolylla Photography
Venue - Estates of Sunnybrook 
Planning - A Blush Moment
Dress - Elmwood Brides 
Flowers - Flowers by Terry 
Cake - A Cake Story 
Sweets Table - Sweet Lovely Bakes 
Stationery - Impressions 
Decor - FOS Decor

Estates of Sunnybrook Wedding | Ajae & Ken

"There's nothing half so sweet in life as love's young dream." - Thomas Moore 

Ajae is a lovely Korean lady. Ken is Chinese. Love for each other and compassion are something that the two of them have in common. I was gladly invited by another talented Toronto wedding photographer Herman to help with photographing the first half of their wedding. The couple had their wedding ceremony at noon on a bright summer day followed by a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. It's magical too see how their love had united the two families despite language barriers and cultural difference. Toronto is a beautiful city for its diversity. Toronto weddings of all kinds are amazing examples of love in its purest form.