January 21, 2012 was the perfect day for a winter wedding. The weather this winter has been very ‘hit and miss’ from the mild temperatures and rain. But Tara and Jay lucked out on this beautiful Saturday.

Viamede Resort was their venue and a beautiful venue it is. I’ve been to Viamede Resort to shoot many weddings and it is a great place for any wedding. Beautifully kept, stunning scenery, great staff and an excellent meal have always made Viamede a great place for a Kawartha wedding.

With Tara and Jay making use of the Empress room at Viamede, they were able to have all of their guests attend the ceremony (as the chapel max’s out around 90 people). With the great weather I spent some time outside with the wedding party and then with just the two of them to get some great winter themed wedding images. The ladies were very patient while I was shooting the groups because without jackets, it didn’t take long for them to get too cold and beg to retreat to a cottage. A big thank you to Holly, Michelle, Jennifer, Rebecca and Elyse for braving the cold while I kept barking orders. The evening was rounded out with a beautifully decorated dining hall where the tables were named after various ski resorts and there was an elegant wedding cake made by a family member. The heartfelt speeches were really special.

Tara and Jay did their engagement shoot in Young’s Point late in the summer of 2011. The couple selected Young’s Point because Tara is a descendant of the Young family that originally settled the Young’s Point area. The lock and dam located at Young’s Point made for the perfect scene.

First are a few of their e-shoot images, followed by their wedding.

Shortly I will be doing a blog post of a recent Port Hope wedding I covered. In the meantime, I wanted to share this beautiful location my clients brought me to for their wedding party images. It would be fantastic to have a wedding inside this building. I could imagine a candle lit ceremony with only natural light streaming in through the windows. If anyone out there is planning on doing this, give me a call!

In early October, there was a Friday that was the perfect day to get married. As luck would have it, Shelley and Rick had set their wedding date for that day. Not only was the weather perfect, but the Stoney Lake view at Irwin Inn was stunning. For those that have never been to Irwin Inn on Stoney Lake, it is a beautiful family run resort that is a popular wedding destination. Their lakeside ceremonies under the permanent tent (which the guests always appreciate) make for a beautiful setting. Being a resort, usually the weddings they host are couples that are not from the area, as was the case for Shelley and Rick and their guests. A resort like Irwin Inn allows the wedding guests to stay on-site for the weekend with the wedding ceremony and reception all at the same location.

The guest list for Shelley and Rick’s wedding was small. This allowed for a very intimate wedding which was really nice to see. Closest family and friends made the road trip to Irwin Inn and pretty much took over the place. An excellent meal with fun kissing games made for a great dinner. And the popular Homemade Jam DJ services ensured the dance floor never was empty.

I’d like to give a big thanks to Shelley and Rick for selecting Woodhouse Photography to be their professional wedding photography services. They and their family and friends were an excellent group to hang with for the day!