Enjoy this chic and romantic Chateau Le Parc wedding gallery that captures the highlights of Alexandra and Mike's special day. As a side note, the photographs you are about to see were also published in Wedluxe magazine.
Read until the end to learn about tips on how to make your wedding perfect and the team of vendors who created this dream.
Early in our wedding photography career, we learned that having an action plan allows us to deliver great imagery regardless of the unforeseen circumstances of the special event. As usual, we started photographing the gentlemen while the beautiful bride was getting ready for the wedding ceremony. After taking a few traditional photographs of the guys, the family and the guests, we focused on capturing the candid moments of the big day. Having photographed the couple's engagement session, I knew they were full of energy and fun and so was the bridal party. Once we finished the guys' preparation, we moved to the bride's house where the girls were getting ready. As I know bride invest a lot of time, money and effort in selecting their shoes, down, rings and so on, we took a few stunning images of the bridal details. When Alexandra came downstairs, we were impressed by the genuine emotions expressed freely by the bridesmaids. Some were crying, others were laughing, and finally, others were screaming when they saw her.
The couple decided to see each other before the ceremony in the first look was extraordinary. Mike and Alex's advanced towards each other being separated only by a bunch of helium balloons. When the maid of honour cut the cords holding the balloons together, Mike and Alex saw each other and everybody started applauding. The noise, expressing the bridal party happiness, was indescribable. One had to be made of stone not to shed a tear during this beautiful part of the special day.
After the first look, we travelled to the Richmond Green Park for bridal party photographs. As usually, prior to the big day, I visited Richmond Green twice to scout for the best spots where we could shoot. As Abraham Lincoln once said, if you don't plan, you plan to fail. It is my firm belief that there is no creativity under pressure so we always plan accordingly in advance so that we do not have to improvise on the wedding day. Generally, things run late no matter how well the timeline is prepared. As such, having a plan guarantees that we are able to deliver beautiful images in a short amount of time. On this beautiful summer day, the weather was extremely hot and we were shooting around 2 PM in a harsh light. As such, moving fast was a must for the guys were wearing three-piece suits. To give you an idea how hot it was, doing the photo shoot we had to stop so that the bridal party went to the air-conditioned limo to cool down.
For those unfamiliar with this wedding venue, Chateau Le Parc boasts a beautiful courtyard where you can tie the knot when the weather is nice. More recently the event space added gas heaters so the courtyard can host events even when the weather is not that warm. In addition, during the reception, your guests can enjoy a drink outdoors. TIP: if you are planning an outdoor ceremony, chose a North-South positioning of the aisle as opposed to East-West. Placing the aisle along the North-South axis ensures that you are properly lit when walking down the aisle as opposed to having the parking as a backdrop and an extremely bright background. The ceremony started when Mike walked down the aisle dancing on James Brown's I Feel Good song. That was a definite departure from the Catholic tradition where the groom is waiting for his bride and the altar and its raised a few eyebrows and triggered smiles. The guests totally enjoyed it! Once the bridal party and the immediate family arrived, it was time for the moment everybody was waiting for: the bride left her bridal suite and came walking down the aisle! I absolutely love the images of the soon to be husband and wife looking at each other while Alexandra was walking down the aisle. To preserve the photojournalistic nature of the moment, I selected a black and white processing. After the ceremony, everybody headed to the main lobby for the cocktail hour and family photographs. As a side note, the lobby at this reception hall offers the perfect background for photography. The side entrances, with their futuristic lighting fixtures, are my favourites for editorial photos. During the cocktail hour, one of our photographers took pictures of the décor in the banquet hall. Among those, the feather and crystals table arrangements in the flower wall behind the head table are simply breathtaking.
Mike and Alexandra's reception took place in the beautiful banquet hall adjacent to the courtyard. After an incendiary grand entrance, the newlyweds had their first dance as husband and wife. As wedding photographers, few things can surprise us but the first dance was nothing short of extraordinary. The newlyweds started with a slow dance and then changed the tempo and showed the guests their flawless dance moves. The first dance culminated with the moment when the newlyweds did the Dirty Dancing jump. At this moment, sadly, one of the guests, in his quest for the perfect shot, jumped straight into my lens. Neither he or the lens was happy after that and fortunately, I still captured the moment when the groom catches the bride. The first dance was followed by two emotional father daughter and mother son dances. I love the moment when the bride's sister joins her and her father on the dance floor. Also, during the song You Raise Me Up, the groom lifted his mother in the air. Another highlight of the evening was when the newlyweds started beating the drums set on fire by the Party Crew entertainment team. The whole room was shouting and the enthusiasm was simply contagious. After the traditional speeches and cake cutting, it was time for the bouquet and garter toss. The party continued until the wee hours.
Reasons Why You Want to Get Married at this Event Hall
More Information About this Venue
The event space has two bridal suites that can be used for the bride and groom's preparation. The mosaic wall creates a perfect backdrop for wedding photos and the huge mirror offers the opportunity for beautiful reflection shots.
The only downside of the rooms is the fact you cannot turn off the lights because they are motion detector activated. As such, the daylight coming through the windows and the tungsten light coming from above mix, a less ideal situation for photography.
The lobby is ideal for formal family photos and for the first look in case the weather does not cooperate.
The establishment has a huge parking lot on the east side, south of Langstaff Rd. We often use this parking lot for groomsmen photographs when couples are getting ready at the venue.
The two futuristic side entrances offer perfect backgrounds for editorial photos and shots of the wedding gown.
This reception hall boasts state of the art audio video and lighting equipment.
While it is technically possible to project live images onto the huge projection screens, that feature is not for everybody. Most of the time, the videographers are following the newlyweds during the reception and in case you are caught in an unflattering position, there is no time to edit the live feed and you can face embarrassing situations. The same comment applies to photography.
During your consultation with the AV specialist, they will mention the possibility of having dry ice or vapours floating to enhance the spotlight effect, please note that should you have a choreographed first dance, you need to be extra careful as dry ice makes the floor surface slippery.
How do I know that? I shot so many times laying on the floor to catch a perfect angle that I learned to be cautious.
I always suggest couples to allocate 5 minutes before the sunset and 5 minutes at night for a quick photo shoot. This is when we can create stunning images indoors or around this splendid venue.
This special event marked our transition from DSLR equipment to mirrorless cameras.
Our choice was dictated by the splendid image quality, the weight and sharpness of lenses. A lighter camera allows us to move faster and catch more moments: your mother crying, your grandmother dancing all night, etc.
Here is a slideshow with highlights of Alexandra and Michael's special day.
If you plan to exchange gifts, letters or any other surprises, please let us know so we can capture the moment you open them. Those photos are priceless!
This perfect day was possible with the help of the following team:
Wedding Photography by Calin
Decor - Precious Flowers N' Things
Venue - Chateau Le Parc
Gown - Allure Couture from Superior Bridal
Shoes - LoriBlu and Badgley Mishka
Headpiece - Tara Fava Jewellery
Veil - Superior Bridal
Hair - GlamGirls
Makeup - Jen Evoy Makeup Studio
Bridesmaids Dresses - Jealous Bridesmaids
Mike's Formalwear - Rosso's Bespoke
Rings - Mirage Fine Jewellery
Furniture Rentals - Detailz Couture Event Rentals
Linens and Tableware - Have A Seat Decor Inc.
Cake - Fine Cakes by Zehra
Dessert - Sweet Regards Cakes
Entertainers - Party Crew Entertainment
Event Graffiti
Lighting, Audio, Video - bb Blanc
Videography - Coppola Films
Transportation - Allure Limo
Photo Booth - RAD Photo Booth