This wedding is one for the books!  What a wedding! The weather did not stop this bride and groom from getting married, it just delayed it for a few hours giving them a story they would not forget!!! Natalie is a lifestyle  photographer from Chalk River, ON. When she told us we had the honours of photographing her wedding, we were faltered and so happy another photographer had put her trust in us! Who said a mix of sun, rain, thunder and lightning wasn’t going to help our creative juices flowing and help us come up with amazing unique wedding photos! We hope you enjoy looking at these wedding images! (For a full story on this wedding, scroll to the bottom of the page!)

This wedding was photographed by Julie Robichaud at Calabogie Peaks Resort!

The day started with a clear blue sky. Justine and I got there early, explored the resort, and then photographed the groom and his family in their cottage. We moved to the bride’s room to continue our bridal portrait session. All of a sudden, it got dark, just like someone had dimmed the lights. It was to dark to continue, so we went to the lobby to take photos outside…Thunderstruck and it started pouring. You could see the dark clouds and the lightening coming right at us. Let me paint a clearer picture for you…At this moment, we are 30 minutes from the ceremony and every guests had already taken the chairlift to the top of the mountain for the ceremony Natalie had dreamed of since she was a little girl. While we wait for the Calabogie Peak coordinator to check the weather radar, we are mingling with resort guests at the lobby, trying to distract the bride from the stressful decision making. It seems like hours…and then we hear that the lighting had struck the chairlift cabin on top of the mountain (with the best man and the groom inside it) and that all the guests were stranded there…. Luckily no one got hurt. The staff started “trucking” the guests down the mountain in what we can call, a real roller coaster ride!!!!  At this time, we had a confusion of guests…. we had to stop the guests from the next wedding at 5:00 PM from entering the hall and eating all of our bride and groom’s cliff bars and party favours…I am running around like a mad woman, trying to be the wedding coordinator/photographer/host. Meanwhile, the musician from the second wedding, clearly thinking I am the coordinator, LOL, tells me he can’t stay if the ceremony is late because he has another gig back in Ottawa. After I book the musician from Nat and Matt’s wedding for the next wedding, he thanks me and takes off… By this time, the guests are almost all down the mountain, a little wet, but safe and ready for this show to get on the road. I run back to the main chalet, and tell the bride we are “good to go”. I run back to the hall, and tell them we are “good to go”. Out of breath, thirsty and stressed out, I take a breather …and 2 minutes later, I’m also “ good to go”.  At this moment, I am thanking God that we are two photographers at every wedding we do. You never know what mother nature has up her sleeve!!!

The ceremony was beautiful, I cried, everyone cried. So much emotion and joy, and being a witness to this couple exchanging their vows like they were on top of that mountain, was wonderful. It was now 5:30PM, 2 hours behind schedule. No Problem!!! The storm had thankfully passed, and we got to photograph the families, wedding party and couple outdoors! When we did the couple photos with the old cars, it was raining; it was sunny, with a rainbow!!!!  The reception was great, full of heartfelt speeches and great ambiance. The bride and groom looked absolutely lovely and in love. It was beautiful ! We finished our job and left Calabogie at around 10:00 PM. When Justine and I got home, 1.5 hours later, I realized I left my $2500.00,   24-70MM lens somewhere at the reception. It’s now past midnight, and I am driving back to Calabogie peeks from Cumberland, to go find my lens. As I get pass Carleton Place, I get a text from Natalie, the sweetest bride ever, saying she found my lens and will keep it safe until we met again. I went to bed at 3:30 AM that morning, and had the best sleep EVER, because I knew Nat and Matt’s photos were going to be wonderful and that I devoted myself 110% , not just to get the job done, but to get the best job!

All to say that on a wedding day, you cannot control the weather, but, there are still two people that will get married and as a photographer, you have a job to deliver. Having over 20 years of experience in the wedding industry, my goal was to create amazing photos and wonderful souvenirs for them while helping out as much as I could everywhere else. Devotion was my middle name.

To celebrate their 10^th year anniversary, I hope Natalie calls me for a photo shot at the top of Calebogie peeks! Let’s just say, I’m already planning that one!!!

Congratulations Nat and Matt, your wedding was truly one of the best weddings I have ever done and will never, ever forget 🙂