I was saving this post for the right time; I imagined that I would post it over the long weekend a year later and talk about how photo and video is scalable to work in both larger and more intimate weddings. I did not imagine however, that Caitlin and Greg would save their wedding by cancelling their wedding.
A little bit of a back story. Caitlin and Greg were supposed to get married in June of 2020 and booked me to photograph their wedding and create film. Due to some circumstances they had to cancel their wedding but still wanted to get married but in a more intimate settings. With less than 2 weeks of planning Caitlin and Greg booked a picturesque countryside Air BnB in Prince Edward County, found an officiant and bought a wedding dress and a suit. I'd say that's quite an accomplishment for such a short period of time. Although they canceled their wedding they still wanted me to capture their elopement both in photo and video.
Posting this in May of 2020 creates a bit of a surreal feeling though, unbeknownst to anyone, Caitlin and Greg effectively guaranteed that they would get married, by cancelling their own wedding. If Caitlin and Greg had decided to go forward with their June 2020 date, they, like many other couples would have had to push their wedding date until a different season and potentially to a later year.
This brings me to my next point. Many experts in this field agree that weddings and the wedding industry will change as a result of the current pandemic. Although large scale weddings with hundreds of guests will return; for the foreseeable (hopefully very short term) future, small scale weddings and elopements will become much more popular. The one thing that experts can't agree on is when will restrictions lift on large gatherings. This will leave couples with the choice of postponing their wedding or eloping (or having a small scale wedding) and saving the reception for later date. Regardless of the option there will be a story to tell.
Regardless of whether the wedding has 6 guests or 600 the story is still about the couple and their love for each other. To me that's everything and why I think both photo and video are equally important regardless of the length of the wedding day, the guest count or the setting.
Enjoy the photos and film below, I was truly honoured to be invited to be a part of such a special and intimate day.