Lamya & Kassem - Intimate Backyard Wedding

When I got to Lamya & Kassem’s wedding, I could not believe that they planned everything in a matter of few weeks at their family home! I was approached last minute and thankfully I was available to document these two and their love for one another. Lamya looked effortlessly beautiful and Kassem was absolutely smitten by her and it was so lovely to watch and be able to document their love.

Hart House: Zahra & Sebastian

Zahra and Sebastian live in the UK, but Zahra growing up in Toronto and having a lot of family and friends here decided to celebrate their wedding in Toronto! The second I chatted with these two, we clicked right away. Zahra and Sebastian's love is so special, they met each other in university going through their masters degree, and Sebastian knew he was going to be marrying Zahra from the first meeting. They love each other intentionally and deeply and love everyone around them just the same. I hope you enjoy a bit of their story!

Venue: Hart House, University of Toronto

Dress: Minna Hepburn

Makeup: Glam Galz Inc.

 

May & Ahmad

I met May when I was in my first year of university, I remember thinking how similar our upbringing is and whenever we spoke about family, and what we value, I always found myself in everything she spoke about. When I got engaged, May shortly got engaged after me. So again, I found myself going to her to tell her about everything from wedding planning, to more importantly, the plethora of feelings that you go through when you're in that process because she was going through the same whirlwind as well. Friendship can be funny sometimes, being in it, you experience life and you keep going without pausing and really evaluating what it all means to you. Then May spoke to me about possibly having a shoot with Ahmad, after the shoot, I was looking through the photos and I felt ridiculously overwhelmed. The shoot provided me with opportunity to have a moment to pause, remember everything this gorgeous lady has gone through and see her in love with someone who makes her happy. I was able to evaluate all the bits and pieces that came together to this moment and I felt so grateful that I got to be part of that journey, just as I am grateful that she was part of mine. 

So, goes without saying, these photos are dear to my heart and I hope you enjoy x

Iman & Omar

Iman coming from a Moroccan background and Omar coming from a Palestinian background resulted in a wedding full of festivities. Iman had a few entrances with different types of Kaftans while guests danced traditionally to Palestinian music. Beyond all the glam and stunning dresses, you could always catch Iman and Omar giving each other loving glances. Their love was wonderful to witness, I mean the first look alone was just beautiful and raw. 

I hope you enjoy going through these! x

Whistle Bear Golf Club: Zeina & Mohamed

When I first spoke to Zeina over Skype, I was in Jordan, she was in Toronto and Mohamed was in San Francisco so the call kept cutting up. But I noticed two things right away, how genuinely sweet Zeina was, and how infectious Mohamed's laugh was! Fast forward a few months later, we met up for coffee where we got to chat more and I left the meeting feeling so much more excited to be spending the weekend documenting them (and Hana and Moez). There are weddings I photograph that I can't really explain why or how, but they just feel good. It might be that it was because I've spent a good amount of time getting to know the family, or maybe because I knew a good amount of people that I've worked with before, or maybe it was all the love that was oozing out of everyone there. Either way, I left the wedding smiling feeling so fortunate to be doing this as a job. I feel even more fortunate to have met Zeina and Mohamed and was able to document their beautiful love and I can whole heartedly say that I wish them all the happiness in the world.

Parts of this wedding was kept private but I wanted to share the rest nonetheless! Hope you enjoy!  

Ryan & Andrea - Destination Vow Renewal

This was the most challenging shoot I've ever done. It started as a leap of faith, connecting people from several parts of the world to meet in one place, to create an event for love. I arrived to Amman, Jordan, and a couple of weeks later, I travelled by bus for four hours to Petra. On the way my stomach was turning, I felt anxious because it was something I've never done. Little did I know that I was about to meet two beautiful souls, who love each other beyond anything I can imagine. I met Steph who coordinated the event who had a beautiful story of her own. 
I left the next day after hiking for a few hours up the mountains of Petra and I felt absolutely alive. I promised myself that I'd take more leaps of faith from now on, that I'd put myself in places like the Treasury in the middle of the night where its pitch black, with absolutely no natural light to work with. That the only way to truly grow is to find yourself in the most unpredictable situations. 

Thank you Lisa and Alex for connecting us all together, thank you Steph for making all this magic happen, and thank you Ryan and Andrea for trusting us, loving each other and doing things few people dare to do. 

Romantic Madsen's Greenhouse Wedding: Zara & Hassam

Zara & Hassam are by far the couple I've spent the most time with as clients. We had two engagement shoots, click through if you haven't seen them! Then spent three beautiful days of celebrations. When I sent them the photos of the last day, it was a bittersweet feeling. The fact that we got along so well, made all those days that much sweeter. I am honestly so fortunate to have clients I can call friends. These two, I love them and wish the absolute best for them. 
Their days were quite hectic and fast paced but whenever they had some time alone were my favorite moments because you could see the high and love flowing between them. I was contemplating how I'd blog it all together. So I kind of mixed it up a bit, it's not chronological but I hope it works. I hope you enjoy! 

A day before & a day after.