Cliffside Elopement

Welcome to my first ever Blog and I am so excited about this one!

In mid-March I put together a Styled Wedding/Elopement photoshoot and I am so excited to share with you how it went! I had an amazing opportunity to collaborate with amazing Wedding Vendors from Ottawa and Gatineau. Meeting these wonderful ladies running businesses was an experience on its own for me! 

The Venue:

The Venue was very important for me and I am so happy to collaborate with Le Belvedere. Le Belvedere is very well known among in the Wedding industry not only in Ottawa/Gatineau Region and in Quebec but it’s been awarded one of the country’s top wedding venues! It is located in Wakefield, just a 30 min drive from Ottawa. It’s nested on top of the cliff overlooking Gatineau hills. Since I am a Nature and Outdoors lover, shooting at a location on top of the mountain was a dream come true to me! 

Besides the great nature, Le Belvedere has an extremely elegant reception and dining area, amazing owners and the well-known Cliffside terrace with views you will never forget! And the Guesthouse… I fell in love with the Guesthouse that is included for a 1 night stay with your Wedding Package

Hair and Make Up:

I am so grateful to have met such experienced wedding Make up artist Yelena and the the amazing bridal hairstylist Safia. Yelena from @makeupbyyelena made sure our Bride felt so beautiful. She made sure her sensitive skin was comfortable, the make up matched our mood board and the bouquet. Yelena make the Bride’s blue eyes pop and created a fresh Bridal look. Yelena is a true artist, check her out for all your make up needs! 

It was also Yelena who got me in touch with Safia. I shared my Pinboard with her with few photos of the look that I am looking for. Safia did an amazing Bridal updo that complemented the whole look. 

Bouquet:

Did I tell you about our Bridal Make up artist Yelena? Well she also put me in touch with Lynne from Attis flower design. On a short notice she created the perfect bridal bouquet, just the way I envisioned for the Styled Wedding/Elopement photoshoot. 

The Couple:

I love documenting love and genuine moments, interaction between people. It was important for me to find not only two pretty people; I knew that it was to be a couple in love. The love that you can see just by looking at them, the love you can feel when they look at each other, hold hands. Chelsea and Will were a perfect example of a perfect match and a prefect family to me. 

Will and Chelsea met in November 2015 over breakfast at Broadway’s Bar and Grill. They quickly connected, and knew that they had to introduce their dogs; Chelsea has a husky named Callie, and Will has a pug named Gizmo. After breakfast, they decided to go get their dogs, and meet up in a field close to Will’s house. Chelsea’s dog Callie ended up rolling in some mud, and Will graciously offered to bathe Callie at his house to avoid getting Chelsea’s car muddy. His plan to bond over bathing Callie worked, and they were inseparable since that day. The morning after they met, they wound up at the same Broadway’s, and it quickly became an inside joke that they’d be sharing breakfast together forever and ever. 

In May 2018 Will surprised Chelsea with a roadtrip to Westport, ON. They brought their

dogs along, and stayed in this adorable, rustic Airbnb called “The Lockmaster House”. He proposed to Chelsea at The

Westport Harbour, and she said YES! They knew they wanted a fall wedding, and so they got married overlooking the water with friends and family at Andrew Haydon Park in September 2018.

What made this Styled Wedding photoshoot even more special is that Chelsea and Will decided to renew their vows and that created some very touching photos

The Dress & the Rings:

We used Chelsea’s dress carefully kept in her closet. The dress is from Sinders bridal house and it is so flattering on Chelsea! 

When Chelsea showed me her rings I though right away: This has to be on the blog! 

Chelsea and Will both have Irish in their family, so they knew they wanted Irish Claddagh rings. The Claddagh ring symbolizes friendship (hands holding the heart), loyalty (crown), and love (heart). When engaged, the woman wears it with the heart facing outwards, and when she gets married, she turns the ring so that the heart faces inward; indicating that her heart has been taken. 

Will had Chelsea’s white gold ring custom made with a sapphire at Diamondère. He chose a sapphire because it means eternal love, and Chelsea’s birth stone is a Sapphire. Chelsea had Will’s white gold band custom made at MDC Diamonds New York in NY.

Photographer: @op.photographiee

Venue: @lebelvedere

Makeup: @makeup.by.yelena

Hair: @beyondgratefulbeauty

Flowers: @attisfloraldesign

Model: @chelseaonawhim

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