Elle Ivy Photography captures the elegant, romantic downtown Toronto wedding of Victoria and Andrew.

Several of the photos in your album feature recognizable Toronto landmarks such as the CN tower and the Cathedral Church of St. James. How are these landmarks meaningful to your couple and why was it important to incorporate them into their wedding day? 

“We live just around the corner from La Maquette, and spent a lot of time over the years walking around St. James Park, the Cathedral Church, and all the other gems in our neighbourhood. It meant so much to us to be able to walk through our neighbourhood to our wedding, and to share that with our family and friends.

Plus, it totally cut down on the stress of transporting ourselves around the city on a busy weekend to get to far away photo destinations.” – Victoria and Andrew

How would you describe the ambiance and mood of the wedding ceremony and how did you respond with your photographic choices to best capture it? 

I would describe Victoria and Andrew’s wedding ceremony as being joyful, lighthearted, and personalized. They kept things short and sweet as we had a 15-minute window in between the Cathedral Church of St. James bells. Victoria and Andrew wrote their own wedding vows and read them together which I thought was really sweet. I chose to take a more documentary style approach in capturing their ceremony to highlight their excitement as well as the love and support that their family and friends had for them.

What customs and traditions did your couple incorporate into their wedding day?

For the ceremony, “we were fortunate enough to both have our parents walk us down the aisle, which was really meaningful for us. While our ceremony was secular, crafting it with our officiant and writing our own vows was a lovely experience.” As for the reception, “Victoria’s family has a tradition of cutting the cake with a sword and drinking from a glass cane, which we were really happy to be able to incorporate into our day.” – Victoria and Andrew

How did you work with Victoria and Andrew to find a style of wedding portraiture that they felt comfortable with and achieved such stunning results?  

Victoria and Andrew were drawn to the candid approach in my work when they initially booked me as their wedding photographer. As such, we focused more on allowing moments to naturally unfold on their wedding day and took a more laid-back approach to their portraits as well. This allowed their unique connection and personalities to shine through so that their images were a true reflection of who they are as a couple.

“Photography is the beauty of life captured.” – Tara Chisolm. How does this quote resonate with you in relation to creating wedding portraits?

Through my work I strive to capture more than just pretty photos, but rather the essence of what moments actually feel like. I believe that capturing real people and real moments is what makes them truly beautiful. The authenticity in my work is what allows couples to really connect to their images and cherish them for years to come and that’s something that I’m very proud of as an artist.

What drew your couple to La Maquette and why did they feel that it was the perfect venue for their wedding day? 

“We had walked back and forth seeing weddings at La Maquette for years, so naturally it was the first venue we toured since it was so close to us. In the months that followed, we visited many other venues around the city, but we kept comparing them to La Maquette. We really wanted an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception so it was a perfect combination.

The venue is super charming, we loved that it had distinct areas for the ceremony, dinner, and dancing, and it really comes alive when guests are there. The quality of food was also very important to us and we were not disappointed! Beyond that, the Berkeley Events staff were all very helpful, responsive, and organized, which really stood out to us.” – Victoria and Andrew

Photographer: Olivia, Elle Ivy Photography

Venue: La Maquette

Day-of-coordinator: Ophelie, Lovers Rock

Hair stylist: Michele, Michele Rose Beauty

Makeup artist: Michele, Michele Rose Beauty

Dress: Blu Ivory Bridal

Suit: Andrew’s Formals

Rings: Leif Benner Goldsmith

Florist: Sarah, Bushel and Bloom

Officiant: Helen, Helen Sweet Officiant

DJ: MacMillan Entertainment Group