When my good pal Laura from Heart Song Ceremonies phoned me up a couple of weeks ago looking for a photographer for her clients, I was not expecting to hear that it was only a couple of weeks away. As good fortune would have it, I was available. Once I got the O.K. from my lovely partner to be off the hook from dad duty, I phoned up Penny who walked me through their vision for the day. She was excited to have me on board and I was excited to shoot a very small, laid back wedding in Toronto.

Penny and Rob have been together for 37 years and finally decided to get married. They have a lovely daughter in Samantha and the three of them are just such a wonderful example of a tight family unit. The ceremony itself was very small: Rob, Penny and Sam + Laura officiating, Rob’s sister and Penny’s mother. They decided to keep it simple and have it on the patio of their condo’s party room. The yellow accents that they added through potted sunflowers was a perfect touch.

Blue skies and a high sun can be challenging conditions to shoot under, but the brightness of the day reflected the joy and laughter of the moment. Vows were read, documents signed and not two, but three rings were exchanged, with Samantha participating in the age-old tradition, too.

Following the intimate ceremony, guests began to arrive leaving very little time for Penny, Rob and I to have some couple’s portraits done. I had scouted out a few locations on the grounds of their condo before meeting up with them ahead of the ceremony, so we quickly made our way downstairs to use the spaces. While it wasn’t a long session, we made the most of the time we had wound up with a lovely set of photos.

There was plenty of food and drink for the 20+ guests who began to arrive shortly after. This was a special event considering nobody thought that Rob and Penny would ever make it “government official.” Most of the people in attendance for the reception portion were family and, having had to put many family events on hold during Covid, were all too happy to have an excuse to be together in person.

Gifts were opened, a slideshow watched and a wonderful speech was delivered by Rob’s sister. As the sun began to descend in the evening sky, the energy of the party never wavered. I felt very lucky to be asked to document the day. Penny and Rob are two wonderful people who already have a lifetime of memories together, many shared with their adult daughter Samantha. I suspect that their wedding day will be fondly remembered by all in attendance - it certainly will be by me.