Samantha and Michael’s Kortright Centre Wedding was on a beautiful spring day in mid-June.    I was so excited to be shooting their wedding, because they are such an amazing couple and they waited such a long time to get married.   They met each other in grade 8 and in that year, they both won the school’s athletic award!   Sam won the award for girls and Mike won the award for boys.   They started dating in high school and they finally set a date to get married in 2020.   In 2020, the pandemic came along, and they decided to postpone their wedding to 2021.    Almost everything about their new wedding plan changed including the venue and guest count.   I was thrilled when I found out that they chose to get married at the Kortright Centre because I’d been there a few times and I’ve always loved it.

What I like about the Kortright Centre is the natural beauty of the grounds and the rustic ambiance of the venue.     The grounds of the Centre are huge and there are so many different locations for photos.  Sam and Mike opted to have a small outdoor ceremony in the cathedral of trees location which is ideal for a wedding.   It was  a very hot day, but the shade provided by the cathedral of trees made it comfortable for the guests.   After the ceremony, we took some family photos in the shade and then we proceeded to take bride and groom and bridal party photos around the grounds of the centre.

The Kortright centre has quite a few beautiful and natural locations for photography but they are very far apart.   To get to the locations requires a lot of walking, so it’s wise to wear comfortable shoes if you are taking photos there.    If you are a fan of heels (like me), you can always wear those at the beginning of the day, but you should pack something more practical for walking the grounds of the Kortright Centre later.

For the photo session, we headed to the meadow area of the Kortright centre.  There’s a beautiful open field with lots of sunlight and some pretty wildflowers there.   Right next to the meadow, is a forest area with a wide-open laneway in the middle which is also great for photos.  It was nice and shady in that area and provided a break from the direct sun.  After we finished our photos, Sam and Mike headed home to have a small party with their family and friends.  Take a look at some of my favourite photos below….

I started at Sam’s family home taking photos of the details and her getting into her dress.

I loved the matching tops that Sam and her bridesmaids wore at the beginning of the day.  This is a cute trend that I keep seeing and it looks so amazing in photos.

Sam’s mom was there to help her get into her dress in the morning.

I took some photos of Michael at the Kortright centre with his groomsmen.   There was a nice shady spot next to the cathedral of trees that was a perfect location for this.

The ceremony location in the cathedral of trees looked so pretty and was nice and cool.   It’s very close to the main building at the Kortright Centre, so it’s easy to access and guests don’t need to walk too far.

It’s always a nice idea to get a large group photo after the wedding ceremony…

I loved the combination of the burgundy bridesmaids dresses and the groomsmen’s blue suits.   It looked so nice against all the green in at the Kortright Centre.

This shady area next to the meadow was a great location for photos.   It was nice and cool and also very pretty.

The meadow area was a beautiful location for their portraits.   The afternoon light was coming in behind them and it made everything look so dreamy.

I always love when a bride wears a veil, and it was fun to get this shot with Samantha’s veil flying.

Sam and Mike’s wedding day was so wonderful and even though it wasn’t their original plan, I think everything turned out amazing.

All the best to this fantastic couple for a happy future together!

Venue:  The Kortright Centre

Bridal Gown: Sherry’s Bridal 

Florals:  Butt’s Berry Farm

Hair and Makeup:  Creatively Beautiful