Laurel and Ryan’s winter wedding here in Sault Ste Marie was my last shoot for 2009 and the year definitely ended on a high. You may remember Laurel and Ryan from their engagement shoot which was just up midway through January.

The morning started off with me meeting up with the girls at Headlines Hair and Day Spa while they were getting ready. Their ceremony took place in a historic chapel located at Mockingbird Hill Farm in the city’s north end which you gained access to by walking down a snow covered path. The setting was small and intimate with the chapel being warmed by a small fire place. We were then treated to a sleigh ride after the ceremony to sneak in some of the bridal party shoot. The day was gorgeous but the temperature began to dip fairly quickly and luckily the bridesmaids came prepared for the cold with long johns and boots. I may have fallen off the sleigh. I should have probably fallen off more than once but a couple of the groomsmen caught me. We ended the day off at the reception site of the Grand Theatre getting in some more shots of the bridal party and of Laurel and Ryan.

Thanks for the great day guys!

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Year One – in the beginning we wanted it to be awesome and I believe it was.

This post is actually coming a little later than it should but it still needs to be made. This big photography thing known as Curt O’Neil Photographer has now officially ran for just over a year. It has been an incredible journey to get to this point where I had the opportunity to meet and work with amazing couples, families and friends. The acceptance to what I have been doing and what I want to do has been more than what I could hope for and I want to thank all of you for that.

This was a big year for me which included launching this business, getting married and visiting Hawaii. Jes and I love the idea of travel and seeing the world and experiencing what it has to offer. As we move forward with this business the opportunities are starting to present themselves for us to be able to do it along with others and share in their special moments with them. The first of such adventures being Italy this summer.

I wouldn’t be able to complete a recap post without thanking some of those involved in getting me to where I am. The first person being my wife Jes – always keeping me grounded and having a goal in sight. From there I have to name a few photo friends who have helped me along the way whether they know it or not Allison, Gareth, Mike, Jordan and Mark. Thanks for your insights, your friendship and your ideas on the random things I’d ask. Also to the crew at WFF thanks for being there and being that tight knit community.

I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead and to hope to keep bringing the awesome. To stay in contact with what we are doing here you can follow us three ways:
Subscribe to the RSS feed for the blog: http://www.curtoneil.com/feed/
Join my brand new Facebook page (I’m moving from a group to a page): http://www.facebook.com/curtoneilphotographer
Follow my ramblings on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/curtoneil/

Below are some of my favourite shots for the year. Some won’t mean anything to you but they the moment, the shot, the people all mean something to me. It was hard just narrowing it down to this. I left out anything that was fairly recent and anything that was far back. It’s a snapshot. I also still have shoots from 2009 to finish up and get on here as well.

Thanks again to all of you and don’t be afraid to leave a comment below.

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Elaine and Jason were married in late October just before Jes and I left for Hawaii – they get bonus points with gold stars for being patient and understanding with the small delay of me not being in the country to show them their wedding photos. Elaine and Jason were married at Our Lady of Good Counsel and had their reception at the Water Tower Inn. We also did all of the bridal party shots at the Water Tower as it was raining during the day so we were not able to rock out the fall colours. Elaine and Jason did go outside in the rain with me though to get some quick fun shots which I thank them for.

In other exciting news today is Elaine’s birthday! Now how cool is that? Nothing like getting to see your wedding photos as your birthday present. Check them out and take the time to wish Elaine a happy birthday as well.

It was a great day guys and I hope you’re enjoying your time in BC.

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Jess and Kevin were married in late September. Their wedding was held at St. Gregory’s Church, we shot the bridal party photos out at Hiawatha Highlands/Kinsmen Park and the reception took place at the Riuniti Hall in the north end of the Sault. I have known Jess for about 10 years now as we met at university so not only was I the photographer but also an invited guest at the wedding.

The rain held out during the day allowing us to capture some great photos at the park. The leaves were just starting to change into their amazing fall colours and the falls/creek were still flowing providing great atmosphere and a relaxing setting.

It was an awesome day guys and I hope you’ve been enjoying your time together since after the wedding.

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Andrea’s and Scott’s wedding was held on the grounds of Andrea’s parents’ house and motel the Clansmen Motel on St. Joseph Island just east of Sault Ste. Marie. The location was great and the island provided an amazing back drop for the rest of the photos throughout the day.

I started the morning off nice and early with the girls at June and Friend’s Salon on Queen St. in the Sault and then made our way out to the island after that. On the island I stayed with the girls at the motel while they continued their prep and Bryan met up with the guys at the beach. Bryan and I split up again when I took the bridal party away to rock out the formal shots and Bryan was able to capture all of the details of the venue.

The day was great, the sun was shining and Andrea, Scott and the bridal party were up for anything and even offered some of their own fun suggestions for shots.

Thanks for the great day guys!

Shot by Bryan:

Shot by Bryan:

Shot by Bryan:

The idea for this shot came from Andrea’s brother Graeme as we walked past the signs to get the two shots above:

The next two cake shots were shot by Bryan:

The flowers and coordination were provided by Tamar from Tamar’s Trends, the cake was by Jeannette and the makeup was provided by Danielle.

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