Mararamiro Studio Wedding | Toronto

This is a special one.

Mary and Michael are two incredibly talented individuals and it was such an honour to share their special day with them. Not to mention, their wedding was one of my first weddings back to photographing weddings after the pandemic had taken over. Like many others, their plans changed but I think this turned into one heck of a special day and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

There’s a funny little story behind my experience working with them. I’m a huge Mary Young fan and have purchased way too many pieces from their company. Mary Young is a lingerie company that has items that marry sexy with comfort and honestly, I own a lot (actually, my first online order during the pandemic—once it became clear we didn’t have to pinch every single penny to stay afloat—was from Mary Young!).

But when Mary and Michael booked me in for a call with them, despite seeing her full name come thru the email, I did not put two and two together at all. Like not even one bit.

Honestly, when it comes to this sort of thing, I’m terrible. I often joke that I could be standing next to someone like Ryan Gosling and not know it. I once flew on the same plane as Jared Leto and had a full conversation with him at the baggage claim having no idea who he was. It wasn’t until we walked out of the arrivals gates and all the screaming girls chased him down that I asked a dad waiting for his fanning-out daughter who the guy was and he explained to me it was Jared Leto.

So when Mary messaged me, I didn’t line up the dots. All I knew was that this cool entrepreneur was interested in having me photograph her wedding. And when she filled out my contact form sharing from her heart about Michael, herself, their love story, and their wedding, I was hooked.

On a side; that contact form is so important cause it’s our first meeting with you before that IRL one and this one often sets the tone of the entire working relationship. So be sure to really use it to introduce yourself and your love story. At this point, with all the places I mention that its important to fill it out with actual real information, when I get contact forms that say “send me your packages” or nothing at all, I’m not going to lie, I hit delete. #sorrynotsorry

Our call was long and I totally fell for these two. It felt like a real heart-to-heart and they are the coolest couple. Once they booked in with me, I was thinking how funny it was that I could (hypothetically, of course) use their booking deposit to buy more Mary Young stuff. Imagine using money from the wedding of someone named Mary Young to make a purchase from a brand called Mary Young!

It wasn’t until months after Mary and Michael had hired me that I saw a post on the Mary Young Instagram page with a gal who looked a lot like my bride Mary, and the dots started to align. I clicked on the tag in the photo and realized that Mary Young the brand and Mary Young my client were the same! To be totally honest, and I shared this with Mary once, I’m actually glad I didn’t know earlier, or I would’ve totally fangirled during our meeting and probably maybe embarrassed myself and we wouldn’t be here today.

Their wedding ended up being absolutely amazing, which I knew it would be, pandemic or no pandemic. I was so excited to shoot it because it was my first real one back in the pandemic but was nervous to email them to check in on the plans because I was scared it would be canceled.

Well, with restrictions the way they were at that time, Mary and Michael actually did decide to cancel their big wedding and just get married at City Hall. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a City Hall wedding, but I thought that we could just make it all a little more special for them. I suggested looking at Mararamiro Studio, where I had been shooting lately and knew was actually in the same building space as Mary’s office. The studio created a space that was much more intimate & allowed for a more personal experience, so they went for it!

Something I realized after my own wedding is that the ceremony is so important, but is usually what people focus the least on. Normally, the part that gets the most attention is the reception and party, but I think the ceremony deserves way more focus and fanfare—because duh, that’s when you actually get married! Make it big and special and reflective of your love story. Have an incredible human marry you; someone who resonates with you and your values, and who is aligned with your personality and morals. That is so important. And make it fun with the decor! You can always repurpose your ceremony florals for your reception.

With all that said, Mary and Michael’s ceremony was so special and full of heart. Michael is actually a film editor at Saints Editorial—how cool right?!—and had someone film their entire ceremony, rather than livestream it. Then, they edited the video immediately afterward and the final cut was sent to all their friends and family who weren’t at the event, which was amazing.

I always learn something from every couple and every wedding, and Mary and Michael’s wedding taught me that even when plans change so much, sometimes that happens for the best. These two wonderful, special people had the most beautiful and intimate ceremony and then were able to have a huge party this year on their first wedding anniversary to celebrate with all their people.

To Mary and Michael, thank you for trusting me with your special day. You are both so incredible and full of heart, and I just love you both. And to anyone reading, as always, thank you for being here.

Big love xo