Winter Wedding & Sleigh Ride / Heather & Darren / Candra Schank Photography

A day to remember…actually a week to remember ☺
Heather and Darren are the most easy going, FUN, and photo loving people I have every met.  They love taking photos of their friends and family, cool selfies and random things.  In fact, I love and admire all of their photos that I see on their Facebook page and Instagram.
So when they approached me to be their wedding photographer I literally jumped up for joy.  And we all said YES to the photographer 😉
Originally, the wedding was going to be July 1^st, 2017, but then Heather saw a Pinterest post with some amazing winter throws at a Wedding.  And that was it, she turned to Darren and said ‘Lets Have A Winter Wedding’.
The wedding was pushed up to February 25^th, 2017.  They booked their winter wedding at Dual Acres Sleigh and Wagon Rides so that they can have a fun sleigh ride with their family and friends. We all pictured a White Wedding with snow gracefully falling and glistening on the trees.  After all, it is February, the coldest month of the year in Canada.
Exactly one week before the wedding I met up with Darren at Dual Acres farm.  The grounds had a beautiful blanket of snow, icicles hung from the buildings, and the trees glistened as the sun hit the snow on their branches.  Picture Perfect for a winter wedding.
Then we heard the forecast for the week…and wedding day.  Temperatures were in the pluses all week and heavy rain towards the end of the week and a thunderstorm on the day of the wedding.  Now, that was unexpected.  But no worries at all because Mother Nature was going to be kind to Heather and Darren.
A little stressful? Definitely! Especially if you are looking forward to Winter Wonderland Wedding.
All week, we endured record breaking high temperatures, hard rainfall, and watched the snow recede back.  Then the day before the wedding, I met Heather and Darren at Dual Acres to help them set up.  They were so relaxed and excited in the Shack as it poured down rain and thundered outside.  They didn’t mind at all as they were prepared for a wonderful wedding day, no matter if it rained, snowed, or had blue skies.  I loved their attitude and positive thinking.
And guess what, their wedding day was PERFECT.  It didn’t rain, the forest still had a beautiful blanket of snow, and with the snow melting the week before, the forest rocks were exposed…giving a beautiful earthy feel to the forest. Picture Perfect Once Again!!
The day was amazing.  I started out at the grooms place at 9am.  When I got there I had a nice surprise. The laneway was flooded by all the rain the previous day.  It looked like a lake. In fact, if you didn’t know it was a laneway, you might have tried fishing 😉
I had a blast photographing the groom trekking through the ‘lake’ and then after getting ready.
After photos with the guys, I drove to the brides Grammies house to photograph the ladies getting ready.  You could feel the excitement in the air, at the same time a calmness.  Everyone was enjoying the morning sun streaming through the window.  As I arrived the bride was getting her makeup done.  My oh my, her eyes looked amazing. Big and dramatic.  Very fitting.
Before we knew it, it was time to head to Dual Acres and a mad dash out the door as we didn’t want to be late…
A beautiful robin’s egg blue filled the sky!
The bride had a 1^st look with her dad and then took a lovely sleigh ride with him through the bush to the ceremony.  I captured shots of the sleigh coming up the path behind the groom.  And then Darren’s expression when he saw Heather was priceless.
The ceremony was sweet and then the 1^st Dance was truly ‘them’. It was cute seeing them dance around in the snow.  Oh and I loved it when she took off her fur coat and tossed it to her Maid-0f-Honour.  Guess she was getting a little hot.
After the ceremony, 1^st dance, and warmed up for a bit, and took twigs out from under Heather’s wedding dress, everyone hopped on the sleigh and enjoyed a lovely sleigh ride trough Dual Acres forest.  We stopped a couple times for some photos.
The sleigh ride came to an end and we all went into the shack to warm up and enjoy lovely beverages and a Harvest fit for a King and Queen.  Lobster was the main course.  My goodness, they had enough food to feed an army.  Everyone had a great day.
My style of wedding photography bends towards unobtrusive documentary style, as I like the moment to unfold as naturally as it can.  However, I will guide poses if asked. With Heather and Darren, I found I got the best and most genuine poses when I let them do ‘their thing’.
I am honoured to have captured so many moments for Heather and Darren and their friends and family.

 
 
 
Photography: Candra Schank Photography
Venue: Dual Acres Sleigh & Wagon Rides
Makeup Artist: Katie Ballantyne
Flowers: Wilma’s Flower Shoppe
Hair: Jamie Sprung
Officiant: Mossy Life Celebrations