A Lab City Intimate Wedding

When I first got a call from Kat, I knew that I was meant to be her and Darren's Photographer. She is one of the only wedding photographers in her small city, and knew that she was going to have to hire someone from out of province - I'm so glad she found me! When we chatted on the phone she asked me if I would be ok staying at Darren's Parents Bed and Breakfast, which of course I said yes to.


My husband and I packed up a couple of days before the wedding and started our long 20 hour drive! We could have taken a ferry to cut off a few hours, but we couldn't find a time that worked with the ferry schedule; So in true Cate fashion, we took the long way around. After driving through construction that seemed to last forever, we got to our favourite part: the views.

Getting There

Kat had warned us that once we hit a certain town, we would lose all cell service and data for about 9 hours. Well, she was correct, but we were prepared! We came packed with printed maps (do people still do this? Totally felt like a foreign concept since we always have our phones), and downloaded routes. After about four hours in we hit a 120km long dirt road, and we for sure thought we were at the edge of the world and that we were never going to make it there. Maybe I was being SLIGHTLY dramatic - but we laughed the entire way saying "Oh goodness, we have so many questions." - which we immediately asked Kat and Darren when we met them.


Our list of questions included:

  • Why the heck is there only one road here?
  • Why is it DIRT?!
  • Do they not want you to leave?!
  • Do you have Amazon Prime here?
  • What happened to all of the trees? The answer to this was of course forest fires (in 2013). Which broke our hearts because neither of us had seen a forest destroyed like this before.
  • and so many more questions... sorry guys!


Needless to say, we were exhusted and went to bed after seeing the wedding and photo spots with Kat and Darren. We were so excited for their wedding day!

Getting Ready

We were welcomed into Kat and Darren's home on their wedding day. Whenever anyone welcomes us into their homes we feel so grateful. Sharing your space isn't always easy for everyone and we respect that everyone has different comfort levels when it comes to this. We walked in to one big happy, and excited family. All of Kat and Darren's kids were there, and a few family members in and out rushing around doing their best to help. Darren got ready with the kids, and Kat got ready with her mom and sister, and then had a first look with her son Julian - cue the tears. After having her dress for FIVE, yes five, years Kat finally got to put it on and have her bride moment!

The Ceremony

Could we ask for better ceremony views while at a public park/beach?! Kat and Darren's ceremony took place looking out over Jean Lake - a place Kat knows very well. Julian had the honour of walking his mommy down the aisle and it was everything I hoped it would be! He kept telling me all morning that he had a special job at the wedding - and he did it perfectly! I don't think there was a dry eye when they read their personal vows to one another - I always cry so we all know what I was doing.

Portraits

This is my favourite part of the day - it is a time for our couples to really be together and realize that they just got married! Kat and Darren took me to all of their favourite spots along the trails at Jean Lake. We got to know them better and hear a bit about their love story. We loved hearing about how they met, and what they think their future looks like together.

Reception

The entire wedding was so 'Kat and Darren'. It was laid back, relaxed, and had some bumpin' music! The best part of the night? Watching Kat's Oma get up and dance with everyone. Even when she was back at her seat, she was dancing from there. She totally stole our hearts. At every wedding we try and connect with the family in some way, when time allows. That night we ate our cake with Oma, I showed her pictures from the day on the back of my camera - and she asked us why the heck we drove all that way to photograph a wedding! We ended the night with some dancing and polaroids. We are so thankful for Kat and Darren, and their families. We felt so welcomed and taken care of during our time in Labrador City! Thank you so much for having us and treating us like your own!