There is a huge secret in Barrie, only those with an appetite for high end, delicious treats know about it. I heard about it from the beautiful bride you see below. Jenn lives in Vegas and she knew about this sweet secret before I did, but Jenn’s a chef so she has all the latest and greatest foodie hook ups so I was okay with it. The secret is The Sweet Oven in Barrie. They make one of a kind butter tarts, filled with things like chocolate and raspberry, mint and peanut butter. Once we were let in on this secret and found out they were located only a short distance from our home studio we have become regulars of The Sweet Oven, trying to show up on different days of the week so we can taste test all the flavors they make. Among all the tasty pies for dessert they also had butter tarts and I finally had the chance to try the raspberry flavored tart (it only comes out on Saturdays and we are always shooting weddings that day.)
At the beginning of the summer we photographed Jenn & TJ’s engagement in Bala, ON. Their wedding came up so fast, Ryan and I have been so excited for their ceremony as it was a traditional Native wedding ceremony. My family on my mother’s side are Native Canadians and are even part of the Mohawk tribe like Jenn’s family. Ryan’s step father is Native too so there are a lot of reasons why we had a special interest in this wedding. On top of the ceremony being totally unique, Jenn wore a Stephanie James Couture tea length dress, was married on her families stunning lakeside property and all the girls wore hot pink bridesmaid dresses. We loved this wedding, the food was amazing and they even had a bluegrass band play.
Here are some of our favorite moments from the day.
Congratulations Jenn & TJ! We can’t wait to start working on your wedding album.
Cheers
& Ryan
Jenn & TJ decided to see one another before the ceremony for some photos. I always love these “first look” shots.
To those of you who summer in Bala, ON you may recognize Don’s Bakery as the backdrop for these wedding portraits.
Traditionally for native wedding ceremonies the guests and bridal party get to face one another in a circle. The Native elder performs the wedding ceremony from the center so he can address every single person.
Here the elders are handing out tobacco to each guest. They are asked to make a blessing/offering for the couple.
Once the tobacco offerings and blessings are made and collected the elders stood on top of a small hill, over a small fire, and made an offering to the spirits and all living things on behalf of all the guests and bridal party.
The couple made an offering to one another as well. TJ gave Jenn a basket of food to show that he will be a provider for her and their family. Jenn brought a basket of fabrics to show that she will care for TJ and their future family.
The bridal party handed out corn soup to every guest as part of the ceremonial offerings.
The last part of the native wedding ceremony is a “free dance” where everyone dances around the elders as they drum. This photo was taken just as everyone got up so some of the crazy freestyle dancing was not photographed in respect to the elders.
