From a surprise proposal on Valentine’s Day in Magic Kingdom to a wedding ceremony atop the rolling hills of Gatineau, our love story has felt like a fairy tale.
After getting engaged on a winter trip to Disneyland almost two years ago, Justin and I fell in love with Le Belvédère about as quickly as we had fallen head over heels in love with each other four summers before. In our eyes, nothing could top the breathtaking cliffside terrace to be the scene of our vows of love and commitment to one another. Unfortunately, with every peak comes a valley. Ours came two weeks before the wedding, when we lost the diamond from my engagement ring on a hiking trip in Gatineau Park, never to be found again – unlike Cinderella’s glass slipper!
Luckily, the disappearing diamond was our last major hurdle and the rest of the wedding went off without a hitch. Our wedding day was sandwiched between cold, rainy days but, as luck would have it, there was not a cloud in the sky as we prepared to say our “I dos”. Later we would discover that Derrick and Courtney had captured all of the excitement of the preparations – from Justin tying his best friend’s tie, to my mom helping me into my dress, and the big reveal with my sister and best friends.
Then came one of my favourite moments of the day: my first glimpse of Justin standing at the altar with a tear in his eye as I rounded the corner. I committed to always ski with Justin and he promised to celebrate Christmas “big” with me every year. The moments that followed were equally incredible, from a cocktail party on a breezy patio, to a sensational dinner and emotional speeches, to a perfect sunset, and our first dance on a terrace alight with sparklers. Afterwards, as we danced the night away to live music surrounded by our nearest and dearest, I felt on top of the world – literally and figuratively.
Our wedding was our most spectacular day ever. In the days that followed, all we wanted to do was relive it – luckily, our photos have allowed us to do so. What truly struck us about Union Eleven’s work was their ability to capture raw human emotion and interaction – a huddled discussion between Justin’s father and his childhood best friend, the tears welling in my best friend’s eyes, a quiet moment between a bride and her father, candid laughter between newlyweds.