A winding road through luscious green forest leads you to the day's meeting point: a rustic old barn at the base of a charming rounded hill. As the guests trickle in, cousins happily connect with cousins they haven't seen in months, university roommates flamboyantly reunite after years apart, and strangers form new and unexpected connections in this new community. If you're lucky, a black lab sporting a dashing red bowtie bounds up to you when you arrive. The quiet chatter builds into enthused conversations as Hannah and Sean's community gathers for the celebration of their wedding. As the energy in the barn reaches its peak, the call is given to begin the trek up the hill to the ceremony location.
As the last of the guests settle into their seats, Hannah and Sean link hands and begin a slow walk together up the hill. Their guests are transfixed and the intimacy they share in these precious moments together takes my breath away. They briefly part ways, Sean walking up the left aisle and Hannah up the right, before coming together again in front of their guests.
The ceremony begins. The rhythm starts slow with the introductory comments from the officiant, when an unexpected voice from the audience emerges as someone starts reading a poem. It takes me a moment to adjust before I locate the speaker and capture the moment. Suddenly, another voice speaks out, sharing another reading. The momentum builds with another voice and then another. Like freshly popped corn, voices are jumping up from around the audience as key members of Sean and Hannah's community each play a role in their wedding ceremony. It's a beautiful representation of the organic support and love that surrounds Hannah and Sean. Each person in attendance has had an important place in their lives as individuals and as a couple. The energy in the group reaches a crescendo as the attention focuses back on Hannah and Sean, who make their lifelong promises to each other.
This Life by Selena Photography blog post about wedding photography was written and photographed by Montreal wedding photographer Selena Phillips-Boyle. To see more of her work, you can also see this Montréal Old Port Wedding, this Toronto Island wedding, or this Adirondack Mountain wedding. Selena often travels for projects, and accepts commissions worldwide, and you can contact Selena with an interesting project!