Intimate Amherst Island Wedding

Planning the Destination Wedding

Aimee and John reached out to me about photographing their destination Amherst Island wedding and I was immediately excited! They live on Labrador and wanted to have their wedding in Ontario where John is from. Amherst island is a beautiful spot just outside of the Thousand Islands that is well known for its wind farms and birding. (I saw 3 saw-whet owls and a barred owl on a birding trip there in February!) Turns out, an Amherst Island wedding is a fantastic idea! To get there, you hop on the Amherst Island ferry from Millhaven, a waterfront spot just south east of Napanee.

The Wedding Day on Amherst Island

The venue that Aimee and John selected was The Lodge on Amherst Island. It is a stunning spot with water on both sides. They had access to cabins across the street which made for great getting ready spots.

When the guests had arrived and everyone was all set, John made a grand entrance by canoe which was a first for me, and hopefully won’t be a last! It was a great way to utilize the stunning area. The ceremony by the water was stunning, and their children and nieces and nephews played important roles throughout. The photos of the kids are some of my favourites of the day!

For portraits, we used a bit of the property, then drove down the south shore of the island to the rocky beach. The sky was perfectly dramatic and Aimee’s cape was EVERYTHING! I 100% need more cape weddings in my life! It’s a beautiful alternative to a veil and fit her style perfectly.

After heading back for a surprise entrance with a bagpiper (that they tried to run to undetected), the guests were treated to thoughtful speeches and a delicious dinner. The evening ended with the most romantic first dance I have ever seen in my life! You see, John is a radio show host and he met Aimee when she was a guest on his program. The romantic part is that he had the local radio station on Amherst Island play the original interview from when they met! It was a huge surprise to Aimee and the guests (and myself included), listened and smiled as we could hear the clear chemistry between them during their first encounter. They were talking about records and she was talking about her family’s old record collection. Aimee and John talked about one song in particular, and then bam! It goes back to the Amerhest Island radio host who plays that song live for them on the air to dance to. I’m pretty sure I was teary eyed.

It was an absolutely magical wedding day. Amherst Island weddings should become more common! It is also a perfect spot for a waterfront Ontario adventure session.

I’m happy to say that these images were published in the Summer 2019 edition of Hitched Magazine! Some of the fabulous details from this weddings were the following:

• Wedding Gown – ASOS
• Food/Caterer – Black Dog Hospitality Group
• Invitations – Minted

If you’re looking for an adventurous photographer for your destination wedding in Ontario, reach out!