Intimate Pagan Wedding in Haliburton

Valen and Leigh’s Cottage Wedding

It was one year ago today that I photographed a beautiful intimate pagan wedding in Haliburton!

Valen is one of my closest friends since we met over a decade ago! It’s been such a joy to watch his relationship with Leigh flourish. As a couple, they are philosophical, compassionate and fun! They have built a beautiful life together and I am so glad that they are my friends.

I was so excited when they reached out to me about photographing their pagan wedding at a cottage in Haliburton! I love being a Haliburton wedding photographer and the cottage they picked for the event was stunning. They planned an outdoor wedding, rain or shine! we were getting a little nervous with the flooding in the area, but thankfully the cottage was in great shape.

Since it was a small wedding, all the of the guests were staying in one of two cottages. It’s a great plan to keep everyone close together! Another perk of a small wedding is that family and friends all got to know each other as we spent time eating and relaxing until the celebration.

Pagan Wedding Ceremony

Valen and Leigh knew that they did not want “typical” wedding attire, but they still kept their outfits a surprise for each other. It was perfect to discover that they both ordered their wedding outfits from Armstreet! Armstreet is a store that specializes in stunning medieval inspired clothing. They had a first look right before the ceremony and walked into the circle together.

A pagan wedding ceremony is filled with many different rituals. The most essential part of the ceremony is the circle in which everything takes place. Once the circle is formed, it cannot be broken until the ceremony is over. As the wedding photographer, I was bestowed special privileges to dart in and out of the circle in order to fully capture their ceremony. The symbolism throughout the ceremony is shown through things like the four elements, mead, and glass. The most energetic part of the ceremony (and one of my favourite parts!) is right after they are hand fast. They are “led” (aka jogged) around the circle, leaping over a broom, a bowl of fire and a bowl of water.

This was my first time photographing a pagan wedding, and it was also my first time taking portraits while my couple is hand fast! It was a fun and unique challenge to get natural posing. The waterfront provided a stunning backdrop for spring wedding portraits. We also went into a forest close by, which was absolutely magical!

After dinner, I took off my photographer hat and put on my guest hat and enjoyed the sauna, sitting by the fire and a quick dip in the lake! Cottage weddings have such a relaxed feel to them – they are one of my favourite types of weddings to photograph! This beautiful pagan wedding in Haliburton was a perfect example of how stunning small weddings in Ontario can be!