TL;DR If you’re in a hurry to read this post, I’ll make short and sweet: the Dock 619 is the place to host your wedding if you’re planning it on the south shore of Montreal.
I met Alain and Marie-Élaine through my wife after they invited us to a BBQ at their home over the summer. I immediately was fond of these two for their genuine spirit and contagious sense of humor. They complement each other so well, just like salt goes with pepper, and Nutella goes with peanut butter. While they were sharing their wedding plans with me at the picnic table, I shared back a few pointers that would help make their wedding day a memorable one. At that time, I took a break from photographing weddings in order to focus on other projects, but their wedding plans ignited a passion to pick back up the camera and chase beautiful moments for them.
The couple got their preparations done at a hotel in the south shore of Montreal, and the Dock 619 was the place to be that night as they hosted both the ceremony and reception. The delicious meal and desserts were were prepared and catered by their chef Hugo Saint-Jacques. The amazing DJ Dayze lit up the dance floor so nicely that the creative juice to photograph various moments under the influence of her beats was freely flowing in my photographic mind.
For the photography aficionados out there, many shots of the dance floor were shot at ISO 20,000, 1/60th and f/2 with my Sony A7 iii because for most of the night the dance floor was only lit by the DJ’s creative lighting. I’ve never shot higher than ISO 12,000 in the past (at that time I was using my Nikon D3s).
Overall, after not photographing a wedding in over a year, there was a big part of me that wished the evening wouldn’t end so soon. I remember a guest asking me on the dance floor whether I liked my job of photographing weddings. The answer came out straight from my heart with a resounding “Heck, yeah, I do!”. The joy, the moments, the unexpected, the chaos, they’re all elements that bring me a sense of purpose when photographing weddings for my clients.
Finally, I’m glad to say that that passion is still very much ignited, and I look forward to photograph a handful of beautiful weddings next year. If you’re planning your wedding soon, I’d love to hear your plans and share with you what I can provide to make yours a most memorable one.
Marie-Élaine and Alain, I thank you so much for trusting me to document your wedding. It is my most inner wish that your photos will bring joy, love, hope and laughs to anyone who will peek at them.
You can view their wedding slideshow on our YouTube channel now.
