When I got a call from my dear friend and talented photographer Catherine asking if I would be available to photograph a small wedding for a great couple in her city of Toronto, I jumped at the opportunity. I love Toronto and any chance I can get to visit Catherine. She had me block off the date and told me the couple would be in touch with me. As the date approached and after not hearing from the couple I inquired to Catherine. She let me in on a little secret; this was actually HER wedding and it was to be a surprise to all of the guests. Since both she and Sean are from Toronto, they have a lot of family and large social networks there. Although they are both incredibly generous and friendly people, they didn’t like the idea of having a huge wedding. They wanted something simple, intimate and uncomplicated. They’d just bought a new house together and decided to have it under the trees in their backyard, which gave them a strict number to adhere by. They chose to invite their closest friends and family to a ‘birthday celebration for Catherine’, held their secret and excitedly planned. On the day of, they got ready together which I always love, and took a walk through their neighborhood to their favorite restaurant. They then hid upstairs in their house while guests arrived and were handed invitations to their wedding which was to take place shortly. It was such a wonderful event to photograph and I was honored to be awarded the task. Catherine’s friend Emma McIntyre showed up to the house thinking she was second shooting for Catherine on a different wedding that day when indeed she was to help me photograph Catherine and Sean’s wedding. She was a little nervous without warning but she did an amazing job.