Ashley & Richard - Married at Cathedral Grove!

Where do I begin with this wedding, these two? Well first of all our first time “meeting” via Skype (they live in Alberta and me in BC) was a flop. Their camera wasn’t working properly so it was an awkward 20 minutes of me staring at myself on the computer and not being able to see them. If this has ever happened to you, you know how awkward it is. We had a much more successful meeting a week before their wedding when they were in Victoria. We definitely hit it off which made me uber excited for their wedding the next weekend. How can you not hit it off with two people who are getting hitched at the coolest place ever – Cathedral Grove – amongst a forest of gorgeous trees in OCTOBER. Yes, October. It’s pretty much a guarantee it’s going to rain and be cold well, because, it’s a rainforest. When I approached the subject both Ashley and Richard shrugged and said they thought it would be wicked if it rained. Yep, my kind of people.

The day of the wedding I picked up Kyra (please check out her work here), my second shooter from Nanaimo and we headed up to Tigh Na Mara where the everyone was getting ready that morning. I hung out with the girls to catch some getting ready photos.

Meanwhile, Kyra joined the boys to try on viking hats and do things that boys do.

Ashley had arranged to be transported from Tigh Na Mara Resort to Cathedral Grove by limo. I even got to tag along!

Even though Cathedral Grove was pretty much a mud pit in parts it didn’t stop this girl from getting right in there in her wedding dress. The ceremony was held under the “Big Tree” which is over 800 years old and larger than life. The ceremony was nothing short of meaningful (and probably the shortest ceremony I have ever seen!)

After the ceremony we wandered around taking some pictures in Cathedral Grove before heading to Rathtrevor beach to catch some sun so the wedding party and bride and groom could warm up a little (hello, it was October in Canada!). Of course the champagne toast helped warm things up a little too…..

Did I mention I love a girl who will get her wedding dress dirty all for the sake of a good photo? Ashley didn’t even blink an eye at walking out into the dirty beach in her gorgeous dress. LOVE her!

We managed to find a gorgeous field near Rathtrevor beach and catch the perfect light before heading back to the reception.

After finishing up the pictures, we headed to Tigh Na Mara for some an amazing food, some socializing and lots of dancing. Since Ashley and Rich aren’t from the Island, most people travelled from all over the country to be at their wedding. I thought it was such a great idea to have a map with pins identifying where everyone was from. The decor was also fantastic – very classy with lots of candles and jars with rustic accents on the table.

The married couple had such a warm welcome into the venue, followed by some pretty heartfelt speeches. I held it together and didn’t cry this time (thank god).