The most beautiful ‘plan B’ wedding

When I first met Matt + Katey at the Barrhaven Starbucks in February of 2019, together we planned a destination wedding to St. Lucia. That was when I first knew I was in for a wedding I’d never forget. Well, their wedding day came… and didn’t happen thanks to COVID. Their tropical wedding got postponed again and again. It was originally scheduled for May 2020 but by August and two rescheduled wedding dates later, Katey + Matt realized this tropical wedding of theirs wasn’t going to happen. (Enter extremely heartbroken Chelsea). So, they did something that takes some couples YEARS to do… within 3 weeks they put on the most amazing Ontario backyard wedding!

Matt’s family property where the wedding took place in Kinmount, Ontario was a location for the books. Now, when I hear “backyard wedding” I typically think of, well, a backyard, not a 100-acre property full of the most natural beauty and most perfect wedding location EVER! As I headed to the property, I was already falling in love with this location. I drove out of Ottawa on a secluded, quiet back road with no cell service while watching the sunrise, and I just knew I was in for something special. Matt’s grandfather bought this property in Kinmount and built the house that sits on it today. Little did Matt’s grandfather know at the time that his tiny grandson would one day marry the woman of his dreams at this exact place.

Now, normally I don’t travel this far for a wedding, but Katey + Matt were so deep in my heart that I knew I could never miss this day. Whether it was a St Lucia beach or family farm, I could never miss out on an opportunity to document such a beautiful love story.

Matt + Katey met 14 years ago through their maid of honour, Alex, and best friend, Trevor, who were dating at the time. Katey was in high school and Matt was heading to college. They spent time together frequently, but it wasn’t until Matt went to visit Katey at Waterloo University that they made their relationship official. Matt proposed to Katey with their puppy Lola!! They had always talked about getting a puppy and Matt surprised her with one during the engagement. Initially, when Katey saw the puppy, she thought that was the surprise. When she realized it was also a proposal, well, that was all she could have ever asked for!

The beautiful day started in Kinmount at the farm with the calmest group of groomsmen I’ve ever photographed. The boys got ready in the home on the property and Matt broke the record for world’s best champagne pop. Then I headed to Fenelon, Ontario to see Katey and her bridesmaids who were getting ready closeby at the Eganridge Resort (which is the most beautiful golf course along Sturgeon Lake!!). The girls celebrated early by popping confetti champagne inside and then real champagne outside. Let’s just say Matt kept the record for best popping LOL. Katey’s bridal party kept me smiling all day and I truly think everyone enjoyed themselves. They thought it was me who made it effortless, but when you have a group of true friends celebrating a couple who is truly in love, my work is done for me!

Once the dress was on and he champs were popped, Katey and her father had a first look. It was only noon and I was already crying, which was only the beginning of my tears that day. It was such a special moment between daughter and father and photographing it was such a privilege. Next, it was Matt’s turn for his first look at Katey. Cue the tissue boxes for everyone! Matt was in tears before even turning around to see his beautiful bride.

During the ceremony, Katey’s brother surprised everyone by officiating the ceremony! That was a really special moment during their ceremony and such a fun surprise for the wedding guests. Their reception that followed was on the property under a large white tent with modern, rustic-chic décor. Every detail was perfect and screamed Katey + Matt! As if I wasn’t already sold on this wedding, they even had Lola wine on the tables! (Number one way to your girls heart!) Their MC was one of the best I’ve seen and kept everyone entertained and in tears. The perfect wedding combo!

Matt + Katey were my dream couple to work with. They are the kind of people that are flexible with change but don’t comprise on quality. If you’re looking for a sign to forget all your wedding plans and just embrace a “COVID 2021” wedding, this is it! Look at all the love, connections, emotions, and smiles that are overflowing in this gallery. At the end of the day, that’s the good shit. That’s the reason you want to marry your one true love. Need one more reason? Check out Matt + Katey’s wedding below and give me one reason as to why they would’ve been better off waiting ‘just one more year’.

It was an absolute privilege to document Matt + Katey’s wedding and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Whenever Matt and Katey have found themselves in a situation together where their hearts couldn't be any happier together, they whisper ‘dream dream dream’ to one another. I think it’s safe to say this entire day was exactly that—a dream, dream, dream!

P..S. Check out the kindest words from these amazing people:

“Chelsea is a life-saver. I cannot put it any other way. Our destination wedding was canceled last year due to COVID, and we were devastated. Chelsea was so supportive the whole way through, she was patient with delays in information, and was always there to answer any questions in a quick manner. She even sent us flowers on our to-be wedding week, and it literally brought tears to my eyes. Three weeks before, we decided to move forward with a small ceremony at our family's property. Needless to say, as soon as we mentioned it, Chelsea was on board and gave us the confidence to know it would be a beautiful day no matter what! The day turned out to be better than we could have ever imagined, and we do think it was all meant to be, particularly having Chelsea there capturing our moments! Reflecting back on all of the cancellations and stress, I honestly can say that Chelsea was the reason that we had a stress-free and magical experience on our actual wedding day. I look at the photos on a daily basis, and we still cannot believe how everything turned out! If you are wanting to, however hesitating to move forward with a small ceremony due to COVID cancellations, I want to let you know that you will not regret it! - But - I would book Chelsea asap as she is one popular (and talented) lady!!

-Love from, the Callaghans!”