Rooftop Wedding — Blog -Ryanne Hollies Photography

Jordana and Andrew decided to host their wedding on the rooftop of their condo that offered up a crazy skyline view and the vast lake Ontario as a seemingly infinite backdrop. To give a little background, Jordana is an incredibly talented creative and Andrew has a brilliant imagination. I got to spend a lot of time with the two of them leading up to the wedding where we chatted for hours about our influences, our process, and how art lives in our worlds. Jordana’s experience is in English, she teaches it, she studies it, and she has found a way to bridge the gap between art and historical text. Over food and drinks, Jordana and Andrew shared with me how they’re pulling together all their ideas and skills to create a wedding experience that was uniquely them and focused on layered elements of their lives together.

Whether it was the handwritten invitations or the lily covered wedding arch, the bride and groom were resourceful and creative in the conceptualization of all the details of their day and didn’t overlook the small things that really brought the day together.

When the wedding day arrived, you could see the nervous excitement in their faces. We started out their day with portraits, no set up first look or anything like that, the bride and groom got ready together in their apartment before my arrival and by the time I caught up to them they were already fully immersed in their feelings and enjoying every moment. We walked around the Humber Bay Park area, taking the path that Jordana and Andrew walk every day with their dog. There’s just something about the ordinary, the things that may seem mundane or routine at times, what brings these sort of places and situations to life is often the context of nostalgia and how we relive our past experiences in our mind when revisiting the familiar. The path was full of little nooks to explore, even a few spots Jordana and Andrew had overlooked in their day-to-day exploration of the environment which brought new life to their surroundings as they were able to take things in and truly appreciate this aspect of their lives in a completely different way. As we did the portraits, the bride and groom had time to slow things down and just enjoy the quiet moments together before heading back and surrounding themselves with their closest friends and family.

As we headed over to the rocky edge of the lake, the sun peeked out as the most epic storm clouds loomed in front of us. It was a scene of such depth and magnitude, amplified by the stark white of the bride’s dress and the equally contrasting flair of the groom’s cream coloured blazer. There was nothing cliche about these wedding photos at Humber Bay Park, instead of chasing the obvious Jordana and Andrew let the moments progress fluidly which ultimately led to an unforeseen moment of beauty that was completely out of our control. I’m rarely excited to see clouds or rain on a wedding day, but something about this moment was special and I welcomed the painterly canvas that mother night provided as a backdrop.

The down side of the beautiful thunderstorm was that it caused the ceremony plans to shift a bit and it was moved from the original outside location. Jordana’s extremely helpful bridesmaids recreated the outdoor ceremony space inside and set the mood for the ceremony by creating a beautiful and intimate atmosphere that heightened the emotions in the room. As it came as no surprise to anyone, Jordana had intellectual, witty, and powerful vows that had everyone in the room in tears. Andrew matched Jordana’s energy and thoughtfulness by delivery a heartfelt speech that revealed a dept of emotion and nostalgia grounded in love and experience.

After the emotionally heavy ceremony, Jordana and Andrew walked down the aisle with the biggest grins on their faces as their guests showered them with dried flowers to celebrate their union. For these two celebrating meant aperol spritz’s, incredible wine, and (of course!) incredibly fire-oven pizza. The skies started to clear and the guests got to enjoy a warm sunset over the Toronto skyline as their laughter and chatter echoed through the urban landscape of downtown Toronto. The atmosphere was light and fun, relaxed and cool, all adjectives that perfectly describe the bride and groom. As the light began to fade, Jordana and Andrew treated their guests to gelato (instead of having a traditional cake cutting), which was home-made and insanely delicious! I opted for the espresso flavoured option (twice) and got to relive a moment of childlike wonder along with the intimate number of guests at the wedding.

Simple and beautiful. Jordana and Andrew had a vision for how to make a condo rooftop wedding their own, and they executed it flawlessly while delivering an intimate wedding experience that would’ve been unforgettable regardless of the location. All the diy-ing and hard work that they put in, really paid off. They knew that they wanted their day to be meaningful and they wanted to include elements that reflected who they are as a couple. Leaving out certain traditions and including others is all a part of making the day feel like your own, and making it all the more memorable in the process, check out the photos and see for yourself.