Adelina and Dan contacted me last year to document their summer wedding at the Forest and Stream Club in Dorval. When Adelina first emailed me and mentioned that a previous friend in common from university recommended me to her, I knew right away that we will get along. I am blessed with amazing clients all the time (knock on wood!) but when they are referred by a common friend, I know that we are off to a good start :)

At our initial meeting, when I learned that the wedding will take place at The Forest and Steam Club, I got even more excited for it since this venue has been on my bucket list of venues i want to shoot at. The building itself is gorgeous with awesome decor that can be beautifully incorporated at the getting ready photos. And the big bonus; it has a gorgeous waterfront backyard.

I absolutely loved Adi and Dan's energy, they are always happy with big smiles that I knew would help them conquer the wedding day stress. This beautiful and positive energy was also clear during their engagement photos that you might have seen on the blog here with their lovely doggy.

On the wedding day, Adelina got ready at the bridal suite at the Forest and stream club accompanied by her mom and bridesmaids. Everyone was so emotional when Adi got fully dressed and congratulated her with happy hugs. Adi looked absolutely stunning in her minimalist dress with deep neckline and her beautiful floral Ted Baker shoes. Her elegant and minimalist bridal accessories totally matched her personality. As for Dan, he has a blast with his groomsmen getting ready at the Marriott hotel. (photos below to prove it hehe )

The cocktail hour at the Forest and Stream club took place outside in their beautiful waterfront backyard. And to avoid disturbing the guests during the bridal photos , we headed to Stewart Hall Art gallery for the couple's pictures.

Upon our return to the venue, I was happily surprised by the gorgeous setup that Adi and Dan put together with the help of the forest and Stream staff. I absolutely loved that all the guests were seated together at one table. And this table came along with the most unique DIY seating chart. The couple also had a Jenga game set as their guests book for everyone invited to leave a word. In addition, a beautiful Polaroid station for everyone to document their presence and leave a beautiful word for for the newlyweds.

The reception at the Forest and Stream Club was full of fun especially as the mothers of the bride and groom incorporated few Bulgarian wedding traditions honoring the bride and groom's background. My favorite tradition, which you might have seen at this Russian Wedding as well, is breaking the bread. The mother start by dipping some pieces of bread in salt or honey and feeding it to the couple as a representation of the happy and unhappy moments they will go through in life together. Then the bride and groom hold the big round piece of bread on top of their heads and pull it apart. Whoever ends up with the biggest piece will have the final say in the family. And here we clearly had a winner.

The second tradition is when the mother of the groom lay a white cloth on the floor for the couple to walk on and she throws flowers in their path to ensure health and happiness. The bride also kicks a bucket with white and red roses in it. And depending how many roses fly out of the bucket, they would know how many children they will have.

Another beautiful surprise of the evening was when the groomsmen and bridesmaids played a slideshow they put together for the couple with messages from their friends from all around the world. Some of the messages were hilarious and other were emotional and put the bride to tears.

As always, I can’t thank the Adi and Dan enough for giving me the opportunity to take part of their beautiful day. And also a big thank you to all the vendors that made this day possible. You can scroll below for the links to the vendors.