Michelle & Ben’s Windermere House Wedding in Muskoka

I was lucky enough to get out of Toronto to photograph this stunning wedding up in Muskoka, at the timeless and classic Windermere House on lake Rosseau. Getting to work with couples like Michelle & Ben reminds me why I love getting to work as a wedding photographer, and I’m beyond excited to share some of their wedding photography here!

The couple chose to get out of Toronto to host their wedding, and they could not have chosen a more picturesque location. Windermere house stretches out across the top of a hill overlooking the blue waters of Lake Rosseau. The rooms open up onto picturesque balconies (the perfect setting for some fun getting ready photographs with the bridesmaids!), the lawn out front is absolutely perfect for outdoor summer wedding ceremonies, and the assortment of sweet cabins dotted around the property made for the perfect weekend getaway for the couple and their guests. Getting to shoot here almost makes me want to pack my bags and become purely a Muskoka wedding photographer!

Michelle got ready with the sweetest group of girls. They laughed with her, cried with her, popped champagne, and had so much fun together I couldn’t help but take wayyy too many candid photographs of them getting ready together. Ben and his groomsmen also had a great time getting ready in a nearby cabin. They exchanged gifts, played spontaneous music together with their guitars and an old organ in the room (this was a wedding full of musicians!), and helped Ben get ready for his first look with Michelle, and what a first look it was! Make sure you scroll down to at least their first look to see Ben’s emotional reaction to seeing his beautiful bride for the first time, and Michelle’s beaming face as they laughed, danced around the dock, and caught each other up on their mornings so far.

Following a stunning series of bride and groom photographs, we took photos with the wedding party on the docks stretching out into the lake. The group knew how to have a good time together, and posed for the most fun, natural, and lively wedding party photographs ever! The bridesmaids looked stunning in blue and big smiles, and the groomsmen all were dressed to the nines in black suits and bow ties, one of my favourite classic wedding day looks!

Their ceremony was held on the lawn in front of the hotel, with a natural mossy green ceremony arch, and seating set up so the whole event looked out over the water. Michelle was the most stunningly happy and natural bride walking down the aisle towards her groom, and Ben’s emotional vows were a wedding photographer’s dream to photograph. After the ceremony their family and friends happily mingled on the covered porch, eating a beautiful array of charcuterie and cocktails, while the couple headed to a private cabin with their wedding party to relax together, listen to music, and spend some quality time visiting with the group of friends who they chose to surround themselves with on their wedding day.

As always, my favourite part comes closer to the end of the gallery, when the reception starts, everyone relaxes, and I get to capture a tonne of natural, emotional, and candid photographs as the wedding guests sit down to enjoy the evening. Michelle and Ben’s reception was beyond fun to photograph. Their family gave hilarious and heartfelt speeches, their musician friends put on performances for the couple, and everyone was ready to start enjoying a fantastic party as soon as the delicious meal was done.

If you make it all the way to the end of the gallery, I hope you enjoy candid wedding photographs as much as I do, because Michelle and Ben’s speech photographs are some of my favourite! I was so sad to leave this wedding at the end of the evening, and always love revisiting this beautiful gallery of wedding photographs. I hope you enjoy this day and this fantastic couple as much as I do!

xo
-c

Scroll down to the bottom for a list of fantastic vendors from this wedding.