Birks Chapel wedding photographer in downtown Montreal

Emotional wedding photography at Birks Chapel

Sarah and Brendan were married in a touching Catholic ceremony at the Birks Chapel in downtown Montreal. Located on McGill University campus, this tiny chapel is a charming location for a wedding ceremony.

While photographing the wedding, I could see that the bride and groom found great meaning in the religious aspects of the ceremony. They were so sincere in their commitment to each other. They prayed together quietly during the ceremony as emotions ran high.

Wedding preparations at the Leows Hotel Vogue

Earlier in the day, my second shooter Nadia and I joined the couple as they got ready in separate rooms with their family and friends. The wedding couple got ready at the Loews Hotel Vogue in downtown Montreal.

I favour a photojournalistic approach to most of the wedding day. I capture candid moments as they unfold.

During the preparations, there was some great moments to capture:

• laughter with friends
• Sarah copying out her wedding vows by hand
• her bridesmaid using a crochet hook to do up Sarah’s dress
• Brendan and his mom practicing the mother-son dance in the hotel hallway
• Sarah’s father seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress
• a few tears and then even more laughter!

First look on the wedding day

Nadia and I followed the bride and groom separately to the steps of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Here, the wedding couple had an emotional first look. Tears flowed as they saw each other for the first time on their wedding day.

Then, we photographed them as they walked along Sherbrooke street with their bridal party. We headed to McGill University campus for some wedding portraits.

Wedding portraits on McGill campus

Wedding parade of guests through the city streets

After photographing the wedding ceremony at McGill’s Birks Chapel, I covered the bride and groom as they led a parade of guests waving ribbon wands through the downtown Montreal streets. What a great idea to have the wedding ceremony and reception venues so close to each other. The wedding parade was such a fun sight!

Wedding reception at Loews Hotel Vogue

Photographing the wedding night was a blast!

There were speeches from the wedding party and parents.

DJ Johnny Mix led the crowd into some fun dancing. Sarah and Brendan impressed their guests with a lovely first dance. They also made everyone laugh with their references to Star Trek.

After the final bouquet toss to end the night, our photojournalistic coverage ended and we said our goodbyes. It was truly a pleasure to work with this couple to provide documentary photography for their wedding.

If you’re planning a Birk’s chapel wedding and are interested in hiring me to be your wedding photographer, please send me a quick message and I’ll get back to you with pricing and more info.

Here are some more favourites from the wedding:

Wedding ceremony venue:
Birks Heritage Chapel

Wedding reception venue:
Loews Hotel Vogue

Wedding DJ and MC:
Johnny Mix

Big thanks to my second photographer for this wedding, Nadia Zheng from Opustill.

If you’d like to see more photos of this lovely couple, check out Sarah and Brendan’s engagement session at Farine Five Roses.