A vegan wedding at La Vieille Brasserie de Lachine

Here are some of my favourite photos from this wedding at La Vieille Brasserie de Lachine.

Jennifer and David worked really hard to plan and pull off the wedding of their dreams!

Wedding preparations at Pierre du Calvet hotel

The wedding couple got ready at the Pierre du Calvet hotel. It’s an ancient place in the Old Port (built in 1725). Within its halls is a labyrinth of surprising rooms filled with ornate beds, dusty books, old paintings and busts, fireplaces and a little sunny courtyard in the centre.

It’s a fun playground for a creative photographer!

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As always happens with wedding, the getting-ready was chaotic! There were lost bras, missing shirts and last-minute ironing. David was hiding in a corner scribbling away at his vows. Meanwhile, Jenny was getting misty-eyed as she wrote hers and having to be dabbed at with Q-tips. Earrings wouldn’t go on. And David’s friends were trying to Google how to do his bow tie. Tourists wandered through the hotel.

Finally, we staked our claim on an old library-turned-dining room.

There, David and Jenny had their first look.

What’s a first look?

A first look is a private moment before the wedding, when the wedding couple gets to see each other for the first time (all dolled up!) and gets to share a quiet minute or two with each other before the excitement begins. And us wedding photographers get to document the moment!

If you like first look photos, check out some other wedding photos featuring first looks at the Westmount Greenhouse, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Fritz Farm.

For this first look moment, David waited by the window until Jenny sneaked up behind him and told him he could turn around. First, they stared at each other beaming. Then, Jenny said: “Your bow tie’s wrong. Let me fix it for you.” Aha! Finally, someone who knew how to take care of him!

Vieille Brasserie de Lachine Wedding Venue

The Vieille Brasserie de Lachine is a lovely wedding venue that can accommodate small to medium sized weddings with up to about 100 guests. It’s owned by the City of Montreal, so it’s run a bit differently than most wedding venues, but it’s great for couples who want a DIY approach to their wedding or who are working with a wedding planner who can set up everything beautifully. It’s very affordable to rent. You can bring your own caterer and bartenders/booze. There’s a rental curfew where you need to be out and have cleared the hall by a certain time (it used to be quite early at 1 a.m., but now their website say 3 a.m. so they may have extended the time).

Built in 1861, the building has a small outdoor terrace for the ceremony and a gorgeous reception room with lots of rustic charm. The place needs very little decoration, with its beautiful stone walls and exposed wooden beams. But Jenny’s mom still gathered wildflowers the morning the wedding to brighten up all the tables.

The Vieille Brasserie is also perfectly situated for picturesque wedding photos in the surrounding area along the shores of Lac Saint-Louis. For photos, I love exploring the waterfront, the docks and all the old stone walls.

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A Jewish wedding ceremony

The wedding ceremony was officiated by Rabbi Elina Bykova. She included many elements of a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony (the reading of the ketubah, the seven blessings, the circling of the bride and groom and the breaking of the glass). I’ve photographed several weddings Rabbi Elina has officiated. She’s always a pleasure to work alongside.

Vegan wedding caterer

As mentioned in every single speech (lol!), Jenny is vegan and Dave is vegetarian. So, it was really important to them to have a wedding reception that would be in line with their values. Their caterer, chef Adrian Copeland, exceeded their expectations with a modern, upscale all-vegan dinner that had all the guests in “yums!”

Epic dancing

The lively hora: This amazing spinning dance is a traditional Jewish wedding dance where everyone dances in a big circle and 2 people join hands in the middle and spin around as fast as they can, until one of them flies, falls over or loses their breath. I love it!

Gleeful swing dancing: Jenny and David did an awesome Charleston swing dance to “Sing, sing, sing” played by the Preville Big Band. High energy. High kicks. High jumps.

Hope you guys enjoy these photos of Jenny and David’s wedding at La Vieille Brasserie!