Fatima and Nick’s wedding was one I was excited for! It was at a venue I’d never been too (Bridge Public House) and Nick’s brother is a long time friend of my brother so I knew the whole family would be a joy to work with.
A first for me in a while was actually starting my day off at the ceremony directly rather then at the getting ready. I was met by Nick and his guys as they waited for guests to arrive. They slowly made their way into the beautiful church as Fatima arrived and waited outside. Our first mishap of the day, the bouquets. Fatima’s mom came running in the church asking her brother to drive back to the house to get the bouquets. But, the ceremony was about to start, we couldn’t send him off, he was a groomsman after all. As a problem fixer, I had a solution. My brother was arriving and I suggested, since he’s a good friend of the family, that he go to the house so that we can proceed with the ceremony. The girls would walk down without their bouquets but walk back out with them, no fuss. And so with a solution, the ceremony was ready to start.
Fatima and her Dad waited outside the main doors as their Padre and wedding party, including Nick, made their way down the aisle. The wind blew her veil, the double doors then opened to let Fatima and in and allowed Nick to see his bride for the first time. Nick kept his cool, as I knew he would as Fatima walked arm in arm with her dad, full smiles. Nick took Fatima’s hand and guided her over to their spot at the front.
The ceremony was lovely. A traditional full length Catholic mass with prayers selected by our couple and read by their family members. Followed by a few other traditions, one I’d never seen before. First there was the blessing of the rings which is normal and the coin exchange which is a Mexican tradition called; Las arras matrimoniales. This is where the priest blesses these 13 coins and the groom presents it to the bride as a symbol of his commitment to care for her and their home. And then the new one I hadn’t seen was the binding with the rosary. Jordan, Fatima’s bridesmaid carried these beads down the aisle and I wasn’t sure what they were until she presented it to Fatima and Nick’s Maid of Honour and Best Man. They then wrapped it around the couple as they knelt. It was actually quite lovely and one of my favourite moments of the ceremony.
My brother made record time of driving to get the bouquets and coming back might I add. There may have been some speeding involved but he was back at the church in 20mins. Way to go Pat! We got to the end of the ceremony, where Fatima and Nick were pronounced husband and wife and so they did their first kiss. It was lightning fast as I expected (Nick is a shy dude) but luckily I was able to get and walk back with our happy couple as they exited the church.
Guests made their way out and so we decided it would be a perfect time for a group shot on the stairs. After the photo, guests were quick to migrate over to our bride and groom and get their hellos and congratulations in. Our timeline however was a little different for this one. Fatima and Nick were wanting some down time between photos and their cocktail and so they wanted to be done with photos by 5pm. It was 3:45pm and we still had to travel to our photo locations, and so with a little push, we were on our way.
Driving down the road, ahead of the wedding party as I was about to take our exit, I noticed the road was closed. OMG Bike weekends (where they close the parkway for Bikes only) in Ottawa hadn’t ended like I thought it had. I quickly call Nick’s cell only for Fatima to answer. I tell them a quick change of plans and where to meet me. And so, off we were to Rideau Hall and Garden. Luckily for us, everyone found their way there no problem. The parking was tight, and it was hot but no one complained and everyone was troopers. With the delay of the ceremony, the change of plans and our new location, we didn’t have a ton left for portraits so it was time to rock it out, challenge accepted.
The wedding party were so lovely to work with and so fun to joke with. It was like we were all friends just hanging out in really nice clothes. It was hot however and I didn’t want to keep them too much longer so we sent the wedding party off as we wandered over into the garden to finish things up. During Fatima and Nick’s engagement session, we had an opposite day where it was -30 and e had their two doggos with us. It made for a quick session where we were distracted by what was around us, but not today, no distractions. Nick had eyes only for his new wife and same for Fatima to her new husband. They cuddled, laughed and smiled so much. Something I’d been told was difficult to get Nick to do but I, I had no problems. After some cuddles on a bench, I sent them on their way to go relax at their home with their dogs before making my way over to their reception venue.
I’d never actually been the the Rideau Sports club let alone the restaurant The Bridge Public House attached to it. I didn’t know what to expect but it was actually quite lovely. Their reception was held on the outdoor patio on the second floor over looking the Rideau River and the facilities Tennis courts. They’d chosen a fall-esque décor to match their burnt orange these as well as delicious locally made ciders for guests to choose from as favors. Guests started to arrive to enjoy some drinks as they awaited our happy couple. It was so nice being able to mingle with everyone during a little downtown and capture some candids. This is a timeline I could get used to haha.
Fatima and Nick finally made their arrival to guests all cheering them on with noise makers they’d put at every seat. My favourites had to be the inflated stick things that you smack together to make a loud noise, they were EVERYWHERE. Guests had a blast and it put a smile on our bride and grooms face. With everyone around, it was finally time for us to get family photos done. We round up ALL of the guests and walked across the street to get through our list. I thought it was just family as it is with most weddings BUT Fatima and Nick spoke about how important every single person there was and so they made sure to reserve the time to take photos with every single person one way or another. We made good time and were able to get everyone back up to the patio to enjoy a couple more cocktails before dinner was served.
The reception was lovely as the evening cooled down a little bit as the wind came in. Looking at the sky in the distance though, it seemed a storm was heading our way. One of the guests checked the radar and said no no, the storm will head north of us, it won’t hit us. And so we went on with our night. Fun fact, Fatima had worn crocs all day under her dress because, comfort is key. But Nick actually wore dress shoes all day, that is, until he didn’t. I looked over to him and saw the ‘’dad shoes’’. The white, new balance sneakers and I couldn’t help but giggle. Comfort for him was also important, and I don’t blame him. However, he was kind enough to switch back into his dress shoes for he and Fatima’s first dance. They had their dance under the open sky as guests watched on so attentively. Nick’s mom looked so happy in the moment. I always enjoy watching the parents during the first dance because they always have the most loving expressions on their faces.
They followed things up with Nick and his mom dancing as Fatima watched nearby and ended the dances with her and her father to a lovely Spanish song. The guests were having a great time when in the darkness of the evening, the skies lit up. The storm did in fact, not head north to bypass us. It went right over us and brought with it a ton of rain, lightning that gave us a show and thunder that could be heard for what seemed like miles upon miles. Thankfully all the tables had been moved under cover between cocktail and the reception so no one was stuck in the rain. That didn’t stop guests from running out in it though and dancing for fun. Who doesn’t love a good rain dance?
Before speeches, I took Fatima and Nick out to the bridge across the way to try and get a night shot with the sky lit up by lightning. The rain had turned into barely there drizzle at this point so it was the perfect time, unfortunately, our timing was not. We got a few opportunities but holy heck that lightning was fast and so we didn’t get it to light up the sky but that doesn’t mean we didn’t get an epic night shot featuring Nick’s sneakers.
Back at the Bridge Public House, it was time for speeches. Things were opened up by Nick’s best man and brother, Martin and his wife Sophie. Marty spoke so highly of his brother whom he grew up with and how he lit up when he and Fatima started dating. Sophie surprised the guests by not only her eloquent words towards her brother-in-law and her friend Fatima, but she surprised us all by speaking some of her speech in Spanish and very well might I add. Not even 5minutes into speeches and we already had Fatima in tears and Nick cracking smiles. The rest of the speeches went by with no problem and had everyone in the room laughing and just enjoying themselves. However, two speeches stood out to me for two very different reasons.
First was Fatima’s mom and dad. They spoke so highly of their little girl and her mom was in tears which in turned caused Fatima to cry as well. But the part that stood out the most was when her dad mentioned Nick not smiling much in everyday life but how much he’d actually seen him smile today. And as he said it, Nick cracked a smile which made all the guests go wild and cheer. It was a funny moment but I was happy to see just how much Nick smiled throughout the day. And Finally we had Fatima’s sister Anna Paula. She spoke of her childhood and growing up with Fatima. Having the usual sisterly arguments as one with a sister would know about but also looking up to her. She was in tears, Fatima was in tears, their mom was in tears, their dad was in tears, you get the picture.
Once the formalities of the evening were complete, it was time to hop into the party. And boy do these guests know how to party. The dancing started immediately and kept going until 1am. We even managed to get Nick on the dance floor for a minute! There was lots of drinks to be had and the DJ seriously knew how to keep us all out there. It seemed like every few minutes, there was shots being passed around, people getting low and smiles on everyone’s face. We were hot, we were sweaty, but everyone was having a great time so nobody cared about the heat. I ended my official work night with photos of Fatima and Nick cutting their cake all while dancing on the spot and just having a blast.
However, since my brother and his wife (who is my bestie) was there, I decided to stay an extra hour to just dance and have a good time with everyone, and boy was it ever a good time. I haven’t danced like that in so long! It was seriously an amazing time. So amazing even that as I finally made my way out, the power went out!!! This party was using so rocking that they blew a fuse. I left as guests were in darkness but luckily, power came back not long after and they danced until late into the night.
Fatima and Nick, merci mille fois! I was so excited from the moment of your enquiry to the very end of the day. You’re such beautiful souls and I’m so happy that you’ve found one another. I know we’ll see each other again, I mean you’re basically family now by association soooooo. I hope you had a wonderful rest of your evening and have enjoyed married life since your big day. Xox
Vendors:
Hair – Noahh Karam from Pretty Little You
Makeup – Dawn Hunt from Salon Nick 101
Wedding Dress – La Maison Bridal Boutique
Groom and Groomsmen attire – Surmesur Custom Menswear
Flowers – Les Jardins Sheffiel Sheffield
Cake – Damaris from Dcakes
Officiant – Padre Diego
Singers for Church – Nadine from Melodia
Venue – The Bridge Public House
DJ – DP Unpier
