Words cannot describe the excitement that ran throughout the entirety of my body when Jenna initially contacted us to inquire about photographing her upcoming wedding. Both myself and Matt had been acquaintances with Jenna for numerous years already, having met through Winnipeg’s club scene, and having a shared love and passion for photography. Around the same time we moved to Montreal, Jenna moved to Gothenburg, Sweden to be with her love, Dennis. But as their relationship flourished, and they inevitably decided to get married, they made the decision to trek back to Jenna’s hometown of Kinosota, Manitoba for their wedding. And that’s when Jenna reached out to us online to see if we would be willing to travel back home to photograph their wedding. Our obvious response was a resounding yes! And as we discussed the details of their wedding more, the more excited I was to be a part of it all. We had a reason to travel home and see family & friends, plus make some new ones along the way. We were going to be taking a mini roadtrip a few hours North-West of Winnipeg to photograph their intimate DIY wedding on her family’s property. We were invited to bring a tent so we could enjoy the festivities after their late lunch reception, and not worry about driving home afterwards. And we were extended the invite to stay for breakfast and coffee the following morning too. How could we say no? We made our way to their wedding early, and had the opportunity to photograph their rehearsal ceremony, which was a special treat since it’s fairly uncommon to have those same opportunities in Mexico.
Jenna was a majestic beauty of a bride, with a capelet that complimented her dress and hair style perfectly. She wanted to be an elfin pixie bride, and she had the look down pat. Having the honour and the joy of photographing the way that Dennis looks at her with awe, admiration, and tender love, had me feeling breathless during their ceremony. Any time either of them made eye contact, or simply looked at each other, a smirk, a grin, and smile would spread cross their mouths. Vows were said, and rings exchanged, and documents signed. It was not long, before they were embracing, kissing and turning to skip towards their guests, once pronounced husband and wife. Countless amounts of paper confetti was strewn about as the happy couple made their way down the aisle. Everyone was eager to congratulate the newlyweds, each waiting patiently in line to hug them both and wish them well on their new chapter in life.
Our time with the wedding party, followed by just Jenna & Dennis, still had to be cut short due to obligations at the reception town hall for a late lunch among the guests. But that didn’t stop any of us from having a whole lotta fun while we were able to. This included, but was not limited to, chicken fights, climbing hay bales, stepping over frogs and snakes and spiders, and fending off the blood-thirsty mosquitoes. But everyone did so with a smile on their face, and in good fun. Most had a beer in hand, and that seemed to suffice. Besides, the wedding party all seemed willing to do most anything for the Jenna & Dennis, and that made our lives infinitely easier.
Jenna and Dennis were super laidback and relaxed and eager to explore other farm properties in the general area to get some great shots. Jenna even had some secret spots in mind for spectacular wedding photos, like an enchanted-looking forest and the endless fields of hay and the like. So we made our way to the early reception at Kinosota’s community hall, enjoyed some delicious prairie food, and made friends with those seated at our table (as per the usual). Speeches were made, songs were sung and before you knew it, everyone was ready to reconvene on Jenna’s family’s property for a night of drinking and dancing and merrymaking. The four of us took a bit of a detour, to take advantage of the surrounding farm properties in all their glory, before the couple made their grand entrance and the real fun ensued. *cue packing up camera equipment* We couldn’t have asked for a better reason to come back to Canada, make some new friends, and help create some lasting memories. Thanks again for trusting us with our art and creativity, Jenna, and treating us just like family during your wedding celebrations.
