This Guelph City Hall wedding was not to be the next one on my blogging calendar, but today’s sunny day reminded me of Mohammad and Reyhane’s City Hall wedding.

Since the pandemic, I have become accustomed to working with wedding couples who have had to adjust their plans due to various factors such as pandemic restrictions, economic effects on wedding budgets, fear of infection, or moving to a new place far away from their loved ones. Despite these challenges, documenting their wedding day is always important to them, and I have improved my way of connecting with couples to provide excellent wedding photography services even on short notice.

Guelph City Hall Wedding of Mohammad and Reyhane

Mohammad and Reyhane came to Guelph from the Middle East and wanted to capture their wedding day memories in Canada. They planned to celebrate the rest of their wedding in their home country once their work schedules aligned with their wedding plans. Reyhane booked me just a week before their photo session. Initially, I was already booked on the day before her session, and the day after, I was scheduled for a big Italian wedding and another backyard wedding on Sunday. However, because Mohammad and Reyhane were looking for a short 2-3 hour session, it was easy to fit them in and capture their special moments, even on an already busy weekend.

Reyhane was looking for suggestions on where to take photos in Guelph. This was a perfect opportunity to show them some of the city’s hidden gems for incredible photo locations.

I suggested that we meet at The Boathouse parking at 4 pm, allowing us to visit two interesting places: The Covered Bridge and the Royal City Park. After their city hall wedding, they arrived at the meeting place.

The Covered Bridge and the Royal City Park as first photo locations

Reyhane had a lovely hairpiece that matched her wedding bouquet, and her dress was shorter than the usual wedding dress, making it easier to move around.

I could sense that both of them were nervous, and their facial expression confirmed it. To make the most of the time they have booked me, I relax them by using my well-known tactic of mirroring.

During my time working as a photographer on cruise ships, I developed a helpful technique for taking photos of new couples quickly and creatively. As I was learning English, this approach was especially useful for people who couldn’t understand my instructions and those who were nervous during the photo shoot.

The technique is simple: I would demonstrate the poses and movements I wanted the couple to do, and they would mirror my actions. Once I saw that this was working well for Mohammad and Reyhane, I began taking photos at multiple locations, including The Arboretum at the University of Guelph, and transitioning between them seamlessly.

The Arboretum, University of Guelph photography

I chose this place for several reasons, but one of the most important was to allow my couples to enjoy the beautiful scenery. I can take them to various spots, each with a unique background, making it look like we have visited multiple locations. Additionally, hardly any people were around to interfere with our photo shoot.

I was already planning for the next photos we would take in downtown Guelph. We would take some beautiful images in downtown Guelph and end our session with pictures in front of City Hall. However, I knew there was an even better view of the downtown area from the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, so I suggested we also head up the hill to capture it. From that vantage point, we would be able to see the entire town and enjoy the surrounding scenery as a perfect addition to our downtown Guelph photo session.

The downtown or the Royal City of Guelph

The time was going fast, and we had already reached the stores downtown in Guelph. Both Mohammad and Reyhane appeared to be relaxed and enjoying the session. The nervousness that had been present earlier was no longer visible on their faces. The rapport we had established allowed them to be themselves without feeling uncomfortable or anxious.

The sun slowly set, giving us the perfect golden hour soft lighting.
We walked in front of the City Hall, and I asked the couple to walk towards me from the door. Although I could not capture their exit after their wedding ceremony, I wanted to give them memories of the same scene just a few hours later.
They both walked down to the sign, and I took the last frame of their Guelph City Hall wedding with the City Hall sign in the background.

I was amazed by how much we were able to capture during the photo session, and we managed to stay within the allotted time. Mohammad and Reyhane were thrilled with the session, mentioning that the experience was wonderful and that we captured all the pictures they had in mind. Their faces were beaming with smiles, happiness, and excitement to take their wedding photos back home and share them with loved ones.

Credits to below wedding professionals and locations that helped Reyhane and Mohammad’s city hall wedding to be one-of-a-kind.

If you want to see another city hall wedding check Trisha and Kavi’s wedding. Here is engagement session of Camilla and Tommy and the wedding of Mary Ann and Russell taken on some of the same places but in different seasons.