For their Dundas Valley Golf Club wedding, Taylor and Dominic had only two requests: vibrant photos of the two of them and documentary coverage of their friends and family. They had looked through my album portfolio and fell in love with the vibrant colours that shine through in my work. At the same time, they saw my documentary coverage album, which captured everything that happened during the rest of the 8-hour wedding day — the moments when no one was posing, and there was no formal photo session. Both of them spoke my language, and we connected right away.

Bringing the Colours to Life in a Dundas Valley Golf Club Wedding Story

Wedding couples often evolve and change their minds in many directions throughout the planning process. It’s completely understandable — being caught up in the wedding planning bubble, the algorithm constantly feeds you so many ideas and examples that it can be overwhelming to know what to choose.

But that wasn’t the case for Taylor and Dominic. They stayed true to their vision and plans, and I was thrilled to be part of their wedding experience.

They chose Dundas Valley Golf Club in Dundas as their wedding venue. I hadn’t photographed there before, so when they booked me, I suggested we visit Dundas Valley Golf Club closer to their wedding date and time.

The goal of that visit was to get familiar with the venue and scout out the best photo locations within the beautiful golf club. At the same time, it allowed us to visualize how their wedding day would unfold almost exactly one year in advance.

Visiting the venue was both fun and incredibly helpful. We were able to adjust some of our plans based on what we saw, meet the wedding coordinator at Dundas Valley Golf Club, and get answers to all our questions about the do’s and don’ts — everything we needed to know to make sure the day would go smoothly.

The Engagement Photos as Pre-Wedding session for Taylor and Dominic

During that same visit, we also planned the date and season for their engagement session. Taylor and Dominic wanted their photos taken in the fall because they loved the vibrancy in my pictures.

As it turned out, we couldn’t make their fall engagement session happen as planned — their busy schedules just didn’t allow for it.

However, I assured them that if they let me plan a winter engagement session, I could help create something just as vibrant as a fall session — as long as we picked the right month and time.

Trusting me, Taylor and Dominic agreed, and we ended up doing their engagement session in February. It was an amazing experience, and we captured the vibrant photos they had hoped for. My city, Guelph, provided the perfect backdrop and truly elevated their images to another level.

The Planning of This Dundas Valley Golf Club Wedding

With this very successful engagement photo session, Taylor and Dominic became more relaxed when it came to the photography part, and they shifted their focus towards planning their other things for their Dundas Valley Golf Club wedding.

Taylor booked one of the most impressive houses I’ve ever photographed for her getting-ready photos in Hamilton. Meanwhile, Erika, my second photographer, was with Dominic and the groomsmen at a nearby hotel.

When I arrived at the house, I immediately understood why Taylor had chosen to book the entire place. She had ensured all her bridesmaids and her parents could stay there and get ready together, so when the transportation bus arrived, everyone would be ready to head to the golf club — making the whole process smooth and stress-free.

With so many beautiful moments and opportunities for candid shots in the house, I got right to work.

I captured the final touches of Taylor’s makeup, candid moments of her and the bridesmaids in their robes sipping champagne, and all the little details Taylor had so carefully prepared for me to photograph.

I was also able to document Taylor getting into her dress with the help of her maid of honour and mom, as well as a heartfelt reveal moment with her dad on the staircase as she walked down to meet him.

Once I had photographed everything I hoped to capture, I rushed over to Dundas Valley Golf Club, where we had planned their first look, bride and groom portraits, and bridal party photos.

The Practicality and Advantage of Pre-Ceremony Wedding Photos

As I was driving toward Dundas Valley Golf Club, Erika had already wrapped up working with the boys, and they had all arrived at the venue.
While Erika began photographing the ceremony location, I met up with the guys to capture some outdoor shots since Erika had focused on indoor photos earlier at the hotel.

My goal was to finish with the groomsmen in time to jump straight into first-look photos once the girls arrived.

Meanwhile, Erika completed her work in the reception area and was there to greet the limo as it pulled up, bringing everyone from Taylor’s getting-ready location.

As I guided Dominic to the first-look spot, Erika captured candid moments of the girls and stayed with them until we were ready to start the planned photos.
We had scheduled the first look and couple portraits for around 2 p.m., knowing the sun would be harsh but also aware that it would give me a chance to create some incredibly vibrant images.

Though shooting in full sun can be challenging, I had a vision. For their first look, the sunlight beautifully illuminated the back of Taylor’s dress, highlighting its details while making the background burst with colour. After finishing those shots, we moved to a shaded area to avoid the direct sun but still keep that vibrant feel in the images.

We completed all the bridal party photos and then hopped on a golf cart to head to one of my favourite spots — the ivy wall. I love the ivy wall for many reasons. On this day in particular, I especially appreciated how it gave us the shade we needed, created a clean, minimalist background, and helped maintain the vibrancy that Taylor and Dominic wanted in their photos.

The Outdoor Wedding Ceremony at Dundas Valley Golf Club

As we finished the last round of photos, Taylor headed inside to prepare for the ceremony. Meanwhile, Dominic and the groomsmen made their way to the ceremony site to greet guests, who were slowly arriving at Dundas Valley Golf Club.

Taylor and Dominic had chosen a beautiful ceremony location that was fully exposed to the sun. The sunlight lit up the front of the altar and cast a warm glow behind the seated guests. While the guests enjoyed a perfect view of the ceremony, the wedding couple and their bridal party stood under the sun for the entire time.

At this point, I want to share why having a second photographer is such an important part of documenting a wedding ceremony.

Some might say, “If the main photographer is good, there’s no need for a second photographer.” I respectfully disagree. It’s not about the quality of the photos — it’s about expanding the coverage and capturing multiple angles and moments simultaneously.

For example, having another photographer allows us to simultaneously document reactions and details happening in different places, offering a more complete story of the day.

Having Erika with me that day was essential. Together, we were able to cover both the getting-ready moments and the ceremony in a way that gave Taylor and Dominic a beautiful, documentary-style collection of memories. No matter how skilled I am, this level of coverage would not have been possible alone.

That being said, we captured their stunning outdoor wedding ceremony at Dundas Valley Golf Club beautifully, and with their first kiss at the end of the aisle, we sealed this part of their wedding story in photographs.

The Cocktail Hour and The Immediate Family Photos

Once Taylor and Dominic finished their recessional walk, Erika made sure to gather everyone who was included in the planned group photos. I began taking pictures in a shaded area of the golf course, with the building and the sunlight beautifully glowing in the background.
While I was working on the family and group photos, Erika went off to capture candid moments from the cocktail hour and some reception details.

Since many of Dominic’s family members had travelled from different parts of the world to celebrate with them, I made sure to capture every photo they had requested.

Because Taylor and Dominic were familiar with my style and how quickly I work, they knew we would finish the photos efficiently so they could join their guests for the last part of the cocktail hour.

Our final group photos took place in front of the venue, where there was a big gathering of friends and their significant others. It was clear to see how much Taylor and Dominic valued these friendships and how much they cherished spending time with everyone.

Once I wrapped up the group photos and let Taylor and Dominic head back to their cocktail hour, I went inside to set up my lighting for the reception. Since Erika was booked until the middle of the reception, I wanted to make sure everything was ready before she left.

The reception space was beautifully lit, with large windows on all three sides opening out onto the rolling hills of this stunning wedding venue — the perfect setting to capture the celebration that was about to unfold.

Dancing the Night Away with Loved Ones

Before the bridal party entered the reception room, I took a moment to say hello to the DJ — the resident vendor for Dundas Valley Golf Club weddings. We had worked together years ago at Nancy and David’s wedding at Edgewater Manor and had such a great time. He’s the only DJ I’ve seen in Toronto who plays music accompanied by actual music videos, which always creates an extra layer of excitement and draws people to the dance floor to enjoy both the music and the visuals on the screen.

Taylor and Dominic’s wedding reception dinner was served family-style, featuring incredible food, drinks, and heartfelt speeches that brought out plenty of emotions. Time flew by so quickly that I suddenly realized the sun had already set — and I knew I had to act fast to capture the nighttime photos I was sure Taylor and Dominic would treasure.

After photographing their first dance and the parent dances, I stayed on the dance floor a bit longer to capture the first few minutes of open dancing when the floor was packed with guests.

Once I knew I had all the shots I wanted, I headed outside to scout some locations for those special nighttime photos of my couple.

Romantic Twilight Photos That Complete the Day

I had three specific locations in mind for their nighttime photos. The first was in front of the ivy wall, where I planned to backlight them for a dramatic effect. The second was at the back of the venue, where I could still catch some of the soft twilight glow in the sky. The third was in front of the venue itself, where the rolling hills would provide a beautiful natural backdrop, with the golf club visible behind them.

Since I had already mapped everything out, I invited Taylor and Dominic outside to capture all of these shots efficiently. I didn’t want to experiment while they were with me — my goal was to move smoothly between locations without taking them away from their guests for too long or wasting time in one spot.

When we returned inside, Taylor and Dominic realized that my coverage time had already gone about 30 minutes over. They asked if I could photograph their cake cutting, and of course, I was more than happy to do so. It was such a sweet and intimate moment, full of joy — the kind of scene every photographer loves to capture.

Before saying my goodbyes, I stepped onto the dance floor one last time to photograph them in their most relaxed state of the day. Now that all the formalities were over, they were surrounded by family and friends, dancing and celebrating the night away.

Thank you, Taylor and Dominic, for trusting me to capture your Dundas Valley Golf Club wedding with my favourite approach — vibrant photos and documentary-style coverage. I can’t wait to smile and laugh with you again soon!

Credits to below wedding professionals and locations that helped Taylor and Dominic’s wedding to be one-of-a-kind.

Here is another celebration with amazing golf wedding venue in the blog post Beautiful Pipers Heath Wedding Photos: Sunset and Rolling Hills, with Jessica and Chris.