St Theresa's and Lago Wedding for Jill & Damian - Ottawa Wedding & Portrait Photography

The planning for Jillian and Damian’s St Theresa’s and Lago Wedding started last year when I met with Jill and her mother at the studio. I knew that the day would be great due to the smart and sweet personalities of both ladies but I was never sure about what to expect from Damian. I won’t say that I was given “warnings” per say but there was a tot of talk about a big personality. First I was told he was from Toronto and I thought, “well that’s not so bad”. Then there was a mention that he was a lawyer and I started thinking “oh a Toronto lawyer…” AND THEN I FIND OUT HE’S DUTCH TOO!! If ever there were three facts that you could string together to set off alarm bells!!

Obviously I am completely kidding but I was very intrigued to see what this “big personality” would be like.

The day started at Jillian’s parents place downtown which set the tone for what was to become a 10 hour roller-coaster ride of fun. There was champagne, way too much discussion of cleavage, and plenty to shoot. Next I headed to the Golden Triangle to meet up with the guys. Immediately I felt like I was in one of those buddy movies full of sarcasm, seriously tough looking guys, and enough cigarettes and beer to start my own club. For the first time in my entire life, I basically had nothing to say since these guys were so damn witty and quick about it. I had nothing to add…

If there’s one thing that you learn over years of dealing with tough/gruff, witty guys is that almost without exception, they are super thoughtful and sensitive people. This was proven throughout an extremely emotional ceremony at St. Theresa’s which was followed by a high energy and equally emotional reception at Lago Restaurant on Dow’s Lake. Everything in between was just fun.

If that wasn’t enough, Damian’s Oma and dad were from the same small town in the Netherlands as my family. Yeah, yeah, it’s not about me…