Confession

I have a confession to make: I made a mistake.

I had booked a few larger weddings in Montreal for 2018 and thought I couldn’t handle anymore. Typically, I try to mix it up so that my approach stays fresh. I try to have a few travel weddings. A few small intimate weddings. Some good restaurant weddings. And a few big ones. This way it keeps things interesting.

When Valerie contacted me about her wedding, I was torn. Her wedding was huge in terms of guest count and I told myself that I’d reached my large wedding quota for 2018. I sent her a message saying I wouldn’t feel comfortable adding another large wedding to my season and that I felt terribly saying so. To make up for it, I offered to give her a discount on an engagement shoot. I was prepared for the worst after I hit send, but boy was I wrong.

Valerie wrote me one if the nicest messages I’ve ever received from a client. I could tell from her message that I may have missed a beautiful opportunity to take part in a wicked couple’s wedding, but I still didn’t regret my decision. She accepted my offer for an engagement shoot, so I reasoned that I’d still have the opportunity to work with her and Nada. The three of us got together this last fall; the trees were almost bare but the weather was still comfortable.

The few hours we had together that day made me realize I definitely made a mistake. I’ll admit it, I was sad. Super sad.

I think when you see the photos below you’ll know exactly why. These two are absolute gems. A part of me was hoping that I wouldn’t book a wedding on their day just so I could be a guest 😉

Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy and the Old Port of Montreal

We shot their engagement photos in Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy, and the Old Port of Montreal. It was the perfect mix of colours and moods, but I could have taken Valerie and Nada’s photos anywhere really. They are such a vibrant and loving couple, with a heaping helping of badass too, that sneaks its way into each image in the sweetest of ways.

So ultimately – no regrets. But I’ll try not to make the same mistake in the future. It’s about the couple, not the numbers. No matter how many years I’ve been doing this, I’m still learning! I am glad that I was open and honest with them about my reasoning, though. Honesty and integrity are values that make up one of the pillars of my business. While I may have made a mistake by passing on these two, by remaining faithful to one of my pillars I learned and grew as an entrepreneur.

I hope you enjoy what we created together.

(And speaking of big weddings… Watch out for my blog post about Jeanne and Ralph’s  “bigger ” wedding from 2017 coming to the blog soon 🙂 )