A First Look, and the Family Dog

A wedding morning on the porch of a Lawrence Park family home

The groom sees the bride for the first time on their wedding day, on the porch of her family home in Lawrence Park. Right at the heart of the moment, the family dog appeared in the doorway, quietly watching the whole thing happen.

I consider frames like this one a gift. You cannot script the family dog, and you cannot ask for it twice. What you can do is be present, stay out of the way, and trust that if you give the day room to breathe, the day will give you these moments back. Almost always, the smallest details are the ones that mean the most years later.

This wedding sat right in the middle of the part of Toronto I know best, and one of the four neighbourhoods (Lawrence Park, Forest Hill, Rosedale, and Leaside) where I spend most of my time now photographing the families who live there.

Location: Private residence, Lawrence Park, Toronto

Location: private residence in Lytton Park, Toronto.