Pam + Steve | A Winter Wedding at Rockport Barn

This was a winter elopement unlike any I've seen or photographed before.

Firstly, I met Pam and Stephen through Heather of Bowtie Services. Heather was Pam and Stephen’s wedding planner, and my heart melted when they chose my portfolio among the ones she’d sent them when picking a photographer.

We had a wedding consultation for them on zoom (because 2021..) and despite it being a virtual consultation, we all had a blast (you can see it on our faces!).

Pam and Stephen have been together for nineteen years. Because they'd both "been there done that" with the big wedding, their vision for this was very simple and clear: gather with their two sons and their son's girlfriend for an outdoor ceremony on the ice at Rockport Barn, take some family photos, and have a cozy dinner.

They also made sure to hire wedding planner Heather (of Bowtie Services) right at the beginning, so that their elopement wouldn't be a series of stressful decisions. In the end, all the details were taken care of, and the couple and their children had a really wonderful afternoon together.

Let’s dive into their elopement day and show you some of the wonderful photos we took.

Getting Ready At The Boathouse Inn

The elopement started at the Boathouse Inn, where the couple got ready. Pam did not wear a dress. Instead, she opted for a beautiful black ski sweater, and over top, she wore a ski jacket and pants.

Visiting Their Favourite Spots In Rockport

After they were dressed, we strolled through Rockport Village, taking in the beautiful wintery scene. Pam and Steve visit this place often, so it holds special meaning to them.

Getting The Jumping Shot!

Even though Quirky Love Couples do not enjoy being posed (which is great because I don’t like to spend a lot of time telling people what to do on their wedding day, and would rather just remember their candid moments instead), there’s one thing that me and Pam and Stephen all agreed on: we all love jumping shots.

Apparently they also take photos of themselves jumping in all the places they visit.

So.. Of COURSE we took a jumping shot under the Rockport sign.

A Lovely Ceremony On The Ice At Rockport Barn

Then we headed to the ceremony venue: Rockport Barn, a short drive away from their Inn.

The ceremony was held right on the ice, which made for slippery conditions, but it was super unique and very fun to shoot. My only concern was not making too much noise while shuffling around the ice in my snow pants, because let’s face it - that’s pretty distracting if you’re trying to get married!

Spending Time With Family Outdoors

Pam and Stephen love the outdoors. They go skiing and biking and hiking, and they also love sitting by the fire. Their love for the outdoors and for winter was why they chose to get married on March 6th, and why a large portion of their elopement day was spent outside.

So once they were legally married, and all the papers were signed, they got to enjoy the fire at Rockport Barn. There was also warm cheese fondue and good conversation.

Inside The Cosy Rockport Barn In Winter

While everyone was dipping into that gooey cheese fondue, I took a little peek inside Rockport Barn to get a sense of what awaited the couple and their family for dinner.

I was immediately blown away. The setting was gorgeous and cosy, intimate and warm, inviting and filled with rich textures and colours. The aroma of dinner being cooked in the kitchen floated by. Erich and Norm, owners of Rockport Barn, were milling around, being wonderfully inviting and friendly, while also making sure dinner was going to be served on time, and all the other arrangements were in place. Such as the beautiful place settings by Jennico Calligraphy.

A Beautiful Winter Day For An Elopement

The Outside Of Rockport Barn was just as glorious. I took a little walk and photographed it from afar, and then from closeby. I couldn’t wait to put those images into an album for Pam and Stephen, and sure enough, that ended up being one of our favourite pages of their album. Here’s what that looked like:

a page out of Pam and Stephen’s wedding album, showing the wintery beauty of Rockport Barn, Mallorytown, Ontario

Couples Photos at Rockport Barn

Because of the gorgeous location, we decided to do a few more photos of Pam and Steve.

(We had initially planned to do some photos of them skating. They had brought their skates, but after the ceremony, we all decided that the ice was a little too slippery, and the cheese fondue was beckoning anyway!)

Cutting The Cake

Some couples, like Pam and Stephen, aren’t too fussed on having particular shots of the cake cutting. In that case, we have a bit of fun with it. We staged a shot, and then also took some photos of just the cake. Because it was gorgeously done by Bread and Butter Bakery.

Capturing Important Details

Each couple can decide what are the most important details to them on their wedding day. It is not our place as photographers to tell folks what is important, and what should be captured. At the same time, it’s really interesting to find out what people want to remember, and why. For instance, Pam has a very special necklace, in which she carries her father’s ashes. She wore it on her wedding day, and we made sure to photograph it, along with her flowers.

The other cool thing we took a photo of was pam’s wedding ‘shoes’. Which were really a pair of black Olang ski boots, which were super cool. The fabulous flowers were from Kingston Flower Market, and they featured heavily in our detail shots that day.

Heading Inside For Dinner

After that, a delicious dinner awaited them inside the cosy barn. Once the family was seated, I stayed for a little bit to capture their conversation. I think it’s important that they have a few candid moments of what that looked like. I didn’t photograph them eating, but I did want to capture a little bit of that scene.

One Of My Favourite Images Of Their Day

This image happened earlier in the day when Pam and Stephen were strolling through Rockport. They paused and sat on one of the benches they frequently use when on their hiking journeys. They love sitting here and enjoying the calmness of the water. I wanted to emphasize how they look at each other - for them to remember how this moment felt. So this is what I focused on in this shot. Not the lake, not the expansive beauty of the place… but rather Pam’s loving gaze at Stephen. ❤️

This was not a conventional elopement in any sense of the word. It was magical and special in every way, and incorporated everything the couple wished for. I’m so happy they chose me to be there, and I’m so very happy we could get it done in between successive lockdowns

This wedding was recently awarded with an elopement award by the Wedding Photojournalist Association. You can read about it here.