It was the kind of Muskoka day that makes you slow down on purpose, warm light and big laughs with that quietly electric feeling when a group of people who love each other start to feel like one family. Jenna and Chase chose to get married where they first truly unplugged together at the family cottage, with their reception at Windermere House. The whole weekend felt perfectly at home on the lake.
I have known Windermere House for years and I keep coming back because of the team there. They run weddings with a rare mix of calm professionalism and genuine warmth. The staff were available, accommodating and courteous at every moment. They made the day run smoothly and kept everyone comfortable from rehearsal to last dance. Big thanks to the whole Windermere House team for continuing to make this venue one of my favorite places to work. (See more about Windermere House: https://windermerehouse.com/.)
A little about Jenna and Chase: they met in college in 2014, dorm-hall neighbors who were friends for years before the timing finally clicked. They lived together senior year and, after a long friendship, realized in 2018 that the easy closeness they had always had had quietly become love. Jenna works as a landscape architect and Chase recently completed a master’s in environmental management. Their shared love of place, nature and simple rituals was woven through the day. They keep sentimental corks from meaningful bottles like the one they opened on the boat ride to the reception, and they love designing spaces together, small traditions that felt at home in Muskoka where the cottage was the place they first said “I love you.”
The look and feel of the day was elegant and refined, exactly the kind of gathering that invites real moments. Tanya List and her team did the floral and decor with subtlety and style that complemented the cottage and the hotel (https://www.tanyalist.ca). Sloan Ladouceur of Madeline Hockley helped pull logistics and the flow together so family and friends could simply enjoy each other’s company. The vendor team including decorators, the planner, the venue staff and everyone behind the scenes turned a beautiful idea into an even more lovely reality.
Highlights I loved photographing included their quiet, easy first look where both of them exhaled like the whole day was taking a breath, small family moments on the cottage dock, a duet sung by friends in the bridal party that had everyone smiling and tearing up at the same time, and the dance floor at Windermere House where people met, reconnected and let go, exactly what Jenna and Chase hoped for.
If you were with us that day, thank you for bringing all the warmth and energy. If you were not there, I hope this collection of images gives you a feel for how special this weekend was: a cottage that holds memories, a hotel that makes everyone feel welcome, and two people who made their closest friends and family feel like the real celebration.
If you are looking for a photographer who can see your magic together, reach out!
Cheers,
Ryan
Credits
- Decor & Flowers: Tanya List and her team — https://www.tanyalist.ca
- Wedding Planner: Sloan Ladouceur of Madeline Hockley – https://www.madelinehockley.com
- Hair + Makeup: Corrie Elle – https://corrieelleartistry.com/
- Venue: Windermere House — enormous thanks to an exceptional team — https://windermerehouse.com/
- Video: Jonathan of Raza Films https://raza-films.com
- Guitarist: Toby Ho – TobyHoGuitar.com
- DJ: High Life Event Group – https://www.highlifeeventgroup.com
- Cakes: Comfort Bakeshop – https://www.comfortbakeshop.ca/
- Photography by Rowell Photography.
