Wedding Vendors

Venue: The Drake Devonshire
Flowers: Flowers by Marvin
Makeup: Melanie Sleep
Suit: Holt Renfrew
Officiant: Peg Evans
Cake: Teri Loves Cakes
Photography: Diego and Liza Photography

Same-Sex Drake Devonshire Wedding

Driving into Prince Edward County for the wedding of Joe & Glenn at the Drake Devonshire, I knew I was in for a treat. Prince Edward County is known for its wineries, an exciting art community, awesome restaurants and festivals, and gorgeous landscapes and waterfront views. The Drake Devonshire, an award-winning waterfront boutique hotel, perfectly captures the essence of Prince Edward County. It offers a modern take on the traditional country inns with incredible architectural design, unique artwork, and custom designed furniture; stunning lake views; and drinks and food menus that are absolutely out of this world. When you combine an amazing and fun-loving couple, such as Joe & Glenn, with a venue as quirky, romantic, and luxurious as the Drake Devonshire, the day is guaranteed to be remarkable.

Getting Ready in the Owner’s Suite at the Drake Devonshire

Joe & Glenn got ready together in the astounding Owner’s Suite, a luxurious space with a large private balcony and breathtaking views of Lake Ontario. When I arrived at the suite, Joe & Glenn’s babes of honor were downstairs getting their hair and makeup done, so I still had the guys to myself for a short bit. Since they hadn’t showered or shaved yet, I proposed shower shots. After just a few moments of consideration, they both excitedly jumped (literally) into the shower with lots of laughter and giggling. Note to self, jumping in the shower is as dangerous as they say – luckily, there were no injuries and just loads more laughter.

The babes of honor came up to help Joe & Glenn get dressed once Melanie Sleep, the incredibly lovely and passionate makeup artist, finished applying all the final touches. As Joe & Glenn changed out of their custom embroidered groom robes and into their snazzy tuxedos, the girls broke out a bottle of bubbly, which of course resulted in just bigger smiles and much much more giggling from everyone.

Earlier in the morning, Joe & Glenn requested I capture their exquisite red-soled shoes at some point in the day. Just before heading outside for their couple portraits, Joe & Glenn presented us with the perfect opportunity for this epic shot - while they were enjoying the lake views with a glass of bubbly in hand and their feet up, their red-soled shoes popped in the sun. We knew this was our chance to capture the awesomeness of their shoes but we had to wait for the right moment. A quick kiss and a clink of the glasses was it, and an epic award-winning shot was made!

Couple Portraits at the Drake Devonshire Gardens

The grounds at the Drake Devonshire are as fun and unique as the inside. The gardens are lush and green, a wooden bridge offers seating and views towards the lake, and a quirky wall mural matches the vibrancy of the art and decor of the hotel, all acting as the perfect backdrop for portraits. While we had to work very quickly as the mosquitoes were merciless and we couldn’t risk our grooms getting bit before their ceremony, Joe & Glenn’s chemistry during their portraits was nonetheless palpable. We often have to remind our couples to keep their hands on each other during portraits, but that wasn’t the case with these two. They happily embraced and exchanged kisses, giddy with excitement as guests started to arrive for their ceremony.

Ceremony at the Drake Devonshire

One of the things that the Drake Devonshire prides itself on is bringing people together, and seeing all the guests at Joe & Glenn’s wedding ready to witness these two wonderful humans say I do was definitely a testimony to just that. The dining room at the hotel where the ceremony was going to take place was full to the brim with guests beaming with happiness as the babes of honor, with lovely bouquets from Flowers by Marvin, walked down the aisle, with the grooms close behind. Officiating the ceremony was Peg Evans, whose warm and personal approach was the perfect addition to this intimate ceremony, making us feel like everyone in that room was one big family. But of course, it’s the undeniable chemistry between Joe and Glenn, who stood hand in hand in front of all their loved ones, proclaiming their eternal love for one another, that was the highlight of the ceremony. We couldn’t help but also tear up along with the rest of the guests as vows were exchanged and many happy tears were wiped away. This ceremony went straight for the feels.

Reception at the Drake Devonshire

Before joining their guests for a romantic and intimate dinner, we stole Joe and Glenn away for a quick portrait session on the patio. The patio backs right onto the shore and has the best sunset views overlooking the lake. Inside, the guests were eagerly awaiting for Joe and Glenn to kick off a night of wining, dining, and lots of dancing, but with we simply could not ignore the gorgeous lighting the sunset was offering us. As the sun continued to set, all the quirky light fixtures adorning the dining room lit up. The warm, low lighting in the space created a magically romantic glow inside, perfect for highlighting the speeches, which were equally fun, sweet, and warmed the soul.

Soon after dinner plates and tables were cleared, and the beautiful succulent-themed cake by Teri Loves Cake was sampled (that cake topper with the little Chihuahua is everything!), it was dancing time! Joe and Glenn shared their first dance together while being serenaded by friends, making it that much more sweet and special. The best part of the evening though, besides all the awesome dance moves we saw on the dance floor that night, was the surprise dance performance Glenn and the babes planned for Joe. With confetti cannons for the grand finale that were met with a look of sheer delight from Joe, we can safely say that Glenn succeeded in surprising him.

Joe and Glenn, we feel so lucky to have been a part of such an intimate and joyous celebration of your love. For that, we thank you!

Hugs and Kisses!