The Mitchell’s Wedding at Calgary’s Carriage House Inn

Troy Getting Ready

We started early in the morning and met Troy at his parents’ house. They have a gorgeous home, with a lovely rock garden in front and a great backyard. We met up with Bob from Dream Day Films and set about getting his shots together so he could head off to give the bride her video interview. Troy began putting together his details, including doing up his cufflinks and tie. After the details, we brought James the ring-bearer in for some shots. The next day was his and his twin’s eighth birthday, and he, along with his family, traveled from Windsor, England, for the wedding. His adorable twin sister Olivia was in the wedding as well, serving as flower girl for Diana.

After getting into their outfits and shoes, the groomsmen presented Troy with a beautiful Fossil watch, whose colors matched the wedding colors of blue and gray. A personalized inscription on the back of the watch face topped it all off. We moved out into the backyard for a few wedding party group photos, with all the groomsmen and Troy’s parents. Having wrapped up the group shots, we headed out to meet with Diana and her bridesmaids.

Diana Getting Ready

The women were all getting ready at Diana’s mother’s house, which was also an incredible space to shoot. They were finishing up hair and makeup with Diana’s talented friend Rosanna.

Down in the basement, a table was covered in sandwich platters and goodies from Tim Hortons to tie the ladies over until the reception. We finished up with hair and makeup shots, then moved upstairs to get photos of the dress.

Once upstairs, it was time for the bride to dress up! She brought her and Troy’s 11-month-old daughter Amelia upstairs to dress up as well. While they were busy with the baby, we photographed the flower girl Olivia admiring the wedding gown. The bridesmaids helped Diana lace up the back of her dress, and then Amelia and her headed out for their family reveal.

Diana wanted a reveal for the entire family, so we gathered them in the seating area downstairs, and followed Diana as she and Amelia made their grand entrance. It was amazing to capture the looks on their faces as they saw the beautiful bride and her adorable little girl!

Their Ceremony at the Knox United Church

For the ceremony, we drove out to the gorgeous Knox United Church in Calgary. After a slight navigational detour, the grooms parents arrived, and it was time for Troy and Diana to get married!

The service by Father Paul was beautiful and began with a reading from First Corinthians. Their mothers lit a unity candle together at the beginning to unify their families coming together as one. His parents walked up the aisle first, with little Amelia in tow. Troy had an emotional moment when he saw his baby girl all dressed up, which we made sure to photograph. To Diana, that moment was more important than his reaction upon seeing his bride!

Then, the whole wedding party led the way down the aisle. The mood shifted, and Diana walked out, accompanied by her brother. Because they lost their father a few years ago, her brother stepped in. Later in her speech, she would mention that though every girl dreams of having her father walk her down the aisle, she was proud her brother could do it for her.

We took a few shots from the amazing balcony space at the Knox United Church, looking over Diana and Troy as they stood in front of Father Paul and pronounced their love. They exchanged vows, the rings came out, they signed their papers, and they were pronounced husband and wife!

After the service, Troy and Diana had a lovely meet and greet with their guests outside the church before heading off to Confederation Park for the formal photos. We started behind the Rosemont Community Association with a big group shot of the whole family. With the help of a few family members, we captured photos of all the family members that came out to celebrate with Diana and Troy.

The Creative Formals at Confederation Park

Once in the park, we found a long bridge spanning the creek. The leaves were full and vibrant, giving gorgeous texture to the backdrops, and making Diana stand out in her vivid white gown. We stood under the bridge on the flat rocks peppered throughout the creek and wrapped up the shoot with a silhouette of the newlyweds sharing a smooch under a huge culvert.

The Mitchell Reception at the Carriage House Inn

The reception was held at the Carriage House Inn, and upon entering, we were amazed at the detail put into the décor. The head chef Lino Savino of the inn, had also organized the décor and planning and put a lot of thought into the look of the space. The team did a fantastic job lighting up the backdrops in the bright blue of Troy and Diana’s wedding palette, as well as matching the table settings and all the other décor to the theme.

To begin the evening, Diana and Troy held a receiving line to greet all their guests. There were cocktails in the Windsor Room, which is a stunning space for a reception. Dinner was a four-course plated meal consisting of balsamic vinaigrette and tomatoes, corkscrew pasta, lamb, and countless other amazing dishes. Before the crème brûlée dessert came out, Troy’s best man got up to say a few words. He touchingly admitted how much he looked up to Troy throughout their lifelong relationship. His sister followed with another heartfelt speech about growing up with Troy, and one of his groomsmen had a few tears during his own speech. He assured everyone that he’d promised himself he wouldn’t cry!

His parents gave a speech, followed by her family. She has a big Italian family, and because some of the guests spoke only Italian, she’s been helping Troy understand the customs. Her brother welcomed Troy to the family, joking that they knew he’d be loyal because he is a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan, a team whose last victory came in 1967. He followed up the joke with another jibe, telling him it might be time to turn over a new leaf and cheer for the Flames. They then presented him with Calgary’s jersey.

Following speeches, Troy and Diana got up to thank everyone for their attendance and love. We sat them down for their same day slideshow, and got quite an audience, as many family members gathered around to watch.

A few games followed the slideshow. One of the ongoing games of the night revolved around clinking glasses, the age-old tradition at weddings. There was a punishment for those who clinked for kisses – the whole table would have to get up and dance! DJ Nico was on the ball all night and played an excellent array of music. As the evening progressed, people began to request songs, and would clink the glasses on purpose! It became a hilarious joke, with the emcees roaming around and clandestinely clinking other people’s glasses.

On the other side of the coin, if people truly DID want to have them share a kiss, there was a soccer game set up. If someone scored a goal, they would share a smooch!

The cake by the Carriage House Inn was a beautiful fondant covered masterpiece, with one layer red velvet, lemon in the other. They cut the cake, and then it was time for the dance.

It was evident right off the bat that they are a family who loves to dance. DJ Nico was great all night, and the lighting tech was excellent at keeping the lights moving. A little Despacito and a twist or two later, the kids tried to get a conga line going around the room. The Macarena possessed a few early eye-rollers who soon found themselves bopping along to the classic party song. Troy, who could be described as reserved, was out tearing up the dance floor! A midnight snack appeared, with macaroons and nachos!

We had a wonderful time at Diana and Troy’s wedding! We hope they enjoy their images as much as we enjoyed photographing them!

Online Gallery

An online gallery of all their images is available for the next 90 days. From the online gallery you are able to favourite images, order prints and share the gallery with your family and friends. The gallery can be accessed via the link below and you can contact the couple directly for their secure password.

The Mitchell Wedding Day Slideshow

Above you will find the Wedding Slideshow that we created from a selection of the best edited photos that we captured on their special day.

Additional Blog Posts for Diana and Troy

In addition to their incredible wedding day celebration, they also have other blog posts you can enjoy. Click the links below to check out those posts.

We are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to share this special day with them and all their family and friends. We wish them many years of happiness together.

Want to share in the experience? Contact us today for a free consultation or click here to book a portrait session! We also have a wickedly fun Calgary Photo Booth that is great for any event as well as Corporate and Event Photography for all sorts of events and corporate functions.

Calgary Wedding Photographers – JM Photography © 2017

The Mitchell Wedding Credits

Date | 8.12.17
Officiant – Paul Mullen
Ceremony Location – The Knox United Church
Reception Venue – Carriage House Inn
Hair and Makeup – Rosanna Jacklin
Wedding Cake – Carriage House Inn
Florist – Pat Weatherly & The Carriage House Inn
DJ – DJ Nico with Audio Were
Videographer – Bob Ramage with Dream Day Films
Photography by Jeremy Martel & Muhammed Alsalim

Learn more about our studio

JM Photography offers Calgary brides the very best in wedding photography! Our unique style and best in class experience is one of a kind. Each wedding is treated with the greatest of care and creativity, resulting in breathtaking imagery. We also offer Calgary newborn photography, capture maternity sessions as well as family portraits.

We are one of the top studios in Western Canada, servicing the Calgary area, including but not limited to, Canmore, Banff, Cochrane, Chestermere, Airdrie, Lethbridge, and Red Deer. We also offer coverage in Edmonton, Vancouver and to destinations worldwide.