Speechless; jaw on the floor - that was my initial reaction when I saw Whispering Springs on a warm fall day while doing some location scouting with Melissa & Kevin shortly before their wedding.
Whispering springs is the brainchild of Nancy & John. They had been dreaming up of building Whispering Springs, a part serenity glamping experience, a part the ultimate outdoor wedding and elopement destination, for decades. This dream had become a reality in 2018 and this little piece of heaven on earth was developed.
What makes this place so amazing aside from the gorgeous nature scene and the very unique approach to experiencing the outdoors is the hospitality. The warm welcomes and the site tour given by Nancy herself are something that in my experience is left to be desired at many other venues.
Melissa & Kevin -
A fairytale location deserves a fairytale story. Melissa & Kevin officially met on E-Harmony. Little did they know for years they used to spend time at cottages on the same lake just down the road from each other. They unofficially met at the Beer Store in Gravenhurst where Melissa was working during the summer, it was fate then that they would reconnect.
The day started with the ladies and gentlemen getting ready at separate tents; these tents are massive and accommodate a group getting ready really well. After a few detail photos and video clips we were shuttled via golf carts to forest chapel. In the forest there were multiple signs and candles lighting the path.
- From a photographers perspective what I absolutely love about the forest chapel (aside from the fact that it looks amazing) is the very even lighting. Because the trees are so tall and dense the light that gets down to the bottom is very soft and is mainly free of very harsh sunspots. This is a challenge in most outdoor ceremonies and what ends up happening is that either some or all of the bridal party/guests are either in the harsh sun or shade.
After the ceremony we did the family formals in the forest and then caught the golf carts back and did the bridal party photos by the pond. Since we had a very limited amount of time we strategically planned to do Melisa & Kevin's photos at A. the Bridge B. the Swing and C. with the horses. These 3 areas were relatively near by and were the most important to Melissa and Kevin.
After a grand entrance into the reception and a few speeches we went back out into the field to catch the sunset. Although there was a bit of an overcast and we didn't quite get the perfect sunset the photos are some of my favourites as the colours, tones and the atmosphere created a completely different feel.
The rest of the reception was filled with fun stories, drinks, laughter and tears. As the temperatures dipped the space heaters came on and added to the ambiance of this beautiful fall wedding at Whispering Springs Wilderness Retreat.
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