rachel & dylan's wedding weekend at arowhon pines

rachel & dylan are a warm hug on a cold day and their weekend was the literal embodiment of that sentiment, as the overnight temperatures crept towards freezing that first weekend in september for their wedding. champagne was popped as everyone arrived friday night, we watched the clouds go pink over the lake and warmed up near the fire at night. the next morning, rachel & dylan along with two best friends signed the papers on a quiet dock and jumped in the lake to seal the deal. later everyone gathered under the trees as dylan's uncle presided over their ceremony, we ate the best food, and danced well into the night to the best playlist put together by rachel's brother. 

driving down the dirt path off highway 60 in algonquin park towards arowhon pines feels like a reset button. it winds on and on and you wonder if you've somehow missed a turn. the light dapples in through the trees overhead and you feel your heart rate slowing and your breaths getting deeper. the dark brown log cabins with the iconic old algonquin red roofs and a glistening lake greet you at the end. the staff welcomes you in and you feel like family from the get go. each wonderful meal seeps into the next, and somehow the hours slip by. my words fail to describe what a special place they've made at arowhon pines & i am so grateful rachel & dylan's wedding brought us there.   

see the whole day after the jump!

       

laura & paul, and their outdoor wedding at the portage inn in muskoka

 we admit... we kind of want to be laura & paul when we grow up. they are both wildlife biologists, they go on camping trips to yoho in alberta and hornstrandir in iceland (to name but a few), they both hold their own taking awesome landscape & wildlife photos, they sing together (and star on their own youtube channel) & are the sweetest pair you'll ever come across.after a few emails, we arranged a skype call with laura & paul in their winnipeg home, us in our toronto one. we got on the call & it felt like talking to old friends.we arrived the night before the wedding to the portage inn in muskoka, just steps away from algonquin provincial park. champagne was popped and everyone who had already arrived for the weekend were welcomed around a long table outside on the lawn. we sat next to paul's parents, and felt like old friends as the sun went down and the lights twinkled overhead.the next morning, wildflowers lay across the tables & lights were being strung across the tent. everyone pitched in, whether it was paul's dad stringing up the lights, laura's brothers and girlfriends setting the tables, or laura's mom and their friends arranging the vases. paul and his dad went into the woods and found a dead birch tree and constructed an arbour. and when everything was set, paul and laura quietly got ready with dave and i, and we took some photos in among the trees before the ceremony got underway.all the parents cried seeing their kids get married; later, paul mixed cocktails for everyone; even later, paul, laura and several family members and friends played an open mic session after dinner (including several songs written specially for the occasion and paul's brother tommy playing one of his favourite disney songs)... i could go on, but i think it's time to let the photos do the talking, or if you prefer to watch the day in action, a stop motion video below set to the voices & sounds that made the day.we can't even think about it without grinning like idiots.

shoutouts to : linda watt as their lovely officiant / rene for the gorgeous vegetarian meal / the portage inn for the amazing setting 

music in the video performed by : laura & paul (moon song from the her soundtrack), and their two good friends who both wrote the songs they performed (!!)

see more muskoka weddings we’ve photographed here, here & here

need more? here's paul & laura's youtube .