Drake Hotel Wedding — Ryanne Hollies Photography -

A wedding that didn’t at all happen as planned turned out to be the most perfect day for Mara and Johnny. There had been a last minute venue change, as the bride and groom moved their wedding plans to the Drake Hotel on Queen West. If you’ve been to the Drake Hotel you know it’s just quintessentially Toronto. The Sky Yard patio is nestled in a sea of skyscrapers and gives you that full on urban city vibe. The decor is the best intersection of modern and cool; edgy enough but tasteful and artistic. It’s a place that feels like a boutique hotel done right, from menu to the ambiance, right down to the Photo Booth in the lobby.

Now, Mara and Johnny are two people of impeccable taste and style. I mean, I wouldn’t expect much less from an interior designer and a connoisseur of high quality furniture. If you haven’t seen it already, we did a really fun and low-key couples session with Mara and Johnny in their home and neighbourhood a year ago to their wedding day. We got the chance to showcase their stylish home that they had carefully curated over the years and document the neighbourhood that they’ve spent years together in. To see all the photos, click here. We knew after that day (well, actually the moment we showed up at their place) that Mara and Johnny’s wedding would be a stylish, fun-loving, and a chill AF day.

Boy, did they deliver. Down to every detail, the bride and groom carefully made choices that reflected who they are as a couple and individuals while also making the day relaxing and fun for every single one of their guests. Their ceremony was personalized by challenging each other to a game of rock, paper, scissors to see who got to read their vows first and having their family and friends in attendance sing a traditional Ukrainian song for them just before they were pronounced husband and wife. Oh, and they also had a close friend officiate their ceremony to keep it natural and close to home.

It didn’t stop there, the bride and groom had a Land Rover Defender 90 as their getaway car (courtesy of Johnny’s friend and colleague). They filled it with flowers by the talented Cool, Green, and Shady and drove around the west end in pure style. It was the perfect accessory to snap some photos with and completely matching the blend of modern and vintage aesthetic that truly represented the mood, atmosphere and overall vibe of the wedding. At the reception it was clear they had thought out all the little details. Their unique seating chart had vintage cars instead of table numbers, there was a memory table showcasing beautiful photos of loved ones at their own weddings, and of course a cute polaroid snap of their beloved cat, Nola.

As the night went on, dinner filled with laughter, hilarious kissing games ensued, and a fun trivia game came (that showcased the Groom’s never ending sense of of style), everyone in attendance was in a festive spirit, leading into the dancing portion of the wedding. Now this wasn’t just an ordinary dance floor - the traditional Ukrainian dancing took centre stage as all the uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews showed off their crazy incredible talents. I’ve never seen anything like it and we were in awe of the moves that were being pulled out, it was cirque du solei-esque, a blend of artistry and athleticism not unlike watching the ballet. People were jumping 6 feet in the air, standing on their heads, and performing basically choreographed moves (without any rehearsal or planning). The energy of this moment was so high, the dance floor was buzzing and everyone , even the non-Ukranians in attendance, were joining in on the fun.

Before we headed out, we gave Mara and Johnny a breather from the intense dance party and went and hung out in the lobby of the Drake Hotel for a few moments alone. They made sure to make some memories in the photo booth and gave us all the late night after party vibes we could ask for. Mara had changed into her second look (the party dress) and Johnny went jacket-less - two looks that just worked for the artistic space of The Drake Hotel and not at all surprising considering how cool and stylish Mara and Johnny are in their every day life.

It’s not rare that we meet people that we really connect with through this career as wedding photographers, but every time it happens I’m a little surprised and a whole lot grateful. The idea of creating these photos and documenting these memories for two people who I’ve gotten to know pretty well over the last two years added another depth, a new layer of meaningful for me as the photographer.