Sarah & Sajid together, are possibly the sweetest couple there ever was. They are so entirely joyful, kind, generous and loving! We first met at Starbucks and over some coffee and scones, right away Sarah told me to that she had been following my work for a long time, and that we had even gone to High-school together. Her family had moved back to Toronto and she was a couple grades below, so we would not have crossed paths. Even so, I felt like we connected right away, but she also told me something so humbling, and that is that I was an inspiration to her in a way! (How do you even respond when someone says that to you?). Sarah had seen me (as a hijab wearing girl) play on our soccer team, and that made her feel as if she could achieve her own goals. It means a lot to me that I could inspire anyone, and I was so happy to hear this from her!
When their wedding day rolled around it was a few weeks after I had broken a bone in my foot and found myself in an air cast, but that wouldn’t stop me from shooting their beautiful wedding.
I arrived at Sarah’s home, and as usual began with all the details. This is usually my only chance really to get photos of the gown before the bride puts it on! Sarah’s outfit was so stunning, the crinkle chiffon studded with hand stitched gold details. The edges were heavily embroidered with even more glistening gold over a deep navy velvet and scattered jewels. Her jewelry set was even more intricate, set with ruby red stones. I don’t know that words would do it justice! The best part of the wedding day details, would have to be the hand drawn monogram, made by Sajid himself. From the invitation, to all the wedding reception stationery – Sajid did it all. As a gift to his bride, you’ll see the stunning painting he created with their monogram as well.
After the prep, we arrived a little earlier to the first look location – something that we decided to do last minute. It was the first time I had a couple do a back to back first look, and it was absolutely perfect – I think the photos speak for themselves. The reception included a giant jenga game, a caricature artist, a silent auction, a coloring station for the little kids (and they named it after the bride’s baby sister!) – everything was designed to make it entertaining and engaging so that they could interact with their guests all night! It wasn’t without it’s fair share of emotional moments though. The speeches had me in tears, especially when hearing from Sarah’s parents & sister. The reception ended with with a very emotional rukhsati, when the bride’s father gives her away for the final time and both families walk out of the venue together and send the couple off. Congratulations to Sarah & Sajid, thank you for having me!
Sarah & Sajid’s Wedding Team:
Photography: Photography by Emma
Wedding Gown: Kohinoor
Hijab Styling& Make-up: Brintha
Bridal Jewelry: Geetanjali
Bride & Grooms Shoes: Call It Spring
Groom’s watch: Fossil watch from The Bay
Officiant: Imam Yusuf Badat
Ceremony venue: Islamic Foundation
Reception Venue & Catering: Markham Convention Centre
Decor & Wedding Coordinator: Rangeen Weddings
Seating chart: Bride and Groom
Wedding Cake Bakery: Adibakes
Photo Booth: Hashtag Booth
Caricature Artist: Oddnogginz.com
Second Photographer: Sean Deakin
