If you ever meet Samantha and John, their vibe is chill and cozy. They had planned an engagement session on the beach, but the weather wouldn’t cooperate. The rainfall had flooded the beach, and every day we attempted to go it would rain again. So they started thinking about an indoor location. That’s when Samantha was hit with inspiration. As avid movie goers, film was one of the things that connected them as a couple and she wanted to incorporate it into their session somehow. As an actress, Samantha had performed at the beautiful Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre. It was the perfect place to capture their story.
Walking into the theatre and seeing the stained glass windows, red carpet, and gold fixtures felt like stepping onto a movie set. The century-old theatre felt so lovingly preserved, it was easy to marvel at the details. We felt like kids running around stopping every so often to look at posters and the names of playwrights on the walls.
Samantha and John filled the empty space with their warmth. They nuzzled under the arches and steamed up the vintage elevator. Near the end of our session, Samantha came up with an idea for a shot. John would lift her up in front of the ticket booth entrance of the theatre. It was lunchtime in central downtown, so as you can imagine the streets were filled with people. Sam and John waited for a moment when the crowd cleared, and I did a risky run into the middle of the road to get the right shot. It was all worth it, because the result was something straight out of the movies.
Samantha and John’s Toronto engagement session is featured in The Wedding Co. Take a look at the feature here.