Montreal Wedding Planning: An unconventional glossary for memorable wedding celebrations: Letter H: Hearts and Hugs

One of the best things about weddings is the love and emotion. Over the course of the entire day, you may see an entire spectrum of emotion, from the silliest giggles while getting ready with your besties, to all out sobbing when proud papas see their daughter for the first time, looking radiant. To the let-loose, top-of-lung-singing-Bon-Jovi-Livin-on-a-Prayer dance floor party!

It’s a day where human touch is not only accepted but welcomed and embraced. The occasion simply calls for connection, and like Olaf the lovable character from Disney’s Frozen movies, we like warm hugs too!

“You captured our celebration in the most magical way.
I just loved seeing all the emotion on everyone’s faces and
so, so many hugs.”

— Candace and Nick, Chateau Vaudreuil Wedding

How to plan your most hug-worthy wedding:

Consider your wedding guest list

When we are first planning our wedding, we might start with a lot of people on the guest list. Not necessarily because we absolutely need them to be there, but because it’s awkward excluding people. Should you invite co-workers? Friends from the gym? Book club? These decisions can become complicated - what if you have worked with a tight-knit group of colleagues but there are 2 new people that have been recently hired but you don’t know them as well? Splitting groups and making these decisions can bring up feelings of guilt and the perception of feeling judged by those not invited.

Try using the hug-test. Could you imagine being highly emotional and hard-hugging the people currently on your list? If you might give no more than a hearty handshake to someone, it might be a clue that you can continue a relationship with them elsewhere, but simply not on that day. You need to feel at your most comfortable enjoying the day, rather than feeling you must make others feel comfortable. Or worse, feeling that you can’t be fully yourself. It may be hard to fight those feelings of excluding people, but in the end, your enjoyment of your wedding is what matters most. Make you and your fiancé(e) the priority.

Lucy is a

Montreal WEdding Photographer

I’m here to photograph your joy, and [hopefully] make you ugly-cry (even if in private or just on the inside!)

My mission is your dream wedding.

Find out more about Weddings

Consider your venue

Venues vary from grand to intimate, and from very modern to eclectic and rustic. Your choice partially depends on the size of your wedding but once you have established sufficient capacity, you must examine the flavour and energy and assess if a venue fits your vibe. Big-chain hotels offer large and neutral rooms but a benefit is that it may be a great location for you, the budget may be right, or you have option to decorate the room as you wish — a clean slate. A boutique hotel such as Hotel Place D’Armes may offer a warmer and more intimate feeling with cozy lighting, architecture and decor, but may not work for other reasons such as parking challenges or some decor elements not perfectly to taste.

Think about the circumstances where you feel a closeness — a huggability factor — with others. Usually in places that feel familiar such as our childhood home or cottage, a favourite park or hiking spot where you walk your pup, favourite neighbourhood restaurant or pub where you meet friends, in bed when cozy under the covers, or on the family couch where you and your siblings and cousins often stretch out for movies or a hockey game.

While you won’t be holding your wedding in your bedroom, think of those spaces where you feel close and warm and huggy with those around you, and see if you can find those elements translated into a venue. An actual home (your own or a childhood home)? An historic home such as Manoir Grant? Decor that you love? By the water? Remote? Urban and buzzing with energy? For example, even if you needed size for more people, a cozy factor could be brought in with venues that have lounge areas with candles and lounge chairs for guests to settle into. If you spent your childhood toasting marshmallows while camping, a more rustic venue with fire pits and Muskoka chairs might be the flavour that will make you feel most at home and feel that you are wrapped in a hug!

Consider your wedding photography style

If you’re here reading this blog, it may be that you are highly resonating with my style — and like the hugs and connection I’m writing about. If you are considering multiple photographers and you are the hugging type and want to see lots of emotion in your photographs, then this must be an element that you prioritize when evaluating your options. The photographs that tend to be shown on wedding photography websites are typically of the bride and groom, so be sure to either read some real wedding blog posts or ask to see a full wedding gallery, to see how emotion and connection is being captured.