An Intimate Wedding on a Private Island in Lake of the Woods

There’s something about arriving at a wedding by boat that immediately slows everything down. Tucked away on a private island in Lake of the Woods, Tanessa and Brayden’s wedding day felt peaceful and grounded from the moment I stepped off the dock.

Only immediate family was there. No big guest list, no formal timeline, just a lakeside cabin, the people who mattered most, and a quiet sense of togetherness that set the tone for the entire day.

There’s also a story behind how I came to photograph this wedding, and while I’ve gone back and forth on whether to share it, it feels right to say this: Tanessa and Brayden had originally booked my friend Cynthia to photograph their day. She was someone I admired deeply. When she passed away just a few weeks before the wedding, and I happened to still have the date available, I was honoured to step in. It was emotional. We didn’t avoid the topic, Cynthia was on all our minds that day, but we held that grief gently and still celebrated fully. I thought of her often throughout the day, and I know this wedding meant a lot to everyone who was there.

After a lakeside ceremony and some portraits around the island, the day ended in the best possible way: Tanessa and Brayden jumping off the dock together into the lake, laughing and soaked and completely in the moment. It was such a perfect way to close out a wedding that felt free spirited, meaningful, and completely true to them.