University of Toronto

Sinit and Alex's Eritrean Ecuadorian Wedding at the Royalton and Glendon College

Hi Everyone! Welcome to another blog post on my website. The first one I get to post this year is the beautiful wedding of Sinit and Alex!

St. Basil's Church Wedding Toronto - Eritrean Ecuadorian Bride and Groom - Photos by Toronto based wedding photographer Karimah Gheddai

I met this couple back in 2022. when I had the pleasure of covering their engagement shoot that year. You can see that shoot HERE!

In June of 2023, I was fortunate to cover their beautiful wedding! I have to say this couple is one of the most down to earth, easy going and and fun loving couples that I have ever had the pleasure of capturing.

The wedding day started out at a downtown tower, where I arrived at 8.00 am and was super happy to find both the bride and groom ready to go in their separate suites for the getting ready images. The bride’s beautiful makeup was done by talented M.U.A Tracy K and her hair was styled by BBN Studios.

The church ceremony took place at St. Basil’s Cathedral (part of St Michael’s college at the University of Toronto). You can imagine my happiness when I found out it was only a 5 minute walk from the getting ready location so there was virtually no chance of any of the wedding party or vendors being late/ stuck in traffic.

It was a heartfelt ceremony and I found myself crying with the bride and groom, as they saw each other for the first time while the bride walked down the aisle accompanied by her father. After the church ceremony there was the usual chaos and exuberant joy of family and friends exiting the church behind the bride and groom, however as I had already attended the rehearsal and gave some tips for this portion of the day the bride and groom were ready for the family portraits at a location we selected at the rehearsal. Everything went so smoothly (well except for the fact that the sun decided to be dramatic and change directions every two minutes. I think it just wanted to serenade the couple and their guests with light because it was such a joyous day).

Having spent time with the bride to prepare the photography schedule ahead of the wedding day, we did the photoshoot on the stunning grounds of Glendon college! We made sure to put enough buffer time for the large wedding party and am glad my advice of sticking with the buffer time was adhered to. The bride and groom have such wonderful friends who really made the experience a fun one for the couple. Adding a lovely element to the “lifetime of memories experience”.

The reception took place at the Royalton Banquet Hall. I fell in love with the decor the minute I saw it! A beautiful setup by Babylon Decor!

My personal favourite moment of the evening was the traditional Eritrean entrance, complete with men holding swords and the women drumming away. That was a sight to behold whilst the wedding party were escorted in to the reception hall. I loved it! Well I will let you take a look at the images below and see the beautiful happenings of the day! Please do check out the following vendors as well!

Vendors:

Reception Venue: The Royalton

Ceremony Venue: St. Basil’s Church (part of St. Michael’s College at UofT)

Portraits Location: Glendon College

Melse Venue: The Lithianian Centre

Videographer: PhotoBerhan

Florals and Decor: Babylon Decor

M.U.A: Tracy K

Hair: BBN Studio

Bride;s Dress: The bride’s choice official

Groom’s Suit: The Suit Supply

Wedding Bands: Bobby Ll Toronto

Catering: Tsehaye

Cake: Tatiana Treats 2.0

DJ: Andre Clarke

Second Shooter for Karimah Gheddai Photography: Ali Haider

Assistant for KGP on the Day: Raghav

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Engagement Shoot, Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!

Eritrean Bride getting her makeup done by Toronto based M.U.A Tracy K. Photo by Karimah Gheddai Photography
Eritrean bride getting ready with her sister
Downtown Toronto Wedding
eritrean wedding toronto - eritrean bride - photoby toronto based photographer Karimah Gheddai
St. Basil's Church wedding in Toronto captured by Karimah Gheddai Photography
st basil's church wedding toronto - Photos by Karimah Gheddai
Karimah_Gheddai_Photography_The_Royalton_event_space_Vaughan.jpg
Eritrean Wedding Toronto

The Melse is the traditional Eritrean event that follows a wedding. This Melse happened the day after the wedding. Starting at the getting ready suites and the celeberation venue being at the Lithuanian community centre.

Eritrean Bride at her Melse in Toronto - Photo by Toronto based African Photographer Karimah Gheddai
Eritrean Bride at her Melse in Toronto - Photo by Toronto based African Photographer Karimah Gheddai

Thank you for stopping by to read my latest blog post. I hope you enjoyed looking through the images as much as I enjoyed covering this event and putting together the post. Until next time I hope to see you back here or better yet that we get to work together!

-Karimah

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Engagement Shoot, Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!

Akira and Tolbert's Engagement Photos - Three Unique Toronto Locations and Three Different looks - One King West Hotel, University of Toronto and the Scarborough Bluffs

Hi Everyone! Welcome to another blog post on my website! I am always super happy to share images from shoots I have worked on, and today I get to share some gorgeous shots of a most stunning couple! Eeeeh!!.

Akira and Tolbert are one of my 2023 wedding clients and I am so excited to showcase their engagement photos that we did last year! They are a fun and easygoing couple who really allowed me to use my creativity for their shoot. Creativity such as utilizing some purple gelled OCF lights for some photos! It was my first time using this photography technique and I loved it!

Being engineers, this couple are also the definition of black excellence and I am just so inspired! I honestly can’t wait to work with them again for their summer wedding (God willing).

We started off the shoot at the lovely, luxurious and historic One King West Hotel. Located in the downtown of Toronto, this hotel features some cool interior spaces for photos, including a bank vault once considered the “safest bank vault in Canada”. This vault has also been featured in a few Hollywood movies! Another neat feature at the hotel is the grand staircase and it’s amazing chandeliers. One really feels like a movie star when walking through these areas! I have to say I often feel lucky as a wedding photographer that I get to experience all these fascinating spaces in our amazing city of Toronto. I honestly don’t think I would have experienced as much as I have if I was not a photographer.

Our second location was the University of Toronto’s St. George campus downtown. This is the couple’s alma mater and where they both met while studying Engineering! One of the best parts about this portion of the shoot was the cool UofT OVO jackets that the couple wore! Any Drake fans here?

Our last photoshoot location was the Scarborough bluffs. We initially intended to go down to the usual scenic spots at this location however by the time we arrived it was getting dark, and was really foggy. Thus we deemed it not very safe and decided to stick with capturing some images in the fog. It turned out to be so dreamy. I loved it! One thing I love to do as a photographer is to challenge myself to shoot familiar locations in a different manner each time and I think I did just that!

Below are some of the lovely people that were instrumental in helping this shoot come together! Please do check out their pages and show some love to the vendors!

Planner: Events by Joycelyn

Makeup Artist: Eminent Allure

Nails: @ Chloe8326

Akira’s Hair: Laced't. by Omoteey

Locations:

One King West Hotel (Downtown Toronto)

University of Toronto

Scarborough Bluffs

If you would like to book me for your 2023 Wedding, E-Shoot or Event then get in touch HERE!

Couple in front of Chandelier at One King West Hotel
One King West Engagement shoot
One King West hotel Engagement Shoot Grand staircase
Black couple engagement photoshoot at One King West Hotel in Toronto Canada - Hairstyle inspiration for engagement shoot
A kiss on the hand photo - One king West engagement shoot
Black powerhouse couple at their e-shoot at One King West Hotel in Toronto Ontario
Black couple engagement photoshoot at One King West Hotel in Toronto Canada - Hairstyle inspiration for engagement shoot photography by black wedding photographer Karimah Gheddai
Black powerhouse couple at their e-shoot at One King West in Toronto Ontario - Bank Vault
Black powerhouse couple at their e-shoot at One King West in Toronto Ontario
Black Canadian couple at One King west for engagement photoshoot bank vault and chandeliers
Black couple engagement photoshoot at One King West Hotel in Toronto Canada - Hairstyle - outfit inspiration for engagement shoot photography by black wedding photographer Karimah Gheddai
Black couple engagement photoshoot at One King West Hotel in Toronto Canada - Nails inspiration for engagement shoot photography by black wedding photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto Memorial Hall for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
University of Toronto engagement shoot with couple in their OVO jackets photo by Toronto based black photographer Karimah gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai fall leaves
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto (engineering building) for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Couple in their custom OVO jackets at University of Toronto for their engagement shoot by Toronto based black photographer Karimah Gheddai
Memorial Hall University of Toronto Engagement shoot
Memorial Hall University of Toronto engagement shoot
Fall photos at the Scarborough bluffs by Toronto based black wedding photographer Karimah Gheddai
Fall photos at the Scarborough bluffs by Toronto based black wedding photographer Karimah Gheddai
Fall photos at the Scarborough bluffs by Toronto based black wedding photographer Karimah Gheddai
Fall photos at the Scarborough bluffs by Toronto based black wedding photographer Karimah Gheddai fall leafs
Fall engagement photos black couple at the Scarborough bluffs
Fall photos at the Scarborough bluffs by Toronto based black and African wedding engagement photographer Karimah Gheddai

Thank you for stopping by my page and going through my latest blog post! I hope to see you back here soon! or better yet that we get to work together!

-Karimah

If you would like to book me for your 2023/ 2024 Wedding, E-Shoot or Event then get in touch HERE!