Downtown Ottawa NAC Wedding during the Ontario Derecho Storm

An elegant Downtown Ottawa wedding at the National Arts Centre

Ali and Jeremy planned the most beautiful Downtown Ottawa NAC wedding you could imagine! Even while the Ontario derecho storm rolled through the province and caused massive city-wide power outages that knocked down power lines and full-grown trees! If you’re a resident of Ontario, you know exactly which day I’m referring to and I’m willing to bet that you remember exactly where you were when the storm hit your own town. It’s hard to believe how many people were affected (and are still affected) by the storm and the aftermath of days without power…

Speaking of no power, could you imagine being told on your wedding day that the kitchen wouldn’t be able to prepare dinner for your 100+ wedding guests…and that the air conditioning was no longer operational…or that the microphone wouldn’t work for speeches…or that the DJ couldn’t play any music for your grand entrance or first dances…well this was the real life scenario for Ali and Jeremy, after the storm knocked out power to the NAC and most of the downtown core…even with the backup generator running as normal. Thank goodness for Amanda from Chic and Swell and the staff at the National Arts Centre (NAC) for kicking it into high gear and finding every means possible to solve our power problems. It’s rare to see a planner hustle that hard on a wedding day (you guys, Amanda literally found a whole other venue downtown – that had power – which was willing to take all the guests and host the wedding that very same night!). The catering staff at the NAC were also willing to prep all the dinner mains at the Lord Elgin across the road (which, surprisingly, still had power!), just to ensure that the couple and all their guests had amazing food and an incredible experience at the NAC! Guests also pitched in with help, finding a small portable speaker on which to play the couple’s grand entrance music, and the large crowd was always respectful of toasts that were given without the use of a microphone. I have to say – and I have told the couple this myself – that Ali and Jeremy’s grand entrance is probably one of the most special moments I’ve been a part of on a wedding day…I’ve never seen such a welcoming and emotional grand entrance, where their guests cheered not just in celebration of the couple but in support of their wedding day, power outage and all.

One of the craziest things about this stormy wedding day for us, from the perspective of photographers, was how calm and warm the weather was just minutes before and after the storm. You’ll see in these pictures that we had clear skies for much for the morning and then again in the evening (look at how bright the head table is in the O’Born Room when you get to the reception photos)! We managed to take all of the couple’s portraits and wedding party photos outdoors around the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, and – I kid you not – the moment we were done portraits, the heavens opened and the storm came on in full force. It was only once we were inside and dry that we lost power and got the extreme weather alert on our phones (talk about luck…)! It was later revealed that rain was a bit of a tradition on wedding days in Ali’s family, and I think we can all agree that this will definitely be one of those stories they can tell their grandkids!

Here’s to hoping that you and your families are all safe post-derecho! We hope you love this sneak peek into Ali and Jeremy’s Downtown Ottawa NAC wedding!