Manitoba Legislative Building
Tobi & Emeka

An Afternoon at the Legislature

The Manitoba Legislative Building is one of the most photogenic locations in Winnipeg — and, I'd argue, one of the most underused for wedding photography. Most couples who come here do an engagement session. Tobi and Emeka came the day they got married, which is exactly the right move.

Inside, the central rotunda staircase is unlike anything else in the city. The marble sweeps upward through a vaulted arcade of arches, with wrought-iron balustrades on either side and a lantern window at the top. It's the kind of space where you don't have to do much directing — the architecture does most of the work. We started on the staircase, let the geometry frame the couple against the arches, and then worked through the interior spaces before heading outside to the colonnade.

The exterior colonnade is a different kind of shot entirely. The classical stone carvings above the doors — carved keystones, female figures, ornamental friezes — give these images a texture and weight that feel more like editorial fashion than standard wedding photography. Emeka leaned against a pillar in his navy suit with his sunglasses on and it was one of those frames that doesn't need anything else.

The Fashion

Let's talk about the fashion for a moment, because it deserves its own section. Emeka wore a navy double-breasted suit — peak-lapel, gold crested buttons, sky blue open-collar shirt — with cream white trousers and Gucci loafers. A Rolex on his wrist, gold ring, gold chain. The kind of outfit where every single detail was considered.

Tobi wore a white halter-neck two-piece: a structured peplum bustier top and a fluid satin midi skirt that caught the light when she moved. White ankle-strap stilettos, a delicate gold bracelet, stud earrings. Her blush bouquet — pale pink roses, soft greenery — was the one note of colour.

At some point during the Legislative shoot, they both put on sunglasses. The frames that came from those moments are some of my favourites from the whole day.

Leo Mol Sculpture Garden

Leo Mol Sculpture Garden sits in the northwest corner of Assiniboine Park and doesn't get nearly enough attention as a wedding ceremony location. The garden is named after Leo Mol — Mykhailo Molodozhanyn — a Ukrainian-Canadian sculptor whose bronze figures stand throughout the park. At the centre of the garden is a lily pond, and beside the lily pond is a wooden pergola: a simple, beautifully proportioned structure that filters light and frames two people naturally without requiring any decoration at all.

When Tobi and Emeka arrived with their guests, the space was quietly waiting. No chairs, no aisle runner, no floral arch, no program. Just the couple and the pergola and six people standing on the garden path around the pond.

Seven People and a Lily Pond

The ceremony happened under the wooden pergola with the lily pond directly behind. The officiant stood between them. Lily pads floated. The trees were that particular heavy green of midsummer Manitoba, the kind that only happens in late July when everything has been growing for weeks without pause.

With only seven guests, there was no crowd energy to read, no murmur or movement to work with. The stillness was complete. I stayed back far enough to keep the pond in the frame and moved quietly to get both of their faces as the vows were exchanged. Nobody looked at their phone. Nobody moved early to get a better angle.

Fifteen minutes from start to finish.

After the I Do's

Immediately after the ceremony, Emeka popped a bottle of champagne with the kind of energy that would have soaked anyone standing within three feet. He managed to angle it outward. Barely.

Then they signed the marriage licence — the actual legal document, which is one of my favourite things to photograph because it marks the exact moment the paperwork catches up to everything that just happened emotionally. The ivy-draped pergola was behind them. Tobi looked over at Emeka as he was writing and the expression on her face was one of those things you can't direct.

After that, the portraits loosened up completely. We walked down to the edge of the lily pond. Emeka carried Tobi along the edge of the water. We shot in the shade under the garden trees. And then there were the film frames — a series of close-up moments I process separately, shot on a different profile, with a grain and tonal quality that reads differently from the rest of the gallery. The image of both of them laughing and covering their faces, rings visible, is the one I keep coming back to.

The Film Edit

A selection of frames from the day processed through a film profile — a different grain, a different tonal quality. These tend to be the close-up moments that read well in this medium.