The Getting Ready Photos

The preparation time, the day of the wedding, is a major part of any wedding and as such needs to have a plan that will allow you to get through it and enjoy every part of all its hectic, memory filled moments.

As important as the make up, the hair, the shoes, the jewellery and the gown are, the location of the "Getting Ready" time is really crucial to making your day truly special. 

When you consider how much you have spent on the wedding, the ceremony and the reception and then think that close to a quarter of the pictures that are taken (and will probably be the most personal for you and your family) are the ones during the "Getting Ready" moments, then giving more thought to the location and how it will appear, is well worth the advance effort.

Need an extra pin to hold that piece of fabric that seemed to fit perfectly just the day before? That is easy to find, if you are in your parents' home or some familiar location, but then maybe your home is not big enough to accommodate the bridal party. 

What about a rented hotel room, suite or even a whole rented house for the party to get ready?

Whatever the locale, it should be where you can be happy and comfortable with your family and attendants during these exciting few hours.

Here are just a few ideas to help you get this all to work and accommodate the taking of some great photographs to help keep these memories alive:

- when you have your pictures taken the rooms with a lot of natural light will give you the best and most pleasing shots. Don't forget the outside if the locale permits and the weather cooperates!

- let your bridesmaids know when they should be ready. It is really lovely when the bride's mother and bridesmaids are all dressed when they are there to help you get the jewellery and that all important dress on for the first time that day. The emotions always overflow at this time and make for some of the most touching photos which you will treasure forever.

- try to keep the area as clean and neat as possible - clothes and bags all over the bed and dressers do not make for the best shots when you are looking at them after the fact.

- the theme or style of your wedding should be reflected in the "Getting Ready" pictures as well as the ceremony, bridal party and reception photos. If you are having an outdoor wedding at the beach, then the preparation location could have some decorations that would reflect this as well.

- often having the right "props" available can be great for a special photo. Plastic hangers can really ruin an otherwise nostalgic "dress" shot, so make sure you have a nice hanger near by. What about a mirror? It could be a large fancy one, but small hand held mirrors can often do just as well.

Need a Caterer?

Looking for a great Caterer to cater your wedding either indoors or outside? Jeanne's of West Amherst, here near the Nova Scotia/New Brunswick border, is a great one to try out. Her Decorative Cakes and Catering service are by far one of the best in this province. As a wedding photographer I get to try out a lot of different meals and wedding set ups by businesses around the province and Jeanne's has always held a place of high regard in my mind. The wedding couples who I have had the pleasure of working with over the years have also echoed this complement.

A Few Recent Shots

Another busy summer wedding season. A few samples of two of the weddings I attended are seen here. The first was a beautiful wedding deep within the wonderful Victoria Park in Truro. This unique setting is a true treasure in the heart of Truro, N.S. and lends itself as a gorgeous backdrop to any summer wedding.

The second set of photos was captured on a glorious August day on the Northumberland Shore, at the Northumberland Links Golf Course. After photographing the bride getting ready at the world famous Fox Harbour Golf Resort and Spa we drove to Northumberland Links for the wedding service and then pictures along the shore. 

Thanks goes out to both these couples for allowing me to photograph their special day.

Winter Splendour

Getting out each winter is one of the great joys of a photographer. And these last few years I have had a great time capturing the beauty of our part of Nova Scotia. Although this winter has been less severe, it has, nevertheless, provided us with some beautiful scenes to photograph.

Along the Northumberland Strait lies a park called Tidnish Docks. In the summer it is a favourite spot for swimming and sunbathing but each winter it transforms into a haven for photographers as the above photo attests.

Here the mighty Birches reach for the heavens!

Shadows draped across fields of pristine snow are one of the purest expressions of Nature's glory we are ever privileged to behold.

Between Amherst and Springhill we have an area called Fenwick. Here the woods are filled with Maple trees and each Spring the sap runs freely to the many Sugar Camps. But it is also home to numerous other varieties such as Beech, Birch and some fir. Here the trails lay laden with a heavy load of newly fallen snow.

Winter dons her cloak of white to beautify anything it touches.

Like a winter's canopy the branches of this mighty Spruce are spread wide and high.

Near Tidnish this river meets the ocean as it flows beneath its winter's mantle.

One of the most beautiful trees in the winter - White Birches!

Brides by M.F. Gaul Photography

I've been busy the past few weeks but finally got time this evening to add this post to the Blog. 


Over the past few years I have been fortunate to photograph some very beautiful brides. I thought I would like to share some of them with you today. These brides were mainly from weddings I photographed in Nova Scotia but some were also from the Moncton area of New Brunswick.

Cumberland Sugar Woods

Every March and April we celebrate the products of our Maple Woods here in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. On any given Saturday or Sunday there is no trouble finding the most popular camps, as both sides of the road are usually lined with cars spewing forth their loads of eager visitors. During these months I make my yearly trek as well to the sugar camps in the Fenwick hills just outside Amherst.


Maple Lane boasts not one but three bustling camps along its snow and sometimes mud lined path. The Thompson Family camp is just a short two or three minute walk on the right. The Donkin Sugar Camp is about five minutes further along on the left and for those that are out for a real sugar camp experience the half hour walk to the Ripley Sugar Camp is well worth the effort.


Even though I have visited these woods numerous times in the sugaring off season, as well as in the deep of winter on snowshoes, I never fail to capture something new and exciting. From children enjoying the sweet joys of Maple Taffy, old fashion spigots and metal sap pails to the steaming vats of maple syrup - there are photographic treasures to be had at every turn.


I hope you like the sampling of my more recent visits that I have posted here.


To see the full gallery of Sugar Woods pictures, please click on the link. To get back to the BLOG just  click the BACK arrow on your browser.

Sugar Woods Visit Slideshow.

Parrsboro to Advocate Harbour

The trails of Cumberland will lead you to some of the most interesting and photographic locations in our province. Every fall I like to take a drive along some of its most note worthy paths. The drive from Parrsboro to Advocate is especially breath taking in October. Here are a few of the many scenes I have captured as I drove along Route 209 on my way to Advocate Harbour.