A&M’s wedding started with Mario Kart at GRETA Arcade Bar and ended with a surprise drag performance by Kara Melle at Village Loft.
So yes, it was a very good day.
The whole wedding had such a fun, colourful, big-personality energy. Their wedding party, siblings, and best friends were all so close, and you could feel it right away. Everyone was playing arcade games together, cheering each other on, laughing between portraits, and just fully in it from the beginning.
It was chaotic in the best way. Everyone was laughing, cheering, playing games, and constantly being surprised by all the little things A&M had planned throughout the day. It felt so personal to them, but also so thoughtful for everyone in the room. The kind of wedding where the guests were not just watching the day happen, they were part of it.
Starting the Day at GRETA Arcade Bar in Downtown Toronto
A&M started the day at GRETA Arcade Bar in downtown Toronto, and honestly, it could not have fit them better.
Their wedding party, siblings, and best friends were already playing games, cheering each other on, and moving around the space while we were taking portraits. It made the whole morning feel so alive. There was always something happening in the background, someone laughing, someone walking into a photo, someone reacting to a game.
And then there was A&M, fully in their wedding outfits, playing Mario Kart like it was the most normal thing in the world.
That is what made this part of the day so fun to photograph. We did not have to make the space feel exciting. It already was. GRETA gave the morning this colourful, slightly chaotic energy that felt so true to them and the people around them.
For a non-traditional Toronto wedding, I loved that the day started somewhere that actually felt like them. Not a quiet room where everyone was waiting around, but a space where their closest people could hang out, play, laugh, and already feel part of the celebration.
Arriving at Village Loft
After Greta, A&M headed to Village Loft in a limo with their wedding party.
Before the ceremony, they had a first look with their parents outside the venue. After the loud, colourful energy of the arcade, it felt like such a sweet pause in the day. Everyone got a quieter moment together before heading inside, and I loved that they had that time with their parents before the ceremony started.
Inside, their family and wedding party helped bring the room together. Decorations were set out, Lego flowers went onto the tables, and everyone helped assemble the donut tower before guests arrived.
Animated Character Table Cards, Lego Flowers, and Personal Details
At the reception, A&M had table cards with pictures of animated characters they love, from Pac-Man and Hello Kitty to Howl’s Moving Castle, Mario and Peach, and more.
Lego flowers filled each table, adding so much colour and personality to the room. Their Mario and Peach wedding topper fit right in with the rest of the day.
I loved how specific everything felt to them without needing a big explanation. Details like this say so much right away: what they watch, what makes them laugh, what they grew up with, and the little pieces of their world they wanted to share with everyone there.
A Donut Tower Everyone Was Excited For
A&M had a donut tower waiting for guests later in the night, and before everyone arrived at Village Loft, the groom’s brothers helped piece it together.
They gathered around the table, stacking donuts, fixing little details, laughing, and making sure it was ready. It was such a fun little moment to see, and it made the donut tower feel even more personal.
Later in the night, guests were so excited to grab one. And honestly, hard to go wrong with a tower of donuts.
A Village Loft Reception That Felt Like a Big Party
At our discovery call, A&M said they wanted their wedding to feel like a big party with all their favourite people, and that is exactly what it became.
Once guests arrived at Village Loft, the room filled up fast with friends, family, colour, and so much energy. The night opened with a surprise drag performance by Kara Melle, and everyone was cheering, laughing, filming, and fully in it before dinner had even started.
After that came speeches from their best friend, brother, and parents. There were funny stories, sweet moments, and so many reactions around the room. You could tell how loved A&M are by the way people spoke about them, but also by how everyone showed up: helping with details, cheering during games, laughing through speeches, dancing hard, and celebrating them fully.
A&M are the kind of people who make you feel like you’ve known them longer than you have. They are easy to talk to, funny, stylish, and always making everyone around them feel included. We feel really lucky this wedding brought them into our lives, and even luckier that we now get to call them friends.
Then came dinner, dancing, and the rest of the night feeling exactly how they hoped it would: loud, full, fun, and surrounded by people who were ready to celebrate them properly.
Disposable Cameras at the Wedding
We brought disposable cameras for the day, and since we were not there for the getting-ready part, it was so fun to see those photos afterwards.
That is what I love about disposable cameras at weddings. You get to see the day from your favourite people’s perspective, and they always show a different side of the celebration. The funny angles, the blurry hugs, the table moments, the photos taken by someone who was right in the middle of it.
They are not perfect photos, and that is why they feel so good.
For A&M’s wedding, the disposable camera photos fit so well. The whole day already had this fun, colourful, nostalgic energy, and the guest photos added another layer to it.
A different way of remembering the same day.
The Kind of Dance Floor You Wanted to Join
By the time the dance floor started, everyone was ready to party.
There were dance battles, people getting lifted up, friends circling around A&M, and so many amazing dance moves happening all at once. Every time you looked across the room, someone was cheering, jumping, laughing, or pulling another person onto the floor.
A&M were right in the middle of it, surrounded by their friends and family, and it felt like the whole room was dancing with them instead of just around them.
It was one of those dance floors where you are trying to take photos, but also really want to join for one song.
Tips for Couples Planning a Non-Traditional Wedding in Toronto
If you are planning a non-traditional wedding, A&M’s day is such a good reminder that you do not have to make every choice based on what weddings are “supposed” to look like.
Start with the parts of the day that feel most like you. For A&M, that meant arcade games, animated character table cards, Lego flowers, a donut tower, disposable cameras, and a surprise drag performance. For you, it might be something completely different.
A few things I would recommend:
Choose spaces that already feel like your energy.
GRETA worked so well because people had something to do right away. It made the morning feel relaxed and fun without needing to force it.
Think about the guest experience.
A&M made the day fun for everyone, not just themselves. Guests were playing games, reacting to surprises, grabbing donuts, taking disposable camera photos, and fully part of the celebration.
Let your people help.
Some of the sweetest parts of the day happened before guests even arrived: family and wedding party setting up, the groom’s brothers building the donut tower, everyone helping bring the room together.
Add personal details without overthinking them.
The animated character table cards, Lego flowers, and Mario and Peach topper worked because they were specific to A&M. They did not need a huge explanation. They just made sense.
Leave room for the day to feel a little alive.
Non-traditional weddings do not have to be perfectly controlled to be beautiful. Sometimes the best photos happen when people are laughing, moving around, helping, reacting, and fully being themselves.
At the end of the day, your wedding should feel like a celebration you actually want to be at. A&M’s did, and that is exactly what made it so special to photograph.
