Ezel and James’s Cellar 52 Wedding in St. Jacobs was a beautiful blend of Turkish traditions and a modern celebration, thoughtfully planned across Guelph and St. Jacobs. Their wedding day began with portraits at the University of Guelph Arboretum, followed by a traditional Turkish “getting-the-bride” home ceremony filled with music, symbolism, and emotional family moments. From the very beginning, their Cellar 52 Wedding felt seamless and personal. Each part of the day transitioned naturally—from quiet, meaningful moments during their vows to a lively ceremony and reception at Cellar 52. This wedding is a perfect example of how combining cultural traditions, multiple locations, and a relaxed timeline can create a truly unforgettable wedding experience.

Ezel and James’s Cellar 52 Wedding in St. Jacobs combines Turkish traditions with a modern celebration. From portraits at the University of Guelph Arboretum to a lively reception at Cellar 52, this wedding showcases a seamless blend of culture, emotion, and elegant fall photography.

I met Ezel a couple of years ago at my Cambridge wedding show, where she attended with her mom and sister. They loved the wedding albums I had on display, and the energy while speaking with Ezel matched the level I’ve experienced with many of the couples I’ve worked with before.

How Did This Cellar 52 Wedding Come To Life?

A couple of months later, Ezel and James booked me for their fall Cellar 52 wedding in St. Jacobs.

As we got closer to their wedding day, and through my conversations with Ezel, I realized they were a bit anxious about the unknowns the day might bring. To reassure them that I would create amazing images, we decided to meet at the University of Guelph Arboretum, where they planned to take most of their wedding portraits. Just five minutes from my home studio, this location was perfect for both of us.

Having photographed many sessions at this beautiful location, I was excited to meet them there and plan their wedding photos about a month before the big day. When we arrived at the Arboretum, I could sense both their excitement and their uncertainty. They were looking forward to their first-look photos, but they chose not to follow the traditional approach of the bride tapping the groom on the shoulder for the reveal. Instead, they wanted something more creative and aligned with their vision.

As we walked through the Arboretum, I showed them a spot I thought would be perfect for their first look—the Italian Garden, with its beautiful fountain in the background. From there, we moved to the Japanese Garden, where they planned to exchange their private vows, and then to the English Garden, where we decided to take their bridal party photos along with some of their final portraits.

We also discussed incorporating the University of Guelph campus, specifically the grand staircase at one of the main entrances. However, we knew it would depend on timing whether we could include it.

The Getting-Ready Photos Of The Bride in Guelph

After we parted, I could sense a sense of relief in my couple—they now had a clear picture of the plan instead of guessing how things would unfold. I always value meeting my couples at their photo location ahead of time, as it makes a big difference in how confident and prepared they feel.

When I put Ezel’s address into my phone, I realized their house was only four minutes away from mine in Guelph. In my 25 years of photography, I had never experienced such a short travel distance on a wedding day.

My bride was five minutes away from me, and her home was just five minutes from the photo session location—what a joy.

When I arrived at Ezel’s parents’ house, I immediately noticed the Turkish traditions. They beautifully decorated their home for the upcoming wedding celebration. They placed the Nazar Boncuk, the blue evil-eye pendants, around the entrance as a symbol of protection, believing that these charms ward off negative energy.

Coming from Macedonia, which was under Ottoman influence for 500 years, many of our traditions overlap. I was familiar with almost everything that would happen throughout the day, including parts of the language.

As I stepped inside, I met the bridesmaids, who were already fully ready for photos. That rarely happens, but Ezel had communicated everything clearly, so the girls were perfectly prepared.

For makeup and hair, Ezel had booked Michela, the owner of PearlGirl MakeUp Studio, to make sure everyone looked their best. I had the privilege of photographing Michela and Raz’s wedding a couple of years ago, as well as her mom’s wedding. I was excited to see her again, but she had finished earlier, so we missed each other that morning.

James Getting-Ready Photos For His Cellar 52 Wedding

When I went into Ezel’s parents’ bedroom, I was amazed by how well everything had been prepared. Her dress, details, and accessories were all perfectly arranged, and the bridesmaids were ready.

I also met Elif, the content creator who would be with us throughout the day, and we were just waiting for Joshua, the videographer, to begin the getting-ready portion of the photos.

I didn’t want to start before Joshua arrived and then repeat everything later, so while waiting, I focused on capturing candid moments and detail shots of the accessories.

Once the videographer arrived, we began following the planned timeline. We captured candid moments of the girls in their robes, along with some fun champagne-toss photos in the lower level.

After that, Ezel got into her dress, and we documented the final preparations before her reveal with her dad.

Before heading to the University of Guelph Arboretum, we also did a reveal with the bridesmaids in the backyard. It was the perfect way to wrap up the two hours of getting-ready photos, exactly as we had planned.

As I was working with Ezel and the girls, Raghava, my second photographer, was with James and the boys at Cellar 52.

He had only 45 minutes to work with them before the bus arrived to take everyone to the University of Guelph Arboretum.

Groom Preparations and Morning Moments

I was really impressed with how Raghava, despite the limited time and space, managed to create some amazing photos of James and the groomsmen. He made great use of the indoor space and also took the group outside, where he captured some fun and creative images in front of a mural wall.

By the time I arrived at the Arboretum, Raghava was already there with the boys and had nearly finished the groom and groomsmen portraits.

Once I arrived, the two of us, along with the videographers, quickly made a plan for the first-look photos. We had just a short window before the couple would see each other. I could see the excitement in James’s eyes, but having been there earlier with him helped him feel more relaxed as we finalized the plan together.

My idea for the first look was for Ezel to walk along the path in the Arboretum and stop on one side of the large shrubs near the Italian Garden, while James stood on the other side. This way, I could see both of them, while they couldn’t see each other.

As Ezel arrived and they reached out to hold hands, it created such a beautiful moment—one that made all the planning and preparation worth it. I knew that once they saw each other, things would move quickly, so we, the photographers, videographers, and content creators, positioned ourselves carefully to capture the moment from different angles.

After completing the first-look photos, we moved on to their immediate family portraits. At the same time, the parents and the rest of the group began heading back to Ezel’s house for the traditional Turkish wedding home ceremony.

The Photo Session at The Arboretum University of Guelph

I found an amazing spot along one of the Arboretum paths that perfectly backlit the background, creating a vibrant setting for their family photos. After finishing those, I moved to the Japanese Garden for their private vows.

A couple of weeks earlier, I had photographed Morla and Adrian’s engagement session at this same spot, and we created a beautiful scene that captured the bridge and the pond’s reflection, filled with colourful fish. That’s exactly where I positioned Ezel and James, then stepped back with the team to let them read their vows while we quietly documented the moment and let their story unfold.

The sun was quite high, as these photos were planned around noon, so for the bridal portraits, I needed to shield everyone from the harsh light. I brought them into the English Garden, where the tall evergreen fence acted as a natural wall—blocking the sun while also providing a vibrant, modern background.

We completed the group photos there, and while the bridal party made their way to the bus, I continued working with my couple in the English Garden at the University of Guelph Arboretum. My familiarity with this location helped me create a variety of creative images within the limited time we had and collaborate smoothly with the rest of the wedding team.

As everyone boarded the bus, Raghava joined them to capture candid moments, while I headed back to Ezel’s house for the traditional Turkish home ceremony. The extra stop we had considered didn’t happen, but with the timeline we had, there simply wasn’t enough time.

Turkish Home Wedding Ceremony in Guelph

The moment I arrived at Ezel’s house, I realized it would be a very fast-paced event, with many people dancing in the driveway while the musicians played. The Turkish traditions, similar to those in Macedonia, were in full effect—especially the moment when the bride leaves her parents’ home, and the groom negotiates the bride price. James stood at the door, taking part in this symbolic negotiation before being allowed to marry Ezel. Similar traditions can also be seen in Serbian weddings, like the one I photographed for Andrew and Claire in Niagara.

I was able to capture some amazing documentary images of James negotiating for his future wife, while Raghava photographed from outside.

As the event moved into the driveway, Ezel received gold jewelry from her godfathers. During that moment, I captured one of my most meaningful images—Ezel’s father wiping away tears in the background while she, dressed in gold, prepared for a dance. This traditional ceremony holds deep meaning for the bride’s family, so I made sure to document every important moment.

The traditional Turkish wedding music continued until it was time for the bridal party and both immediate families to board the bus and head to Cellar 52.

The drive was about 30 minutes, and we decided to have Raghava ride the bus to capture candid moments for their Cellar 52 Wedding.

Turkish Traditions Before the Cellar 52 Wedding Ceremony

This part of the day moved quickly, but I knew we already had a strong collection of images, so I focused on capturing candid moments and documenting everything as it naturally unfolded.

Ezel had set aside 20 minutes for bridesmaids’ photos, so I brought them to the bridge at the entrance of St. Jacobs. The wind was a bit strong, playing with their hair and outfits, but we still managed to capture some beautiful images. We continued taking photos closer to the venue, including a few in front of Cellar 52.

During that time, Raghava was inside, capturing the arrival of guests as they entered the ceremony space, just in time for the wedding ceremony.

Once I entered the venue, I first set up my lighting in the ceremony room, then took a moment to observe. It was a beautiful setup—the natural light filled the room through multiple windows, and the floral arrangements created a warm, celebratory atmosphere.

As I looked around, I realized I knew many of the wedding professionals and vendors. I had worked with Kristy, the violinist performing with the duo during the ceremony, and I also saw Bill Judge, the officiant I had collaborated with on previous weddings. In another corner, the team from Picture US was setting up their photo booth, while the DJ from iTune was already prepared for the event.

The ceremony room itself had a low ceiling and felt quite full, but considering it was accommodating over 100 guests, it was a great achievement by the staff and organizers.

The Wedding Ceremony at Cellar 52 in St. Jacobs

Ezel and James’s wedding was my first official Cellar 52 wedding. I had previously photographed a wedding just across the street at their other venue, The Timber Barn, where I captured Tyler and Chelsey’s winter wedding. Last year, I also worked at one of their other locations, Elle by Stella in St. Jacobs, where I photographed Jennifer and Brandon’s beautiful wedding.

The venues managed by this group are always impressive, with a consistently positive and welcoming atmosphere. I was happy to have the opportunity to photograph at another one of their locations that serves local couples so well.

As the ceremony began, the room grew quiet, with all attention on the couple.

Normally, during a ceremony, I move around to capture different angles and perspectives. For this Cellar 52 Wedding, I found the space limited, so I positioned myself in a few key spots and used different lenses. This approach allowed me to capture everything I needed, while Raghava covered additional angles as the second photographer.

The ceremony ended with a beautiful dip and kiss—something everyone had been anticipating—and the couple made their exit.

The Cocktail Hour On the Patio at Cellar 52

As planned, Raghava went to the patio at the back of the venue to capture candid moments from the cocktail hour, while I, along with the videographers and the content creator, stepped away to take some golden-hour photos with my couple.

I had always hoped to have enough time to create something special for this Cellar 52 Wedding, and sharing that time with the videographers actually made it even better. I was able to capture the images I directed, while also benefiting from the scenes they were setting up. It truly felt like a win-win.

We found ourselves back at the same bridge where we had photographed the bridesmaids earlier, with the sun low over the river behind them. The warm light created a perfect setting and a great opportunity for silhouettes.

Ezel and James also asked Joshua to capture parts of the wedding using a vintage Hi8 camera. It was such a unique and modern idea at the same time—I even captured a moment of James filming his wife on the bridge with the Hi8 camera.

In this setting, I created some standout images that I know my couple will cherish. On our way back to Cellar 52, I also took a few black-and-white images with a motion blur effect, asking my couple to run toward me.

Once we returned to the venue, I finished a few final shots in front of the mural wall and the main entrance, then headed inside to prepare with my couple for the reception room reveal.

Entering the reception area, which had previously been the ceremony room, I barely recognized it. It had been transformed into an amazing space to welcome Ezel and James’ guests for the evening reception dinner.

The Reception Dinner at Cellar 52 at Night

I had all my setups done before their review. As my couple entered the room, I could see the happiness, relief, and pride on their faces. They looked pleased with how everything appeared and expressed happiness that we captured the photos they wanted. They felt excited to enjoy the cocktail atmosphere before the reception dinner began.

Raghava planned to stay until the cocktail party ended, so I started photographing the reception room setup, capturing all the amazing details before focusing on candid shots during dinner.

As I finished my last setup image, guests began entering, and in no time, my couple made their grand entrance. With 100+ guests, it was hard to keep up with them, so I stayed in one spot and used a zoom lens to track their arrival.

The evening included engaging speeches, a delicious dinner, and the enjoyment of traditional Turkish beverages.

Ezel and James had booked me for most of the pre-party time, so I wanted to capture a glimpse of the party before I wrapped up.

They planned to have their first dance outside under the stars on the patio, so I had to improvise the lighting, which was challenging given the limited space and low light. I captured their first dance perfectly, and the moment I moved all of my stands inside, the party truly exploded.

With low ceilings, a very crowded space, and the warmth of the crowd, the dancefloor felt like a real club. I captured the parents’ dances and some traditional Turkish dances before wrapping up my coverage that night.

Ezel changed into her party wedding outfit and felt thrilled as she stepped onto the dance floor. I hugged both of them and let them enjoy the night.

Credits to below wedding professionals and locations that helped Ezel and James’ wedding to be one-of-a-kind.

It was an amazing day with so many wedding events happening in my royal city of Guelph, culminating in Cellar 52’s wedding in St. Jacobs.

Thank you, Ezel and James, for sharing your way of celebrating a wedding with me.

Here is another celebration with amazing local wedding venue in the blog post Elora Mill Wedding with a local couple in Guelph, with Mary Ann and Russell.