Charbar Wedding, East Village Calgary

I've been photographing weddings since my first one in 2007, and after 20 years I still get excited when a couple picks a venue with real history. Charbar is one of those places. It sits in the restored 1912 Simmons Building on the Bow River in Calgary's East Village. Inside you have original exposed brick, timber beams and vaulted ceilings, and the light coming through those big windows is a photographer's dream. That's the warm light you see all through this gallery.

What I love most about Charbar as a venue is how much variety it packs into one address. You can start with portraits along the river pathway, move inside for those brick-and-timber shots, and finish on the rooftop patio looking out over the river, St. Patrick's Island and the downtown skyline. You never need to load the wedding party into a bus to get a whole range of backdrops, and that leaves more time for the fun stuff, like eating.

The food is a big part of a Charbar wedding. The restaurant is built around a custom Argentine wood-fired grill, and guests remember a dinner like that long after the dance floor empties. As a photographer, I make a point of catching the details before everyone digs in: the plates, the tables, and the room filling up with the people you love.

If you're thinking about a restaurant wedding, my one piece of advice is to walk the space at the same time of day as your ceremony. Restaurant light changes a lot from afternoon to evening, and knowing where the sun will be helps us plan your portraits around the building instead of fighting it. Charbar also keeps backup space indoors, which matters in a city where it can snow in July.

A big thank you to Tamara Jones of Weddings by Tamara for a beautiful ceremony. If you're planning a downtown celebration and looking for a Calgary wedding photographer who loves venues with character, have a look at my Calgary wedding photography page. I'd love to hear about your plans.