Cottage Wedding at Rosewood on the Cove

Cottage Wedding - Rosewood on the Cove with Sandra and Andrew

I feel a certain fondness when I think back to this wedding.

Sandra and Andrew got married earlier this year. They had a small and intimate cottage wedding at Rosewood on the Cove in Hubbards, Nova Scotia. Their wedding was the first I photographed since the pandemic began. Just days before, the Covid cases were low enough that health officials eased the restrictions and we were now allowed to have 10 people at a wedding without physical distancing.

The day itself was extremely hot and humid. Thankfully, a short rain shower broke the humidity on my drive to Hubbards. When I arrived, I was greeted by Sandra shouting down to me from the upstairs window then by both the couple’s fathers on the outside deck.

The cottage was decorated with beachy décor. As they set up the table next to the arbour outside, we all became concerned it may start to rain again. The clouds were dark and thunder roared in the distance.

Just as the ceremony was getting started, the guests at the surrounding cottages and restaurant next door took notice of what was going on. They all pulled up chairs on their cottage deck, stood in the doorway or peeked over the railings at the restaurant.

The ceremony was short and sweet, filled with laughs and a few teary moments as well. Without any formal seating, Sandra and Andrew’s immediate family gathered around casually, taking photos and videos with their phones. At the end of the ceremony, not only did their family clap and cheer but the cottage neighbours and restaurant patrons next door erupted in applause. It was a beautiful moment that Sandra’s dad managed to catch on video and a moment that stayed with me long after. Even though their wedding plans had changed drastically from their original vision of a much larger event, they still ended up being surrounded by many people that were excited and happy to see them get married! It seemed to me like such a lovely snapshot of how we can show up for one another as humans — strangers or otherwise.