The Knox Wedding
Nicola and Ben | A wedding at The Knox in Merrickville, ON
It’s no secret that The Knox is one of my favourite wedding venues in the Ottawa area. Tucked away in Merrickville, the venue is actually an old church that has been restored by Michelle and Matt, the owners. With giant gothic windows and a spectacularly minimalist space, this venue is everything you could ever want for an intimate wedding. And not to mention, Michelle and Matt are two of the best humans I know.
When Nicola and Ben reached out to me and told me about their wedding day, I nearly fell over with excitement. Not only are they two of the world’s sweetest humans, they also had a vision that embodied everything I love about weddings. They wanted a stress-free, adventurous, emotion-filled day surrounded by their closest people. Can you get any better than that?! And their day ended up being exactly that. It was perfect.
fun fact:
Did you know I’m one of The Knox’s preferred vendors? It’s an honour being on their recommended list for photographers!
The vendors involved in the day
A huge shoutout to the amazing vendors that helped make this day happen:
Photography: Lauren McCormick Photography
Venue: The Knox Wedding and Event Venue
Officiant: The Ceremony Company
Music: Duo D’Amore on Cello
Florals: DIY by the bride
The story of how Nicola and Ben met
In their own words:
“Honestly it kind of just happened! We are both involved in the Ottawa cycling community and we had a ton of mutual friends. We had been introduced by friends and gradually started going on rides together and spending more time together both on and off our bikes. Eventually the relationship just changed, and I (Nicola) was hesitant because I didn’t want to screw it up and lose my best friend. I remember talking to one of our mutual friends, telling him I was nervous, and him just saying to me ‘that boy is in love with you, go get him’. That was the best advice ever.”
How they got engaged
“We had been talking about it for a while and joking that buying a house together and committing to a 25 year mortgage was more daunting than the idea of getting married.
Ben and I went mountain biking Nov 1st, 2020 and before we started riding, it started raining. We agreed to still ride, but that if it started to downpour we would just turn around. We set out and were having a good time until this one long climb, he just rode away from me. Usually he is good at gauging my effort and riding at my level. He completely dropped me and left me to dig deep up the climb to try to keep up to him. I was wet from the rain and not super impressed that I was now having to ride alone.
When I got the top of the climb, he was there waiting for me and I was breathing heavy. He gave me a second to compose myself. Then he asked if I had caught my breath. When I said I had, he pulled a ring out from his pocket and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I, of course, bawled and sat on the ground hugging him and said yes! We still had to ride back to the car and I was so shaky and excited on the way down the trail it was actually kind of scary to ride haha!”
First Look at the Merrickville Ruins
On the morning of their wedding day, I met up with Ben at the entrance of the Merrickville Ruins. For those who haven’t been, I would highly recommend checking it out. It’s a beautiful park full of history and character. Once Ben was in the right place for their first look, I then met up with Nicola to bring her over to where Ben was standing. It was an incredibly emotional first look. We then went on to take some couples photos in the area, since it was such a perfect location for it!
The Knox Wedding Ceremony
Nicola and Ben had such a beautiful and intimate ceremony that truly reflected who they were. Everything felt personalized and authentic to them as a couple. There were so many moments that left the entire room in tears, and left us all with the warm fuzzies.
I also want to draw attention to the beautiful florals on site. Nicola actually put together the florals herself! A bride extraordinaire. She had a vision for a very simplistic, minimal ceremony space that amplified the beauty of the venue. And I truly believe her florals did just that!
Couples Portraits
After their ceremony, Nicola and Ben enjoyed cocktail hour outside on the side lawn of the venue with their guests. They casually mingled with their family and friends while we also took portraits with different groupings of people they had requested. Once everyone left, we ended their photography coverage with some couples portraits inside The Knox, which ended up being some of my favourite photos of the day!
Omg such a lovely day!! The Knox looks like the perfect venue to get married at! You captured them and their day so wonderfully!
That is not what I expected the interior of that building to look like! I love how modern & bright the space is while still preserving that cozy historic feel. Also – their first look is the sweetest! You captured the day so well.
Beautiful quaint little venue that makes for stunning photos! Beautiful work!
Such a beautiful venue! Love the photos of their beautiful day – you really feel their sweet personalities in them. Bravo to a job well done!!
Love how you captured this Knox wedding! The moments, the soft light, and the beautiful architecture…absolutely gorgeous!!
These are stuuuuunning. What a beautiful day and you captured it so so well. Really well done.
Small weddings with family and a few friends are simply the best! Love the way you capture this day and all of the emotion in each photo.
That first series of outdoor photos is so beautiful and whimsical! Also, what a cute venue and I love your clean style!
WOW!! I love old buildings and love when they are restored too. The Knox is so beautiful! I love all the details of this day and all the candid moments you captured!
Love this! What a beautiful location inside and out but the lighting on those interior pics is perfect. Chef’s kiss!