A Métis Wedding Celebration at The Forks National Historic Site

August 24, 2025 · Winnipeg, Manitoba

Set in the heart of Winnipeg, this intimate wedding celebration moved through some of the city’s most recognizable locations. The day began with a first look and formal portraits at Upper Fort Garry before the couple made their way through downtown toward The Forks and the banks of the Red River.

Their outdoor ceremony incorporated Métis traditions and included fiddle music, drumming, smudging, and a blanket ceremony, with St. Boniface Cathedral visible across the river. Afterward, everyone gathered at Inn at the Forks for an afternoon lunch reception before we headed back outside for more relaxed portraits around The Forks.

First Look & Portraits at Upper Fort Garry

The day began at Upper Fort Garry, where the couple met for their first look and spent some time together before the ceremony. The historic stonework, pathways, trees, and surrounding downtown architecture gave us a variety of backgrounds within a relatively small area.

Rather than treating this time as a long formal portrait session, we kept things relaxed and moving, creating a mix of traditional portraits and natural photographs of the two of them simply enjoying the start of the day together.

Walking from Upper Fort Garry to the Red River

With the formal portraits finished, the couple made their way from Upper Fort Garry toward their ceremony beside the Red River at The Forks.

Rather than treating the walk simply as travel between locations, I continued photographing along the way. Downtown streets, historic architecture, pathways, and unexpected moments became part of the story — including a spontaneous round of applause from travellers waiting at the historic train station as the couple passed through.

As they passed through the historic train station, travelers waiting for their train broke into applause for the newlyweds.

A Métis Wedding Ceremony Beside the Red River

The ceremony took place beside the Red River at The Forks National Historic Site, with St. Boniface Cathedral rising across the river in the background.

The celebration incorporated Métis traditions alongside the couple’s wedding ceremony, including fiddle music, drumming, smudging, and a Métis blanket ceremony. I photographed this part of the day primarily from a documentary perspective, allowing the ceremony and traditions to unfold naturally while preserving both the larger setting and the smaller moments within it.

Lunch Reception at Inn at the Forks

After the ceremony, the celebration continued nearby at Inn at the Forks with an afternoon lunch reception surrounded by family and friends.

The smaller reception kept the focus on conversation, toasts, family, and time together rather than a traditional full evening schedule, giving the afternoon a relaxed and intimate feel.

Evening Wedding Portraits Around The Forks

Later in the day, we headed back outside for another set of portraits around The Forks. With the ceremony and reception behind them, the pace was completely different — relaxed, unhurried, and focused on the two of them enjoying the evening together.

We used the riverbank, pedestrian bridges, greenery, and surrounding urban architecture to create a final set of photographs that felt very different from the portraits earlier in the day.