Pavillon de la Jamaique | Imane & Alexandre
Imane and Alexandre's wedding at the Jamaica Pavilion was alive and full — a summer evening that moved between languages and cultures and decades of family love that felt theirs from the first portrait to the last song.
The Venue
Pavillon de la Jamaïque sits on Île Notre-Dame, nestled in the wooded Floralies Gardens of Parc Jean-Drapeau — a former Expo 67 pavilion that has been completely renovated into one of Montreal's most extraordinary event spaces. Five minutes from downtown, surrounded by gardens and water, with three sides of floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the interior with natural light all day and transform it into something warm and glowing by evening.
What makes it special as a wedding venue is the variety it offers within a single property. The Floralies Gardens surrounding the pavilion are lush and private, with shaded paths and a stream running through the grounds. The pavilion's wraparound terrace is perfect for cocktail hour. And the interior, with its generous windows and open floor plan, handles a dance floor generously, with room to move.
It also has no supplier exclusivity, which means couples bring their own caterer, DJ, and decorator. The result is a wedding that feels specifically built for them rather than assembled from a venue package. For a couple like Imane and Alexandre, who had a very clear vision of what their day should feel and look like, that flexibility mattered.
The Portraits
Imane and Alexandre did something I absolutely love: they changed outfits! We did a full couple portrait session in the gardens for each outfit.
For the first session, Imane wore a traditional Moroccan dress with light golden colours, intricate embroidery, and a crown that caught every piece of light the gardens offered. Alexandre matched her in a traditional Moroccan outfit, and the two of them moved through the shaded garden paths with grace. The privacy of the gardens, away from guests and noise, gave us time to slow down. No rushing, no timeline pressure — just two people in extraordinary clothing, in beautiful light, completely present with each other. Those portraits are some of the best editorial work I've ever made.
The second session happened in the same gardens, with a more lighthearted vibe. Imane had changed into her white wedding dress — sleek, with a long cape that moved in the summer air — and Alexandre into his suit. Different aesthetic entirely. Same couple, same connection, completely different photographs.
Two outfits, two visual worlds, two sets of portraits that stand completely on their own. They were brought to life by the Floralies Gardens.
The Approach
My style includes both documentary and editorial.
Documentary photography is about being present and unobtrusive, moving through a day with enough quietness that real moments happen in front of the camera without being performed for it. The way Imane's mother reached for her hand during the dancing. The expression on Alexandre's face when he watched her move in her dress. These things don't need direction — they need someone paying attention.
Editorial photography is about vision. It's about looking at a shaded garden path and a woman in a Moroccan crown and understanding how the frame could be. It's about composition, light, and a creative intention that turns a portrait session into something closer to art than documentation.
The best wedding galleries live in the space between those two things — real moments photographed with intention, and intentional portraits that still feel true. Storytelling is at the centre of all of it. Every wedding has a narrative: who these people are, what this day meant, how their particular love exists in the world. My job is to find that narrative and follow it faithfully from morning to the last song.
Imane and Alexandre's story had layers. Two cultures, two countries, two families meeting in the warmth of a summer evening in Montreal. The approach did too!
The Evening
By the time the portraits were done and the reception was underway, the pavilion had taken on the quality that Pavillon de la Jamaïque has in the evening! It’s warm, glowing, and full of the kind of light that makes a dance floor look like it was designed for joy.
The dance floor delivered.
Imane danced with her mother, and Alexandre was somewhere in the middle of his young cousins, who had clearly decided that this was the best night of their lives. The mix of Moroccan music, Canadian pop classics and the energy of a family genuinely celebrating produced the kind of dance floor photographs that hold memory.
The night ended with a surprise. Alexandre's cousins — the same ones who had been running the dance floor all evening — presented Imane and Alexandre with a gift at the end of the night: matching British flag sneakers, a nod to the years the couple had spent living together in London before coming home to Montreal to get married.
Pavillon de la Jamaïque is available for weddings of 100 guests banquet style and 150 cocktail style, with full outdoor ceremony options in the Floralies Gardens. No supplier exclusivity. Parking passes for 40 cars included. Located on Île Notre-Dame, Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal.
If you're planning a wedding at Pavillon de la Jamaïque and looking for a photographer who has worked there and loves it, I’d love to talk about your day.
