Engaged at Sea: Rachel & Graeme’s RCYC Adventure Session

Jul 17

Engaged couple sitting on a boat with their black dog, smiling at each other with the Toronto skyline in the background on a sunny day.

An Engagement To Remember

Some sessions just feel like magic from the first moment… and Rachel and Graeme’s engagement at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto was one of those.

This wasn’t your typical engagement shoot. It was a full-on adventure that unfolded on the island they love, in the city they call home, and on the water that means so much to them. Rachel and Graeme spend most of their weekends at the RCYC - relaxing on their boat, sailing with friends, and making memories with their dog Hobbs (who, by the way, is the best third wheel).

Engaged couple kissing their black dog on both sides while holding him, with the Toronto skyline and waterfront in the background.

From the very start of our session, it was clear this place holds a special kind of peace for them. We wandered around the island with Hobbs leading the way, pausing in pockets of golden light, with the Toronto skyline and soft ripples of Lake Ontario painting the background. There’s something about watching a couple move through a space that feels like home - the way they relax, the way they light up. It’s effortless, and it photographs beautifully!

Engaged couple embracing on a dock with the Toronto skyline and CN Tower in the background, captured from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club across the water.

Engaged couple sailing on their boat 'Kismet' on Lake Ontario with the Toronto skyline in the background.

Then came the part that made my inner adventurer do a happy dance: boat time! We split up, with Rachel and Graeme aboard their sailboat Kismet, and me navigating a smaller boat to capture them from the water. There was something cinematic about it - the two of them moving around the deck in sync, so clearly at ease in their little floating world.

Eventually, I hopped aboard Kismet (yes, in the middle of open water!) to join them for one last round of photos. They popped a bottle of champagne, clinked glasses, and soaked in the view - one they’ve seen so many times before, but that never loses its magic.

This session reminded me how powerful it is to tell love stories in the places that hold the most meaning. Whether it’s on a mountaintop, in your favourite neighborhood café, or sailing the waters you’ve grown to love together - these stories are yours! And I’m just grateful to witness and document them.

Here’s to Rachel, Graeme, Hobbs, and all the champagne-sipping, sunset-chasing adventures still to come. 🥂

toronto engagementtoronto

Irene Kostichin