I’ve never been one to pursue all kinds of awards, but a bit of acknowledgement of your hard work certainly helps to feel validated and motivated. Imagine my surprise this morning when I woke up to find out that I’d been voted Best Wedding Photographer in Waterloo Region! 🤯🥹 Thanks to you, I received the most votes in the two categories of Waterloo Region Record’s Readers’ Choice Awards that I’d been nominated in! After months of community voting, I received the Diamond Award in both “Photography Studio / Services” and “Wedding Services” categories. Truly unbelievable. Thank you! 🙏
Earlier this year, members of the public were invited to nominate local businesses in various wide-ranging categories. Businesses were voted on to determine the top 10 finalists in each category. From there, finalists were voted upon again to determine the best of the best. I was competing for votes against many incredibly talented photographers, in various genres or specialties in the Photography Services category. I also competed against many of the region’s top wedding pros that I admire and have had the pleasure of working alongside, each wonderful year of working in Kitchener-Waterloo’s wedding industry. I’d like to wish a huge congratulations to all of the other top finalists in all categories! There are so many hardworking people in this community who help shape it. To be honest, it was not a possibility in my mind that I would reach the top spot in either category, so I’m blown away to be named Best Wedding Photographer in the region. Such an honour.
If you’re just discovering me, hi, hello – welcome! I’m Ben Lariviere, a husband, proud dad to two boys, and I’ve been a Kitchener wedding photographer since 2008. Since then, I’ve been honing my unique visual style, the very specific skills that make photographing a wedding challenging, and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS aiming to grow and improve my craft and business owner. Like a typical artist, I’m never fully satisfied with my work, but I’m no doubt proud of how far I’ve come in the *checks watch* 14 years I’ve been doing this for. Photography became my full-time career in 2012, shortly after graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). Learn more about me and my story.
Being one of Waterloo Region’s Best Wedding Photographers has always been a huge goal of mine. To serve couples to the best of my ability, to capture their love story and human connection through heartfelt artwork that will last a lifetime, and to help celebrate the candid joy of a wedding day are just a few of the aspects of this work that drive me to continue doing it to the best of my ability. The knowledge that the experience I provide and the photographs I make brings joy to my clients, their family and friends, is all I need, but receiving two Readers’ Choice Awards feels even more validating. So thank you to all of the couples who have invited me into their hearts and lives, to the beautiful, vibrant community of Waterloo Region for acknowledging me in this way, and to my friends and family for supporting this dream of mine. Getting to make art for a living is a privilege I still can’t believe I’ve been afforded. With my whole heart, thank you. ❤️
