Month: August 2017

Weddings

Eric + Courtney | A love for the history books | Kingston, ON

It always makes me happy, waking up on a day that I have a wedding.  Beautiful dresses, flowers, hair, makeup, a wonderful couple – giddy with excitement, maybe a little nervous, people that love and support them all around – It’s such a beautiful time.  It’s amplified just a little, when the bride and groom are family.  Courtney is my cousin-in-love and I was so honoured when she and Eric asked if I would be their wedding photographer.  Family usually asks, after hiring me, how I feel about working at a family wedding.  To tell you the truth, I really kind of love it.  Most other guests are vying for the attention of the bride and the groom for a few minutes of the day, but I get them, pretty much to myself, for a great deal of the day. It’s pretty awesome.

I was able to join the girls as they finished up getting ready.  There was such a great fun, relaxed feeling among all the girls as they did their final makeup touches and got their dresses on.  I was happy to see last year’s official colours of the year as their wedding colours.  They may be “last year’s” colours, but I hadn’t yet had a wedding with these soft, romantic beauties and I just loved how Eric and  Courtney worked them into the details of their day.  Neil’s Flowers knocked it out of the park with the stunning arrangements for the bride and her attendants.

Courtney and her mom are very close.  The time that the two of them spent together while doing this pretty monumental moment in both of their lives was so lovely and sweet.  They chatted, just like it was any other day, but there were also beautiful memories shared and talk of future plans.  Courtney chose one of her mom’s pearl necklaces to wear – a perfect accessory to this stunning dress, that she chose from Lovebird Bridal, for this classic bride.

I have already told you about Courtney’s relationship with her mom, but she and her dad also share a beautiful bond. They didn’t particularly have anything planned for Courtney and her dad to see each other for the first time, but I knew it was going to be special and emotional and I wanted to create a beautiful memory for them to have so we did a little first look for her dad.  I was entirely correct with my assumptions.  It was perfect.

Eric and Courtney are pretty traditional in many ways, so they opted to save their first look for when Courtney was coming down the aisle.  I love a first look before the ceremony, but the anticipation and the unspoken interaction between a bride and groom that haven’t yet seen each other is something pretty remarkable.

Eric and Courtney’s ceremony, was perhaps one of the most meaningful and moving ones that I’ve ever witnessed. They chose a slightly “unusual” wedding text: Psalm 90:1-2.  The text speaks of the faithfulness and greatness of God through all generations. Eric and Courtney come from families of beautiful, extraordinary faith so looking back at God’s hand in their past and declaring and speaking that into their married life together was something that they wanted to celebrate and share with their friends and family.   Their ceremony included songs that supported their wedding text and aligned with their hearts and even included a part where they tied their hands to a bible to reflect their commitment to keep God in the centre.

After the ceremony, we moved to the dreamy property that is the Queens University campus.  Not only was this location beautiful, but it also just “fit” so well with Eric and Courtney and the details of their wedding.

The importance of family and strong, Christ-centered love through the generations was a huge theme for their whole day, which I totally loved and wanted to make sure that I was able to convey through the photos that I would deliver to them.

Wedding parties…seriously…I always have fun with them.  Everyone is just so genuinely happy for the bride and groom (much like everyone else at a wedding) and excited to be a part of their special day.  The groups of people I have had the privilege of working with just make it so easy-peasy and these guys were certainly no exception.

it really just brings everything back to what the whole day is really all about – a beautiful love story between 2 people.

So it may seem that I just love every part of a wedding day, and for the most part, that is very correct.  The time that I take with just the bride and groom to do their formal photos, though, is probably my very favourite part.  It’s sweet and easy and usually some of the only time that just the two of them spend together all day and it really just brings everything back to what the whole day is really all about – a beautiful love story between 2 people.  It’s a chance for everyone to just take a breath and soak in and relish in what just happened.  It’s magical.

I LOVED the thought and effort put into the details of Eric and Courtney’s wedding.  They had a little area with photos of marriages of their parents and grandparents and interviews and stories and it was seriously so beautiful.  Their decor was stunning, vintage tea cups and books decorated with beautiful roses and greenery and baby’s breath, adorned with dreamy quotes about love.  It was all very romantic and soft.  Their venue, the Vimmy Officer’s mess, on CFB – Kingston provided such a beautiful back drop to the stories, friendship and love that was being shared between the bride, groom and all of the guests.

In very “true-to-me-fashion”  I grabbed Eric and Coutney for a couple more photos as the sun was setting to cap off their night.  There’s something magical about a sunset – especially on the water!  I went on to cover some of their dance, but I’ll leave you with this final image, because I think it symbolizes the perfect end to a beautiful day and the beginning of a marriage that I’m sure will be even more beautiful.

Congrats, dear family members of mine, it was an absolute honour to spend the day along side you taking care of this special part of your love story.  It sure was one for the books!!

Take a look at Eric and Courtney’s social media highlight reel here:

 

 

 

Lifestyle, Newborn Sessions

Jaiden | Newborn, Lifestyle Session | Brockville, ON

My friend Ashley, contacted me a couple of months ago asking about gifting a newborn session to a friend for her baby shower.  Is that not the best gift idea ever?  You want something your friends will cherish for, literally, the rest of their life?? Get them a session with a photographer you love.  I’m certain that they will NOT be disappointed!

After going over some details with Tiffany over email over the last couple months, I got the news that baby had arrived and I finally got to meet Tiffany, Vijay and their dark and handsome little guy, Jaiden.

I had all the heart eyes with these three.  Totally brought be back to the days of navigating new parenthood and figuring out the ins and outs of life with a little boy.

Vijay had to take a phone call, so Tiffany and her little man got a little one on one time and let me tell you, she’s already got an amazing start to this mom thing!  Watching her and Jaiden interact made my heart swell.

Little mister Jaiden wasn’t too into the whole sleeping thing, and you know what, that was totally ok!  I mean, just look at those eyes!

A little fussiness was no problem, with daddy to the rescue. Some cuddles and a diaper change and this little boy was right as rain and ready for his close up.

Almost was able to get him to sleep, but he was nosey and stayed awake until I left..typical.  Mr. Jaiden, It was such a pleasure to meet you and your family.  I hope to see you again sometime!

 

Take a look at Jaiden’s social media video announcement

 


 

 

Weddings

Brock + Mieka | Tucker Ties The Knot | Kemptville, ON

Brock and Mieka’s laughter filled, country nuptials, kicked off my wedding season this year. This wedding was a bit of a  blast from the past.  I used to attend elementary school with Mieka, though, she is a few years younger than I am.  Her oldest brother and I were good friends and he even played guitar at my wedding.  But enough about me, I want to tell you what a FUN and beautiful day that Brock and Mieka had.

 

I love getting to start the day with the girls. Hair, makeup, girl talk, jewelry, dresses, flowers – with all the testosterone in my life, it’s a welcome change. This is where the laughter started and it just didn’t stop all day.  Mieka and the girls got ready at The Abbot Road Suites a lovely little B&B type place  just minutes away from Kemptville.  The ladies at One Fine Beauty and Hair By Courtney did a fantastic job highlighting the beauty of the bride and bridesmaids – let me just say, lashes for DAYS!

It’s always so fun to get to sneak away with the dress and bridal details for a little while.  Mieka’s dress had just the slightest hint of blush in the underlay and the lace overlay was delicate and beautiful.  I loved the button detail at the back that interchanged between satin covered buttons and a shiny little crystal. Her statement chandelier earrings paired with a simpler necklace added the perfect amount of bling and you can’t go wrong with a neutral pair of wedges for an outdoor/barn reception.  The florals by Sylvia’s Plant Place were breath-taking – romantic and feminine in light pinks, whites and pale greens.

 

I’m not sure that I will ever not get teary eyed at a father’s first look at his daughter in her wedding dress.

As I said, the laughs didn’t end.  I can learn a lot about the groomsmen during their wedding prep time.  This is time time when the, “Remember that time when?’s” come out. There’s usually one or two that don’t know how to tie a tie, a look of fear and confusion when the boutonnieres come out and missed tags or threads that need to be trimmed.  You can take comfort in knowing that, if I’m there, all the boys will arrive at the wedding looking their best.

At their ceremony at First Christian Reformed Church in Kemptville, Mieka and her dad walked down the aisle to a beautiful rendition of “Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts, featuring the talent of one of her brothers, and made their way to a teary-eyed Brock standing at the front of the church.  They chose a wedding text from Ruth, and Pastor Ken shared a beautiful message of love and commitment – both to each other and to God.  Mieka’s brother and sister-in-law sang and played beautifully as the couple signed their registry and officially made themselves Mr. and Mrs. Tucker.

 

The reception was at Berholme Farm, a quaint, private venue with an old barn turned reception hall.  Guests were invited to grab a beverage, take a photo in their custom frame and take part in lawn games while being taken care of by  ITM Events  during the formal photos of  the newly weds, family and wedding party.

During the reception, there is a tradition of clinking glasses to get the bride and groom to kiss.  At this wedding, though, Brock and Mieka decided that if they had  to kiss then their guests would have to make a donation to Big Sky Ranch, a local animal rescue shelter and cause near and dear to their hearts.

The speeches brought about a couple tears, but mostly funny recounts of family adventures and Mieka and Brock “isms” and a couple of bridesmaids even pulled out a spice girls remix to give the groom some advice.

After the speeches comes DANCING, and let me tell you, the dance floor was LIT! (I don’t know…is that a thing?!  It sounded cool and I think I’ve heard kids say it before…thought I’d try it…Probably won’t happen again.)

Brock and Mieka, My team and I had a blast laughing along side you over the course of your beautiful day.  Thank you so much for having us!

You can check out Brock and Mieka's video highlight reel here: