I managed to fight off a really bad cold and took the ferry over to Pender Island for Laura and Gary’s wedding.  It was completely worth it.  My second shooter Louise and I had a great time with them and their family and friends on beautiful Pender Island.  I didn’t get to meet them before the wedding because they live on the mainland, which always makes me a little nervous, but I think we all got along really well and they were great at posing (and not posing) for the camera.

We met the couple and their bridal party (and a bunch of other guests) at stunning Poet’s Cove before the wedding.  Louise took the next two scene-setting shots.  It started out as a dreary, rainy day (my first rainy wedding).

Louise took some great shots of the guys while I photographed the girls getting ready.

Louise took the following fabulous shot.

Louise took this shot of the church after the ceremony.  Such an adorable building.

We went to Gary’s family’s oceanfront property to take some portraits.  It was a great time, except when Laura slipped on the wooden stairs down to the beach (their idea,  not mine).  Gary caught her, but the bouquet went flying over the edge into the trees below.  She had a great attitude about it all.

Florist: Jan from House on Pender
Hair: Nicole Payer from Hope Bay Hair Salon
Caterer: Pender Island Bakery
DJ: Colin Watson

Warren and Laura got married on August 1st at Saxe Point Park in Esquimalt. I’d been looking forward to this one for a long time, since I did their engagement photos back in March. They were actually the first wedding I’d booked for 2010, so I want to thank them for taking a chance on an unknown kid. I hope they love the photos.

I met Laura and her friends at the Delta Ocean Pointe to get some photos of her getting ready.  She seemed pretty cozy in her tracksuit and veil, but she eventually gave in and put on the dress.  I loved her dress.  Strapless seems to be the big trend lately, but I’m a fan of halters.

When Laura came out of the forest to walk down the aisle, this adorable little boy came running towards her.  He seemed so captivated by her and her beautiful white dress.  At the reception, he played a little round of “ring around the bride”.

My second photographer, Jon Faulknor, took the next three photos.

The next few shots were Warren’s idea, as he’s a photographer too (and very organized).

I got to ride with them in the limo to the NOTC gun room for the reception.  The weather managed to stay pretty much perfect all day, even if we were freezing at the rehearsal the night before.

The next photos are of two of the coolest things about the wedding (aside from the people): the flowers and the cake.  Laura made her and the bridesmaids’ bouqets out of fabric and buttons.  Warren made boutennieres to match.   I love how vibrant the flowers were.  The cake was based on Super Mario Brothers, which Warren and Laura say they played a lot when they first started dating.  Meaningful and cute!

Jon took the next two photos.

They’d planned on having everyone watch the Symphony Splash fireworks, but they started earlier than we expected.  I think we caught about two minutes of them.

Click below to play a slideshow of more images from the wedding.

DJ:  Drew Arrington,  Do It All Entertainment
Caterer:  Goldstream Catering
Bride’s Hair and Make-up: Aveda
Cake:  Origin Bakery (gluten free!)

While I work on processing the photos from the previous wedding, I thought I’d post a couple from last Saturday’s wedding on Pender Island.  I wasn’t sure I’d make it to this wedding because I was super sick last week, but I dragged myself out anyway.  Thank goodness I got sick on Wednesday, so I probably wasn’t contagious by Saturday and I was able to lug my gear around all day without passing out.  I’m really glad that I got to go to this one.  I hadn’t met the couple prior to their wedding as they live on the mainland.  They were a fun group of people and I loved the amazing details from the classic car to Laura’s stunning custom dress.  I absolutely adore the first image here.  She looks like such a classic beauty; reminds me of Katharine Hepburn a bit.  I don’t have a lot of experience posing large bridal parties, so I had some fun with the second shot.  I could get used to this.

I’ll be spending the next few days sorting through photos from Warren and Laura’s wedding yesterday (and resting my feet from two long days of shooting).  I’d been looking forward to this one for a while as it was one of the first few weddings I’d booked and their engagement session was so fun.  It was great to see them with their family and friends who travelled from all over to see this amazing couple get married.  Here’s a quick shot from the day.  More to come soon.

Congrats, guys!  Hope you enjoy your honeymoon.

I thought I’d revisit one of my favourite photos I’ve ever taken, even if it was taken with my old Digital Rebel and kit lens, re-edited tonight. Whenever I hear Irish music, I always think of the month I spent in Ireland last April. It makes me wish I could go back. I can’t even watch the movie Once because it makes me miss Dublin too much, even though it’s a beautiful movie with gorgeous music.

This photo was taken at the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast of Ireland, which reminds me a lot of the west coast of Canada – rainy, windy, and cloudy, but beautiful. The beaches are similar to our rocky beaches on Vancouver Island, but the grass is much, much greener. I think my dream wedding would be at O’Brien’s Tower at the Cliffs of Moher, maybe an elopement with an awesome reception back home after. I would love to photograph a wedding in Ireland, especially at the Cliffs, but anywhere really.