Carly and Brent’s wedding was definitely a lot of fun, with lots of games and crazy dancing – even the portrait session included hacky sack and bubble blowing. They had their ceremony at Sleeping Dog Farm, which is a beautiful and peaceful spot. Even before Carly started her aisle walk with her parents, I noticed Brent seemed overwhelmed with emotion – sweetest thing ever. The officiant, Sherry Easthom, told them to hug mid-ceremony. So adorable.

We headed to Mt. Doug and a nearby beach for portraits. These guys had a ton of energy, climbing up a mountain in long dresses and with some of the bridesmaids in wedges. They ran around on the beach for a while, coming up with tons of posing ideas of their own. Then we stopped at Tim Horton’s where an iced cappuchino woke me up for the reception.

The reception was at the University Club at UVic, which is a lovely room, but with some challenging mixed lighting. I love the wooded area with a pond out by the patio, where people would retreat when they got tired of dancing, only to return to the dance floor again with more energy. I tried out a different flash technique at this reception, which I think perfectly suited their energetic dancing.

Thanks to Edward Lai for assisting me with this wedding.

Venues: Sleeping Dog Farm and University Club
Caterer: UVIC
Florist: Poppies Floral Art
Hair and make-up: AtmospHAIRe and Aveda
Cake: Oh La La Cupcakes
Officiant: Sherry Easthom
Suits: Tip Top
Bridesmaid Dresses: Shades of White
Bridal Gown: Champagne and Lace
Wedding Favours: custom Jones Soda bottles

Kurt and I used to work together in engineering consulting and now he works with his wife Cat, who’s also an engineer. Their wedding was full of engineers (including my assistant, Darren) and so they had a theme that most engineers can appreciate – beer! Only slightly off theme, they had their wedding ceremony at Starling Lane Winery, which is absolutely gorgeous in July. They had their reception at Oldfield Orchard, which is the perfect spot for a casual, fun wedding. They had kegs of different local beers at the reception and beer bottle centrepieces. Their save-the-dates were coasters for a fake brewery they created along with their “Wedding Ale”. The beer theme was perfect for such a fun and laid-back couple, with equally fun family and friends. The wedding party was the cutest, but I’m biased because they remind me of my engineering friends from university.

One of my favourite things about this wedding was that they had a band play the reception. The band was Sets in the City and they were so great. The dance floor was pretty much packed all night, plus there were some awesome colourful lights on them that made for interesting photos. Another favourite thing was the food. They had a barbecue style buffet made by Oldfield and it was delicious. They also had four cakes and pie. I also loved how Cat’s dress was so unique, made by the wonderful Alida at Alida’s Gowns, and Kurt and the boys wore sneakers and coordinating ties.

I love Kurt and Cat’s attitudes about their wedding. They organized the day so that they and their guests would be comfortable and have fun. They did a first look before the ceremony and then took some photos with their wedding party, who were all adorably goofy. They put in tons of little touches into the decor and Cat’s family made some food for the wine tasting “cocktail hour”. They had a very brief first dance that segued into “(I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles” when everyone joined them on the dance floor. I left that night with a new appreciation for their relationship and how perfect they are for each other, even though I’ve known them for a while. Congrats, guys! I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon adventure.

Thanks to Darren Beckwith for assisting me with this wedding.

Venues: Starling Lane Winery and Oldfield Orchard & Bakery
Band: Sets in the City (Mike Demers)
Caterer: Oldfield Orchard & Bakery
Florist: Kenmar Flower Farm
Hair: Lindsey Eastgate (Hair Biz on Quadra)
Make-up: Chantelle Hartshorne
Cake: Pies by Oldfield Orchard & Bakery, Cake by Art to Eat (Michelle Plain) Duncan
Officiant: Michael Denton
Dress: Alida’s Gowns
Suit: Strellson from Outlooks for Men

I had such a fun time shooting the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. W on July 9th. I was a bit nervous at first because I hadn’t met the couple previously and the groom and many of the guests and wedding party members were RCMP officers. Combine that with the gorgeous setting of Hatley Castle, where later in the day an NHL player got married, and it’s a bit intimidating. I quickly got into the groove after spending the morning with the sweet bride and her fun friends and family. The couple and their guests all turned out to be extremely laid back and friendly. I loved the look of all the red uniforms (and some other colours too) throughout the day, and watching the guys take off their jackets and party later in the night.

The vows and the reception speeches were both really touching and had everyone crying, including the bride, groom, and me. I also loved that the groom’s father was his best man, which is something I’ve never seen before.  I think there were about 80 guests, many from out of province, and it was obvious that pretty much everyone who showed up cares deeply about this couple. There was seriously a lot of love in that reception room. I loved watching the touching mother-son dance and later the groom and his mother getting down to “Baby Got Back”. Other awesome moments were when the bride and her girls got their Michael Jackson groove on, the groom and his grandmother did some line dancing, and the police and firefighter rivalries were revealed (yes, that shirt says “God made police so firemen would have heroes”).

Thank you again, Mr. and Mrs. W, for having me be a part of your day. It was a wonderful experience and I hope you love all of the photos like I do. Thanks to Vivian Kereki for second shooting.

DJ:  RSM Productions
Caterer:  CFB Esquimalt Mess
Florist:  Thrifty Foods floral department, Colwood
Cake: Thrifty Foods, Colwood
Officiant:  RCMP Chaplain Ben Yablonski
Venues: Hatley Castle and Chief & Petty Officer’s Mess