Emily and Joshua came from Toronto to Emily’s hometown of Victoria to get married at the art gallery. The gallery is such an elegant place for a wedding, which was nicely complimented by the beautiful decor that Emily’s mother’s friend Deanne Young put together. We did some location scouting earlier in the week, which gave me a chance to meet Emily and Josh in person for the first time, but things ended up going a little differently than planned on the wedding day due to lots of rain. They had a first look at the Inn at Laurel Point and we took some photos on their suite’s balcony (the room was ridiculously gorgeous, by the way) and outside the hotel with umbrellas. As we headed downtown, the weather started to clear up a bit, but the wet ground still wasn’t ideal for pre-wedding photos. We made the best of it and they didn’t complain once. Thanks so much to my assistant Jon Faulknor for making the day run much smoother, and as a last minute fill in for a sick photographer.

Both of their families were really friendly and easy-going, making the task of getting family portraits done a snap. Emily’s grandfather played the bagpipes during the ceremony and her mother made jam favours for all of the guests. This wedding was very personal and emotional and I adore the range of expressions in the photos. The one of Emily’s father giving her away is one of my favourite photos of the year. After the first dance and parent dances, it seemed like every guest hit the dance floor – and they hit it hard. I’m sure the after-party at their hotel was a fantastic time.

Venue: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Decor: Deanne Young
Caterer: Truffles
Hair: Laura at Ginger Group
Cake: Pure Vanilla
Officiant: Don Gunn
Dress: Luz Boutique
Tuxedo: Moores

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Bryn and Dan got married on Pender Island on Thanksgiving weekend. I was so excited for this wedding because these two are super fun and have great style (check out their adorable engagement shoot).  The wedding ended up being even more emotionally charged due to a family tragedy shortly before the event.  I’m so happy that everyone managed to still come together and celebrate their love.  Bryn and Dan are such a sweet couple and lucky to have found each other. I think the family definitely needed a bit of joy, and this wedding was certainly full of joy – best demonstrated by the look on Bryn’s face during the ceremony.

The couple and friends arrived the day before and started putting all the little DIY details into place. I love it when couples put so much of themselves into their weddings, and this wedding definitely was their style. They had mismatched tablecloths and napkins (and handkerchiefs in case you felt the need to cry during the ceremony, which I know people did), they put together the bouquets themselves, made poms to decorate the ceiling (in my favourite colours, pink and orange), had woodland creature masks for the kids to wear (by the end of the night, everyone had one on their head, if not their face), personalized signs, and plenty more. My favourite was the best bridesmaids dresses ever, which were a surprise to the groom, along with the bride’s reception dress. Oh, and the bride and groom’s matching shoes. They also had a cask of extra special beer brewed for them by their friends at Salt Spring Island Ales.The reception was full of great music, dancing, and even karaoke. So much fun, sweetness, and emotion. I loved this wedding and I really hope these photos can do it some justice.

Venue: Pender Islands Community Hall
Officiant: Dan’s father
Hair Stylist: Nicole Payer from Hope Bay Hair Salong
DJ: Johnny Pollard
Dress: Blush
Flowers: Red Barn Market
Shoes: Converse
Caterer: Fat Daddies (really yummy home-style and barbecue food)
Cakes: farmers’ market
Beer: Saltspring Island Ales

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Susan and Tyler eloped at Abigail’s Hotel in Victoria, travelling with their daughter, parents, and Susan’s friend from Regina. I loved hanging out with them for a few hours and witnessing Susan’s excitement at seeing the gardens at Government House. She was in such a great mood, and for good reason. Though the champagne might have had a little bit to do with it. They took photos with their iPhones and sent them out to their friends and family after the ceremony, as they kept their elopement a secret from almost everyone.

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Jeff and Ellicia came from Toronto to get married in Victoria, where Ellicia’s family lives. We’d chatted over Skype a few times before the wedding, which definitely made me feel like I knew them more than I usually do with out-of-town clients. They turned out to be just as fun and friendly as I thought they’d be and their wedding party, composed of Jeff’s friends and Ellicia’s sisters, were great to hang out with too. I love that Ellicia had a fabulous green dress for the reception, along with a different pair of shoes. I knew I liked her when I saw that her main wedding shoes were Fluevogs. Fluevogers are my kind of people.

They had their ceremony at the Church of the Nazarene, which was great because there was lots of room to move around due to their short guest list. The reception was at Swan’s Suites Hotel’s penthouse, and later moved downstairs to an event room and they did some dancing to the band at Swan’s Pub as well. Swan’s is such a gorgeous spot for a wedding reception. The view over the city is crazy beautiful and the penthouse suite looks like a super luxe place to spend the night. The spread of cocktail appys and desserts was impressive and they kept the champagne flowing. I was seriously excited about shooting there and I wasn’t disappointed.

Thanks to Deanna McCollum for second shooting, driving, and staying late with me. She took the photo of Ellicia coming down the stairs in her green dress, and many others throughout the day.

Venues: Victoria First Church of the Nazarene and Swan’s Suites Hotel penthouse
Caterer: Wild Saffron Bistro/Swan’s Suites Hotel
Florist: Jennings Florists
Hair and/or make-up: Kazen Hair and Beauty
Officiant: Rev. Gary Bennett
Dress: Maggie Sottero from Jealous Bridesmaids in Toronto
Reception Dress: Tony Bowls
Suits: Moore’s
Bride’s shoes: pink/red Fluevogs and black Town Shoes

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Bernadette and Sandra came all the way from Australia to get married in Vancouver. They had their ceremony at the officiant’s house near Kits Beach. They’re so friendly, they made two friends shortly after arriving in town and the guys came along to witness their marriage. We took some photos around the Kitsilano waterfront after. I love their colourful dresses and cute shoes. They’re off on a bit of a whirlwind trip around Canada and the US now, then back home for a reception. Thanks so much for having me be a part of your day, Sandra and Dette.

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Bryan and Ashley are adorable and sweet.  They just looked so very happy throughout the day.  Their speeches had me crying and laughing behind my camera. Their family and friends mostly travelled from Ontario (and some other places) to attend their wedding in Victoria on a Thursday evening – that always makes for an intimate, loving wedding.

They hired a musician, Paul O’Brien, who brought along his ridiculously talented kids to perform at the ceremony and had a fiddler join him for the reception.  I adore live music at weddings, especially when it’s this good.  It really set the mood throughout the ceremony and cocktail hour and made for some lively fun at the reception.  Someone requested The Macarena and Paul obliged, noting that he’d never played it before.  There were also some energetic attempts at Irish dancing. Pretty much everyone was getting into the dancing and music. Such a beautiful celebration.

Thanks to Krysta Dey for assisting and taking some great photos.

Venue: Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse
Wedding planner:  Alix Baldwin
Band:   Paul O’Brien + his kids
Caterer:  Ambrosia
Florist:  Daisy Chain – Miria
Hair and Make-up:  Fish Hair Salon
Cake: Crumsby’s Cupcake Cafe
Officiant: Dana Seaborn

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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

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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

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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

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I got to shoot a last minute elopement at beautiful Abigail’s Hotel a few weeks ago. The couple, Peter and Rodney, were from San Francisco and luckily turned out to be really friendly and sweet. I adore the intimacy and romance of elopements and this one was no different.

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