Lynette & Ryan

I was concerned that as we photographed our 51st wedding this year, we might find ourselves without energy and inspiration. I shouldn't have worried - Lynette and Ryan have a contagious energy that we drew from as the day progressed. Steve had mentioned to me that they would do anything we asked of them - and so I asked. The result is pure magic! We made images that reflect joy, passion, love and laughter. And we found incredible inspiration in their love.

We have only had time for a very quick edit...I knew which images I wanted to see and I went straight to those ones this morning. Lynette trusted us enough that she did what we asked without question and the result is truly beautiful. Here are three of my favorites:

Tanya & Darrell

What a great day! These two are so lovely apart and they are truly amazing when they're together. We have seen a lot of weddings over the past few years, but I honestly believe that I have never seen a groom more captivated by his bride then Darrell was today. He could barely tear his eyes away from her long enough to watch where he was walking! It was so touching and I felt overhwlemed by their obvious joy and love.

And it wasn't just the couple that was fantastic - it was their entire bridal party and their families as well. They all embraced Steve and I like old friends and we felt honoured to spend the day with them all. It was a beautiful ceremony and a stunning reception. The guests were having such an amazing time - you could barely chat over all the laughter in the room!

I am working on a few images for the blog right now...I have to confess that while I was going through their day, I actually caught my breath at the incredible emotion we captured in their photos. The images that Steve and I made are stunning (if I do say so myself) in their simplicity and beauty. I can't wait to show them to Tanya & Darrell.

You have our warmest congratulations and deepest thanks for letting us share your day!

Ivone & Reza

I felt like I knew Ivone long before I actually met her. She and I have chatted by email a lot over the past year and it was a real treat to finally put a face to the personality I already knew. What a couple these two are. I think they are two of the kindest, most toughtful people I have ever met. Steve and I felt so lucky to be included in such an incredible day.

I will have many more images to post as we edit their photos, but for now I have a small teaser for them. This was taken during the "Newlywed Game"...

Each detail was carefully thought out and presented in a stunning display:

Thank you so much - we truly appreciate the fantastic people that you are!

Tammy & Terry

This wedding had it all - a fabulous couple, a wonderful bridal party, and an amazing group of family and friends. Steve and I were looking so forward to hanging out with these guys. Tammy and I hit it off right at the start and I knew that we were going to have fun. From the beautiful ceremony at Cecil Green, through all the photos, and the reception at the Pan Pacific, Tammy and Terry kept the energy up and spirits high!

The highlight of the night, for me, was when Tammy sang to her parents and the entire room (including myself) was in tears. She is a fabulous person and her love of family and friends was evident in her constant smile. She and Terry are so great together - it is a match that was meant to be!

As we edit their wedding more, we'll add some images. But, for now, here are a few details:

The Grand Wedding Showcase

Steve and I are so excited to once again be part of the Grand Wedding Showcase, aka Creme de la Creme. This year's show is being held at the stunning Vancouver Club and will feature many of Vancouver's very best. In fact, I don't think there is a better group of vendors in any of the shows our city offers (if I do say so myself).

We are madly preparing for the show on Sunday - right after a late night shooting on Saturday. We just know that we'll have incredible brides join us for the absolutly divine experience. It's a Parisian them, complete with street lamps and great little cups of coffee!

We can't wait!

A Personal Project

We have been so fortunate, as a family, to have both our boys attend an incredible preschool. Not only is it parent participation, so we are part of our chlidren's first educational experiences, but it also has the most incredible teacher. I was honoured when they asked me to make photographs of the school for their marketing. I found that, as a whole, the building and the materials within it were overwhelming. Can you imagine how overpowering it must be for a child. So, I literally got down on my hands and knees to view the school through the eyes of a child and I was amazed at what I found.

Each item in the classroom took on new power and significance when I viewed it through a child's eyes. I felt powerless to really capture the essence of what a school brings to it's children. I needed to look at each item individually and not be influenced by the whole. I needed to find the feeling that each peice evoked. It was an incredible challenge.

Here are some of my favorites:

The entire gallery can be viewed here. Thanks so much for letting me be part of this!

Jenn & Dave - October 1st

We got home from Jenn and Dave's wedding last night feeling so great about the day we spent with them! And what a day it was! Dave is a firefighter with North Van City and he was able to have the convertible old fire truck come out with us! After the ceremony, Jenn & Dave hopped into the cab of the truck and I got to ride along with them as we made our way down to Crab Park for photos with the truck. It was an eventful ride as it was a little tough to find third gear...and I was blown around like a dog with it's head out the window! I was able to get onto the back of the truck and make some very cool images! (Did I mention how incredibly jealous Steve was that I was in the truck?)

When we arrived at Crab Park, we really wanted to have the North Shore mountains as our back drop, so we had them pull the truck up onto the grass. It was amazing fun! Jenn & Dave were so easy to work with and their bridal party was willing to climb all over that truck! It was fun until the VPD showed up to chat with the driver (it turns out a security guard had called the police on us!). The officer took down the driver's information and cell number and sent us on our way with a stern warning.

Off we went to Yaletown with a quick stop at the old firehall in the Downtown Eastside. Beautiful building - creepy neighbourhood!

In Yaletown we spent some time with Jenn & Dave and we really saw the spark they have between them. They are truly a beautiful couple! As we made our way back to the Limo Bus to head for the reception, we noticed the the driver of the fire truck was again chatting with the VPD. It turns out that the police computers have his license as expired, even though the date on his actual license is 2006. He can't drive the truck back to the station! Wow.

We headed off to the reception with Jenn & Dave and the bridal party (except for the groomsman who had to drive the truck back to North Van). We had a little more time with these two and we used it to work our way around the Law Courts and onto Robson Street.

Back at the reception, the party was starting! During dinner there were great speeches...all incredibly emotional. There was even a time after both Dave's brothers spoke and during Dave's speech that I felt myself welling up, and I noticed Steve felt it too. It was truly beautiful and touching and sad and happy all at once. It was perfectly heartwarming and we felt touched to be part of it.

With tears gone, the party really started and when we left, Dave's buddies from the Fire Department had arrived, the bridesmaids were all dancing, the DJ was doing a great job, and everyone was having fun. After a quick trip to the girl's bathroom to say goodbye, we headed home.

All I can say is this group of people is fantastic! We are so lucky to have met them all, worked with some already and more in the future, and to now count Jenn & Dave (and Denise and Adam) among our friends.

Congratulations! We'll be posting images in time for Jen to see them when she visits her MOH in the big apple (we wouldn't want Chrissy to miss out!).

To All our Clients

Steve and I wanted to take a few moments and say something directly to all our clients this year...THANK YOU! We have worked with so many amazing people so far (with a few more still to come) and we are lucky to now count so many of you among our friends.

It's been an interesting year for us. Most of you have no idea that my mom has been battling breast cancer - she is now fine - and that has thrown some extra stress into the mix for Steve and I. We've also watched both our children go off to school this year with the oldest heading to Kindergarten and our youngest to preschool. We moved into a great new studio, and this has been our busiest and best year to date! We passed the 300 wedding mark this year and we are looking forward to the next 300!

On the professional front, I made the full transition to digital this season (although I still shoot film for those clients who requested it before I switched). It has been a steep learning curve as the technology of digital is so different than that of film. So it has slowed us down a little bit. Where we used to take our film to the lab and have them do all our post work, we're now doing it ourselves. It's taken a bit of time to develop a truly cohesive approach to editing and we very much appreciate the patience and understanding that you have all shown us. We want to provide you all with the very best product possible - and we're doing that. This year has resulted in an incredible body of work, from both of us.

We have been able to stretch our boundaries and push ourselves outside of our comfort zones. We challenge ourselves at each and every wedding to find, create, and try something we have never tried before. Not every attempt has been successful - but most have been wonderful suprises. It can be something as simple as finding a new location, or as complicated as playing with light. It has a been a really fun project. Having clients that trust us and are willing to do what we ask without question has led us to incredible artistic growth and we thank each of you for that. We are truly able to make art out of the ordinary and we are so grateful for that.

Enough of my rambling - back to editing! Keep on eye on the blog in the next few days as we hope to catch up on all our images and revive the Brides of 2005 post. We're even hoping to start a thread about the funniest things that happen at weddings, so if you guys remember an odd or unusual, or even disasterous thing that happened at your wedding, let me know and I'll include it.

Once again, thanks to each of you that we have already worked with and those who we'll be with soon!

Tammy & Kevin - September 24th

I first met Tammy as she was waiting outside the church today. She looked so beautiful and a little nervous too! My first thoughts when she got out of the car were of how elegant she looked - I couldn't wait to start working with her.

After the ceremony and Family photos, we were off to Coal Harbour to start our photos. The light was tough down there and Tammy and Kevin seemed a little nervous about the number of people watching them! I can only imagine how disconcerting it can be to have total strangers not onbly staring at you, but also taking your picture or videotaping you. Steve and I both knew there was great potential here, so we pushed through and we made some beautiful photos. It was time to move onto a more urban setting around the Imperial Palace...and away from an audience. We took advantage of the architecture and light in that area and we were able to see the love and friendship these two have found in each other. And we found Tammy's inner diva!

We wish Tammy and Kevin the happiest of marriages! Congratulations!

Linda & Raymond - September 18th

What can I say about these two? It was our third wedding this weekend and I was worried about our energy levels...but I shouldn't have. These two were just so full of life and love that it made our job easy. It was such a pleasure to be with them. Linda & Raymond are so obviously in love. They could barely take their eyes off each other. It was so incredibly sweet to see.

Steve and I felt so at ease with these guys. Their genuine sincerity and friendship made us feel as though we had known them for years. That is the way we loke to do our jobs and these guys made it easy for us.

We are so very happy for the two of them - we know their's will be a lifetime of love and joy!