Laura and Steven - Redwoods Golf Course Wedding

I know Laura was super excited to be the first couple on our new blog when we shared their engagement photos. So it seems only fitting to have her and Steven be the first wedding that we share with everyone.

On September 4th, 2016 we had the honour to be part of Laura and Steven’s big day. I had been super excited to photograph Laura and Steven’s wedding pretty much from the moment we had our first consultation! We knew that with all the amazing details they were putting into their big day that it was going to be a photographers dream!

When we arrived at the clubhouse where the girls were getting ready, they were almost done all their hair and makeup with the fabulous team of Faye Smith Makeup and Hair! They had these white antlers above the fireplace, and I knew that was where I wanted to hang Laura’s dress. Sometimes to get the perfect angle I have to do a bit of climbing, so up on the back of the couch I went. What I didn’t realize was that I was shimmying back and forth, and singing to “Man, I Feel like a Woman” by Shania Twain and Laura and her girls totally caught me! What can I say? I’m a total car singer, and according to my husband a wicked finger dancer. We were able to capture all the detail photos on this amazing wood table. Then it was over to Laura and Steven’s place to take a few photos of the guys!

When we got over to the guys they were pretty much ready to go. They just needed their boutonnieres! We pulled Steven aside to do a few photos of him, and the room with 10+ people in it fell to a dead silence. It literally made me laugh out loud because I’ve never had such a captive audience when taking photos of the groom.

Then it was off to Derby Reach to capture their first look. We arrived ahead of the bride by about 20 minutes, but I’m sure Steven would have thought it was lasting a lifetime waiting for his bride. He kept telling us that he just wanted her to get here and that he was so excited for the day. He even reread his vows over a few times (I think to calm his nerves). When we were finally ready for him to see his bride he got the biggest grin on his face. I absolutely love watching the reaction of a groom when he sees his bride for the first time. Steven even started to rub his cheeks after only 5 minutes of being in front of his lovely bride because they hurt from smiling so big!

Then we had a bit of a surprise for Laura and Steven. In their engagement session we had used the vintage love seat that I refinished and reupholstered. So, we surprised them by bringing the love seat along to do a few photos with. It even provided some great seating options for the guys while we were doing photos of the girls.

After doing the group photos and some family photos it was time to take just the bride and groom aside for some bridal portraits! We had a few photo bombers and lots of bugs that decided to come along for a ride in Laura’s dress! Once we were done at Derby, it was time to head to Redwoods Golf Course for the ceremony and reception!

We loved that Laura and Steven chose to have a friend marry them. It made their ceremony that much more special for them. Their vows were beautiful and charming, even quoting Dr. Seuss. After the ceremony we snuck in a few more photos before they rode in, in style, on the pimped out golf cart! I don’t know which was better, the faces of the bride and groom as they rode in, or the guests’ reaction!

There were lots of laughs and a few happy tears before they started to dance the night away. Laura’s dad even brought a lightsaber out during his speech!

We couldn’t be happier for these two. A truly amazing couple, and we are happy to officially make them our first Amazing Day Bride and Groom! 

Venue: Redwoods Weddings

Florist: She's My Florist

Décor: Cinderella Slip-Ons Chair Covers and Decor

Cake: Cake Savvy

Hair and Makeup: Faye Smith Makeup & Hair

Bride’s & Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Everything But The Groom Bridal Boutique

Tux’s: Moores Clothing

Stylize Rustic Country Wedding Session - Campbell Valley Park

When we started the re-branding process back in the winter of 2016, we started to think about doing our first stylized sessions. we were so excited when it all started to come together in the spring and reached out to some of our favourite vendors to see if they would be able to help us bring our vision to life.

First, we needed models. I immediately thought of our friends Katie and Grant. I’ve known Katie pretty much from the day she was born, and spent my childhood summers with her and her sister at our cabin. Katie is an amazing dancer and even gave my husband and me lessons before our wedding! I’ve always wanted to get Katie and Grand in front of my camera, and I was so excited when they said yes.

Next was the dress. I knew what style we wanted but didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg. I reached out to some friends to see if anyone was willing to sell me their dresses. In the end I only needed 1-2 dresses but ended up with 6! My husband kept laughing every time I came home with another dress and wanted to know if I was planning some sort of secret vow renewal or something.

Now it was onto the details. What did I want the session to look like? I reached out to Rae from Makeup by Rae to see if she could do the hair and makeup for Katie. I was ecstatic when she was game! I knew I wanted to have a bouquet and boutonniere, and reach out to one of my favourite florists Jerry at Fresh Blooms. The last piece was a small cake! Heather did an amazing job of the cake. It was exactly what I was looking for. 

Then we got to the day! The weather was perfect and I was so excited! We headed off to Campbell Valley Park. I gave Erin the task of holding the cake while we drove, which resulted in many laughs and a number of “slowdowns!”. Once we got to the park, we walked over to the wildflower field and set up. It was so much fun to just explore my artistic side and play around with posing and angles! Katie and Grant ever brought their dog Harley with them and we snuck him into a few photos!

Next we moved over to the other side of the park and switched dresses to a look that was a bit more formal. The sun was setting and giving us the most beautiful glowy sky!

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I’m just as eager to share images with my clients as they are to see them! So it was sooooo hard to hold onto the photos for over 2 months before I could share them with everyone!

We did one more stylized session this summer: a camping themed engagement session! That one will be next up on the blog tomorrow night.