{Engagement} Mal & Ryan

Happy Tuesday!! What crazy weather we are having.  Thankful to be on the west coast right now, but continuing to be prayer for those on the east coast.

 

Today's blog marks me being finished photos that I can at least share with you all at the moment. (Christmas card photos have to be kept a secret till Christmas).  And I have to say this is probably one of my favourites so far, but I may be a little bias! 

 

The bride-to-be has been a friend for many years.  Mal and I went to high school together.  Our competitive drive and love of sports united us on and off the courts.  We even went back to our high school after we graduated to coach volleyball together.  Those were some great times.  Even though our hectic schedules have often kept us apart, our friendship is one I hold dear to my heart...we never miss a beat when we're reunited!

 

So I couldn't be more thrilled when her and Ryan got engaged and asked for my help.  I am so excited to be a part of their wedding, not only as a friend, but their consultant and photographer.  The wedding is planned for January 2014 in Mexico.  Even though its far away, I dream of the sandy beaches, lounging by the ocean, and capturing one gorgeous bride & handsome groom.

 

Ryan and Mal moved to Winnepeg this summer, so we took advantage of their visit out here for Thanksgiving to shoot these engagement photos.  (A special thanks, to Paul for helping scout out a beautiful place to shoot, and to Sherena for sharing your wealth of editing knowledge.  Since starting this businees, I realize I have a lot to learn).

 

 



 

 

 

 

Once again congratulations to you both!!  I look forward to many more facetime chats for planning & can't wait to shoot in Mexico, January 2014!  It seems far away, but I know its just around the corner ;)

 

Hope you all have a fantastic week & be sure to check out my Facebook page for more pictures and updates :)

 



Annalisa & Matt's Wedding

As a woman we dream of finding that one man we feel completely safe with, someone who loves us just as we are.  We want someone who will stand beside us; laugh and cry and grow old together.  I am so thrilled to say that my friend Annalisa found her forever, with Matt.

Annalisa & Matt's wedding was during that fabulous stretch of September weather.  Their ceremony was at the quaint little, white church on the Matsqui flats and the reception was held at the The Secret Garden.  If you are looking for a beautiful, tranquil setting, this greenhouse is the perfect place!

I was not the official photographer, just invited as a guest and the candle lighter!  (Of course though, I couldn't help but take part in capturing this beautiful couple!)

You can check out the stunning pics that Tanis Katie Photography took here.

Once again, congrats to you, Mr. & Mrs. Patenaude!!  I hope and pray God continues to bless you in this new chapter as man & wife!

Annalisa, you are one gorgeous bride!

 

 

 Probably, one of my favourites!

Here are a couple of pics taken in between...

I love these three to pieces!  We definitely had the best table!

Once the sun set, the lighting was amazing...chandeliers and candles everywhere! 

So glad we all got to be together to celebrate Matt & Annalisa :)

Don't forget to connect with me and all things up to date on my Facebook Page!

{Part 2} Invitations

Happy Sunday!!  So here we are onto {Part 2} of my Sister's wedding - THE INVITATIONS

Click here for {Part 1}

Basically, I had 3 invites to design for the Bride and Groom, as they wanted a Save-The-Date email invite, an invite for the wedding in Dominican, and an invite for the reception back home.

My favourite part was designing their "Wedding Passport" invitation.  Of course, we wanted the invites to represent tropical and travel.  I had come across a few different designs online, but wasn't satisfied with the look of it, so I took to my own imagination and came up with my own design template.  We wanted it to look like a passport as much as possible - having the gold embossing on the front, the first page formatted the same way with name and identification.  I think they turned out fabulous!  What do you think?

Thanks again to Sherena for being a brilliant photographer and thinking to bring this invitation to Dominican!

Now for the second home-made invitation, we kept things a lot more simpler.  For the reception at home, Andrea & Stefan wanted to add in a country feel to the beach theme (ex. Bridal party all wore cowboy boots; the venue was in a barn), so we gave these reception invites a bit of a country flare.

Tip #1: If you are sending out simple or not too heavy invites, consider placing a strip of magnet on the back, so your guests can display it on the fridge where it is in sight and won't get lost!

If you're in the process of deciding what to do about your invitations, consider having a custom home-made, one for you!  The great thing about getting them made is they can be personalized to your own specifications (colours, wording, details, etc.)!

Send me a line if you have any inquiries :)

{Part 1} The Bridal Shower

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  Mine was filled with lots of laughter, food and family.  I am so thankful for them all, and the beautiful sunshine we have had too!

So up on the blog this week is {Part 1} of my Sister's wedding festivities...THE BRIDAL SHOWER

Stefan, my now brother(-in-law), proposed to my baby sister, spring 2011.  He is pretty romantic - placing the ring in the 5th (her lucky #) hole on the green, at a golf course in Whistler.  Kenny Chesney played in the background from the golf cart, but yet she didn't suspect a thing.

Obviously she said yes and even asked me to stand up with her on her special day!  Since they decided to have a destination wedding, it gave me plenty of time to dream up the perfect shower theme for her.  Fast forward to the fall of 2011, where we planned a "Sleeping Beauty" shower for my beautiful sister.  No, this did not come from left field...she loves Disney movies, especially the princesses, and has always called herself Princess Aurora, as Sleeping Beauty is her favourite.

To start the planning process I took to the web and looked to see if other people had used this theme for a party, as well as, watching the movie to gain some key ideas on which I should focus.

Here's is my inspiration board:

The main things I wanted to highlight wer the colour pink, roses (when she lived with the fairies, she was called Briar Rose), the crown (Princess Aurora's is a specific shape), and just the overall whimsical fairy tale feel.

So I got to crafting, first making a keepsake box for her (everyone at the shower would fill it with words of wisdom, memories and pictures).  With some special leaf paint and lots of bling she got her very own "fairytale" book.

Left Photo (c) http://www.flickr.com/photos/bfurlong/6072511332/

Next came her crown, I found a template at Mother Duck Said "Let's Party!" Blog.  It sat on a pretty pillow awaiting the guest of honour, with also a special Sleeping Beauty Music Box, which I picked up that summer, while in Disneyland - inside, a hand written note from Princess Aurora herself!

The shower was an overall success.  We laughed, ate, cried and played name that Disney song - the shower even was a surprise until the moment Andrea arrived on the street.  It was a joint effort - my lovely aunt & cousins hosted, the bridesmaids & my mom helped with decor, and a friend made the beautiful rose cupcakes.  A special shout out & thanks to Mikaela and her mom, for allowing me to use some of the beautiful pom poms from Mikaela's wedding!  Saved me from some more crafting.

Do you like themed showers? If you could pick any theme for your shower, what would it be?

Leave me a comment & stay tuned for Part 2: INVITATIONS