Chris and Angela are a pair of local realtors in the gorgeous Fraser Valley. Their wedding was an amazing affair, hosted at the lovely River Rock Casino in Richmond. As usual I loved doing the getting ready photos of the bride and her ladies.
Chris and Angela are a pair of local realtors in the gorgeous Fraser Valley. Their wedding was an amazing affair, hosted at the lovely River Rock Casino in Richmond. As usual I loved doing the getting ready photos of the bride and her ladies.
Sylvia and Cory had an amazing wedding right in my hometown of Mission, BC. I was completely in love with them from the start, and we got on great!
The getting ready was done in a gorgeous house a bit out of town, which worked out just perfectly.
I got the pleasure to photograph with Rick of RH Studio Photography to shoot Connor and Karly’s wedding in beautiful Chilliwack, BC. I shot with Rick before and he’s an excellent photographer and friend. In this case he needed someone to cover the groom and his groomsmen getting ready, and of course extra coverage for the ceremony.
Bride and her bridesmaids getting ready at her parents home.
The guys getting ready was a fairly unique experience for me. Picked up in a pickup truck in deep downtown chilliwack, driven up some sketchy roads into the backwoods of Chilliwack (which is already pretty far out there). No, this isn’t the start of a horror movie. Connor and his friends grew up out here, having fun, fishing, swinging off trees over the river, and they wanted to hang out there and relive some memories from the old days (and maybe have a bit of liquid courage as well).
They all got back after a bit of reminiscing about old times it was back home to get ready.
One of the big challenges as a second shooter is sometimes having minimal contact with the couple beforehand, and having to turn into everyone’s friend right away. Gaining the confidence of the groom-to-be and a gaggle of groomsmen within a few minutes, and getting great and honest photos is a challenging task for sure.
The ceremony and reception took place at The Secret Garden at Woodbridge Ponds in Abbotsford. The location is gorgeous and a great spot for a wedding ceremony and reception.
The ceremony area is the great expanse of manicured grassy area with lots of room for seating and a raised area which gives the crowd a good view of the bride and groom.
The flower girl and ring-bearer were adorable.
The couple were preceded by the wedding party.
And then giving the bride away.
And the ceremony was of course amazing.
Connor and Karly are a wonderful couple and I was privileged to be allowed to share the day with them. Big thanks to Rick at RH Studio Photography for inviting me to work with him again. Having a second photographer as part of the photography at your wedding gives you more chances to capture moments, better coverage, and allows your photographer to be in two places at once! Something to think about when you plan and budget for your wedding photographer.
I never know how to start these entries, so I guess I’ll tell you the story of the day, and show you some photos. The day started with myself and my good friend and second shooter Jeff showing up at the property on the east side of Maple Ridge. They had the entire small guest house / studio separate from the main house and it was a bustle of activity. Hair and makeup were there, busily helping make six gorgeous ladies look their best.
I took some time to photograph the rings in between catching laughs and hilarious moments with the ladies. Rings are one of my favourite things to photograph, and a real challenge to give each set their own unique story. In this case I used what I thought was a table cloth (turns out it was a wrap just sitting on a table) using the window to light them. This time I had a tripod, allowing me to get an incredibly clean photo of the rings.
While all this was going, Jeff was spending time with Kyle and his groomsmen. It’s a rough job to be honest. Part of being a great photographer is being able to have a genuine connection with your subjects. As the main photographer I have several meetings with the bride and groom, and spend the majority of the day with them. The second shooter is generally only there for the day of the wedding, and is expected to show up at what is essentially a stranger’s house and in an hour or two create a connection with them and get amazing photos. Well, Jeff is awesome for this which is why I shoot with him whenever I can.
This is one of my favourite photos from this shoot, I’m honestly quite sad that I didn’t take it!
The ceremony and reception are at Eighteen Pastures Golf Course, in east Maple Ridge, not far from Whonnock Lake. My good buddy Dan lived just up from there while we were in high school and I spent a lot of time near there, and never (until pre-scouting the area) spent time there. Funny how things work sometimes!
The ceremony itself was great. They said their vows in front of their friends and family and a few tears were shed.
Not all weddings are perfect. More specifically, not all wedding weather is perfect, and this was one of those times.
However, thanks to the tents that we had up, some good timing, and a little skill with the camera, I was able to hide the rain and show the smiles and happiness that everyone had.
There was a quick…. intermission lets say while the groom and groomsmen attended to some business. And before you ask, yes they actually were.
… and back to the two of them looking amazing.
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet, is the way the reception was decorated. This goes into my top ten most impressive decorating jobs ever. Basically a full on ‘Alice down the rabbit hole’ treatment, including little ‘drink me’ and ‘eat me’ signs in the cupcakes, a wacky wedding cake, moss and greenery decorating the head table, matching signs… simply a breathtaking job!
There were speeches, great food, all that good stuff, followed by the first dance.
Followed by what I can only describe as a multi-level, multi-style, dance montage that was performed and was truly impressive!
At the end of the night there were laughs and hugs and tears and I left the happy couple. I’m super proud to show off these photos and to share the story of this lovely couple!
I got to work again with the wonderful Nicole Aurelie of Nicole Aurelie Photography (Facebook page) and jumped at the chance. She was shooting Barbara and Steve’s Vancouver wedding and I got to be her second shooter. Basically I get to not worry (as much) about the must have shots, but instead get to get details, shots from the side, get a different angle on the ceremony, and do some more out of the box thinking. Of course there’s also the dragging around bags, getting Nicole things she needs, keeping an eye out for hands out of place and any collars out of sorts.
Barbara and Steve were awesome. She’s fun and bubbly, he is a military man with a sense of pride and order about him. We started at the Sandman Hotel in downtown Vancouver with the ladies getting themselves ready.
Details, details, details… you know I love details!
From there we headed to the ceremony at the little church where they were married. A simple but beautiful ceremony, followed by some lovely family photos under the trees. I tell you I got a workout wrangling people for Nicole and getting the many, many family members out of the background of the photos!
From there we went to the beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park for formals.
Reception was held at the BC Regiment office (I told you that Steve was a military man) which was done up nicely. A normal wedding reception if you ignore the tank in the middle of the floor 🙂 We snuck out for a few quick photos on the downtown streets before the reception proper started.
When things did get started the dinner was served and merriment started. Speeches, the shoe game, and then the band started up.
The couple on their first dance.
Everyone got in on the dance party after!
Many thanks to Nicole for bringing me in for this wedding, and to Barbara and Steve for being so great!
The story of this lovely backyard summer wedding in rural Vancouver, for me, makes it even more fun than normal. Less than a day before I arrived I was running the Tough Mudder race in Whistler with 10 of my closest co-workers. It was over five hours of obstacles and slogging through the mud, dinner, a few hours sleep, then a 2 hour drive back home, pick up my gear (packed the day before of course, and then back to Vancouver to join these two awesome folks for the day.
I met Galen and Patricia through my dear friend Geri, who I had the pleasure of attending her wedding as a friend and guest long before I was nearly as into photography as I am now. Geri never had a “real” wedding photographer at her wedding and has always regretted it, and made sure that these two had one, and I was very honoured to capture this day for them.
The ceremony was a simple home wedding in the couples basement suite with a small ceremony and a few close friends.
Galen and Patricia faced some fairly big hurdles to get here. They met online while he lived up here and she lived in the southern US, and in addition to all the normal challenges you can expect with this sort of meeting. I have no idea how I would have navigated the first date to engagement to moving in together part! Patricia had literally arrived with all her stuff days before, adding the stress of moving to another country to the stress of a wedding. Sometimes simpler is better 🙂
The backyard was simple but great for the formals.
And a bit of smooching as well. They were pretty good at that part though!
Galen and Patricia, wishing you all the best and thank you for the great memories and the great day! Especially the part where the cats kept on chasing the pen used for signing the registry, and Galen taunted one of them just a little bit too much and ended up with a set of claws in his… well, that’s maybe a story for another day!
Truth be told, this wasn’t technically a wedding, but a reception. Tia and Jason got married in Vegas a bit ago, but she came to me and told me that the photos provided at the Elvis Marriage Chapel (or something like that) were, shall we say, sub-par. Since they were having a reception for friends and family here, why not get a wedding photographer and do the whole thing right?
So they did, and we spent the day together, starting in their house for the getting ready shots…
Tia and I have actually known each other since high school, and took driver’s ed together!
I so loved her earrings!
From there we came to the reception hall, where this was waiting for the happy couple!
Formals were done quickly due to some timing issues, but we made it work, and I’m super happy with the results!
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Aren’t those two just adorable?!
The night finished with some great food, dancing, and fun.
The garter toss was “won” by a young fellow who I’m not sure is old enough to know what a garter is for.
And the first dance and father daughter dance…. as usual I think there was some dust in my eye.
I had a great time, and Jason and Tia enjoyed an amazing day surrounded by their friends and family, and have the photos to remind them of this day forever!
Tammy and Jason’s destination wedding in Mexico was great, white sand beaches, warm sea, a relaxing all-inclusive resort and a wonderful couple to share an amazing journey with!
I’ve known Tammy and Jason for a while now. She’s helped me on a couple of times with creative photoshoots and projects, but now she’s engaged and getting married in the gorgeous Barceló Maya Beach Resort in Mexico. My wife and I got to spend a time with the couple and 26 of their closest friends and family and truly capture the entire wedding experience.
First of all I had an amazing time. Honestly it’s hard to go wrong with a great couple, open and friendly family and friends, and a beautiful resort on the beach in Mexico. The Barceló Maya is gorgeous, and part of a network of four separate resorts, and if you have access to one, you have access to all (beaches, pools, food, etc). There is an amazing white sand beach, many pools (some adult only, if you want a bit of time away from kids), great food, staff, etc. Really hard to say anything bad about the place.
After a few days of rest and relaxation (and one hell of a sunburn, but I blame the best man for that), however, it was time to work. The day started at the spa, where the girls all had their hair and makeup done by the staff.
I can’t help but share this one as well… right inside the door to the spa is the kids room area. Bright colours, funny decorations…. I couldn’t help but get the girls in there to play around a little. I love the result!
From the spa we headed back to the rooms. The resort had gorgeous green open spaces between buildings that I used for some of the group photos of the wedding party.
For example, check this one of Len and Jason…. Father of the bride and his new son-in-law looked pretty badass!
If you follow me on Instagram (and you should!), or know me from my photography at all, you’ll know I love details. Wedding dresses, shoes, rings… the whole deal. I couldn’t have asked for a better room for the “getting ready” shots with the ladies. Gorgeous, tall ceilings, amazing window light… a photographers dream!
There’s was lots of goofing around going on. Just so we’re clear here, Tammy is very nice and was just kidding around…
… and she got the mandatory “is there anything in my teeth” close inspection.
The ceremony took place on the beach… the resort has 3 wedding areas setup, and run a wedding through each every day as far as I could tell. You might think this would make the whole experience feel impersonal like you’re just being inserted into a wedding machine, but nothing could be father from the truth! The wedding coordinator was awesome, dealt with the couple as their main contact and gave them whatever they needed (including a golf cart ride for the group to keep them out of the sun).
Because they run weddings through all the time, they have the advantage of knowing what works. The right places and times to make things look awesome.
Tammy and Jason opted for a sand ceremony, and they finished the ceremony with a kiss… and oh what a kiss. Pretty sure that I heard a few gasps from the wedding party, just saying’…
A beach with the sea and blue sky behind you makes a really nice backdrop for family photos. I wish I could have bottled that all up to bring back with me!
The one tiny little downside was sometimes it was just a little windy. And by that I mean a lot windy. The bride’s hair blew around naturally, swishing from side to side and making her even more beautiful than ever.
Jason however wasn’t so lucky. There was a lot of this going on….
Luckily everyone else was really really amused about it. Lots!
Photos on the beach were amazing, gorgeous, wonderful. Pick your adjective!
Dinner and the reception were right nearby. I’m a sucker for the first dance, and pretty sure I teared up a little. Luckily with the camera up no one can tell.
This was an amazing experience, one I’ll never forget and I’m so so happy that I got to be there and spend the time with Tammy, Jason, and their wonderful friends and family!
I’ve known Charmaine for a while, she worked at a camera store I frequented, and asked me to be the photographer for her home wedding (one might call it an elopement) in Abbotsford. It was actually pretty intimidating, because she was a photographer as well, but luckily she was (mostly) busy with the whole “having marrying the man she loved” thing. The photos hopefully show how beautiful it can be to capture a small ceremony with just friends and family looking on at home.
She got ready at home with her daughter Emma.
Don’t think for a second this was a somber affair. There were more than a few laughs getting the dress on…
They had done up the family house wonderfully, with a garland hung along the hallway.
Both bride and maid of honour wore their favourite comfy shoes.
A quick moment of Charmaine and her father just before walking down the isle.
The ceremony itself was short and sweet. Family and friends were present.
After the ceremony the father of the bride, who was sadly suffering from a bout of flu, immediately stood up to hug his new son in law.
Followed by a post-wedding selfie (selfies are a thing with these two).
Formals were in not the best weather, but Fishtrap Creek Park. Had a couple of nice locations that the bride and groom liked, and after a bit of avoiding puddles, we did some formals of the happy pair.
And yes, there were more funny faces here as well.
This one’s a bit embarrassing to me. I had a flash setup to throw a bit of extra light on Charmaine and Mike and with the wind, well, it fell over. Twice. Once I caught it, the second time the groom (with his panther-like reflexes) caught it before it hit the ground just as I snapped a photo.
Oh, and I also slipped and fell ass-over-teakettle on the slippery wooden steps. I’d rather not talk about that though, ok?
And back to the beautiful couple.
She goofed around on the playground on the way back. I tried to convince her to race after the big flock of Canada Geese in the middle of the field, in full wedding dress, but apparently that’s not something you should do in a white flowing wedding dress that’s brand new. Who knew?
Back at the house we packed up and headed home. Me to go and edit, these two on their honeymoon.
This photo is why I encourage couples to go for an all day session. There are more opportunities to capture the little moments. Here I was getting a couple of detail photos of Charmaine’s hairdo at the end of the day and Mike looking at her while she looked away. One of my favourite shots of the day.
Formals: Fishtrap Creek Park
Ceremony: Abbotsford home
Remember that if you are interested in some fun and beautiful photos like this, book your free photography consultation now.
I’m not exactly sure how Tara and Alex found me for their wedding in Coquitlam. My friend, works with the wife, of his cousin….. something like that, it’s all very complicated, but at the end of the day I got to be part of the beginning of these two young people’s lives together!
Tara got ready at her grandparents home with her parents and bridesmaid (her sister).
I got to see a few lovely little moments like this in amidst makeup and jewelry.
I love capturing the little details from the getting ready, along with of course the lovely dress!
The rings were gorgeous.
As was the bridesmaid.
The ladies getting ready.
When the girls were ready to go, I raced over to Alex’s parents house, where the groom’s side of the family was getting ready. I captured this awesome moment of the guys learning to tie a proper bow tie from youtube videos!
In the end it all worked out. Everyone had their bow ties on.
The best man, Raphael, had a very important speech to give, and was a little nervous as he paced by the window practicing.
When we were all ready go head to the Port Moody Station Museum for the ceremony the guys all had a shot, checked their ties, and realized they were looking good!
The Port Moody Station Museum is a great little museum dedicated to the early days of the railroad in Port Moody, with the key feature being an authentically styled railroad car, with the ceremony taking place inside! Super cool (though honestly, a little tight space wise, photographically speaking, but so worth it). First though, we did a “first look” where Alex got to see Tara in her dress for the first time!
Great success!
Formal photos of the bride, groom, wedding party and family.
Next, ceremony time! Like I said, inside of the train car was a bit tight, but we all squeezed in.
The officiant was great, making sure the two held their poses and looked up at the camera at the right time (sometimes not the easiest to remember to do in the heat of a wedding, and sadly I can’t yell directions from the sidelines during the ceremony).
The reception was held at Alex’s parents condo, an intimate room filled with friends and family catching up and enjoying the day.
Cutting the cake with it’s cute little cake topper.
The night was great wine from Classically Corked Wine and food supplied by Austin Gourmet. The first dance and father daughter dance was amazing, Alex and Tara had practiced it for some time before and pulled it off great.
I almost didn’t well up a little at the father daughter dance as well. Almost.
The night ended with friends and family dancing away and partying, and celebrating the newly married couple and the beginning of their life together!
Wedding particulars:
