Amy and Jason – Harrison Hot Springs Wedding

alan

I met Amy and Jason early this year when a friend of theirs passed on my name. We met and it was a great fit. They are a fun and energetic couple, and Amy has one of the most infectious laughs I’ve ever heard. I’ve lived in the Lower Mainland of BC all my life, but I’ve never actually been inside the Harrison Hot Springs Hotel, how insane is that!? The location was fantastic, well setup and very nice to have hotel, spa, beautiful gardens for the ceremony, and dinner and entertainment all in one location.

AJB_20150718_4357 — She wasn’t impressed with how the hair was going in the flower girl department

AJB_20150718_4398 — Hand holding while getting ready requested…

AJB_20150718_4795 — The girls having fun while getting ready

AJB_20150718_4817-Edit — She was radiant

JT_20150718_7184539-Edit — I admit, the flower girl nearly stole the spotlight from the bride

AJB_20150718_4761 — I love this shot, a real, honest and completely beautiful moment.

AJB_20150718_4476 — You may recognize those photos from their Engagement

AJB_20150718_4982 — I told you her father was beaming!

The ceremony was a simple affair, just the two of them, the wedding party, in the gorgeous sun beaming down at the back of the Harrison Hot Springs Hotel and Spa.

AJB_20150718_7193 — The entire wedding party and guests let themselves get wrangled for a group photo

AJB_20150718_5225 — The father of the bride was absolutely beaming the entire time

The first dance didn’t make me cry, not even a little, no siree..

JT_20150718_7184760 — The way he looked at her while they watched the slide show

AJB_20150718_5904 — The girls out on the resort balcony

July 18, 2015 - Amy Wood and Jason Margarit's Wedding. Photography by Alan Bailward Photography - http://bailwardphotography.com — How can you not get a photo with that amazing sunset in the background?

Ceremony Location: Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa
Catering: The Copper Room at Harrison Hot Springs
Event Decorations: Party Tree Rentals
DJ: Painted Frog Entertainment
Cake: Cakes and Confetti
Flowers: Holly Tree Florist and Gifts

Amanda and Adam – Abbotsford Wedding

alan

Amanda and Adam had everything you could want in a summer wedding in Abbotsford. Sunny and gorgeous and warm (maybe a bit too warm at times)! The bride and groom got ready at their own houses (well, him at his, her at her friends). Before the ceremony they took their wedding party to the great gardens at the Abbotsford City Hall for some great sun-drenched formal portraits. The ceremony, and following reception, took place at a quaint little community hall called Straiton Community Centre. What you’d think was your standard community hall, but decked out in it’s Sunday best (as it were), it worked just perfectly for these young kids! The wedding photography was relaxed and informal and they hardly even noticed I was there!

Adam and Amanda, thank you for trusting me with your wedding photography. I know it was very important to you and I’m so happy that I had the time with you to create these images. You and your friends and family welcomed me as one of their own and I’m proud to say I was part of your day!

Denis and Irina – Stanley Park Wedding

alan

Denis has been my friend for many years now, and I was honoured when he asked me to be his wedding photographer. It was the first time I had met his bride-to-be, Irina, but she made me feel like part of the family right away. The two are awesome together and I enjoy meeting up when we can for dinner, drinks, and (of course) techie talk (we are both programmers and tech guys as well). This was the first wedding I’ve done in Stanley Park, and it was a great day for firsts. The ceremony at the Brockton Clubhouse was filled with family and friends, followed by some formal portraits on the grounds nearby. Stanley Park‘s location in downtown Vancouver has a great view all around, so no matter where you look there are mountains, or sea, or rolling green lawns. It’s a meticulously maintained area. The clubhouse has some interesting history as well, and has been around since 1927.

Thank you Denis and Irina for trusting me for your wedding. I’ve never had so much fun watching crazy Russian wedding games!

Location: The Brockton Clubhouse, Stanley Park

Ashley and Jesse – Port Moody Wedding

alan

This is Ashley and Jesse’s wedding!

Location: Port Moody Inlet Theater and Galleria

Richard and Kristen – Maple Ridge Backyard Country Wedding

alan

I’ve known Richard since we were 6 years old. Literally. He joined the tiny elementary school of Thornhill in grade one to a school of about 60 kids total (K-6). I’d love to tell you that we were friends, bonded in the trials and tribulations of young adulthood, partied together while in high school, and remained friends to this day. Sadly not true… he was just another kid in school, sometimes struggling as the new kid into a tight knit band of children, and we mostly drifted in our own directions throughout high school, and lost touch until years later.

However, we did meet back up years after and became friends again. He was a pretty cool guy who’d gone through a lot in his life but had found a wonderful girl, Kirsten, to spend his time with and join his family with hers. The two of them compliment each other in all the right ways, and you can truly feel their love for each other and their families.

The wedding was a simple affair, a backyard setup in the country town of Maple Ridge with delicious food but more importantly, friends and family. I was honoured to be a part of it and privileged to call Richard and Kirsten my friends.

Another flower girl trying to steal the show :) — Another flower girl trying to steal the show 🙂

This is a great and affordable way to collect memories and congrats

The kids (and adults) had fun on the swing

The happiness of it it being over, or it being started.

Last but not least, my favourite shot of the day!

Location: Maple Ridge
Food: Delicious potluck 🙂

Krystina and Aaron – Abbotsford Wedding

alan

The biggest challenge of Krystina and Aaron’s wedding was setting up the engagement. We fought mosquitoes, schedules, and wet grass to get those done. After all that, the rest of the actual wedding was easy!

I arrived as she and her gorgeous bridesmaids were getting ready. The hairdresser was a card and got into a bit of photo bombing. The rest of the ladies were as radiant as the bride as the morning progressed.

One of my favourite things to do is to capture the little details of the day. Rings, shoes (well, boots in this case), and the dress of course. These photos may not go up on your wall on a 48”x36” canvas, but you’ll want them in your wedding album to remember the little things that made your day so special.

Did I mention these guys were full on horse people? I’m friends with Tina on Facebook and her feed seems to be nothing but photos of her riding a horse. Of course, some of that bled through into the wedding.

Some of my favourite moments are the quiet little times in between the big events. A look in the mirror here, a hug from the mother of the bride, letting her baby go, these are the important things.

The ceremony was at Jubilee Hall in Abbotsford. Small and quiet, but still lots of fun. Sometimes all you need are some chairs placed out on the grass with an adorable flower girl and ring-bearer peaking out to see what’s happening.

Aaron looking at his bride.

Formal photos were done at Edenvale Gardens, a great location with a lovely garden, barn and wooded areas.

Reception antics abounded.

The father/daughter dance. I can’t guarantee that I didn’t have a tear in my eye at this point. Probably.

And of course dancing into the night.

Thanks you two for a great day!

Getting Ready: Mom’s house.
Ceremony: Jubilee Hall
Reception: Jubilee Hall
Formals: Edenvale Gardens

Ourania and John – New Westminster Wedding

alan

This wedding I was the second shooter with the awesome Athena Leskun. Ourania and John had a huge and amazing wedding, and it needed two photographers, as many weddings do. I was honoured to help out and got some amazing photos of this beautiful couple.

This was my first experience with a full on Greek Orthodox wedding and I must say it was amazing. The church was beautiful and I’d love to come back.

I told you these two were gorgeous right? New Westminster is an amazing city and complimented these two perfectly.

The reception was, in a word, insane. Dancing, partying, and there may or may not have been a belly dancer that showed up at one point.

Ceremony: St Nicholas & Dimitrios Greek Orthodox Church
Reception: New Westminster Quay

Kristine and Don – Maple Ridge Wedding

alan

Don and Kristine, found each other as couples often do, later in life. They weren’t high school sweethearts, but you could tell they had that sort of love in them. A simple ceremony in the Maple Ridge Open Door Church with their friends and family to celebrate bringing their two families together.

I spent the morning of the ceremony as I like to do with the bride and bridesmaids. As you’ll hear often this is my favourite part of the wedding…. not because it’s the calm before the storm (it seldom is)

Kristine chose a great retro styling for her bridesmaids and maid of honour

Just a couple of girls hanging out and looking fabulous

Another adorable ring bearer.... a trend I see! — Another adorable ring bearer…. a trend I see!

The moment after he saw her... — The moment after he saw her…

For the formals we went to Maple Ridge Park, a lovely little park on the road to Golden Ears. I’m not a huge fan of the “matte” processing look, but with Kristine’s classic dress and styling, a little bit of an old school look worked really, really well for it.

The reception was held back at the Open Door Church, with a live jazz band (this girl had the voice of an angel), a great spread for food, and of course, the first dance followed by a big party to celebrate the day.

... and it's biggest fans — … and it’s biggest fans

Brittney and Derek – Chilliwack Wedding

alan

I won’t lie, one of my favourite parts of wedding photography is the getting ready phase. The bride and bridesmaids getting their hair and makeup done, drinking a bit of champagne, exchanging gifts and laughter. I’m able to blend into the wall and be a fly on the wall, capturing these little moments (and the chaos) just like one of the girls. Honestly it’s a bonding experience that I love as much as the rest of the wedding!

Here I was helping out Rick from RH Studio Photography, I hung out and took photos while the bride and bridesmaids got ready while he did the photos of the groom, and then helped out at the ceremony and formals. Rick’s a great guy and you should definitely check him and his work out!

Bride Getting Ready: Abbotsford (private residence)
Ceremony: Chilliwack (private residence)

Debbie and Tony – Port Coquitlam Wedding

alan

Debbie and Tony were a great couple who’s wedding I helped shoot with my good friend Nicole Aurelie, another amazing local photographer.

The Father Daughter dance. I definitely did not probably tear up a little watching the two of them swinging around the dancefloor. Nope, definitely not. Probably.

Location: Poco Inn and Suites Hotel & Conference Center

Category: Wedding