Getting Ready

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.

 

 

Wedding Ring Photo

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.

The Gents Getting Ready

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 at Eighteen Pastures

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.

Formals

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.

Reception

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!

Links

• Ceremony and Reception – Eighteen Pastures Golf Course