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Here are some more sneak-previews for the blog from 2011. I’ll be properly updating the blog soonish, with some major announcements thrown in for good measure.

Shawna and Ryan, Kelowna Wedding:

Bahar and Atta, Banff Wedding:

Maureen and Dave, Emerald Lake Wedding:

Margaret and Pat, Waterton Wedding:

Megan and Evan, Canmore Wedding:

Lyndsay and Simon, Calgary Engagement:

Lyndsay and Simon, Jasper Wedding:

Karen and Darren, Calgary Wedding:

It’s been a while since I updated my blog! I will get back into it again soon, but for now here are some previews of weddings and engagements I have photographed that will later be fully featured in their own blog posts.

Siobhan and Matt, Calgary:

Kent and Brooke, Calgary:

Raquel and Robert, Okotoks:

Theresa and Sander, Banff:

Lori-Anne and Randy, Calgary:

Kendra and Ryan, Lethbridge:

Jill and Bryce, Lethbridge Engagement/Maternity:

Nichole and Joe, Rocky Mountain House:

Jennifer and Jeff, Banff Engagement:

Gavin and Leigh, Kananskis:

Susan and Krister, Banff:

Melissa and Dan, Lethbridge:

Erik and Julie, Banff:

Shawnee and Cameron, Kelowna:

Atta and Bahar, Calgary Engagement:

Sergio and Parisa, Casa Loma, Toronto:

Jodi and Jordon, Rocky Mountain House:

With some people I know from the first few emails that I will really enjoy meeting them and photographing their wedding. Jeremy and Stephanie were one of those couples. Stephanie had sent me a link to two websites that they had created for their wedding and they were so filled with clever and funny information that I really looked forward to their wedding. Among other tidbits, they listed information about Banff for their wedding guests. They actually created two completely original visitor guides for Banff, complete with photos and recommended points of interest!

We started the wedding day with Jeremy as he got his suit on and then nipped over to Stephanie’s room. Conveniently, everything was being held at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Stephanie had a custom-made wedding gown that was really beautiful as well as original.

Their ceremony was held in the Ivor Petrak room in the Banff Springs and as you’ll see from the photos, there were a lot of great, real moments. And fun ones, too.

For their portraits, we mostly stayed in the Banff Springs—there is such a wealth of great locations right there!—but we also roamed outside of Banff town a bit to get some photos of the mountains and the last of the fall colours.

Their wedding reception was back in the Ivor Petrak room and was a really enjoyable evening, with great speeches and energetic dancing.

All the best, guys!

As anyone who looks at my photos can tell, I am a big fan of colour, and sometimes I notice abstract colour themes running through the wedding day. This wedding is a good example, with cheerful pastel colours during the getting ready in the morning and then warm, earthy tones in the reception. I think it’s cool how the morning colours reflect a bright and happy atmosphere, while the dark woods at the reception give off a feeling of depth and a down-to-earth vibe that echoed in the speeches of the evening.

Have I lost anyone?

As you look through the photos you’ll notice that the sky is so different throughout the day that it almost appears that the wedding was photographed on different days. All-in-all we were pretty blessed with the weather, though. It poured down just as we were finishing up the portraits, but it cleared beautifully right in time for the ceremony and receiving line, before settling in for a damp evening once we were safely inside for the reception. Tara and Evan had decided to do their main portraits prior to their ceremony. They even exchanged rings in the backyard, before taking them off after the portraits for their ceremony. Tara had also brought along some yellow balloons to include in the photos and lend a whimsical feel to some of the portraits. I like the splash of colour they added! In the end I think the kids got to them after the ceremony and that was the last we ever saw of the balloons.

It was still raining when we got to the Ranche House Restaurant for the family photos and wedding ceremony, so we did all of the family portraits inside the Ranche House. We chose a room with rich colours and textures to it and I love how the photos turned out. Oh, and you might notice a mounted bison on the wall behind during the reception speaches and wonder how many photos I took with the horns lined up behind peoples’ heads. Let’s just say I was very well-behaved. Well, mostly.

Evan and Tara had asked for a big photograph of all of their wedding guests and I was going to go out onto the balcony of the Ranche House to be able to get them all into the one image. But the doors were locked and the owner couldn’t find the key! So, we cranked up a window leading to the roof and out I climbed onto the rain-slick wooden shingles, camera in hand. As I stood with one foot on either side of the peaked roof I could see peoples’ curious expressions looking up at me. I gestured behind me—”The door was locked”, I explained and they laughed.

As you’ll see in their photos, both Tara and Evan were clearly in love—and Evan is definitely one of the most openly-emotional grooms we’ve ever had, which is good to see! There are so many photos of everyone looking happy and really enjoying the wedding day and I dare you to watch the slideshow and not smile!

Jessica and I photographed Andrea and Matt’s engagement session in Calgary just a short time before their wedding day and as soon as we met them I knew that their wedding would be a day filled with great moments and love—and it certainly was.

You know, as I write my blog posts I glance through the wedding photos and different images inspire me to write about the day. But with Andrea and Matt’s photos I am finding it really hard to add anything to what the photos already say pretty clearly. However, that won’t stop me from rambling for bit.

This was one of those days where things came together really well for a great wedding—the bride and groom open with their emotions, a happy wedding party, nice weather, and surrounded by great scenery and supportive friends.

Their wedding was held at the Rimrock Resort in Banff, which is a favourite place of mine for weddings. I really love Banff and the Rimrock is in such a gorgeous location, nestled right into the side of a mountain. Matt and Andrea had treated themselves to a suite with fantastic views all around—you can see a glimpse through one of their windows in the first photo of the dress hanging up. They also wrote their own vows and the vows were so moving that the officiant actually asked for a copy so that he could use them for inspiration when he wrote vows for other weddings! How cool is that?

After the ceremony we did all of their wedding portraits in one main area just outside of Banff town before coming back to the Rimrock Resort for their reception. The reception was a blast, with very real speeches that were both moving and funny, which you’ll get a feeling for as you look through their photos.

Dave and Barbara got married at The Norland in Lethbridge, which is my favourite place in Lethbridge for outdoor wedding ceremonies. In summer the gardens are so lush, with beautiful flowers dotting the vibrant greens. On this day the skies were very hazy, due to fires, but the grounds were still really attractive.

I started my photography just before they saw each other for the first time that day, which was prior to their ceremony. It was a great moment—they looked so happy! In fact, Barbara hardly stopped smiling all day. Come to think of it, the only time she did stop smiling was when she was wiping away tears of happiness. There were a lot of great, real moments from this wedding and although I did do posed portraits I tried to keep a loose feel to some of the group images, to show them hanging out with their friends. I love the images I have of Barbara making her entrance at the wedding ceremony. So many new expressions raced across her face as she walked up—anticipation, love, happiness—a different look every few steps.

Barbara’s new father-in-law said during his reception speech, “When Dave told me he had met a girl and she was a welder, I expected someone completely different. When I met Barbara I thought, ‘She’s not a welder; she’s a model!’”. I have to agree that Barbara made a stunning bride and they were also such an easy-going couple that the photos almost took themselves.

For their reception, Dave and Barbara had hired the awesome local band Hippodrome, who we saw perform at a couple of weddings last summer. They’re really entertaining and the live music and crowd rapport definitely adds a cool atmosphere to receptions. Barbara and Dave had a different kind of reception schedule, where the band played a song and everyone danced, then there was a speech or two, then more music. It was an interesting way to do things and gave the reception much more lively feel by breaking things up this way. Dave and Barbara also played a few songs themselves and sang really well together.

Congrats, guys!

Even though I don’t have photos of when Kevin proposed to Carmen, I want to start by telling you how they got engaged. It was really unique and very creative. While they were out doing some very non-engagement-y things, with no one around, a friend of Kevin’s flew a helicopter in, low over the trees. As Kevin asked Carmen to marry him, he reached up and untied her engagement ring from a line that dangled from the hovering chopper. It was a complete surprise for Carmen and also makes for a really cool story.

The good thing about photographing weddings at Rocky Mountain House, apart from the fact that it’s a beautiful location, is that you can easy get from one place to the other without a lot of time (compared to, say, Calgary). No traffic! So, although we started at the hair salon in the morning with the girls, we also had time to get some portraits of the guys and then some quick photos as they started their pre-wedding-ceremony round of golf, and then we returned to catch Carmen as she was laced into her dress.

Their ceremony was right on the Pine Hills golf course, which is a lovely area and a place where we have photographed before, too. When you scroll down through the photos you’ll see a photo of the girls all hiding behind a big, blank sign before the ceremony, with just their legs showing as they waited there. I thought it made for a fun image. Just after I took that photo the officiant asked me if I was ready for the ceremony. I said, “Yeah, I am; I was just taking a photo of the bridesmaids legs”. She gave me an odd look as she walked away and then I realised how creepy that probably sounded! Lol!

Right after the ceremony a big storm rolled in, with dark, menacing clouds. Kevin wanted to get some photos with his car. The car was very cool-looking and I embarrassed myself trying to open it—there were no door handles! I looked confused for a moment until Kevin pulled out his remote entry device and clicked it open by pushing a button. Meanwhile, the storm grew in intensity and it was pretty freaky with my metal light-stands swaying in the wind and lightning flashing across the sky around us. Let’s just say that we did those photos without wasting any time.

Their reception was at the Rocky Mountain House Community Centre and was full of fun and touching moments. I loved what someone said during one of the speeches: “You’ve been together for thirteen years and had three children. Today, you’re getting married—don’t you think you’re rushing into things?” Their oldest daughter sang at both the ceremony and at the reception and she had such a great voice! I’ve been involved in the fringes of the music industry at different times and have a good idea of musical ability and she could do very well if she keeps at it.

Congrats to Angela and Justin, who were married in Airdrie, just north of Calgary.

We started our day at Angela’s parent’s place for the lacing up of her dress and some quick portraits in their garden, before heading over to the wedding ceremony at St. Paul’s Catholic Church. It was really touching to see Angela’s dad getting choked up as he walked her down the aisle and Justin biting his lip.

After the ceremony we were able to just walk a few meters for the portraits in Nose Hill Park. It was a beautiful, sunny day. But it was hot! It was really baking and I really felt for the guys in their suits in the sun. But everyone had an awesome attitude about the heat and they were prepared, with a cooler of cold drinks to keep them going. The whole wedding party were a real blast during the photos, with such a willingness to do whatever it took to get great photos. They even brought along softball gear, because they play it together. That was a first for us to see at a wedding and it made for some fun photos.

After the portrait time we went to their reception, which was at the Airdrie Town and Country Centre. They had decorated with a tropical theme—since they didn’t go to Hawaii for their wedding they brought a slice of it to their wedding. It was refreshing to see cool colours, like blues, in a summer wedding, instead of the warmer summer colours. And their cake was awesome! Whoever made it did a fabulous job. The shells and flowers looked so lifelike it was hard to believe they were made of sugar!

We finished our day with some photos outside as the full moon rose over the city and then back inside for the bouquet and garter tosses.

Oh, and in the slideshow you’ll see a boy, about fourteen years old or so, with a camera. That kid was so confident! He was schmoozing with the bridesmaids and getting right in there at the reception to fearlessly catch the best photos. He even came up to me to give me advice! Lol! I don’t know if he will stick to photography as he grows up, but I am sure that whatever he does he will be good at it. That kid will rule the world.

Ok, that was a long blog post title! For those of you who don’t know what the ISPWP is, it is an incredible organisation dedicated to finding the very best wedding photographers in the world and holding competitions between them every quarter-year. I have always been honoured to be a member and to have placed in each of the competitions I’ve entered so far, coming in the top 20 wedding studios in the world each time.

Here are the images that placed for me this time round (in chronological order):

Congrats to Mike and Sarah! From the time I arrived and saw the note to Mike on Sarah’s door I knew that this wedding was going to be full of their personalities, and as you look through the photos below you’ll see lots of images of them laughing or tearing up. As you’ll see, Sarah had trouble keeping a straight face most of the time; if she wasn’t smiling she was laughing. Oh, and I loved the vibrant colour of her room, too! There were a few minor getting-ready emergencies involving wet bridesmaid sashes and having to repair the wedding dress, but we soon headed off to the Galt Museum for a moving wedding ceremony.

After their ceremony we did most of the portrait around the coulees near to the Galt and at the river bottom. Sarah and Mike were great to hang out with—really easy-going and obviously very happy to just be with each other.

At their wedding reception at the Grandstand, there were more touching moments as the speeches started, as well as some really funny lines from Mike’s brothers. And Mike and Sarah cut their wedding cake with a real sword! It’s an heirloom sabre that has been in Mike’s family and is rumoured to be haunted. As soon as I knew it would be there I had to get a photo of it. Sarah had also organised a cake for Mike, decorated with the Transformers logo. That was cool.

We finished our day with some more portraits taken downstairs below the Grandstand. I like the bright colours of the walls. I think the bright colours suit Mike and Sarah’s personalities.