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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:

I first met Darren and Karen at a wedding we photographed in Calgary last July and I’m really glad they booked us, since they looked like they were having a blast at their friends’ wedding—I can’t wait to see them enjoy their own wedding! They are two of the smiliest people I’ve ever photographed and their engagement session was really fun and easy-going, despite the cold conditions we had. Darren asked to do some sunset photos and so we hiked up a big hill in Calgary to get the best unobstructed view of the sun going down. Good thing Karen and Darren helped me to carry the gear—it was a long way!

I’m experimenting with talking less on the blog—lol!—so, without further ado, here are some of my favourite images from their engagement session:

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!

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!

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.

Robert and Raquel were a really fun and easy-going couple to photograph and I enjoyed the time we spent for their engagement session at Okotoks, around the big rock and a stream in town. I am looking forward to seeing them soon for their wedding!

Mike and Elva had a relaxed and happy wedding day at Waterton, with their ceremony being held right on the lake. You know, I’ve been in some pretty fancy venues around the country, but it’s hard to beat such a beautiful natural setting.

As Jessica and I got to Waterton early that morning, it was damp and overcast, with mist greying out the landscape and hanging over the lake. But right before the ceremony the sun popped out, which was just as well for when we jumped in the lake later that day.

After a short but heartfelt ceremony with emotions really coming out during the vows, we did a mini tour of Waterton for their portraits, going to the historic Prince of Wales Hotel, Cameron Falls, and a few other places—it’s hard to find a non-photogenic spot in the Rockies.

Elva had asked to do a trash the dress session when she booked us and she was bold enough to do it right on the wedding day—and before their reception! I saved those photos until the very end of the portrait time, because I knew the water would be cold. And oh, my goodness, it was cold. It comes from glaciers, so what should I expect, I guess. Elva waded right in! She handled the cold amazingly.

Because we had planned all of this ahead of time, we all had changes of clothes for the reception and I had brought towels, too. Except, I had forgotten to let Jessica know. She was soaking up to her neck in glacier-melt and had nothing to change into. Thankfully, there was a store open selling outdoor clothing, so I bought her a dress from there to wear for the rest of the day. (Who wears a dress to go hiking or camping, anyway?)

Their reception was back at the Bayshore Inn in a very relaxed atmosphere. There were no speeches, just dinner with their friends and family, following by cutting the wedding cake.

Thanks for having us, guys.

I had a great time photographing Jamie and Elizabeth’s engagement session in Lethbridge a few months ago—these guys have such a fun sense of humour and were really easy to work with—and their wedding day was everything I expected it would be. And since their engagement session had a rainbow it was only right that their wedding should have a unicorn. No, really.

Their wedding day was filled with their personal, quirky touches—I love weddings where you can look around the reception room and get a good idea of the couple and their personalities just from the decorations. You’ll see what I mean from some of the wedding detail photos below, though you can also get a sense of how genuine and fun they are just from their portraits. Actually, speaking of decorations and details, Elizabeth made all the little origami birds and hanging crystal bead thingies herself. I just posted some close-ups, but the room had them everywhere—so cool!

Jessica and I started our day with Elizabeth at the Lethbridge Lodge before we all headed down to the park just outside of the Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens for their wedding ceremony. After their ceremony we headed off to various locations around Lethbridge for their portraits.

At one point I was talking to Jamie about him doing a fun photo between the grain silos and he was thinking about it when Elizabeth kicked off her shoes and climbed up between them. Apparently she used to do this kinda thing as a kid all the time. She even emailed me after the wedding to show me an old scanned photo of her as a young girl wedged off the ground halfway up a doorway. Lol!

Their reception was at the newly-renovated and renamed Coast Hotel, which in the same building as the new Firestone Restaurant. There were so many great moments from their reception—lots of laughter and tears.

Thanks for having us, guys! See you again soon, when your photos are finished!

Stephanie and Kyle are a great couple whose engagement session I photographed last winter in the Kananaskis (in a blizzard—but that’s another story). After their engagement session I was really looking forward to their wedding—and not just because it was in summer.

We started the day with Kyle and his groomsmen out on Taber golf course as they played a quick round before coming back to Stephanie’s parent’s house to get ready. Well, to eat burgers and kick around a soccer ball. Same thing, really. Kyle is such an incredibly easy-going guy and the whole time I was with the guys there was a great laid-back feel with no pre-wedding jitteriness.

The property where Stephanie got ready, and where the wedding reception and ceremony were held on, was amazing—equal parts farm and mansion. I could have spent a day just photographing all the cool architectural details and the decor. When Stephanie was putting her dress on, Lindsey from Once Upon a Bride in Lethbridge had a tip for getting the dress on without messing her hair: a plastic bag over her head! It sounded funny to me at the time, but it works really well and was a clever idea.

The ceremony was held outside in a cobblestone courtyard and I have so many photos of people wiping their tears!

After the ceremony we stayed on the property for all the photos. It was a very diverse place, with a vineyard, some cool old stone constructions, and my favourite thing: a bouncing castle for the kids. As soon as I saw the bouncing castle I knew I had to get the wedding party in there. Fortunately, they were a super-fun bunch and felt the same way. It was so much fun in there! At first everyone was just kind of standing around looking at the camera, but I encouraged them to really go for it—which was interesting for my assistant Jessica, who weighs about 20 pounds and got thrown around like crazy—lol! We actually tipped it over at one point when everyone was on one side. Good times. Every wedding should have a bouncing castle.

After the fun reception guessing games and speeches, awesome Lethbridge band Hippodrome got everyone moving out on the grass of the reception area. I’ve seen Hippodrome perform at a couple of weddings this year and they really make the place come alive. It’s not just excellent music, but also a great feel that only a good, experienced live band can bring to an event.

And, best of all, there were no blizzards; just beautiful weather all day and night.