Tanner wasn’t so sure about getting his photos taken with his cousin and mom, but he warmed up to the session…eventually. We took his photos near his school, it was his idea (with a little help from mom).
I had a hard time finding Tanner during the shoot – he loved to run around, and play in the trees and bushes.
And when Tanner was done, the shoot was over.
One of the perks of being in the Alberta chapter of the Professional Photographers of Canada is the occasional opportunity to shoot with models. We have been too busy to make it out to most of the shoots but I really enjoyed going out and shooting with my fellow photogs last fall. Kelsey and Karlie have a lot of energy and were very fun to shoot.
Karlie is an aspiring photographer. Here she is creating some “ART” with her camera.
Rena and Uche’s wedding was full of firsts for us: our first wedding in Calgary, our first Jewish wedding, our first Kola nut ceremony (Nigerian tradition) and our first weekend away from our son (who turns 1 this week!)
Rena and Michael grew up together, and their families have been great friends for a long time. Rena’s parents Gail & Eli were guests at our wedding and we were honoured to be able to celebrate Rena’s wedding with them.
We first met Uche several months ago. We heard the story of how Rena and Uche first met – they went to high school together and Rena had a crush on Uche. At a high school basketball game, Rena was quietly admiring Uche’s rippling muscles as he dunked the ball. She yelled in front of everyone “Dunk it again, Uche!” (and he did!). They didn’t date during high school, they didn’t even really know each other. They reconnected two years ago, and have been together ever since.
Rena & Uche had a late ceremony and they met ahead of time at Rena’s parents’ house.
The out of town guests were treated incredibly well at this wedding. An entire Italian restaurant was reserved for a fabulous dinner the night before the wedding (hosted by the community), and when we arrived at our hotel we were greeted by this:
A gift box with treats and traveller’s items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste (fitting, since Rena’s dad is a dentist!)
Rena requested photos on Stephen Ave in downtown Calgary. We loved the chance to shoot in a new location, and we could have spent all afternoon exploring.
A beautiful private lakefront park is adjacent to the Newport Grill where the ceremony and reception were held. In between hail storms, the sun came out for Rena & Uche.
The Jewish wedding ceremony was beautiful, both visually and in the words that the Rabbi spoke about Rena & Uche. They are unquestionably made for each other.
The chuppah was a blend of Jewish tradition and Nigerian culture – the roof was made from Nigerian cloth, to reflect Uche’s heritage. The chuppah represents the home that Uche & Rena have created together – it is open on all sides to represent that their home will always be open to family and friends.
The wedding ring is placed on Rena’s right index finger as it is believed to be connected directly to her heart.
My favourite of the Jewish wedding ceremony traditions – the breaking of the glass. “As the glass shatters, so may our marriage never break.” Mazel Tov!
During the reception, Uche’s parents explained the Nigerian Kola nut ceremony. The ceremony involves the offering of Kola nut pieces to the guests. The more pieces the nut is broken into, the more prosperity for the guests. The nut is offered as a sign of friendship.
Lake, sunset, gorgeous couple. Sigh…
The first dance…
…with a twist! A Nigerian tradition is to place money on the heads of the couple dancing. It was really cool to watch.
The Jewish first dance – the hora – was amazing! We could barely move in the crowd, watching Rena & Uche and their parents being hoisted into the air on chairs.
Rena & Uche – thank you for sharing your love and your cultures with us. We hope to welcome you into our home in Edmonton soon!
PS: Uche – if you have any questions about your new sound system, just give Michael a call…
If you haven’t been yet, you know you want to…
I went to the Southgate opening on August 5th, 2009. We love the branding that the mall has done around the opening with the high-fashion posters. I know one of the models, Alicia, who was brought in to showcase the mall.
There are some fabulous new single-brand stores that many of you will love. I’ll wager that half of the brides who walk through the doors of Shandro Photo carry their keys in a Coach purse (and likely have a Coach wallet inside).
The mall brought in some great entertainment.
One of our brides, Laura, did the hiring for the new Guess store in Southgate. While she was at a meeting at our place I let her use our photocopier to copy a job posting.
In the bottom right corner of this picture is a great videographer, Raj from “A Love Story”. He was hired by Southgate to record some video of the opening. We have been lucky enough to work with him and his wife Eileen at two weddings.
There are at least three new shoe stores in Southgate. Please don’t tell your husbands, fiancés, and boyfriends that I told you so.
I promised you more of Neha & Sumit, and here they are!
Prior to the wedding, Neha had many ceremonies with her family, including the sangeet, mehendi, and churda.
Neha is an incredible dancer, you’d have to see her to believe it. I was stunned by the surprise dance she did at the sangeet.
Neha was so relaxed during the days leading up to the wedding. Definitely a bride-chilla.
This was our first Hindu wedding, and we enjoyed learning about all of the ceremonies. The various items at the ceremonies all have special meaning:
Fire – the element that dispels darkness
Water – life nourishing element
River – dispeller of evil spirits
Coconut – fertility
Sandhur – auspiciousness
Following the chura ceremony, the family had a discussion with the priest – while my Hindi isn’t that good, I was able to pick out a few topics, and it was very interesting. One of the most thought provoking was the idea that nothing can ever be destroyed; everything goes back into the earth.
This wedding was a bit different for us – it was mostly documentary, with not very much time for any posed/formal photos. I love the results…as much as we love being creative with our portraits, it was cool to challenge ourselves with catching moments, even more so than usual. I wouldn’t say it is a shift in our style, but it was an amazing experience.
That being said, we of course got some sweet shots of the two of them…
Check out her dimples!
I had not met Sumit before the wedding – Michael did their engagement session, and Sumit hadn’t been at any of the pre-wedding ceremonies in Edmonton. My first time meeting him was here (wow!):
The Barat was quite long, and Sumit had a nice ride on the horse around the hotel with his family before being welcomed in.
At the ceremony, Neha & Sumit exchanged garlands of fresh flowers to declare their commitment to each other.
Neha was very emotional during the ceremony.
The reception was also at the Coast Edmonton East in Sherwood Park. Neha & Sumit enjoyed many speeches and performances; my favourite was this young man who was a very energetic dancer.
Neha thanked her brother in particular for being her unofficial wedding planner – I must say he did a fantastic job!
Dance time!
This is my favourite shot of the whole wedding.
Special thanks to Monica from Suhaag Weddings for helping ensure everything ran smoothly – it was great working with you again!
Neha & Sumit, we wish you all happiness as you being your new life together in Montreal. We hope to see you soon! Thank you for being so relaxed, and making our job so enjoyable.
We just wrapped up Neha & Sumit’s outstanding wedding, and we’ll share those images with you soon. Sumit only arrived in town shortly before the wedding, and despite a busy schedule we managed to connect with Neha & Sumit for engagement photos in the river valley.
We’re no strangers to different cultures, and visitors to our blog know how much we love East Indian weddings. Esther & Nathan gave us the opportunity to experience a Chinese wedding and we couldn’t have been more excited!
We had our first experience of the fun games played on the wedding morning. Nathan had to bargain with the bridesmaids to gain entry to the house and join Esther. Luckily, his groomsmen did some of the dirty work for him (Simon took the brunt of the punishment – we could see why Nathan chose him as best man!). Tasks included bringing coffee and snacks for the bridesmaids, jumping jacks, burpees, sharing an intimate moment with another groomsman (we’re not putting that one on the blog!), and wearing a lacy pink bra.
Once inside, Nathan had to guess which lip imprint on a piece of paper was his bride’s…
…and write her a rap song, professing his love. It was pretty good… “My name is Nathan and I’m here to say, I’m here to get Esther and take her away”!
A tea ceremony followed with Esther’s family.
Esther spent a lot of time on the U of A campus, and chose that as their portrait location.
The ceremony was at the Knox Metropolitan Church in Old Strathcona/Garneau. It was really cool for Michael, because his parents got married in that church! We had never been inside. He could imagine his parents, decades ago, making the same commitment to each other that Esther and Nathan were making. Michael’s parents are happily married with a growing family, and we wish Esther and Nathan such joy and longevity in their marriage.
The reception at the Sutton Place Hotel was incredible. Easily the best food and service we have experienced all year.
These little dolls are so adorable!
Esther and Nathan did something really cool – they walked around to each and every table with their bridal party and parents to toast with all of the guests. It was a special way for them to thank everyone for coming.
Another wedding with two dresses! Both of Esther’s were fantastic – I’m jealous again!
In celebration of the end of her diet, that she has faithfully followed in order to look her best at the wedding (which she did, wow!), Esther requested McDonald’s cheeseburgers for the midnight lunch at the wedding. Every time I see this photo, I can hear Esther sighing in satisfaction – you made it, girl!
Thank you both so much for the incredible experience. We can’t wait for our next Chinese wedding!
Param & Ronnie’s wedding was a great blend of cultures: East Indian and Carribean. It was really cool to see Ronnie’s family experience the Indian ceremonies for the first time, and for Param’s family to dance to soca music at the reception!
The ladies’ sangeet was the first time for a lot of the family members meeting each other. Crazy colours, crazy dancing, and great food.
Param prepared for the wedding with the manya, chura, and mehndi ceremonies.
The Sikh ceremony was first at Gurdwara Nanaskar, one of the most impressive places of worship we’ve been to.
As Param sat down at the front with Ronnie, he mouthed the word “WOW”. I couldn’t agree more – she looked incredible.
Another wow.
The timing was perfect for canola field pictures, and luckily there was a fantastic one right across from the Gurdwara. We stole Param & Ronnie away after the ceremony for these shots.
The always tearful doli. There’s nothing held back at this ceremony. Pure emotion.
Sunshine greeted the newly married couple at Ronnie’s family home.
Next up, the christian ceremony, at the Millwoods Pentecostal assembly. I was so jealous of Param – two amazing outfits, and she got to marry the man she loves twice!
I think you’ll agree that she is hot, hot, hot!
Fun bridal party session. Check out the group shot of the guys – one of Michael’s best I think!
The reception at Meridian Banquet Hall was awesome, and everyone had fun dancing to the blend of music: bhangra, and soca. You could tell who belonged to which family by the type of music that was playing!
The bridal party did a crazy choreographed dance to Jai Ho!
Param & Ronnie: your infections smiles and warm personalities make everyone around you joyful. Your wedding was a beautiful celebration of your love, and we were so happy to be part of it.
I was so honoured to work with the Williams family. They officially adopted their son after having welcomed him into their hearts and home several years ago. It was so obvious from spending time with these three that they were meant to find each other, and to create this new family.
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