Jennifer & Blakely managed to squeeze in their engagement session this month – not easy in the middle of harvest season! Blakely is working hard on the family farm at the moment, and I enjoyed meeting them there for their shoot. And considering the amount of time he is spending on the combine at the moment, it only made sense to include it in the photos!
Jenn makes many trips out to the field to bring Blakely food, and the occasional kiss too 
I had a great time snuggling this little angel! She was a dream to work with.
Christine & Dan’s wedding is coming up in just over a month, and while we were vacationing in Canmore they took the opportunity to drive down for their engagement session in the mountains with Michael.
We’re really looking forward to working with Michelle from Behind The Scenes again for their wedding!
A couple of weeks ago the International Society of Wedding Photographers announced their Summer 2011 award winners, and I am delighted to announce that I won awards with two of my images! I am honoured to have been ranked among some of the most incredible wedding photographers in the world. You can view all of the award winners at ISPWP here.
Family and friends from all over the world came to celebrate with Preet & Dal. Preet & Dal are a very stylish couple and there were so many couture touches in their wedding that made it so glamourous.
Preet had this beautiful surprise for me when I arrived at her house – gorgeous Badgley Mischka shoes for her wedding day.
Dal wore a chic suit for the ceremony.
Dal shared a special moment with Preet’s sister at the doli.
We (and Preet) want to extend a special thank you to Sunita Sumaru for the most amazing week of helping Preet to look her best (not that she needs a lot of help!). Sunita is a warm hearted and bubbly person, and a blast to spend time with.
I was breathless working with Preet. She was our muse for the evening, and I was in love with her dress. She wanted to go in a different direction than traditional reception dress and went with the modern and glam Shantanu and Nikhil couture designer from India. Preet’s dress is straight off the runway. She looked absolutely stunning.
Annie from Cake Couture created another masterpiece. Decor was by Exquisite Creations.
The reception at Meridian Banquet Hall was a crazy dance party!
Congratulations Preet & Dal! Your attention to detail is amazing and your wedding was such a joyous celebration.
Here is a peek at a few of the pages of their wedding album.
Jody & Bib had the luxury of having two weddings! Their first was surrounded by family in friends in a beautiful orchard in Kelowna. The second was a big fun Indian party here in Edmonton, and I had the pleasure of photographing their wedding week here.
The week of festivities got started with a mehndi/dance party.
The Puja and Vatna ceremonies were photographed by Stephanie of Scade Photography – she captured some fantastic images! Thank you so much Stephanie!
Sylist Shana Chowdhury did Jody’s mehndi, hair, and makeup for the wedding. Talk about multi-talented!
Christy’s:
This is not Bib’s wallet. But…a little game involving pinching his nose, and him grabbing a sari resulted in him getting a wallet! Happy wedding day!
More games: whoever grabs the wedding ring and/or dollar coin wears the pants. I’m not really sure who won at the end of the day – there were several rounds. (Thanks for this one Christy).
Bib and his guys have spent a lot of time hanging out at the Elephant and Castle and it was important for him to have some photos there. It was pretty awesome just chilling out with them then. (Special thanks to all the guys for scaring the crap out of me during the ceremony – you know what I’m talking about…and to ‘Rob’ in particular for being lots of fun).
Jody & Bib got ready for their reception at the gorgeous and modern Matrix Hotel.
You’re about to see a glimpse of what I can do in 7 minutes. We were running a bit late for the reception, and didn’t have much time for photos. With my second shooter Christy’s help we were a whirlwind of activity and the Matrix hotel was such a lovely location to work in. It wasn’t until I got home that night and curiously looked at the time stamps of the photos that I realized how long the shoot was.
Christy had a different angle:
Jody’s mom did some of the decor and all the florals at the reception. It was amazing watching her work – she wanted everything for her daughter’s wedding to be perfect.
After taking bollywood dance classes, Jody & Bib WOWED everyone with a spirited performance.
And the rest is history! The guests danced the night away. Jody & Bib – your wedding (part 2) was so much fun, congratulations!
After 5 years of wedding photography, we had yet to visit the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel for a wedding! Michael was fortunate to work with Elena & Davin in the Rocky Mountains on the beautiful long weekend while I went back to Edmonton for Jody & Bib’s wedding (coming to the blog soon!) We had a family vacation in the mountains as well, which was very relaxing, a great way to recharge our batteries.
Special thanks to our fabulous second shooter Tessa (based in Canmore) – we had a great time hanging out with you while we were in Canmore!
Elena’s hair and makeup were done at the Willow Stream Spa at the Banff Springs. She looked amazing! Other vendors included florals by Alpine Flower Gallery, and planning by Terra from Inspired Occassions.
Elena’s mom sewed the weddings rings of her grandmothers into the wedding dress. It was such a lovely nod to family on a very important day.
Gift for the bridesmaids were from Mappins jewelery.
Tessa’s photo:
Elana gifted to Davin a Wayne Gretzky autographed hockey stick on the wedding morning. Tessa was with Davin while he opened it – what an incredible surprise from his wife-to-be!
The outdoor terrace at the Fairmont Banff Springs is the perfect location for an outdoor wedding in the mountains. Absolutely breathtaking.
Tessa’s capture:
When you get married at the Banff Springs, what better form of transportation can you have than a Rolls Royce?
This was Tessa’s interpretation.
High heels in the forest? No problem! Just hitch a ride on your groom.
Elena is just stunning. There is something so hauntingly beautiful about this image.
Can you find Michael in this one? The Banff Springs offers great views of the Mt. Stephen’s Hall from the upper balconies.
Congratulations Elena & Davin! Your wedding was stunning, and Michael really enjoyed working with you both.
Jennifer & Colin’s wedding held a lot of firsts for us! It was our first full Jewish wedding, our first chance to work at the Enjoy Centre, and our first time working with Jordan from Atmosphere Weddings. All of those were amazing experiences!
Jennifer & Colin are such a beautifully sweet couple. They attended elementary school together, along with their bridal party, and they wanted some of their portraits together there at the school. What a cute idea!
I found this beautiful poem in Jennifer’s parents room as I was taking pictures of her dress. Inspiring words for a long lasting marriage.
Jennifer had her makeup done by Makeup By Dana. She looked beautiful!
Jennifer’s dad seeing her for the first time all ready brought a tear to my eye.
The couple had their first glance at the Beth Shalom Synagogue in Edmonton, just before signing the Ketubah (Jewish marriage contract).
I adore the anticipation of their first kiss.
Mazel Tov! The smashing of the glass is a reminder the marriage is permanent and final, just like the breaking glass.
The steps of the synagogue were perfect for a grand exit.
Their bridal party was made up of lifelong friends and family.
It was really important to Jennifer & Colin to have some of their wedding photos out in nature. This spot was just for them, beautiful and calm, and very special on their wedding day.
We loved working at the Enjoy Centre and can’t wait for our next wedding there! (Hint hint…) The beautiful openness of the room and the light pouring in make it a stunning reception venue. Jordan and his team helped it to look even more amazing!
For something totally different, Jennifer & Colin chose tarts from Vi’s for Pies instead of cake.
Refreshments and dinner were by Sorrentino’s catering. Everything was scrumptious.
The horah (traditional jewish wedding dance) was crazy! It was exhilarating being in the midst of the circles of people dancing around (although I had to be really careful not to smack anyone with my camera!)
I LOVE the use of trees in their reception decor.
Congratulations Jennifer & Colin! Thank you so much for having us at your wedding!
Could these two be any cuter? They were so joyful throughout their entire engagement party. There are sure to be some big smiles at their wedding next summer.
I’ll let this one speak for itself.
We couldn’t have timed the twilight portraits any better.
Party time!
Even Grandma put on her dancing shoes!
See you all next year!
Shaira & Aly are a super sweet couple who live in Toronto but traveled back to Edmonton to celebrate their engagement. (And, they have the honour of being our 400th blog post!). This career has made our world much smaller, and it was evident when Shaira emailed me. I recognized her last name and through chatting we realized that I was in the same class as her brother in high school! I was really excited to catch up with Rahim and see how our lives have been over the past 10+ years. Both families were so warm and welcoming.
She said yes!
Sweets are offered by the family as well as prayers and showers of rose petals.
10 years after we were in school together, now Rahim is a doctor specializing in internal medicine, and I’m taking pictures of him throwing rose petals at his sister. I was musing that I sometimes feel like I have a bizarre job, and he commented that his is also really weird when you think about it. Good point.
More rose petals!
I stole Shaira & Aly away for a few moments alone after the engagement ceremony. Fortunately for me, Shaira’s parents have an amazing house that backs onto the river valley and has gorgeous landscaping!
Shaira & Aly – I can’t wait for your wedding next year! It’s going go to be a blast!