It was pretty hard not to smile and laugh during my session with Deanne and Dylan. We had a great time spending the afternoon in Beacon Hill Park, and then we climbed (what felt like) 500 stairs to another location along Beach Drive. Their wedding is next August so Deanne and Dylan wanted to have some engagement photos taken for their save the date cards. Looking forward to the big day!

Jill was my roommate at university. We were sort of forced together a few weeks into the first month of school. For some reason, I was put into a French residence…meaning I had to speak French 24/7. I can’t speak French. I had to request a residence transfer, and as it turned out, so did Jill’s roommate. We had a basement room in our residence and were thick as thieves within hours. When we were roommates off-campus, we would skip class (sorry Mom) and meet at home to watch a really terrible soap opera, while drinking really terrible Irish Cream flavored instant coffee…and it was absolutely wonderful. She’s still the one person who beats me to sending an email when I’m thinking of her. Today, I sent her a link to the gallery of her images and the first line of her response was, ‘I was just thinking of you.’ It never fails.

This year, my Jill married her Kris. They’ve known each other forever, they’ve traveled and taught around the world together, and they finally had a surprise wedding in March. The distance made it difficult for me to attend, and I missed their wedding celebration party this summer as I was shooting another wedding in Victoria. My present to them was this rainy day session at one of their favourite places, Melmerby Beach.

Catherine is a piper from Pictou County, and she’s yet another friend from the Gaelic College days. We took some photos around downtown Halifax and were joined by her Dan at the tail-end of the session.

Liz and Seamus were married on September 26th at Craidelonna Ocean Edge Lodge in Sooke, BC. The lodge was a beautiful setting for the entire wedding and situated high above the Pacific, the backdrop couldn’t have been more beautiful. Ritchard and his staff worked tirelessly and created a stunning ambiance for the day. I first met Liz at the beginning of the year, and she said she heard about my work from their friends, and my past clients Kristy and Jeff. When I first met Seamus on the wedding day, I asked him if he was at Kristy and Jeff’s wedding last summer and he replied nonchalantly, ‘No, I was actually over competing in the Olympics in Beijing.’ Turns out, humble Seamus is a two-time Mountain Bike Olympian. We had a good chat about that while he was getting ready that morning, and if anyone could battle a case of wedding day nerves, I’m positive it would have been Seamus. Liz was full of laughs while she was getting ready as we needed a collective effort to get her into her dress…I was shooting and helping to tie it up with her bridesmaid at the same time. One additional image from this wedding is featured over on the Photographer Network blog as Photo of the Week. A beautiful wedding, a genuine couple, and great guests.

Carinna and Ivo were married on September 6th at Providence Farm in Duncan. Ivo’s family and friends traveled from Amsterdam, while Carinna’s family came from Toronto and both families provided sing-a-long entertainment during the reception. Everyone partied and danced as the rain poured down, quite typical of a West Coast September day.

Jane and Luke were married on August 29th, 2009 at Poet’s Cove Resort on Pender Island. It was my first trip to the Island and I couldn’t have asked for a happier occasion. Jane and Luke live and work in Africa and their wedding was a celebration and a reunion for their family and friends, many of whom traveled a great distance to attend. A big thanks to the talented Jenna Tye who came along and shot with me on the day.

What a wedding! Donna and Karri came from Arizona to get married at the Delta Ocean Point on July 5, 2009. They contacted me at the beginning of the year and we first met while I was shooting Chris and Rebecca’s nuptials the weekend prior to their wedding. I arrived to the hotel room excited as they had told me about their footwear and the friendly rivalry they have in regards to their sneaker loyalty! Karri wears Vans and Donna is a Chuck Taylor gal all the way….just like me! The ceremony and reception were a wonderful display of love and great storytelling and Donna and Karri were an absolute joy to photograph.

Jess contacted me for an engagement session for herself and Dusty. They got engaged on Christmas Day and are in the process of planning their wedding for next year. We started out on top of Mt. Doug and then made our way to a quiet little beach that they like to visit with their dog. Jess and Dusty were completely laid-back and were willing to do absolutely anything asked of them….even heading into the chilly ocean while looking fabulous the whole time.

My cousin Bethany contacted me in the early spring to see if I’d like to come to Boston to shoot her wedding at Newton Presbyterian Church on May 30, 2009. Bethany recently graduated from photography school, has since started up her own business in the Boston area, and trusted me to document her day. It was a trip I couldn’t resist! Like many Maritimers, my grandmother’s sister Anna moved to Boston to work when she was young, married my Uncle Lester, and ever since my family in the ‘Boston States’ has been growing in size. I stayed the week with my cousin Rob and his wife Becky and was treated like gold the entire time. On the wedding day I was reunited with cousins I hadn’t seen for 20+ years and had a great time catching up on the years between frames.

Bethany and Jeff were entirely laid back. Bethany arrived back from having her hair done and fired up her espresso machine and began to make lattes for all the girls at her home as if it was any other day! They planned a ceilidh for the evening festivities and after I was finished shooting, my cousin Don and myself hopped in the square set and tore up the floor! A wonderful day full of wonderful people and I can’t wait to return. Congratulations Bethany and Jeff….thanks for including me in your day.

I had a ‘just because’ session with Amel and Pierre this week! They’re celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary this year…well, their 3rd ‘Lebanese Anniversary’ and their 2nd ‘Canadian Anniversary’. I photographed their Canadian wedding in Victoria almost a year after they were married in Lebanon during the war and we patiently awaited Pierre’s arrival to Canada to have the celebration here! Talk about a beautiful couple!

A few month ago on a chilly November day, I had a session at the beach with Laura and her family. She contacted me a few weeks ago for another beach session with her parents and siblings and their spouses. Luckily it was a lot warmer this day and Laura chose a great location in Cordova Bay. I’ve posted one more photo over at Photographer Network for my Photo of the Week.

On 05.05.2009 Ashley, Sean and their daughter Gracie made it official at a small ceremony with family and friends at the Fairfield United Church! It was a very soggy Tuesday and we met up before their ceremony for some photos on the beach.

I get many emails and comments about folks wanting to see an actual photo of me. Well, here’s one. Yesterday, we went to the beach after getting our favourite super-charged-hot-caffeinated-bevvies at Caffe Fantastico and a treat at the best bakery in town, Pure Vanilla. When I’m not shooting on the weekend it’s just part of our routine, and I love each and every second of it. We went to Willows Beach sipped our coffee, ate our snacks (truth be told, mine was finished by the time we even reached the beach) and I hauled out my camera to take a few photos in the wind. Jamie’s behind me standing on a piece of driftwood.

Leah and Mike were married on April 4th at Glen Meadows Golf and Country Club. After a full week of rain, we were treated to a warm and sunny afternoon for their outdoor wedding. Along with their friends and families, their pug Jackson was included in the festivities and was decked to the nines in a fancy blue tutu.
I first met Leah and Mike about a year ago for their engagement photos and I was treated to their ultra laid-back personalities and knew their wedding day would be wonderful…and wonderful it was!

Congratulations!