Vanessa & Rick! Married! August 23, 2008!

August 23rd, 2008 will always stay in my memory as our coldest day in the Summer! Who knew?

But fortunately it'll also be remembered as Vanessa and Rick's wedding! When I met these guys, they brought their mom along to our meeting and I just love Anna! She's nuts and she makes the best homemade sausage this side of Italy!

I also loved Vanessa and Rick of course... We wouldn't be here if I didn't. Yes, you heard it: I LOVE my clients! I'm so cheesy but it's true!!!!

Anywho, let's start the day with this amazing spread that Anna put out!! Getting Ready pictures go way better when there's yummy Italian food to go with it!



Salvatore (Rick's dad made these beauties - I had two!!!)


He made these also!


Here's a shot just outside St Mary's Cathedral, the most beautiful church in all of Winnipeg!

We were supposed to be inside for family pictures, but hey, if the Bride and Groom aren't there and the photographer isn't there, then they can't start on their own, can they?


This bride has such unique beauty!




When a bride says: "Sure, I'll lie on the ground", you just KNOW she means business! (Yes, I had a blanket for her!)








Vanessa wanted the Tunnel, and her girls were very good about it! It was freezing!




Da Boyz!



Steven (far right) said this should be the Tux Ad.








Isn't she lovely? Yes, I had a small obsession, as you'll notice in the next few shots... Vanessa's mom is Philippino and her dad is from Trinidad, which accounts for this crazy amazing look about her...








And Rick is cute too!!!





Salvatore also baked the nut-free cake! (Side note, there was a nut in there, she just happened to be taking the picture! hahahaha, I crack myself up!)



One of the crazy awesome things that happened this day was that Jared came out to help me! Jared is one of my crazy clients that got married in August of 2005 and he has the most awesome wife (Michelle) and daughter (Siena) whom I've also photographed (see this post).

Thank you Jared, you were crazy fun to work with!



Here's one of the candids that Jared grabbed. Good stuff!


Rick and Vanessa, thanks so much for hiring me to tell your story. I loved being a part of your day and hope that we'll always stay friends!

Have a great time in Jamaica, sorry I couldn't go with you... I'll need a little more notice next time!

Lisa & Kensley! Married August 16, 2008!

I met Lisa and Kensley over the phone! And it was love at first call! I know I always say this about my clients but it's perfectly true! Lisa had been referred to me by a colleague and she went straight to my blog to see my recent work and try to get to know me.

Smart move! The best way to get to know your photographer IS by checking out their blog. It's there that you see what their personality is like and what you can expect on your wedding day!

I loved speaking to her on the phone and also loved that I was open for her date! I had originally booked that date off for our family holidays, but something came up and we moved our holidays to a different date, so I was suddenly open on August 16, 2008! And I sure was happy about that!

It was the hottest Saturday of the year and we had such a blast! There were many friends from BC and family from all over Canada as well as Jamaica! The family was nuts (just how I like it) and the friends were ever more nuts (bring it on!)...

Here's some images from the day.

This is the beautiful flower girl Isabel:



Boys will be boys:




These girls were crazy! She-Ra was always doing something nutty! Here she is in the middle with the bride doing I have no idea what


The beautiful couple!




I love her natural smile!!


This could be a watch ad:


I love this next series. I didn't have to tell them what to do at all, they just hammed it up for the camera!








Here Kensley (the personal trainer) is bench-pressing his bride... Is it called bench pressing?


Kensley wanted to be surrounded by tropical plants...


What's more tropical than banana trees?



Good old Legisative Buildings!



Thank you Lisa and Kensley for the wonderful hot day!!! I can't wait to visit you guys in Vancouver and go out for Sushi!!!

Kelly & Rob's Slideshow is here!

Check out Kelly and Rob's Slideshow right here!!!

How to Choose a Wedding Photographer Video Tip #1 - Chemistry

Today I introduce to you my pet project! It's the first in a series of videos designed to help people make the right decisions when choosing their Wedding Photographer.

You'll also see videos about how to plan your wedding day photos and much much more.

Today being "Marlene Day" - a day when I get together with my friend Marlene Fast, to learn and share ideas and essentially get a lot of work done, I asked her to be my videographer and record the first video of my "How to Choose a Wedding Photographer" series.

So thank you Marlene, for holding the camera and keeping me focused and also a big thank you to Trevor who is always inspiring me and who said: Just do it already!

So here it is! Stay tuned for more and PLEASE leave me a comment on what you think of it. (be nice....)

Press Play!

Mike & Tanyse! Married by the Beach! August 09, 2008!

Ok, I love ALL my clients. Call me cheesy or hopeless romantic, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason and that you meet certain people because they're meant to be in your life.

That's how it was with Mike at first. He was in a wedding party of a wedding I did a couple of years ago, Alissa & Andrew Beach - June 10, 2006. We had such a blast that day and I guess I stuck on his mind. I didn't meet Tanyse at the time, so I had no idea that Mike would be calling me so soon.

A year or so after Alissa and Andrew's wedding I got a call and I remember Mike saying that he had been in Andrew's wedding party, was his business partner, etc and I remembered him immediately!

The conversation went something like, we're not even shopping around. We like you and we want you to capture our day.

Nice. I love it when that happens. And when I met Tanyse I knew that their wedding would be crazy fun! I also knew that Mike was smitten! Tanyse is the epitome of Natural Beauty! And she's smart and creative!

They got married at Misty Lake Lodge just North of Gimli, Mb. It's such a gorgeous setting, right on the beach. We could hear the waves during the ceremony... It made me think of what it must be like to get married in Hawaii or California. Seriously!!!

Here's the lovely gorgeous couple!







I love what the clouds are doing here!




Then we headed out to Gimli for some shots there. No, we didn't get into the water, but I think Tanyse would have gone in if I asked.












Here's the whole gang!


I love how the dresses match the sky that day!








A little flare here and there never hurt anyone...




Sunny??? You bet!








Thank you Mike and Tanyse! You guys are amazing and you'll be great together! I hope that we continue to be friends and let's go to the Beach again with that Cutlass!