What can I say about Dao & Joseph’s wedding that we photographed this past Saturday? It was such a blast from beginning to end. I only met Dao a few weeks ago after they made a last minute decision to go in a different direction with their wedding photography and I am so happy that they decided to choose us to capture their day. I knew from the minute I met Dao, that she was going to be so much fun to photograph and that their wedding day was going to be amazing!

In a rare treat, we were able to do all of the photography prior to the actual ceremony. Our day started on the grounds of McNally School where we met the whole wedding party and family members for photographs overlooking Edmonton’s beautiful River Valley. Unfortunately due to the forest fires in BC, our view of downtown Edmonton was a little hazy but we still managed to create some great family photographs with everyone.

From there we released the family members and headed down the road to Henrietta Louise Edwards Park to photograph Dao and her handsome husband Joseph along with the rest of their wedding party. Joseph and his groomsmen were looking very dapper in their tuxedos and Dao & her bridesmaids were stunning in their gorgeous gowns. When we first met, Dao expressed to me that she didn’t really care for urban style photos and wanted to be surrounded by nature. The night before I did some scouting in the area and found some awesome trails to shoot in so special thanks to the girls for navigating the dirt trails in their high heels in the name of great photography. We had a lot of fun and I also learned that when a bride’s gotta go – she’s gotta go. Sorry Dao, I couldn’t resist sharing that story but I know you’re a great sport.

After we were done shooting in the river valley, it was off to the gorgeous Matrix Hotel for the ceremony and reception along with a few more photo opportunities with just the bride and groom. Joseph’s cousin Tina is a world class belly dancer and she performed a fantastic dance routine after the ceremony which got everyone up and dancing; particularly Joeph’s dad Ismat! Before the reception kicked off, we snuck off with the happy couple for a few quick portraits around the hotel and then it was time for the reception.

The meal was delicious and the speeches and party that followed were filled with plenty of emotion and laughter. Sarah and I both held back a few tears during the speeches when Dao started to tell the story of how her parents had fled the war in Vietnam over 30 years ago, leaving behind everything in search of a better life in Canada.

After the speeches, the party got rolling and the dance floor was hopping. Then it was time for the bouquet and garter toss and for the first time in my life, I was witness to one bridesmaid taking down another bridesmaid to catch the bouquet. Her head hit the dance floor and everyone froze for a moment but  thankfully nobody was injured and she popped to her feet no worse for wear. The same could not be said for the bouquet however as it lay in a thousand pieces on the floor. Then it was garter toss time but Dao had taken it off earlier in the evening and couldn’t locate it so a dinner napkin had to take it’s place. Being a fellow north sider, I joked with Dao about being a true north side girl and her ghetto garter.

Thanks again Dao & Joseph for choosing us to be your wedding photographers. We had such a blast and can’t wait to get together with you to show you the rest of your photographs from your amazing day. Hope you had a great honeymoon in Montreal and enjoy this sneak peek.

Here’s a look at the album design we put together for Kelly & Brad. Enjoy!

After the ceremony, we headed downtown for some “urban” wedding photography in an abandoned parkade which was relatively cool and reasonably free of mosquitoes. We finally have some nice weather here in Edmonton but thanks to all the rain we’ve had, we are now faced with one of the worst mosquito infestations we’ve seen in awhile, so wandering around in grassy fields was definitely out of the question. Lisa & Ben had such a great wedding party, many of whom have been lifelong friends since they were kids which is something you don’t find that often but was so wonderful to be a part of.

From there we headed to the brand new Art Gallery of Alberta for a few quick shots. We had decided to book the Art Gallery as a backup in the event of rain and since you now have to pay to use it, we figured we should at least make a brief stop in there. Most of the wedding party were in from out of town so it was a great opportunity for them to see our newest attraction. After we were done at the Art Gallery, we headed to Rundle Park for some family photographs and then it was off to the Sundridge Ski Resort for an amazing BBQ reception and party.

Here are a few of my favorite photographs from yesterday’s fabulous Edmonton wedding. Thanks again for trusting us to photograph your wedding and for allowing us to share in such an amazing day! Can’t wait to share the rest with you soon.

The wedding ceremony was held outdoors in front of Government House on the grounds of the Royal Alberta Museum. Given all the rain that we’ve had this summer, we were hoping for a break in the weather so that photographs and the ceremony could all be done outdoors. After calling in a special favor, Mother Nature finally delivered a day without rain and allowed us to capture some beautiful images in the great outdoors. After the ceremony we headed into downtown Edmonton for some fun urban photography and then back to the museum for a few more quick shots before the party started.

One thing that I pride myself on is having a quick turnaround time for my clients so they can see some of their images within a few days of the wedding. As promised, here is a quick sneak peek at a few of my favorite photographs from the day – delivered just a short 24 hours later! Look carefully to see if you can spot the happy couple playing the Laying Down Game.

This week I’d like to share some of the photographs from our model shoot that we did in Santa Margharita, Italy. Vanessa and Alberto were our models for the day and braved the rain, cold, and throngs of fans mobbing them for autographs. Vanessa and Alberto were contestants on the Italian version of the popular reality television show Big Brother. They actually met on the show and their relationship has continued since then. You can imagine the excitement when fans recognized them and saw that they were decked out in wedding apparel. The texts and phone calls started flying as I’m sure many thought they had stumbled upon an exclusive celebrity scoop.

The first challenge in this shoot was overcoming the language barrier. Normally I’m used to being able to freely communicate with my clients. Neither Vanessa or Alberto spoke much English and beyond ordering wine and beer, my Italian was non-existent. Fortunately we had someone to help translate but it wasn’t quite the same as being able to communicate directly with the couple. Despite the language barrier, we all worked really well together and managed to have a few laughs. It was also great working with a group of talented photographers and seeing how everyone managed to tell a different story with their cameras.

The second challenge was the weather. During our last two weeks in Italy, it rained every single day and this day was no exception. Fortunately there were a few breaks in the weather here and there but I think the rain made for some fun photos and one of my favorite images happens to be of the two of them kissing under an umbrella. As a photographer, you have to be prepared to shoot in any conditions and be flexible and creative enough to take whatever situation is thrown at you and adapt. I think this is one of the marks of a great photographer and is often undervalued and under-appreciated in today’s photography market where so many people are just looking at the dollars and cents. In my time as a photographer, I’ve faced a wide variety of weather situations including rain, snow, hail, wind, extreme heat, and even shooting outdoors on one of the coldest days of the year last year when the mercury hit -47 degrees Celsius. If you are looking for an adaptable photographer to photograph your wedding, definitely find out how they are prepared to shoot in any situation.

Ashley and Jordan were married in Stony Plain a couple of weeks ago and I put together their album design this past week. Albums are such a great way to tell the complete story of your day and I think an important element to any great wedding photography. So many people these days want to get a disk of burned images with the intention of doing their own book at some point.  Most people I talk to who chose that route, just end up putting some of the photos on Facebook and then the disc gets thrown in a drawer and forgotten about as life gets busy and other things come up. A professionally designed wedding album is something that you can pull out at anytime and use to reflect back on your wedding day. A good quality album should last for years and become a family heirloom which can be handed down and shared with future generations.

If you are looking for professional wedding photography in Edmonton or anywhere in the world, be sure to get in touch with me to see if I’m available to cover your special day and capture moments that will live in your wedding album. Alternatively, if you are one of the many couples out there who just have a disc of your wedding photographs sitting in your drawer collecting dust; feel free to get in touch to inquire about the wide variety of beautiful wedding albums which are available. I offer a several different styles of flush mount albums from two different companies in Italy with prices starting at around $400 and up. In addition to a main album for the bride and groom, I also offer albums for parents, friends, and other family members. These albums always make a memorable thank you gift for those who shared in your special day.

I promised Ashley and Jordan that I would get a quick sneak peek up on the blog by Monday so here are a few of my favourites from the day! Enjoy. Watch the blog for a few more photos from their Stony Plain wedding.

Both parties started getting ready at the hotel in the morning and after grabbing some shots of the guys getting ready, I hoped in the limo with the ladies for the drive out to the Devonian Botanical Gardens. The ceremony was held in the beautiful Kurimoto Japanese Gardens which is such a fantastic location for wedding photography. In addition to the beautiful gardens, they also had a great ice cream stand with ice cream that matched the bridal party colors! We couldn’t resist stopping for a quick ice cream break at the end of the shoot and captured some fun shots. Although the colors of the ice cream matched, the taste wasn’t such a big hit so everyone was ready to get back to the hotel to get the party started and enjoy some libations. Only one problem – the limo was 45 minutes late coming to pick up the bridal party from the gardens! Fortunately the limo company stepped up and refunded their money for being so late so it all worked out in the end and everyone made it back to the hotel in time for the reception.

Enjoy these photos from the first part of the day and watch for Part II with some fun reception shots and some smoking hot photos taken in the lounge after the party was in full swing!

While Jennifer’s team was busy switching the room over, we headed out to do photos but Mother Nature decided to throw a mix of rain and snow at us, forcing us to change our plans of shooting down at Hawrelak Park. Amanda really had her heart set on outdoor photos but the weather just didn’t want to cooperate so we headed over to the Robbin’s Health Learning Center on the Grant MacEwan Campus to escape from the elements. If you are getting married, it’s a good idea to make arrangements with your photographer for a backup location in the event of foul weather. Having a plan will help reduce stress and ensure that you’re spending time getting great photos rather than running around looking for a location that’s out of the elements. There are several great places in Edmonton that you can use for photography but many do require payment and a pre-booking to reserve the space. Think of it as insurance – hopefully you won’t have to use it but if you do, you’ll be glad that you did.

We had a lot of fun working with Amanda & Kelly and their wedding party. Here are a few photographs from the day.