Sometimes I go to those perfect 1st meetings where an hour flies by and we realize we haven’t even really talked about photography yet. That was my first meeting with Louisa & Chris. We clicked right away and I knew from the start that this was a wedding I wanted to be involved in. And since we first met last winter, Louisa has become one of my biggest cheerleaders and regular blog followers. Being a self-employed artist as well, she knows how much it means to have people truly appreciate your work. So visit her etsy store at www.etsy.com/shop/lulidesigns to appreciate some of HER gorgeous work.

These two have a serious love for frisbee golf (so much so that it’s where Chris proposed!)  and decided to incorporate that into their session. Love it!

I love the love in this photo. This is not a pose I would ever ask people to do, but it’s one of those in between moments that I feel lucky to capture.

Then we decided to pop over to Jericho for a moody Vancouver beach day.

Chris’ only request for the shoot:

These two are truly best friends in love, the kind of couple that reminds me why I love my job.

You can see the rest of the photos and learn more about this fabulous company at www.dekora.com

I really had trouble narrowing it down, so I’ll post a few photos along with a slideshow of more of my favourites.

I love the ‘first look’! I tear up every time.

There was a gorgeous square just down the road from the resort that made the perfect photo location. I could’ve stayed there all day. It’s tough to tell from these photos, but the clouds were pretty ominous and part way through this shoot the thunder and lightning began. We managed to get out from under cover for a few dry breaks before making our way back to the hotel for the ceremony.

Not only was it pouring rain, but on the way back to the hotel our bus broke down…and the ceremony was supposed to start in 20 minutes. This is their response to “Show me how you’re feeling right now”.

20 minutes later:

This is as formal as this group gets. My kinda people!

Then we took some more photo time after the ceremony. How can you resist when you’re all dressed up with this kind of location at your disposal!

Turns out the small waves are a little stronger than I thought, and I ended up on my butt in the water. Luckily it was worth it, and the cameras were held high above my head!

And here’s the slideshow! Click “switch to high res” for better quality.

P.S. I was 8 1/2 months pregnant when I shot this session, climbing on my stepladder and kneeling down on the ground. I have to applaud Stephanie & Woody for not appearing horrified in these photos.

I’m a big fan of couples who have no trouble switching between sensuality and goofiness.

Woody and Stephanie actually got married just last weekend, and I can’t wait to share the fun images from their big day!

These two are SO much fun, and not surprisingly their friends and family were too. Sarah put so much work into making this day reflect who they are, and it showed. From the birdcage veil (yay!) to the Art Deco fonts and carefully restored vintage cake topper, no detail was overlooked.

Each of the guys had cufflinks specific to their personalities, and gorgeous hand-screenprinted ties. (I was even inspired to order one for David)

My favourite way to get over nervousness about being photographed? Gotta laugh it out.

What a beautifully designed/worded ceremony program.

I absolutely love the flabbergasted “We’re actually married now!” look that often ensues.

Time for a few more “formals”.

What a fun day. From the looks of it, your guests would agree too:

Andrea and James were so much fun and open to trying pretty much anything, which means I now have over 1800 photos to sift through! Looking forward to posting more soon!

I am happy to say that this is where I will be until July 5th.

It will be my first Mexico wedding, and I’m so thrilled to have the chance to spend it with such a fantastic couple. So, with baby and husband/assistant and mother/babysitter in tow….we’re off to paradise. And how incredibly perfect that this couple will be getting married the day before our 6th wedding anniversary, so we’ll get to celebrate the memories of our own wedding while we’re there.

I greatly apologize if there’s a delay in responding to your email/phone calls, but I will have very limited phone & internet access from my beach palapa.

I will reply to all messages as soon as possible upon my return!

Their wedding was held at the Diamond University Centre at SFU. Not only is the location a great all-in-one event space, but the grounds are amazing for pictures too.

I met the girls where they were getting ready, at the Executive Plaza Hotel in Coquitlam.

I love excited bridesmaids!

Meanwhile, my assistant Andrea was spending some quality time over with the dudes.

Jen & Reid (like many modern couples) chose to do a first look and take their photos before the ceremony. I highly recommend this option if it’s something you’re considering. Not only is it great for the schedule, since you don’t have to miss any of the party time after the ceremony…but you get to have some beautiful private moments together that you wouldn’t get when the first look is at the end of the aisle.

And the bonus for me is the makeup is still fresh for photos!

How cute are they?

Now a little photo time at SFU. I love the mix of shoes!

The guys needed to let out a little nervous energy.

The architectural options at SFU are endless.

Fabulous flowers by Justyna Seckler www.justfreshconcepts.ca

Ceremony time!

Jen found a great way to honour both of her grandfathers who had recently passed away, by attaching their rings to her bouquet.

No one ever said MC duties were easy.

Apparently Reid had gotten in to his friend’s cake photo at her wedding, so now she was finally able to seek revenge.

I love it when a couple has gathered such a fun group that you find all ages out on the dance floor til the very end. My favourite dancer being Jen’s grandmother really gettin’ down to Dr. Dre with the boys.

Jen & Reid, thanks for inviting me to be part of such an unforgettable day!

I can’t figure out how 6 weeks have flown by already…but at the same time it’s hard to believe a time existed when I didn’t know her.

Quinn Maelle was born at 8:29am April 30th, weighing 7lbs 13ozs. Going in to a scheduled C-Section is a very surreal experience. The idea of birth usually involves waking up in the middle of the night in labour, screaming the whole way to the hospital, etc…but that’s clearly not the way Quinn wanted to go about it. She preferred I have some time to calmly look forward to her arrival, gather my things at 4am and quietly make my way to the hospital.

If only I could’ve been calm.

With no distraction of labour pain, the drive to the hospital was the longest trip of my life….poor David trying to make conversation about mundane things so I don’t cry. At the hospital I had 3 hours to kill, sitting in a hospital bed…just waiting. We made jokes, I cried, we continued trying to narrow down the names list, I cried some more…then it was time. I was escorted by a nurse down the longest hallway imaginable (much like the drive), into what seemed like a movie set operating room. From that point on it was like I was looking at the whole experience from the outside.

From that moment on I was calm.

I can’t even write this down now without crying, but somehow at the time a sort of peaceful joy washed over me and I was able to just enjoy the experience.

The only thing I remember saying to the doctor as she came out was, “Is she little?”.  (I blame the drugs). He said, “Of course she’s little, she’s a baby”. Thanks.

I thought that as a photographer I’d rush home and start snapping pictures of her immediately, in a variety of ridiculous settings and outfits, but instead we just spent time adjusting to life and getting to know eachother. Luckily we did remember to grab a few shots along the way.

2 weeks old in daddy’s arms:

3 weeks old in her room. Clearly just humoring me.

Side note: When we were in Nashville for the wedding photographers convention in January we went to a little art gallery and ended up picking up 4 prints for her room. Jessica White is from North Carolina and does these gorgeous & perfectly odd wood block prints. http://www.heroesandcriminalspress.com/Prints/Pages/Heavens_to_Betsy.html

In my arms at 4 weeks old.

And what a change again, only a couple of short weeks later.

People have been asking if it’s tough to go back to work and be away from her,  but I think I have the perfect career for “going back to work” postpartum. Photographing love has become even more enjoyable now that my heart has reached maximum squishiness.

Spending a full day documenting someone’s wedding, surrounded by all that love and emotion, has always made me extra happy to see David’s smiling face when I walk in the door.

Now, I have two smiling faces to look forward to.

In these last few days of my pregnancy I’m doing a lot of thinking, worrying, planning, doubting, waiting, crying, laughing, and mostly reflecting. I’m sure this is common for first time parents, but I was an emotional person before I got pregnant….so with all these extra hormones, it’s out of control.

However, I also know that I’ve never before felt so relaxed, confident, and comfortable in my own skin. (which is surprising considering the strain this skin is under these days!) It’s something you can never possibly comprehend until you go through it, I was totally caught off guard.  If pregnancy has affected me this much,  I can’t even begin to imagine what being a parent is going to do to me.

It hasn’t been an easy pregnancy, but for some reason I’m having a lot of trouble coming to terms with letting go of it. Am I really going to miss the sore hips, the heartburn, the dizzy spells, the fatigue? I think in a sick way I might. I’ve never before felt so much purpose in life. I’m accomplishing something even when I’m just sitting on the couch watching TV. To think that just underneath my skin is a little life growing and getting stronger every day. (And hopefully developing excellent taste in music, thanks to the ipod headphones in my waistband). I know the baby that will soon be breathing, eating, and crying is in there, but it’s still so hard to believe. Of course I’m thrilled to soon have a baby to hold in my arms, rather than one that’s kicking my ribs and compressing my lungs, but this a closeness and comfort that I’ve grown rather fond of.

Last week David and I took a little stroll in our new neighbourhood to get a few shots of me before it all becomes a distant memory.

This shot is by no means a work of art, but I found it very fitting that at such a pivotal time in my life, nature is mirroring my own body art. I got this tattoo of cherry blossoms with green leaves to represent appreciating the moments in life that are so fleeting. The period of time when these trees have both lush blossoms and green leaves is gone in the blink of an eye.

what i know:

• it’s a girl (so we’re told).
• she will be very stylish, thanks to my apparent addiction to buying very tiny Mary Tyler Moore clothing.
• she refuses to turn around, so will be removed from her comfortable little nest either tomorrow or on the 30th.
• she will be loved.

the unknown:

• is not so scary anymore.