This Edmonton wedding has been one that I have been looking forward to for a long time!  It has been so awesome to see Ruth and Derek meet, fall in love and then to have Derek wisk her away to the winter Olympics in Vancouver with plans of creating something memorable of their own.  There have been several emails exchanged between Ruth and I over the months and it seemed that with each email the excitement and anticipation for their big day grew! 

The morning of their wedding day began with the sound of crashing thunder, flashes of bright lightning and POURING rain.  Not exactly the start anyone wants to a wedding day.  However, the rain stopped and the sun came out just as Ruth was arriving at her parents place to get ready.  It was absolutely perfect!

The plans were in place for there to be a special meeting between Ruth and Derek as we were doing their formal pictures before their ceremony.  This was such a special time and the looks on their faces as they saw each other for the first time were overflowing with love and excitement.  The ceremony and reception were held at the beautiful Santa Maria Goretti Centre – the chandaliers in there are absolutely beautiful!

Their wedding party was amazing and so much fun!  They were all such troopers as the rain came and went throughout our time of taking pictures and the rest of the day.

I had the honor of having Katie Krebs work with me as a second shooter for this event.  She did a fantastic job creating beautiful images.

One of the things that continues to stand out in my mind from this beautiful day is the impact that these two have had on so many.  There were people from all across the country – and further (one of the groomsmen came from Perth, Australia) - that came to be a part of such a special occassion.  I think that Ruth has such a precious family whom love each other dearly – and to see Derek be loved and respected by so many and fit in with Ruth’s family was just so…..perfect.

There are several moments and memories that will be treasured from this day. 

What a joy it is to know that the long distance relationship is over and that you two are together…. forever!

Christine

When your shoes are this hot – they need two pictures!  

For the new Mr & Mrs H

Waiting for his bride….

Isn’t she gorgeous?

The rain was pouring during this shot!

One of the great parts about having a second shooter at your wedding…..while I was shooting this:

…Katie was taking this…  love it!

Just Married!

112 cups of Rice Crispies + dad who loves you + husband who loves Rice Crispie squares = wedding cake!  Ruth’s dad was the talent and love behind this creation.

Cindy, one of Ruth’s beautiful and talented bridesmaids, wrote and sang a song for the wedding couple for their first dance.  I’m not sure if there was a dry eye in the room.

When Patricia and Wade got married on the May long weekend it was not just the joining of 2 individuals but the blending of two families.  Their four wonderful kids were included in their intimate wedding that was held at Heritage Park in Fort McMurray and they had a special sand ceremony to symbolize the joining of their families. 

This was a wedding of firsts for me as it was the first wedding that I have photographed as a married woman….the first where the bride had a broken arm (she was amazing!)….and it was the first wedding that I have shot in a long time where the cake cutting went a little something like……well…..just look at the pictures below : )

The day began at Envisions Hair Salon, followed by a trip through the McDonald’s drive-thru (umm…doesn’t everyone go to McDonald’s wearing a tiara?) and then moved to their home to finish getting ready.  From there we went out on an adventure and attempted to keep warm while capturing the beauty of spring and this great couple and their wedding party.  After the ceremony we did family pictures in front of the church that Patricia’s parents and Wade’s grandparents were married in – what treasured memories that brought back for their family!  The reception ended with a performance by the Tyler Whelan Band.

I love seeing people in love and at a wedding you really do not have to look too hard to find them.  One of my favorite moments from this day was watching the bride’s grandma dance with her boyfriend at the reception. Oh she was beautiful!

Here is just a sneak peek at the day. 

Patricia and Wade-  may this be a day that you cherish for the rest of your lives and the beginning of amazing things to come.

Christine

If mom and dad can do it….why can’t I?

How does one adequately express 5 days of sights, sounds, tradition, symbolism and emotion in one simple blog?  I have struggled with that idea and still am not quite sure how to manage it. However I will dare to make an attempt.

I was absolutely blessed to be a part of the 5 day wedding celebration for my dear friend Ameeta and her now husband Danny.  With each day having a special event and meaning – it was touching to be given the opportunity to capture it all – not to mention to be a part of it.  The pictures below are simply scratching the surface of thousands of images from this special week.

Ameeta – you looked absolutely radiant and were so exceptionally beautiful.

I am SOOO happy for you two newlyweds and wish you both years upon years of smiles and joy.

Christine

Day 1: Mehndi / Henna…. The creativity, art and beauty of this is amazing!

The groom’s name is written on the bride’s hand….

The groom’s mom displaying her henna…

Ameeta’s henna is done!

Day 2: The Sangeet

The evening begins with the women in Ameeta’s family giving Danny a hard time..

Day 3: The Bracelet Ceremony

Day 4: Wedding Day!

This is the first wedding where I have taken more pictures of the groom’s shoes than the bride’s!

They privately exchanged rings at the end of the ceremony…

Day 5: The Reception

The theme for this event was “ice”.  There were diamonds sprinkled on each table, their wedding cake had snowflakes on it, the room was lit beautifully with blue spotlights and Ameeta was wearing a gorgeous blue and silver sari…..complete with the following….

Their wedding outfits from the day before…

Ameeta (isn’t she gorgeous?!) with her two beautiful new sisters…

Now…any reception (at least not in Ameeta’s world) is complete without a tribute to Michael Jackson. Yes, there was a glove!  What an amazing job these two did!!

And that concludes the 5 days of wedding celebration for an amazing couple!

I have been looking forward to Rachael & Chad’s wedding for the last year and a half or so.  Rachael and I met, probably close to 2 years now and hit it off.  We share the same love for shoes – as well as have a habit of changing our hair styles or hair color often.  : )

I had the honor of taking their family portraits last year out at their farm and was excited about returning to the farm for their wedding this year!  It took place outside on a VERY windy day in a gazebo that Chad built especially for this special occasion.  Rachael was probably one of the most laid back and relaxed brides I have seen.  She did such an amazing job with all of the planning and on the wedding day and of course looked stunning! 

The favorite part of the day for me was heading out to some old train cars to finish up the pictures with the wedding party.  I loved the lighting – the location – and the oncoming storm also helped as the dark clouds were incredible!  Ahhh yes….that was until the wind picked up and the rain started!  And that is what memories are made of!

You two hold such a special place in my heart and I wish you all the best for many years to come!

Christine

I loved the above shot because the background was Rachael’s mother’s wedding dress!

I don’t think that I have ever photographed a more organized and scheduled wedding as I did when Sophia & Calvin got married this summer.  I definitely appreciate organization and Calvin, complete with his scheduling program, had this wedding day planned out with precision.  I thought that the cake topper was so great and completely fitting for this couple as each of the figurines were talking on their cell phones!

This exceptionally hot wedding day began with taking pictures of Calvin and the guys getting ready.  There were some laughs – but there were also some tears as his family blessed him on his wedding day. What a special moment that was to be a part of.  Then it was off to see Sophia and the girls!  What an amazing job they did at looking gorgeous and keeping cool!..it was definitely not an easy thing to do that day!  After the ceremony the wedding party went out and had some fun – and turned a few heads in the process as we took pictures on the fire escape…..ahhh…the joys of being uncontained!  : )

Here are some of my favorites from that day.  I had to include a picture of the reception as the wedding party danced into the hall and Calvin & Sophia started their reception with a bang! 

Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your special day!  Wishing you both nothing but the very best!

Christine