I have always loved weddings, whether I was a guest or in the wedding itself, I always found myself watching the photographer. I soon realized that being a wedding photographer was one of my biggest dreams, and obtaining that goal is still pretty surreal to me. It is an absolute honour to be chosen to capture your day.
One thing that’s for sure is that planning a wedding is a big task, and this pandemic has provided many obstacles for most couples. I know personally I’ve had to help couples find new dates and make sure to be really flexible. And this couple was no exception to running into problems with their initial plans.
After having to postpone for a year, Carli & Greg were fortunate to have restrictions lifted just in time to have their dream wedding this past August.
Now these two are close to my heart as Carli is one of my “baby” cousins. So naturally, I was so excited and honoured to capture their day. They spend their weekends adventuring together, and their love of the outdoors is one of the many things that brought them together. When it came time to find their venue, somewhere outdoors with the mountains surrounding them was their ideal spot.
And Cheekeye Ranch in Squamish BC, was that perfect location.
a moody day complete with a rainbow
The morning of, I love starting the day with the bride and her tribe getting ready. It is such a fun part of the day and definitely has a lot of emotional moments you don’t want to miss. It definitely helps set the mood for the day, I mean whats better than a morning with your besties, champagne and fancy dresses?
It’s also a great time to capture the details of all the pretty things.
Carli waited to put her dress on until she arrived at Cheekeye Ranch where she used the bridal suite on the grounds. I can assure you there were no dry eyes in the room as she walked out in her amazing Grace Loves Lace dress as a bride for the first time. It was a really special moment between her and her maid of honour. With final touches done by her mom, she was ready to go see her groom.
They decided on a first look which followed with reading their personal vows to each other with their fur baby. I thought this was incredible, I’ve had a lot of couples do a first look, but never a vow reading, and I loved it. This was such a romantic and intimate idea. I stepped back to give them their privacy, but you could just feel their love and adoration for each other in these. I love when my couples take time together just for themselves on the wedding day. I think it is really important to take a step away and just spend a few minutes being present with one another.
After their vows we met up with rest of the wedding party for some group photos. These are always filled with a lot of laughter. We ran a bit short on time from some minor delays in the morning, but still managed to sneak away for some intimate couples shots before the official ceremony began. I loved the bridesmaids mismatched dresses. Such a fun trend that I hope sticks around.
A beautiful wooden arch adorned in the most gorgeous wild flowers was the centrepiece for the ceremony.
It had been raining earlier in the morning, and the clouds were still hanging around, but the sun broke through right as the ceremony was beginning and the light was perfectly shining down on Carli and her parents walking down the aisle. As an extra personal touch, half of the ceremony was performed by one of Greg's childhood friends who was ordained for their wedding . He spoke the most beautiful and inspiring words and declared them husband and wife.
Shortly after the ceremony the party officially started, and kept on going. Under a big tent we laughed, cried a little and had the most fun dancing the night away. Speeches were made, songs were sung, and Carli & Greg were reminded how incredibly loved they are over and over again. It was such a perfect day, one they’ll remember forever.
