Laura + Rudy

To say life is busy is an understatement. The past year flew by so fast that I'm actually now just catching up on updating my website, and trying to maintain this blog is a goal of mine this year. I figure since this is still a day I look back on and get all the feels all over again, that I would start here. Documenting love is such a special thing. 

Laura and Rudy are two incredible people who love and understand each other without question. On our first meeting I knew they were a perfect match and could tell how deep their love truly runs. They were so sweet and caring to one another, and completely committed. Having this connection is something very special, and it shines in their photos. After seeing the way they naturally interact in such a loving and tender way in their engagement session, I knew their wedding day would be on a whole other level, and I was right.

Their wedding was back in July, on a day that reached above 30C. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony at the Lougheed House - a grand historic building with charming features and the most stunning gardens. It was an intimate affair, surrounded by their closest friends and family. which really put the focus on them, their union, and their promise. Their personal vows to each other was the most amazing touch and I don't think there was a dry eye around. The ceremony was all love, filled with words that will forever be engraved in their hearts. It was the perfect beginning to a life together.  

We started the day off at The Sheraton Eau Claire where these two toasted to friends who've become family and everlasting love. While Laura and Sarah got ready together, there was a lot of laughter, some champagne, and so much love. 

And then there was the dress, now Laura had told me about it, and it sounded incredible, but guys.. Seriously... It was AMAZING. And that was before she even put in on. I was in bride heaven shooting her in front of this big window full of that delicious light soft light.

florals by Lil' Pink Daisy Florals, they were so fresh and beautifully handmade. 

The ceremony was romantic,  an incredible tribute to each other and captured the essence of their love perfectly. 

The day couldn't have gone any smoother, and everyone was so happy celebrating these two. I had the best time, and truly can't get over this day. The love and joy they emit is so authentic, anyone close to them knows this, and is lucky to have them in their lives. 

A toast made by the bride and groom was heartfelt and funny, and then we moved on to their portraits. 

Needless to say, these two nailed their portraits

The Loughed House is a historic building here in Calgary, a family residence built in 1891. It has housed as a few different things over the years, but was restored to its original charm full of character and made in to a dining room and wedding/event venue. It's beautiful rooms are magical and the tiny details are everything. The way it was set up for the reception was lovely, and the light that glows in from various stained glass window is nothing short of stunning. Perfect touches and so much thought went in to the planning of this day.

Overall it was a day full of magic and love and was absolutely flawless. I am so honoured to have documented their day, and still after all this time, every time I think of it, I smile and feel so lucky to have captured such bliss and true love.   

Happy New Year!

Happy New year to you all! It's crazy to think that 2018 is upon us. I have to say a huge thank you to all of you who trusted me to capture your life during some pretty incredible moments last year. It was my busiest year yet, and I can't wait to grow more this year. I had the pleasure of seeing so many familiar faces, and met some amazing new ones. Growing with your families is truly humbling and I can't thank you enough for giving me the honour of being the one who tells your story, through your love and connection through images. It's been hard to maintain this blog, and one of my goals this year is to keep up with it and spend time going through sessions here. I have so many beautiful images I'd love to share, and always have so much at these sessions with you.  I don't think I've had a session where laughter isn't a key factor, and I love that. As long as we're having fun, the images are going to show your true selves and thats my goal. 

From me to you, I wish you all the best in the upcoming year, and I hope to create many more memories with you. 

Summer nights...

Every session I do is special to me. Having the opportunity to capture moments in your life that are important means the world to me. Whether it be a newborn session, your wedding or just capturing a moment in time of your family, they are all unique and I am honoured to do each and every one. However, there are some sessions that just resonate with me, this one was one of them because I was really proud of how they turned out.  Back in June I was contacted by Jenilee to do her family photos. I was honoured because she had mentioned that she's very particular with who she chooses for photos. (Which I understand completely, there's so many components that go into finding someone who is right for you!) Anyhow, she was as sweet as can be and I was really looking forward to our session. We started with her husbands extended family, and had fun with the big group. Their property was so gorgeous and had the most incredible old auto body shop that was his grandfathers business. It was so cool and was the perfect backdrop for some of the group shots, along with his old car which is a favourite among them all.  We had fun taking some shots around the property, but we soon carried on, just Jenilee and her sweet family to the most picturesque spot I could imagine. 

As we drove down the country road, I saw a rock formation that looked so incredibly cool, to my complete and utter happiness, that is where we went. It is said to be an old buffalo jump, and I still get all the feels when I think about how amazing everything turned out. We had some pretty terrible forest fires around us this summer, which is awful, but on this particular night it added to ambiance of the evening. The sky was beautiful warm shades of oranges and pinks, and the sun setting was bolder than ever. I was so happy with how these shots turned out and loved their sweet dynamic - loving, playful, and doting, which showed up tenfold in the photos.  We were out for quite a while and sweet Elyse was such a trooper staying out past her bed time, but it was so worth it to have these images. All in all, it was one that sticks with me, and I'm proud of how they turned out. Going in to a session not knowing where I'm going and not having a plan in place is hard, especially for someone who likes to have full control on most things in life. But my trust in Jenilee paid off. From our first conversation I knew we made a connection and I could tell her vision was similar to mine. Here's some of my favourites from the night.