Tonight I made the drive to Birds Hill Park to take photos with these two love birds. Such an adorable couple – a ton of fun, easy to be with and all-around great people. This is just a sneak peek (I know, I know, 4 is a lot for a sneak peek!) but I couldn’t help it. I can’t wait to blog the rest (as I’m sure Kim is too). Happy last week of summer, everyone!!!
When I arrived at Kyla’s hotel room on the morning of her wedding to take getting ready photos, she was sitting quietly in her room, reading a love letter that her soon-to-be-husband had hand-written for her. She had a kleenex in hand, tears in her eyes, and reading what I thought must be a pretty profoundly moving letter. A little while later, as I was taking a photo of the card and letter he gave her, I couldn’t help but catch a peek at the letter. From the few words I saw, I could tell it was an incredibly beautifully written love letter. Not only that, but the guy had great handwriting! (let’s admit, that’s a bit of a rarity!)
Fast forward to a few weeks later, and as I was editing their wedding photos, the thought of this letter came back to mind and I started visualizing these words of love superimposed over some of their wedding images. That’s when I had the idea to e-mail Kyla and ask them if they’d be ok with sharing a few snippets of the letter to blend into their wedding photos. They said yes, and I was thrilled! I almost got teary-eyed myself when I received some of Kyla’s favourite quotes from his letter. His words to her hold such meaning and truth because they come straight from his heart – no pretense, nothing dressed up, just his honest expression of love.
And now here are quotes from this letter, blended together with some of their wedding photos. I can already picture these images as float mount prints on their living room walls….. gorgeous.
Kyla and Darrin got married on Saturday August 27 and what a beautiful celebration it was! The day went off without a hitch, I think in part due to Kyla’s amazing organizational and scheduling skills! We packed a lot in this day, and although it was a little tight, we sure did get lots of photos. Here’s a snapshot of their 6-hour photography coverage:
12:15pm – getting ready at Inn at the Forks
12:55pm – first look
1:30pm – ceremony at All Saints’ Anglican Church
2:30pm – family photos at Legislative Building
2:50pm – wedding party photos at Legislative Building
3:55pm – photos at the Millennium Centre
4:30pm – photos in the Exchange District
5:00pm – photos at Kildonan Park
5:50pm – back at Inn at the Forks for photos of the receiving line and reception details
Whew! I’m glad we attempted to pull off this schedule – Kyla was on time and on task, and we were able to quickly gather everyone and get all the shots we needed (plus TONS more). It was a sheer delight photographing these two. Kyla was stunning and Darrin was quite dashing, and both of them were so natural in front of the camera. It was hard to STOP shooting! We got tons of veil shots (that’s her mom’s veil from her own wedding!) and of course super romantic photos of the two newlyweds together. I was in photo-paradise the whole 6 hours! Kyla, Darrin, congratulations. You are a tremendous example of what great heights love can take you, and how strong it can move you. I caught a glimpse of something real and permanent, and I would wish it on anyone who’s in love!
Darrin wrote a beautifully written love letter for her to read while getting ready at the hotel. I didn’t want to invade her special moment so I snapped this photo from behind the door. What a romantic guy! 
Another great moment was when Kyla’s father came to see her before the ceremony. The look he had on his face needed no words – you can tell he really cherishes his daughter. 
I have to say that this was one of the best wedding ceremonies I had ever had the privilege of witnessing. So profound, so moving, so meaningful. Loved it. 
Kyla had such a genuine laugh. This is one of my favourite candid photos of her and Darrin together. 
August has been the month of multi-family portrait sessions – and it’s been great getting to spend time with these large families! The Fontaines were all gathered in Winnipeg one weekend and they took advantage of the reunion by hiring me to photograph their extended family. We decided to go to the Manitoba Hydro building on Portage Avenue where there is ample space and large windows. Everyone was dressed to the nines and looked extra-spiffy! There were lots of people and lots of photo combinations to take, but we managed to fit everything in our hour and a half time-slot, right to the last minute. Here are a few highlights from my photo session with this bubbly happy family. Quelle belle famille!
Ever thought of using fake flowers for your wedding? I can hear some of you gasp in horror just at the thought of it. But truth is, a few of my past brides have — and pulled it off quite well, actually. Weddings can cost quite a lot, and for those of you who have planned a wedding, you know very well the high cost of flowers. This is not to say that we should do away with real flowers — by all means, I would never advocate that! (especially coming from me, one who LOVES receiving surprise bouquets of roses from my husband…) And also, I have to say, we all know there is something to real, fresh-scented flowers. But some brides have made the choice of opting for plastic or silk flowers in order to cut down costs. I’m also by no means advocating a super-cost-cutting wedding – after all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of love for you and your life-partner, so if there are cost concerns – let’s talk about budget priorities instead of massive budget cuts.
Fake flowers aren’t for everyone, but for those of you who are considering one way of cutting costs, they’re not that bad of an idea. And with a great photographer who understands light, composition and more importantly: can expose a photo correctly and edit it to perfection, fake flowers are quite often hard to notice in a good wedding photo. Think about it: would you rather have expensive beautiful flowers photographed by a low-quality photographer… or would you rather have low-quality flowers photographed by an excellent professional wedding photographer? Winnipeg, I know how much you like a good deal… but I also know how much you appreciate good photography. So if it’s a toss up between a bad photographer or fake flowers… maybe try for the fake flowers. Just a thought.
What do you think?
