The weather didn’t cooperate, but that didn’t stop Nicole and John from having a fun and beautiful wedding day.  We were supposed to start the day taking pictures out on the farm, but with the wet and soggy weather, we had to “settle” for the backyard of one of John’s groomsmen.  This “backyard” just happened to be as big as a city block, landscaped like something out of Western Living, and included fountains, bridges, a pitch and putt golf green, and a fully loaded gazebo with a poker table.  As you can probably tell, it wasn’t really a disappointment having to shoot here!  Armed with umbrellas, golf clubs, a couple of bottles of bubbly, and Nicole and John’s happy-go-lucky bulldog, everyone was more than game for the pictures and it turned out to be quite the enjoyable photo shoot despite the occasional rain shower.

And though the rain also meant moving the ceremony from outside to inside, the St-Charles Country Club is blessed with a picturesque clubhouse and banquet hall.  With the help of a little extra lighting, everything looked great in there too.  Through it all, Nicole and John were all smiles and didn’t let the weatherman stop them from enjoying their day.  Congrats to the newlywed couple!  A few sneak peeks:

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Typically, one of the main bonding points between the bride and groom and their photographer is the weather: from the mutual fretting beforehand over a dicey forecast, to the shared, nervous upward glances at a big, dark storm front approaching.  But although we had all the ingredients for a dark, stormy, and oppressive day, Kristin and Kyle’s wedding remained one of the lightest and funnest weddings to shoot.  Not only was she unfazed by the weather, but Kristin also demonstrated this uncanny knack of timing our car rides between locations to coincide with the random downpours of the day.  And between the playfulness of Kristin’s nephew, who was the precocious and brilliantly red-haired ringbearer, and the antics of Kyle and his band of very merry groomsmen, there was never a dull moment in the shooting.  Lots and lots of fun pictures full of personality on this day!  Here’s just a few of my faves:

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Della and Phil have a definite love for the country, and even though they were married in the city, they definitely made the effort to incorporate as much of a country feel into their wedding as possible. For someone who is usually quite happy to have one nice location at which to shoot, imagine my surprise and delight when I found out we were starting with the retro-cool of the Millennium Centre… then moving next door to the classical architecture of the Hamilton Building… before driving out to the big fields and prairie sky of an old farmstead in Stonewall… and ending in the old western feel of the Hitchin’ Post… all in one morning/afternoon!  I was almost in a state of mild creative shock, having to switch between these amazing but wildly different backdrops.  But in the end it was a really fun and easy day to shoot.  From the guys in their western outfits, to the vintage orange pickup truck, to the bride in her cowboy boots, Della and Phil and their wedding party were right in to the day from the get go.  Great couple, great wedding party, and so many fun and cool pictures.  Congrats you guys!  A sneak peek into the day:

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I really enjoyed how Maria and Phil managed to combine quiet elegance with whimsical fun on their wedding day.  The entire wedding party looked sharp in their tuxes and dresses, but it was the details – the cool shoes, the big white balloons, the tango at the reception – that really added the character to this wedding.  It was my first time being on the job at the Fort Whyte Centre, and the weather held up for a perfectly soft and overcast outdoor wedding ceremony. If I’m any judge, I think the most anxious part of the day for Maria and Phil was the anticipation leading up to their elaborately choreographed dance.  That said, they pulled it off to much applause and fanfare, and it didn’t take long for all of Phil’s DJ friends to get the music going.  Congrats to the couple!  Some sneak peeks from the day:

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I’ll admit to a certain nervous anticipation before Anjali and Arun’s wedding.  I’ve photographed quite a number of Sikh and Hindu weddings now, but this was the first time photographing both ceremonies… one after the other… on the same day!  To my pleasant surprise, the day just flew by and the constant rush of events made for lots of fun and eventful shooting.

We started Saturday bright and early at the Fairmont (though not as early as Anjali who was up with the sun at 4am!).  Under a light sprinkle of rain, the groom’s procession with Arun on his horse made its way to the hotel, where first the Sikh and then the Hindu ceremonies went off without a hitch (other than a brief moment when I wondered if the ominous buzzing of the fire alarm – caused by the smoke from the ceremonial fire – was going to be followed by a cold shower from the sprinklers). Then we had a nice long portrait session, ending Saturday at the Legislative Building and starting Sunday at Red River College.  Just as they were on their engagement session, Anjali and Arun were wonderfully patient and so friendly and easy to work with during the shoots.  We got a ton of nice shots through both days – it’s going to take me awhile to go through so many!  But here is a sneak peek at some of my faves from the weekend.

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