It’s weddings like Olivia and Richard’s that make me feel blessed to be a Vancouver Wedding photographer.  I met with them almost a year and a half ago they were referred to me by one of my past wedding couples Patricia and Bentley. As we chatted about their day at the studio I knew their day was going to be unique. Finally July 3rd rolled around and this 13 hour jam packed day didn’t disappoint. Two tea ceremonies, three dress changes, games, lion dancers and an unbelievable amount of laughter I could not have asked for a more perfect day or couple. It was a dream to have almost three hours to do portraits after the ceremony, which was held at the Celebrations Pavilion in Queen Elizabeth park. We hiked through Queen Elizabeth getting Olivia and Richard to climb into bamboo forests and over rocks, I should have mentioned to them that it was going to be a workout! We then headed down into Yaletown, the sky and the light was spectacular and we were able to capture some stunning dramatic images. Finally it was off to the reception at Sun Su Wai in Richmond. Thank you so much for allowing me to have free reign to capture your love and thank you to Mikc Wachniak for second shooting with me.

Amazing Jewelry by Elsa Corsi, Jeweliette Jewelry http://www.jeweliette.com/

There was so many amazing moments during this epic wedding, but here are some of my favorites, if I were to post them all it would be a ten part series!

Enjoy

xo

The hungarian gypsy band was amazing!

The bridal dance, which is the best tradition ever, everyone pays to dance with the bride.

Wow it just seems like yesterday that I was boarding a flight to Hungary to photograph quite possibly the best wedding of all time! I flew into Budapest Thursday evening and spent an amazing night with the girls eating and drinking traditional Hungarian fair, then we danced the night away! Early Friday morning we set out for Szidonia Castle where the wedding took place on Sunday. The Szidonia castle looks back to a history that started in the mid-1700’s,  at that time - as a chateau - it originally served as a hunting lodge and  was turned into a castle in 1750 in a Romantic-Neoclassic style. Words can’t express how amazing this wedding was and how truly blessed I feel to have been apart of it all. Kriztina and Steven where amazing hosts with their families and it is evident how much they are loved and admired by their family and friends since almost half the guests flew in from, Vancouver, Portland, Mexico, Australia and Dubai From the Hungarian gypsy band, the non stop food and drink the emotional tearful speeches and the dancing till 5am this was an epic wedding!

There are too many photos to post in just one blog post so this will be part one of two!

xo

A quick cheers before heading out to see Kriztina.

Steven waiting to see Kriztina for the first time.

One of the hottest and nicest wedding parties I've ever had the pleasure of shooting

I met Hanna and Aaron a few months back and was really excited when I found out their wedding was going to be at some of my favorite Vancouver locations. We started the day at the always funky Opus Hotel in Yaletown, then headed to an intimate ceremony at Brix Restaurant. Following the ceremony the rain started to kick in but Hanna and Aaron really wanted some beautiful nature settings for their photos so we headed into the forest at Stanley Park and then off to the beach. The best quote of the day is “Oh well it’s just a little rain and if my dress get dirty thats ok.”  It makes my job so much easier when you have an easy going cool couple. Thanks for having us at the wedding your families were so welcoming and fun, in fact I think I want to adopt Hanna’s parents they are the cutest!

Beautiful flowers from The Flower Factory

The girls giggling in Opus Hotel Lobby

Living in Vancouver the rain becomes a part of your everyday lifestyle. So it is important when hiring a Vancouver Wedding Photographers or Vancouver Portrait photographer to take into consideration their experience with rain.

As any experienced Vancouver Wedding Photographers know it is important to be prepared for a rainy day. A good photographer has umbrellas available for the wedding party, and a variety of indoor and outdoor rain locations chosen as backups.

A true Vancouver photographer aims to document any wedding day under any condition, such as capturing reflections or raindrops. By hiring a professional Vancouver Wedding Photographers they will have the experience and knowledge to capture the unexpected and the extraordinary opportunities that arise from a rainy wedding day.

In an age where everyone has a digital camera many people feel they can hire just anyone to photographer their Vancouver Wedding, and they question why are Vancouver Wedding Photographers so expensive?

Here is a basic cost breakdown for a typical eight hour Vancouver Wedding.

Typically a Vancouver Wedding Photographer meets with the bride and groom several times before and after the wedding, there is usually a consultation, multiple emails back and forth, a pre wedding walk through or an engagement session.

Then the eight hours on the wedding day plus travel time to the wedding and back.

The next step a Vancouver Wedding Photographer will take is to spend time downloading, backing up files, blogging, and editing, for most professional Vancouver wedding photographers this is approximately 25 to 30 hours.

When all the time is added up a typical Vancouver Wedding Photographer will spend 30 to 40 hours per wedding.

Your photographer is more that just your photographer for the day they are typically looked to for advice on how the day will run and what vendors to hire, the wedding photographer will generally become your portrait photographer for life, someone who documents your growing family for generations.

I was excited to work with the fabulous Fran Chelico for the wedding of Lucia-Anna and Bryce. The day started out at the beautiful St Francis of Assisi Parish in Vancouver followed by the reception at the Diamond Alumni Centre at SFU. Luckily the weather held up following the ceremony and we were able to catch some amazing light up at SFU for the portraits prior to the reception starting. I always love when I find new and exciting place to photograph couples on their wedding and Fran and I found a great spot to do some killer portraits of the pair. Here are some of the highlights from the day.

I always give myself little projects of the day when shooting, this wedding was reflections.

When I woke up to the pouring rain, I was really dissapointed, not because it was raining, I actually like shooting in the rain but because I really love Jen and Joel and wanted their day to be perfect for them. As Libby and I headed to Temple Sholom in Vancouver the clouds broke and the rain stopped! We started out by taking photos of Jen getting ready, followed by the ceremony, reception and at the end of the afternoon we headed downtown with the happily married couple to do some portraits. Here are some of my favorite from the day. Thanks you two for being two of the funniest and easy going people i’ve ever met.

xo

I love this photo of Jen's crinoline

What more could a photographer ask for then a fabulous couple, fun wedding party, fantastic venue and hot day? We started out at the amazing Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver where the girls were getting ready, then off to Holy Rosary Cathedral for the ceremony, some urban portraits in downtown Vancouver and back to the Four Seasons for the reception. Thank you so much to Lotus Events for making the day run so smoothly and putting together a stunning backdrop for the reception. And thank you so much to Alycia and Chris for trusting and allowing me creative control to me to document your day, you two are rockstars!

xo

The stunning bride

Kirsten and Max are two of the calmest easy going people I’ve ever met, and it’s evident by spending a bit of time with them that they are a perfect match for one another. I met this fantastic couple through, Elana Lancit of  A Sweet Beginning, wedding consulting and event planners http://www.asweetbeginning.com/ The day started out in Surrey where Kirsten got ready at her parents home, we managed to sneak in a bit of time to do some photos in the forest where she would hang out and play when she was younger. Off to one of my favorite sites in Vancouver the amazing Cecil Green Park House, and voila here are some of my favorite shots of the day. Thank you for making my job so easy for me!

xo