Aviva and Danny are two of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, they are constantly giggling and exchanging endearing glances at each other, it was a breeze to photograph two people who are so in love. Danny and Aviva met and live in Australia but chose to get married here in Vancouver as it is Avaiva’s hometown. The Schara Tzedeck synagoge was transformed into a stunning magical cherry blossom room by the amazing Tara Thorpe of Forever True Wedding Planning and Design. Thanks to Fran Chelico for helping being my partner in crime.

I love Danny's reaction to his first look with Aviva.

Words cannot describe how lovely this wedding was. I was so excited to work with some of my favorite vendors. Lisa and Jodi from Sweet Beginnings Wedding Consulting and Event Planners made the day run smoothly and my favorite florist Evan from Flowerz did an amazing job with the gorgeous bouquets. Although the rain poured down on us Asia and John made the best of it. Thanks to Libby from Studio 32 for helping me out!

This was an epic wedding, three ceremonies spanning over three days, multiple outfit changes and a lot of laughter amongst family and friends. The wedding took Libby from Studio 32 and I to all parts of the lower mainland, we photographed in Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond and Surrey capturing the colorful love of Shirin and Bill. From the moment Shirin and Bill walked into the studio and told me about their day I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Bill is Sikh and Shirin is Ismaili so they were going to incorporate both traditions into their day, this however meant really long days all of which lived up to everything I imagined it would be, from the colorful sari’s to the amazing jewels we captured some truly special moments. They come from two beautiful families which is why they share an amazing love.  I am so grateful to have been apart of your day.

Love this shot that Libby captured of Bill before the ceremony.

Thanks Libby for helping me haul this chair up the 500 stairs at Burnaby Mountain

This tradition states that the person who smashes the clay pot first is the leader of the household,

Shirin my have cheated a bit.

What a beautiful day! Michelle and Kevin are two people who were destined to be together as Kevin puts it, they are each others puzzle pieces. The day started at Michelle’s, then it was off to the gorgeous VanDusen Garden for the ceremony. A quick shoot in Yaletown with an antique couch that we stole from the house before we left and finally a stunning reception at the Pan Pacific Hotel. Thanks Libby for being my go to girl for the day! Michelle and Kevin it was such a pleasure to work with you and your hysterical wedding party!

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.