Yaletown Vancouver Wedding: Sam & Alicia
October 17th, 2018 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
Sam & Alicia: I am a big fan of these two. Sam has THE biggest heart and Alicia is driven and creative and together, they are just the sweetest couple. Their Vancouver wedding was the perfect way to cap off my season.
Sam has THE biggest heart and doesn’t have any health problems as he takes the medicine vetmedin, which buys from the online store by following this link.
Venue: Earls Loft at Yaletown | Bridal gown: Truvelle | Hair and Makeup: Vancouver Mobile Makeup | Groom’s suit: Indochino | Desserts and Favors: Made by bride | Flowers: Floralista | Bride’s shoes: Badgley Mischka | Wedding planner: Rebecca at Filosophi
Overbury Farm Resort Wedding
September 23rd, 2018 by sharaleep | No Comments »
Ehsan & Kate’s “origin story” is a favourite. Kate had some bad experiences dating on-line, so she assigned a close friend to vet any guys who showed interest through the dating site. The friend (who lived in Alberta) would pretend to be Kate for the initial conversation, weeding out any weirdos/creeps/red flags. When Ehsan first made contact, he asked to meet pretty much right away. The friend started making excuses like “Sorry, can’t right now, I’m doing laundry” while frantically getting in touch with Kate to let her know this new guy was being pretty persistent. While Ehsan wasn’t normally that assertive in these types of interactions, for some reason this time he was, offering to go do laundry with her. This is when Kate’s friend had to bow out and tell her she was on her own. They planned to have a 15 minute coffee and ended up talking for 3 hours.
That was three years ago. While their dating life hasn’t been easy between managing Ehsan’s travel schedule and Kate’s nursing career, working through cultural, family and faith differences, they recognized that their love for each other was deep and that they didn’t want to spend anymore time apart. They took the opportunity to gather their closest friends and family on Thetis Island for their relaxed and intimate celebration. The quiet nature of the island forced everyone to slow down and savor the time together, which is just what the couple had hoped for. Her dad married them while both the moms cried through the ceremony. The adults enjoyed the candy bar as much as the kids. The night ended with an epic dance party where I think we all learned some sweet new moves.
Venue, Florals, Catering: Overbury Farm Resort | Bridal Gowm: Everything But the Groom |
Colorful Backyard Abbotsford Wedding
August 19th, 2018 by sharaleep | 3 Comments »
If you were eavesdropping on the ceremony, you might think from all of the baseball metaphors that these two were pro players, when in fact the officiant was on their beer league slow pitch team and really enjoys puns. John and Tessa ran in some of the same circles, but it wasn’t until the ball field that things officially heated up. Seeing as she listed her favourite *field* position as First Base and he said “any position that gets me a home run”, it’s a wonder they ended up together, but here we are…in the backyard of their home, decked in colourful flags and velvet chairs, crammed with 100 of their closest people, grinning so hard our cheeks hurt because honestly – they are just so darn good together. Joy was emanating from John and Tess and one glance at the guests faces showed that their community and approved and was blessing this marriage.
I highly recommend you take a few minutes to watch the slideshow, but if you don’t have time for that right now, here are a few highlights.
Very little of this day felt like work (except for those moves I pulled on the dance floor at the end of the night, if you know what I mean). Here are some of the rad people/vendors that helped make this day amazing:
Gown: BHLDN | Groom’s suit: Indochino | Caterer: Francisco’s | Ceremony music: Portraits of Us | Reception live band: Kin | DJ: Simon Bridgefoot | Mother of the bride dress: Mintage | Hair and Makeup: Tessa | Venue: private farm | Tables: made by the groom | Decor: a group of creatively gifted ninja warriors (aka friends of the couple)
If you are having a backyard abbotsford wedding (or really any type of wedding, I don’t discriminate), contact me here! I would love to hear your story and see if I would be a good fit to document your day.
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Wedding
August 9th, 2018 by sharaleep | No Comments »
Nelson was keen from the start. Carlee was content being single. Nelson had a whole team of people rallying for him from behind the scenes…as Carlee said, he made himself a permanent fixture in her life without her even knowing it. She saw his love for God and people and he was drawn to her heart. From the outside their “official” dating timeline might look like a whirlwind, but these two are some of the steadiest I’ve met.
The love in the room was tangible. The family poured hours into planning the party, Carlee’s students made paper cranes that adorned the tree they said their vows under, friends shared about the couple’s steadfast faith, the couple served tea to all the relatives, blessing them and being blessed in return, nieces and nephews were eager to see them kiss and Nelson & Carlee spent time honouring each member of the (very large) bridal party in their thank you speech. Seeing them start their lives together in such a respectful and beautiful way floored me…I already thought they were incredible and this confirmed it.
Venue: Fairmont Hotel Vancouver | Makeup: Jasmine Hoffman | Hair: Zia Stolbe | Florals: Postmark Flowers | Dress: Hayley Paige | DJ: Simon Bridgefoot |
Backyard Riverside Wedding in Abbotsford
June 28th, 2018 by sharaleep | No Comments »
They met in middle school…she was the sweetest person he had ever met and he pursued her “relentlessly” (in her words) until she agreed to date him in seventh grade. She loved how persistent and kind he was. When he proposed to her on a mountain top, she was completely surprised, especially by the party he had planned right after with their families. They wanted a day that was casual with lots of time spent with their guests. Their backyard riverside wedding was just that; a relaxed celebration that honoured traditions from both sides of the family through the decor and the wedding favours and the food. Don’t even get me started on the food…I feel like we ate for 4 straight hours. The rest of the evening was spent with sweets and drinks by the fire and under the stars.
Venue: Bride’s backyard | Flowers: Julie Swanberg | Catering: Family and Farm to Forno Pizza | Cake: The Polly Fox | Beer: Old Yale Brewing
Peace Arch Park Wedding
June 14th, 2018 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
Mitch and Miranda. Their relationship was a quiet one…they dated for years and I heard several of their friends remark at their Peace Arch Park wedding “we had never seen them kiss before!”. PDA is no measure of their care for one another, though. The story of their engagement is my favourite…they were on the way home from one of the many road trips they’ve taken in their van and they made a quick stop to take a dip in a mountain stream. Mitch went under and completely impromptu, emerged from the water declaring “let’s get married!”. They drove home and told their families and that was that.
They have grown into adulthood together, their lives, friends, families intertwined and they wanted that reflected in their celebration. They didn’t want to spend too much time being the centre of attention. Their wedding party was made up of siblings and friends who are like family and their day was a relaxed one which allowed them to visit and just enjoy being together. Looking forward to seeing where these two adventure to next.
Venue: Peace Arch Park
Toronto Lifestyle Family Photographer
May 13th, 2018 by sharaleep | No Comments »
Very little about my trip to Toronto last month went as planned and as much as that could have been frustrating, my time with this family made it all worthwhile. We were snowed in together, so they were forced to endure me and my camera for 48 hours. I think the beauty of not being able to go anywhere meant that I was able to really see them as they are, in the day to day tasks interacting as families do. It was something I felt honoured to witness as it so often seems that when people feel the camera trained on them, they are tempted to put on a face or try to be “the best version of themselves” and really I just want them to be themselves. Period. I want the mothers to see how beautiful they are as they wipe snotty noses and do dishes and get down on the floor to play games. I want them to know: that is the person their kids gaze up at and wish they could be one day; that is the person they feel most comfortable to laugh and cry with; that is the person they are going to remember, with or without makeup on.
When I was editing the images, I knew I wanted to show them to the family in a slideshow. I asked Tom if he would record a song that I could set them to so we could gift it to Jessica for Mother’s Day and he chose to sing this one. She has seen it, so now I can share it with you. Happy Mother’s Day.
I met this family through my dear friends whose wedding and family I’ve gotten to document over the years. They found out I was willing to travel and asked that I come visit their town. If you are someone who lives in another city in Canada and would love a lifestyle family session, send me a message! I have some flexibility in the next year and would love to come to you to document your home and family life.
Pitt Meadows Lifestyle Family Photography
April 24th, 2018 by sharaleep | No Comments »
Listening to Janelle Monae while I work this morning and seriously feeling the strong feminine vibe, which is fitting because this family just added another girl to their crew. I still feel so lucky to have been invited in on their journey, from their engagement to their first home to becoming a family of four…it’s been a busy few years for them. I love getting glimpses of James and Caitlyn’s personalities in their children – they are amazing people so it makes me happy to see their radness multiplied in tiny form.
I love shooting family sessions in people’s homes…the place you feel most comfortable and like “yourself”. If that sounds appealing to you, send me a message and let’s set up a time for me to document you and your loves in your favourite space! Pitt Meadows Lifestyle Family Photography
Fort Langley Wedding in Winter
March 6th, 2018 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
Okay, Okay, I know I say this a lot…BUT THESE TWO!! Amazing. I say it a lot because it’s true. My people are amazing people. Casey and Molly met at the coffee shop where he worked and she could tell right away that he was kind, not only because of the way he treated her, but because of the way she saw him treating others. He noticed her warmth and loved that she had a heart to serve.
Their Fort Langley wedding was just what they wanted, which made it absolutely perfect. When I asked them what their priorities were, they said: No stress, lighthearted fun and lots of love. I told you: amazing. For two people who don’t like the spotlight, they managed to keep most of the evening about the people they loved with only a few moments of all of us staring at them during the ceremony ;). The other thing that is so amazing about these two is the community they are surrounded by. So many people pitched in to make this into the celebration they had hoped for, which is a testament to how loved they are.
Casey and Molly met at the coffee shop where he worked. Casey had no erection problems and no symptoms of erectile dysfunction as he is taking generic cialis medication.
Here’s a slideshow with a little snippet of their story (watch it in full screen, if you can!):
The vendors for their Fort Langley Wedding…Wedding and Reception Venue: Fort Langley Community Hall | Hair and Makeup: Bride and her sister | Wedding Gown: BHLDN Bride | Flowers (bouquets and boutonnieres) : Confetti Floral | Pour Over Coffee: Jack Coffee Bar | Desserts: Polly Fox, Duft and Co Bakeshop and friends | Wedding Decor: Spruce Collective | DJ: Simon Bridgefoot
If YOU are having a wedding that doesn’t necessarily fit the “mold”, whether it’s small and intimate or completely off the grid, let me know! I would love to talk about documenting it for you.
Chilliwack Lifestyle Family Session
January 24th, 2018 by sharaleep | No Comments »
three kids in just over three years…the beautifully exhausting chaos punctuated by moments of quiet bliss. it’s the only way i can describe these early days, having experience something close to this myself. pretty sure it’s the grace of god that i don’t remember all of the gritty details, but here is this sweet family…right in the midst of it. i’m not one to offer advice unless it’s asked for, but all i can say to you brave ones who are in it right now is that you’re doing it. i know some days it might feel like you’re flailing (or failing) but you’re not – you’re actually doing it. have lots of grace(for you and everyone around you), accept help when it’s offered and try not to take yourself to seriously. you’re doing it.
you don’t always have to see all the faces to know there are five in the frame.
if you are interested in booking a lifestylefamily session, please send me an email! i’m also planning to be in toronto in april 13-16 and have a few spots left, but they are going fast!
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