jordy & jocelyn: married
July 10th, 2012 by sharaleep | 4 Comments »
this wedding holds an extra special place in my heart, not only because the couple is amazing, but because the ceremony was held in the church i attended as a young girl. it was so neat to be back inside the sanctuary with the wooden pews and the big windows…lots of memories here. i may or may not have been surprised by my first kiss in a sunday school room closet.
i love the look on jordy’s face when he saw jocelyn for the first time. he kept saying throughout the day “how in the world did i get a bride this beautiful?” so great.
i loved having the privilege of watching you two walk into this new life together. all the best!
the griffioens: family
July 4th, 2012 by sharaleep | 5 Comments »
ok. so i will be completely honest. when tricia contacted me and told me she had 4 boys between the ages of 4 and 10, i was a little frightened. then she told me she wanted something “fun and lighthearted” and that, my friends, was music to my ears. i knew we had to go somewhere that the boys could explore and run around and not feel cooped up in “cheese” mode.
well i tell ya, these boys showed up and they were so amazing – i don’t know what kind of treats she promised them, but i hope they got lots. because they rocked it.
we even made a friend…of the animal variety. apparently this little guy was hungry and needed to find a way back home. the boys were so sweet and helped him back into his natural habitat.
so if you happen to be in the park in a few months and see a lovely little butterfly float by, you’ll know a bit of his story. and you can thank the griffioen boys.
frances: new life
July 2nd, 2012 by sharaleep | 2 Comments »
sisters.
the big sister was one of the first to greet me at the door, excited to show off the little sister:
little sister was slightly less excited about having her picture taken, but with a little prodding (and a lot of eating), she warmed up to me.
brandon & emma: engaged
June 26th, 2012 by sharaleep | No Comments »
back in december, emma contacted me to let me know that she was engaged and would like to book me for the wedding. a couple weeks later, i received an e-mail from a girl named joanne. coincidentally, she had the same last name as emma. she was planning to be engaged and was getting married a week before emma. curious? or maybe not so curious. they’re sisters, of course! and i am so excited that i get to shoot both of their weddings. they have similar personalities, but they continue to tell me that their weddings are going to be completely different…i can’t wait to see what they’ve dreamed up!
i met brandon & emma on the beach and though it had threatened rain, it turned out to be a lovely evening.
yay for love: kevin & mandi
June 22nd, 2012 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
mandi & kevin celebrate their fifth anniversary this year and what better way to commemorate than to haul out the dress and run around in a field! photography wasn’t as much of a priority when they got married, so mandi was really excited to get some nice pictures of them together…and of course she looked beautiful in the dress(after two kids, nonetheless)!
after a quick change, the kids came to join us. what a sweet little family!
it’s such a joy to watch your family grow!
vintage greenhouse wedding: chad & emilie
June 19th, 2012 by sharaleep | 15 Comments »
ok. chad & emilie. so i may or may not have been privy to the fact that these two were going to tie the knot this summer slightly before it was official. i may or may not have received a message that said “do you have these dates free? because there might be en event we would like you to attend on one of these dates”. and i may or may not have been absolutely, ridiculously over the top giddy with anticipation knowing that i got to hang out with these two on one of the most important days of their lives.
now enough with the may or may nots. here’s what i know for certain: chad and emilie were meant for each other. so totally perfect fit kind of material here. chad is kind and and intelligent and incredibly gifted and always “stoked” about something. emilie is beautiful and sweet and joyful and even though she’s probably the purist person on earth, has a way of saying normal things in a funny voice that makes them sound kinda dirty (it’s amazing). as individuals they make me smile. as a couple, they make me beam. they both have huge hearts and love to serve. and they are so smitten with each other – it’s just written all over their faces. so you know you don’t even want to get me started on their day…i just need to stop talking and show you the goods.
chad & emilie chose to reserve the wedding party for family, but wanted to include a larger group of friends, so we had them meet us to take a few pictures before the ceremony.
thank you for including me – i honestly loved every moment.
dennis & kelsea: engaged
June 18th, 2012 by sharaleep | 3 Comments »
i had the pleasure of meeting these two at a wedding this march and was delighted when kelsea called me after she and dennis got engaged. they both live on farms so it seemed only fitting that we would stick close to home for the pictures.
i’m so excited about their fraser river lodge wedding in november!
eva mae: new life
June 17th, 2012 by sharaleep | 7 Comments »
oh man. possibly one of the most emotional newborn sessions i’ve ever done. when i went back to my car after it was over, i took deep breaths and coasted between tears and pure joy.
it’s hard to describe, but when you really love people and you see them love on each other and a sweet life they helped create…there’s just something beyond beautiful about that. then as they sat and made music together (i mean this literally, by the way, nothin kinky people!) i was overwhelmed with a sense of peace and at the same time, anticipation for what the future holds for this amazing family. i am so beyond grateful that amber and bonner have invited me into their lives. what a gift it is to me.
that was amber and bonner just over a year ago at their wedding and all i can say is that this baby girl will never be far from music…even as she was sleeping soundly and i was trying to get a couple shots of her on the piano, her dad couldn’t help but plunk out a melody 🙂
bonner and a friend made this crib while they waited for her to arrive. 
fairy tale vancouver wedding: nathan & cynthia
June 15th, 2012 by sharaleep | 5 Comments »
it was a fairy tale kind of day, the kind little girls dream of in second grade. from the tree branch lined aisle to the pops of pink to the lanterns each girl carried. and then they opened the door and as cynthia walked through, everyone took a breath. the handsome prince held back tears. it was just that kind of day.
nathan was slightly disturbed by how quickly his new bride could go from happy to deadly…
happily ever after, you two!
steph: next steps
June 11th, 2012 by sharaleep | 2 Comments »
steph is gorgeous. not gonna lie, when her parents contacted me about taking her grad photos , i was delighted. but even beyond that, i’ve been recognizing more and more that i really want to pursue the things that i’m passionate about. and one of those things is walking alongside young women. i know that it’s an awkward time in life when (at the risk of quoting britney spears) you’re considered an adult, but are still trying to identify where you fit and who you are. i think women are incredible and complex creatures who deserve to walk forward in confidence and recognize the beauty that lies both inside of them and out.
congratulations on your grad, steph! i’m excited to see where this life leads you.
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