lucia+paulo…married!!

it started out as a gorgeously sunny june day for lucia+paulo’s special day. but even as the clouds loomed gray and eventually rained on us, it was still a beautiful day. after all, if not for the rains, how would we have beautiful rainbows? a big thanks to fran from fran chelico photography for being an awesome second shooter!

ceremony venue : st. augustine’s catholic church
reception venue : false creek yacht club
gown designer : pronovias
bridesmaid gowns : rw&co
invitations : designed by the bride
makeup : colleen kramm
flowers : flower factory
hair : rachel norwood from d’arcy brown hair salon
cake : ganache patisserie
 

it was great to see alicia from dreamgroup productions enjoying being part of the wedding, instead of planning the wedding!

pronounced ‘husband+wife’! i ❤ the wry grin on paulo’s face.

lucia+paulo were absolutely FANTASTIC to photograph! they were definitely out to have fun. TONS of fun! 

an awesome shot by fran!

congratulations, lucia+paulo!  thank you for sharing your beautiful day with me! i think you will be enjoying lots of unadulterated sunshine at our honeymoon! don’t forget to come back to vancouver (;

anita+lance…married!

anita+lance celebrated their precious joy at one of my favorite not-in-vancouver locations. a quiet and intimate wedding filled with much love, they brought both of their families together with so much happiness, i don’t think i can do it justice with words. so i’ll let the images tell the story of their precious joy.

ceremony and reception venue : brew creek lodge, whistler
gown : champagne and lace, abbotsford
flowers : flowers & company, langley (concept by anita+lance)
shoes : john fluevog
groom’s tie : j gregory men’s apparel, south surrey
rings : designed by bride+groom, created by griffin+pernilla goldsmiths (todd griffin)

fabulous soles, no?

getting a bear hug from anita’s daughter, who has the coolest tattoo of hummingbirds on her back.

first glance (;

aint she a lovely sight to behold?

anita went through a whole gamut of emotions. she was just lovely to photography (;

legally mr. and mrs, the ceremony is simply not complete without a champagne toast!

we took a wandering to a nearby creek and sat down on a bench … but not for very long. (mosquitos! bring your repellent) … got the shot that i wanted, though. yay!

lance and his buddies wanted to recreate a photograph from years and years ago, when his (now) best man was the groom. look at them now! still so dapper (:

the children played with the fact that the sun is not about to set, even at 9pm …

… whilst the adults enjoyed socializing in the midst of candles. 

a lovely toast by the lovely bride’s daughter …

… opens the way to a wonderful array of desserts, catered by whole foods. yummy berries! i ❤ strawberry season!

whilst the guests boogied on the dance floor, anita+lance enjoyed a quiet moment together for their first dance.

congratulations, anita+lance! i had such a great time at your beautiful wedding. thank you for being so thoughtful and wonderful, and i hope you had a splendid honeymoon on long beach!

stef+kai…married!

i have never been to a german wedding before, but i have heard that they could be tons of fun. and boy, was it ever! thanks to stef+kai’s family and friends, the day was made very memorable indeed. there were so many details and traditions to photograph that i had a hard time picking out the top 10 blog images. it went from ten to twenty to … what’s my count again? anyways, i’ll stop blabbering, and share with you their gorgeous wedding.

ceremony venue : ferguson point, stanley park
reception venue : sequoia grill at the teahouse in stanley park
gown company : the bridal gallery, new westminster
flowers and centerpieces : celsia on fourth avenue, vancouver
kai’s fedora : edie hats at granville island, vancouver

stef told me about her fluevog shoes. ‘AWESOME’ was all i could say. aren’t they the cutest?

mom getting a happy first look as stef gets knotted up.

not forgetting dad, of course. doesn’t he look so proud of her? 

and well he should be! such a gorgeous bride she is!

setting the stage for an ‘impromptu get together’ at ferguson point takes some ingenuity. i love that her friends and family gathered white, pink and red balloons to line the way to the altar!

here comes the bride…

i don’t think kai ever stopped smiling that day. i don’t know about you, but i thought he looked very spiffy in that cool fedora. don’t you?

the rings were presented on a gorgeous sunflower by victoria, flown in all the way from germany. 

here’s one of my favorite shots during the ring exchange.

after they were pronounced husband-and-wife, they walked through a procession of red roses, another german tradition which i thought was really really cool. 

here’s another german tradition. both husband and wife have to complete a task together to demonstrate teamwork. some couples have to saw a log together. stef+kai had to cut out a big heart that was printed on a big cloth banner. look how their scissors meet in the middle? i think that means they’re an AWESOME team together (;

the love and tenderness in this photo of stef with her parents make me smile every time.

kai looking very debonnaire.

we found plenty of uses for his fedora (;

i have this favorite grassy knoll that i love to take couples to. this is my favorite shot to date.

when stef+kai met me for their lifestyle session, we made a very special photo that they both loved. i thought it was appropriate that we re-create that photo. only this time, they would be in their wedding attire, married. click here to see their lifestyle session.

after their session with me was over, we headed back to the sequoia grill at the teahouse in stanley park for the night’s festivities.

a party is never complete without the free flow of spirits. both kinds (; …

… and lots of sugary treats both from canada …

… and from germany.

the details were astounding. from gorgeous table centerpieces comprising of beautiful berries and willow branches …

… to thoughtful german-to-english translations for ease of communication between german and canadian friends and family.

germans also love including fun little activities during their wedding celebrations. for stef+kai’s, a little table was set up in the corner were each and every guest were invited to express their creativity and affection for the couple by painting on little mini canvases.

… did i mention the sugary treats? the desserts … mmm mmm MMM!

thank you for sharing with me your very special day, stef+kai (: i hope that you have had a wonderful time with your family+friends, all the way from germany, and that you have a wonderful honeymoon on vancouver island!

alison+adam…married!

it was a spectacularly beautiful day which alison+adam had chosen for their wedding day. amidst family and friends from near and far, they were married in an intimate church in the west end of vancouver, one of my old neighborhoods and favorite haunts still. the reception was held at the royal vancouver yacht club at jericho beach and the day’s events was seamlessly woven together by the ever-talented gals from dreamgroup productions! here’s some more information on their gorgeous details, and onwards with the photos … enjoy (:

ceremony venue : st. paul’s anglican church
reception venue : royal vancouver yacht club a
flowers : granville island florist
decor : upright decor
wedding cake : the uncommon cake
hair and makeup : total image by susan

i couldn’t resist a shot of the beautiful bouquet sent to alison by adam on the morning of.

here’s something borrowed…

something cute! … isn’t she adorable? meet julia, the flower girl specially flown in for the occasion.

cute as a button, but not as beautiful as the bride (;

alison’s daughters were her bridesmaids. this is the cutest image ever of them doing up each other…

…and then doing up mom (: teamwork rawks.

there are important accessories.

and then, there are very very important accessories.

after the ceremony, alison+adam took a spin with me. literally (:

but this is probably one of my favorite from my session with them … right on the boardwalk. oh yay.

dreamy details dreamt up by dreamgroup.

jill from the uncommon cake did not disappoint (:

there are witty MCs…and then, there are WITTY MCs. chris did not disappoint.  the toasts that followed brought about much tears …

… and much laughter too (:

of course, the festivities did not end there! i was treated to the best grab for the bouquet ever. these girls are FEISTY (:

alison’s oldest daughter caught the bouquet! AWESOME (:

adam had alison kicking up her legs for the garter grab. her surprise at his theatrics made for some very cool photos (: you both look so adorable!

speaking of kick, chris and claire really know how to kick up a storm! these two cats know how to GROOVE (:

what a splendid night of fun and love, alison+adam! i hope that you had a great honeymoon in tahiti .. enjoy the pictures (;

a siesta from the weddings, taiko-style

taiko, meaning ‘drum’ in japanese, has been a part of my life for the past seven years. this is the first year that i traveled to the hawaiian islands to learn from one of the most famous and highly-respected taiko performance artists in north america. kenny endo has been drumming for pretty much all of his life. he was the first non-japanese national to receive a natori (a stage name and masters degree) in hogaku hayashi (classical drumming). in the hogaku world, kenny endo is known as mochizuki tajiro.

i am very fortunate to be able to call kenny endo my sensei (teacher). in the short five days that i had the privilege of learning from him, i discovered many things, some as basic as simple taiko rhythms to the passion that stems from the core of one’s being. once inflamed by the passion, it’s hard to snuff out the fire. i had the fortune to observe the practices of the kenny endo ensemble. they hold their rehearsal practices in an old chapel. due to the nature of the building, when a power failure occurs because of failed hardware, the ensemble has to drum in the dark because of the bureaucracy of red tape. practicing vigilantly since february 2009 with the light of handheld lanterns. this, i believe, is the ultimate show of passion for taiko.

the group discussing logistics of an upcoming show, behind drums.

scott taking notes by lamplight.

candice drumming on the odaiko (big drum) by lamplight.

kenny-sensei observing the rehearsal … by lamplight.

performing yodan by lamplight.

for more information on the kenny endo ensemble, you can click here.

debbie+paul…gettin married!

debbie+paul met me on a gorgeous sunday afternoon for their lifestyle session. at 5pm, the light was gorgeous at one of my favorite locations to shoot. near the wharves, there’s always something different. a different angle, a rediscovered wall, perfect for featuring the lovely bride-to-be, debbie.

… we even picked up a castaway chair that was exactly what i needed for showing off paul.

these two come together with such a sizzle! this is one of my favorite moments to capture. 

the last image for the day, catching the sun just perfectly backlighting debbie+paul. WOWSERS you two! i had such a fabulous time with you! thanks for being so much fun! can’t wait until the wedding bells ring for you!

becky+shand…gettin married!

life sometimes has a funny way of making you wait for that perfect moment when everything comes together. for becky+shand, it’s been nine years in the making – worth every single second of anticipation.

 

thank you for trekking through granite, beach sand and alleyway with me, becky+shand! can’t wait til your august wedding in whistler!

nat+sat…gettin married!

i was introduced to nat+sat by the amazing samantha from dreamgroup productions. little did i know that we were also neighbors! it was a hop and a quick skip to their second story apartment, where i was introduced to the vivacious chopper – the coolest pup ever!

 

life just isn’t complete without chopper, so he was part of the photo shoot for a big chunk. but of course the focus is definitely on nat+sat. here’s a peek at their lifestyle session.

nat has the most amazing taste in decor!  i want her to help me with MY studio! (:

she also has great way of making serious sat laugh. you’re both simply amazing!

ah yes…love is truly the spice of life, especially in nat’s kitchen! an amazing cook who loves her kitchen,  we couldn’t resist throwing in a martha stewart shot (;

the intense chemistry between these two will set any kitchen on fire! thanks so much for baring your soul … sooooo looking forward to your wedding!

joyce+derek…married!

it was a glorious day for a glorious wedding! joyce and derek and their family and friends were so amazing to be around – a day filled with so much love. surrounded by family and church, their wedding reflected much of their singaporean / canadian heritage and it was great fun to post all of those details, right down to joyce’s bridal accessories made by her mom and her grandmother’s peranakan dress that she wore for the reception dinner at night. here are some other details…

ceremony location: vancouver bible church
reception location: victoria chinese restaurant
gown designer: mori lee
flowers: jayme carter of unique boutique
cake: derek’s sister-in-law, vivienne soo

…and of course, the images! enjoy (:

a night worth remembering! thank you so much for sharing your beautiful day with me! congratulations, and have fun on your honeymoon cruise!

kristin+rich…gettin married!

the chemistry between kristin+rich is so alive, you’d have to be deaf and blind not to feel it crackle the air with its intensity. in between the laughs, the emotional connection between the both of them sometimes took my breath away. enough words; i’ll just let the pictures tell the story.

 

behind every ring is a special story. and the ring that kristin is wearing goes back a a long looooooooooooooooooong time. with such a rich depth in family history, i’m getting shivers just thinking about your wedding in july! soooo looking foward to it!