Day 15 – Bridal Swap – Feb. 20, 2011
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There’s a Bridal Swap going on on February 20th at Heritage Hall! So..ummm “What’s a Bridal Swap?” No guys, it’s not where you get to swap your bride for a new one, but it is a swap-meet styled event where your fiancee might snag some sweet deals on stuff for your wedding!
Ladies, bring your future husband or your girls and head on down to Heritage Hall on February 20th to do a little bargain hunting on wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, vases, table decor and more! Or, if you’ve already had your wedding and you don’t know what to do with all of your napkin holders then give Dreamgroup a shout to see if there are still tables available.
For more information about this event, check out www.dreamgroup.ca/bridalswap
Day 14 – Gemma & Kevin’s E-session – Preview
Last Saturday we went out to UBC and shot the engagement session for Gemma & Kevin. There’s a full post coming in a couple weeks, but for now I wanted to post a bit of a teaser image for you.
Day 13 – Prints & Making Something Special
Last year Nick & I moved into a new space, however we still had a good amount of boxes in our storage locker. We knew they were there but we were pretty wrapped up in everything else to deal with them. So we let those last remaining boxes sit there for the next year. We didn’t really start to think about them until New Year’s Day, and we decided that enough was enough! So on January 3rd we spent a long day of driving and moving boxes into our home so that we would finally have everything under one roof!
Anyways, in the process of unpacking I found some really amazing old black and white photographs. They made me smile to see them and I knew I had to hang them up 
It got me thinking about a making a photo wall of family photos and I quickly went searching though some of our digital files to complete the collage. I also went online to scour up some neat ideas of how to create this photo wall. I found a lot of inspiring ideas and I’m super excited to start this project!
I found these various examples from all over the internet. Attic Mag, NYC Interior Design, Interior Design Picture Gallery and a couple of personal blogs too : The Princess and the Moose and Imperfect.
Once I have finished my project I will definitely post the finished result! Have any of you created something amazing like this? I would love to hear about it!
Day 12 – Nick’s Top 10 of 2010
Hi There 
These are my favourite 10 images from the year. There’s a story behind each and why it’s one of my favourites, so let’s get started!
They’re not in any particular order, however I will number them just cus I feel like it. 
#1 Ali & Simon – Their wedding day was a little wet, and we had finished up shooting in one of our locations. We had to wait for our transportation, which was taking a little time, so we hid under an cover that we could find. After a few minutes of waiting, we realized that the bus was going to take longer than expected, so we decided to keep shooting. I noticed that there were some colour-changing LEDs at the Fairmont Pacific Rim (where we were waiting) so I decided to use them for a little back lighting. I really love the end result:
#2 Bernice & Jack – I saw this building a few days prior to the wedding when we did our location scouting (we do this for every wedding. Gotta be prepared!) I really loved the symmetry of it. The building seemed to mirror itself along the wall that Bernice & Jack are standing against. I like how it turned out.
#3 Elizabeth & Mike – Two fun people, Elizabeth & Mike definitely shared a special connection. Right after their first kiss they both leaned in and touched their foreheads together. It was a really cute moment for them I think. It really shows what they feel for each other.
#4 Hailey & Colin – I love modern west coast architecture. The Olympic Oval in Richmond is a fantastic example of it. We were there shooting the portraits for Hailey & Colin’s wedding and I just love all the lines every where, but especially the large wood beams that hold up the overhang. I decided to use a little off camera lighting to add a bit of drama and framed Hailey & Colin in between the 2 large beams.
#5 Iona & Alston – Their wedding was at QE Park, and up near the large fountain are these covered benches. I really liked the lines and so I decided to use them in a shot or 2. I framed Iona & Alston between the 2 posts and angled the camera so the lines of the bench converged on them.
#6 Jen & Jordy – I’m a sucker for cool lighting. This shot was actually set up by Deb, but I love it (shhh, don’t tell her! 
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#7 Katie & Chris – This is possibly my favourite image of the entire year. Chris had a gift he wanted to give his daughter, who was also the Jr. Bridesmaid at his wedding. I don’t think I have to explain much further… Just look at the look on both of their faces.
#8 Maddie & Adam – They had a cool little speakeasy set up at their wedding and we decided to take a few shots in there with some off camera lighting. Maddie looks pretty happy I think. She had a pretty good day, so I can understand why
#9 Maddie & Adam – Another one from their wedding. I just get a chuckle every time I see this image. Maddie is doing what we’re ALL thinking when we see a big cake like that. “MMMMMMM CAKE!!!!”
#10 Sharon & Thomas – Lastly, one from our last wedding of the year. That’s Thomas hugging his Best Man after his Best Man’s speech. Check out the look Thomas’ face. I think he was having a good day, don’t you?
Day 11 – Deb’s Top 10 of 2010!
2010 was a fantastic year and we thought that it would be great to go through our entire season and choose our Top 10 Favourites. Favourites meaning images that make us laugh, smile, say “Wow!” or are maybe not the most technically perfect but still warm the heart So in no particular order, here are my (Deb’s) Top Ten of Twenty-Ten!
1) This is on the UBC Campus grounds and we were shooting some group shots for Bernice & Jack and I look up and I see these amazing windows! I’m a sucker for reflecting shots so I told Nick of my idea and we set it up. I love the straight lines of the building and sidewalk juxtaposed with the slightly wavy reflection of the group.
2) Another one from Bernice & Jack’s wedding. Now, this is how you score points with your mother-in-law!
3) *Cue tears!* I love the abundance of emotion in this photo. Nick took this one at Ali & Simon’s wedding. Love it!!!! I especially love Ali peeking around her guests to get a glance at Simon. It’s as if to her, there’s no one else in the room but him
4) This is from Jen & Jordy’s wedding. Instead of a traditional receiving line they did it cocktail-party style. This photo is of Jen and her good friends just having a good old-fashioned girl talk! Laughing, gabbing and showing off how good they all look!
5) This is from Katie & Chris’ wedding. I saw the best man off in the corner going over his speech. He didn’t even know that I was there until I took the photo.
6) These are Maddie’s shoes She wore flats for her farm wedding and she gets double points for being stylish AND practical!
7) For Nadine & Dmitry’s wedding we decided to do something different. We asked them to take 3 minutes to write a letter to each other about how they were feeling that very moment. I remember it taking Dmitry a few stops and starts to get his thoughts down on paper, but he did it genuinely and it was amazing to witness.
8) From Iona & Alston’s wedding. We were trying out our video light and it created the most perfect light for this moment. Soft, yet dramatic.
9) This is from Elizabeth & Mike’s wedding during the Father-Daughter dance. I know that this image is not technically perfect (the focus should be on Elizabeth’s face), however the raw emotion in this photo takes over and grabs you!
10) This last one is from Sharon & Thomas’ wedding. I love everything about this photo. The light. The colours. Their expressions. I love how intently Thomas is looking as he listens to his friend give their speech.
I hope you have enjoyed my Top Ten of Twenty-Ten! Come back tomorrow for Nick’s favourites!
Day 10 – Featured on Style Me Pretty!
Today we are very excited to tell you that Maddie & Adam’s wedding that we shot back in August has been featured on the popular wedding blog Style Me Pretty.
You can check out the full post here
Also… You may or may not have noticed that we missed a post yesterday. Bad us! Guess we have to give away a free portrait session, huh? Well… Congratulations Gemma! You were the first person to e-mail us, so you get a free session
Day 8 – Sharon & Thomas | Hart House Burnaby Wedding
Sharon & Thomas are an exceptionally unique couple. They are thoughtful, caring and very verbose in their feelings about each other. So when it came for their handwritten and original vows during their ceremony, there was not a dry eye in the house – especially me! I get misty and spill a few tears at each wedding we shoot, but this time I had trouble keeping my composure!
Thomas began by saying that he was going to take his time with his vows for Sharon because he didn’t want to rush through how he felt about her and what this moment meant for both of them. He spoke openly, honestly and truly from his heart.
Sharon & Thomas wanted to create a very unique feel for their wedding so they chose the theme of a 1920′s style dress code (of which many of the guests adhered to!). They transformed the back lawn of Hart House in Burnaby with lawn games, a vintage-style photo booth, streamers, and sundries for the guest favours. I really loved their guest “book”! They had a friend draw a beautiful tree and all of the guests created a leaf using their thumbprint with green stamping ink and then wrote their name by it. Sharon & Thomas now have a very personal piece of artwork hanging in their home
I loved that they invited their friends and family members to participate in bringing the desserts! Pies, cakes, cookies, cupcakes…mmmmmmmm! I have to say that I tried as many of them as I could! All of them were delicious, but the one that stood out the most was the Pistachio Cake. I’m not a big pistachio fan but this was really good!!!
They have an incredible group of family and friends. All of the speeches were so outrageously original, funny and touching
Thomas also wrote and performed a special song for his new wife Sharon is a lucky, lucky lady
Their wedding was also a very special moment for Thomas’ family. It was the first time in 31 years that all of his aunts and uncles (with exception of one) would be together at the same time and in the same place! They sang and played instruments and had the whole place singing along with them too. It was fabulous!
Just as the word “ordinary” does not apply to Sharon & Thomas, “ordinary” does not apply to their first dance either. It was really unexpected, but certainly refreshing! I wish I had the soundtrack to their wedding because it was awesome!
Sharon & Thomas you had one seriously incredible wedding! It was really amazing to meet both of you and we wish you many years of laughter and joy!
