Day 18 – Those little extras…
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You know those little gifts that are attached to shampoo bottles…? Well, we have our own little version of that. No, we aren’t providing you with travel-sized hairspray or anything (although that might be helpful on your wedding day) but we do offer some pretty cool things that you might not know about. 
Gift Cards:
For the person who either has everything or is the hardest to buy for, we have just the thing! We offer a few different kinds of gift cards. We have cards available in denominations of $100 and $250, which make a perfect gift for anyone. You can use them towards prints, albums or even a session. We also offer a Portrait Gift Card which really makes a perfect gift because it’s a complete package It includes a 1-hour session, online proofing and a DVD of 20 high-resolution proofs.
Gift Registry:
Just like the travel agencies, we offer a gift registry! Instead of having your friends and family help with your honeymoon, they are helping you with your wedding photography!
Referral Program:
We know that word-of-mouth is the best advertising anyone can ask for, so we want to our couples for talking about us. For each friend that you refer us to who books with us, we will send you a re-touched 8×12 print from your wedding as our way of saying, “Thank You”.
Day 17 – Vendor Spotlight – Revel Events
Please meet Jenna. She is the lovely face and bubbly personality behind Revel Events, a Vancouver-based event planner and wedding coordinator. Contrary to popular belief, wedding coordinators are no longer reserved for high-profile people anymore. In fact, we’ve been seeing more and more brides using planners to help them out because this huge party that they are throwing for their family and friends is well, HUGE! Why not let an expert handle all of the nitty-gritty for you?
Anyways, Jenna was in need of some new head shots so we caught up with her at the Olympic Village one evening to make use of the pretty lights. We’ve seen the Village during the day and it’s crazy-nice, but it’s super spectacular at night! We also asked Jenna to answer a couple of quick questions that you might have about her and the art of coordinating
What make your job amazing?
Helping people plan their weddings is such a fun and meaningful place to channel my lifelong compulsion to organize everything! I love my job and I have a blast with my clients. Once I begin working with a couple, my first goal is to get to know them…. How many people are lucky enough to have a job that brings so many new friendships? My job is exciting largely because of how unique every couple is.
How exactly does the process work?
During the planning process, I’m always looking for the best ways to make each wedding reflect and celebrate each couple’s personality. My couples can choose from one of three packages–Complete Coordination, Partial Coordination, or Day-Of Coordination. I refer couples to vendors that I know and trust, help them come up with ideas and then source the materials to put those ideas into action, accompany them to meetings when they want another perspective, help them decipher the legal-speak of various contracts… and, yes, enjoy a cocktail with them now and again! 
So, how do you get in contact with Jenna?
Website: www.revelevents.ca | Blog: http://revelevents.wordpress.com | Twitter: @RevelEventsBC | Facebook: Revel Events (Vancouver)
Email: jenna[at]revelevents.ca | Phone: 778-228-4922
Day 16 – Tequila Lime Chicken. Delish!
I like to cook and Nick likes to eat. That’s a pretty good deal, right? Well, this recipe that we are going to share with you has a bit of a back-story so please be patient…
My first experience with tequila involved my 25th birthday and my sister buying me a shot. While I appreciated the gesture, I discovered what bad tequila tastes like. Fast-forward to 2008 when Nick & I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in Mexico. We went into a tequila store in Playa del Carmen and were awestruck! This store had HUNDREDS of different kinds of tequila available for purchase. Although we walked out empty handed, we did leave with intrigue. Before our flight home, we hit up the duty free and decided to get a bottle of tequila (because that’s what people do when they go to Mexico). We had no knowledge of “good brands” or what to look for when choosing a bottle. We just sort of blindly chose one. I think we picked it because the bottle looked nice or something…
Anyways, this blind-decision turned out to be a delicious second experience with tequila We bought books on tequila recipes and really enjoyed testing them out Now here’s where the cooking portion comes into play. I just made up this chicken recipe one night; straight out of my head and on to the plate! Sometimes I do that and it doesn’t turn out and sometimes it’s miraculous! This Tequila-Lime Chicken is not only miraculous, but extremely delicious so I’ll stop blabbering and tell you how to make it
First, get some tequila. It doesn’t have to be this kind (although I highly recommend it), just get your favourite stuff that is 100% Agave – not the mixto kind. Trust me on this.
Then smash some cloves of garlic and coriander seeds. Coriander seeds have this lovely and delicious warm smell to them Then juice a lime, pour a shot of tequila, a hearty splash of good olive oil into a dish and add at least a heaping quarter teaspoon of salt. Chop up half of a jalapeno (your choice on whether you want to seed it), a small handful of cilantro and throw that all in together.
Mix these ingredients all up and add in your chicken. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. You can then throw the chicken on the barbeque, or start it in the frying pan and finish it in the oven like I do. You will notice that I don’t really give exact amounts of ingredients and that’s because I can never remember how much I’ve used before – plus, cooking is personal and it should be to taste. Once you make it yourself you will figure out what you need more of or less of, etc.
I like to serve this with Cilantro-Lime Rice and Salsa Fresca. I must give Martha Stewart credit for the rice and The Joy of Cooking for the salsa. The rice is super easy: make rice as per norm and then when it’s done just add in a tablespoon of lime juice and 1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro. The salsa consists of roma tomatoes, white onions, green onions, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and salt. It takes a bit of work to chop up finely (don’t use the food processor as it turns it to mush) but it’s totally worth the effort
So….umm… Go make this and tell me if you like it!
Day 15 – Bridal Swap – Feb. 20, 2011
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?
