When Jen and Mike told us they were engaged just a few short weeks ago we were ecstatic. When my Mike surprised me with tickets home to Vancouver to catch the tail end of the Olympics I was overjoyed. I was really excited to see the Olympics of course, but I was also super stoked to congratulate Jen and Mike and take their engagement pictures. We decide to surprise my parents and just show up at their house unannounced. I had never done anything like this before and they were certainly shocked. They were not the only ones that received a big surprise though. When Jen and Mike arrived at my parents house, we quickly learned that they were not engaged, they were married! They got hitched in a very private ceremony on the beach in Victoria just a few days before. Here are some of my faves from their post-wedding engagement shoot!

I was really impressed with how open and willing Chenin was to share information on all aspects of her business. Fellow photogs, I really recommend this workshop. It was well worth the trek all the way from Toronto to SoCal. I would also like to mention that if you haven’t checked out weddingchicks.com make sure you do! Amy and Jocey are amazing, creative, talented ladies. So much wedding planning inspiration on their site.

The workshop was held at the Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club and was part classroom and part mock wedding. Angel Swanson of Events of Love & Spendor styled the event and everything looked absolutely amazing. You can’t even tell that there was monsoon rainfall 90% of the day!

The science geek in me went ape when I saw these gorgeous flower arrangements with test tubes and Erlenmeyer flasks. I have to admit I always secretly wanted to pinch a few of these from the lab for this very purpose but always felt guilty because they are really expensive. I absolutely love what The Treasured Petal did with the lab glass! Isn’t this dress STUNNING?! I have developed a new obsession thanks to my experience at the StyleLab. I am absolutely head over heels in love with Joan Shum….her dresses that is. She makes the most gorgeous corsets ever! And according to our lovely model Amanda, they are actually quite comfortable. Amanda, a talented photographer herself, and her hunky husband Mike were fantastic. Thank you! Vivian Tran and team from All Made Up did a brilliant job with Amanda’s hair and make-up.

When I first arrived at Ivonne’s house I was informed that Ivonne was out washing the car! Of all the places that a bride could be on the morning of her wedding, hair and make-up all done. Can you picture it? I bet she was the best looking lady the car wash has ever seen!

Ivonne has stunning eyes which were highlighted beautifully by her lovely fascinator. Ivonne was well prepared for the cold weather and snow with these gorgeous knee high ivory boots to match her incredible Sottero and Midgley gown.

Even the cat got dressed up for the occasion, albeit briefly. He managed to shed his cuffs and bow tie about 30 seconds after this picture was taken. After the evening was well underway we snuck out for a few romantic pictures on this beautiful grand piano.Thank you so much for having me along on your special day. I feel so lucky to have clients like you!

Isn’t this the funkiest hair salon ever? The staff at The Fix were so much fun and did such a fabulous job on all the ladies’ hair. Melissa gave all of her bridesmaids these beautiful hair clips, below on the right. 

See what I mean! So much fun! Even in the POURING RAIN they were still game for pictures and happy to show off their wicked rad shoes.

After we were thoroughly soaked we found shelter at the back of the B.C. Parliament buildings. This is a really great location. We were safe from the rain and the wind and there was really yummy light.

The lovely ladies from Details did a fantastic job of decorating the banquet hall at the Harbour Towers. The cupcake tower was amazing. It had at least 5 or 6 distinct cupcake flavours and it was complete with matching bride and groom treats at the top!

I love how happy they look during their first dance.

Before we started the shoot we went for coffee. Jonny starts each morning off with a cup of espresso. We went to Manic Coffee on College Street, one of the best coffee shops in Toronto.

I don’t know how many people sit at Manic Coffee like this! Jonny always drinks his espresso with one leg behind his head. He says it tastes better

I love this one!

Once we were well caffeinated it was on to yoga.

I often sit like this. In fact I’m sitting like this right now… as I type!

I’m a pro at this next one!

Thanks for having me along Jonny. I look forward to furthering my practice with your DVD.  For more information on Jonny’s Ashtanga Yoga DVD click HERE!

These two are so adorable and I had so much fun hanging out and snapping pics. Their love for each other is infectious. They each have an ear-to-ear perma-grin which made my job so easy. The wedding is next December in Barbados so I don’t think the cold should be a problem!  Congratulations to you both! You make a beautiful couple!

Liz is very talented. She has worked on a number of successful marketing campaigns for a variety of well-known brands. Liz has an impressive portfolio which includes marketing strategy, brand development, project management, graphic design, SEO/SEM, social media strategy, website design/usability and e-commerce.

Here are a few pictures of the lovely Liz Oke. Yes folks, those eyes are real!

Isn’t she adorable in this next picture? She looks like she is thinking up a wonderful new idea. This is a montage of pictures I snapped of things around her desk. I love the crazy colourful collage. I’m sure all the bright colours are a great inspiration to her work. I can almost see the pop-up bubble and lightbulb above her head!

Last week I met Tricia, John, Sarah, JJ, and Pokey at the Brickworks. We had so much fun walking, well actually running, around. Sarah and JJ are full of energy and I certainly got a good work-out!

This family has the most amazing eyes!

What did I say about the eyes? Stunning!

For their engagement shoot we went to the Claireville Conservation Area. This beautiful 2100 acre park, just outside of Toronto, holds a special place in their hearts so it was a natural choice for engagement pictures. It is where they had their first kiss and where they walk their two dogs, Juno and Clemintine, every day.

Thanks for being so much fun to photograph. I can’t wait for your wedding next summer in Toronto’s Distillery District.