When Carey called me up right after Christmas, actually, it may have actually been right after New Years, I knew she had taken maternity leave from her position as the Event Coordinator at Teatro, but I had no idea that she was a few short days away from getting married!  I was so happy for her!  And not to mention completely honored and feeling giddy that she asked me to photograph their wedding.  I mean, hey, lets face it…she’s seen her fair share of photographers come through the hallowed doors of the famous and luxe Teatro.

The intimate wedding inside of the Conservatory at the Calgary zoo was beautiful, with their family and friends surrounding them holding candles during the ceremony which was punctuated by the massive fans and heater/humidifier turning on every 5 mins.  Hey, it wasn’t that bad – it just forced everyone to snuggle up to the couple so that they could hear their story and vows, which really, kinda helped complete their day.  Who wouldn’t want to be this close to a couple in love?  Maybe some of that passion they have for life and each other would rub off on them through osmosis?  Worth a try…

Congratulations Carey and Octavio, and an even bigger congratulations on the new addition to your family.  So happy that your little one decided to let you get married on your day, and only show up on its designated due date!

I am so excited to share with you a sneak peak from Carey and Octavio’s wedding that took place yesterday here in Calgary.  I first met Carey while shooting Lisa and Dan’s wedding at Teatro, where Carey was the wedding and events coordinator (who has since left on maternity leave – congrats Carey!).  In her position at Teatro Carey had the opportunity to see countless other photographers’ work so I was especially flattered that she loved my work so much that she asked ME to shoot her intimate wedding ceremony with 25 friends and family at the Calgary Zoo Conservatory.  Following the ceremony  we headed over to the Le Germain Hotel to capture some stunning creatives of this oh-so-in-love couple.  I love that every image we took, they just wanted to be close to each other.  Embracing. Kissing. Smiling.  I loved that, without thinking, their hands would naturally connect while touching her baby belly.

Enjoy this sneak peak.

If you are planning a chic city wedding and are looking for a Calgary wedding photographer to capture your day in stunning, original style, I would love to hear from you.  Contact me now to set up your free initial consultation.  My 2012 dates are filling up quickly so I look forward to hearing from you before it’s too late.

What a way to wake up to the first Monday of 2012!  An email from Style Me Pretty Canada informing me that Shevaun & Derek’s wedding at The Ranche has been featured on their blog!  What an honor!  Pretty much sums up how awesome 2011 was for me, and how equally amazing 2012 will be too!

Go and take a peek at their site and soak in all the beautiful details.  From the Rivini wedding dress, Louboutin pumps, and Derek’s Burberry suit all the way down to their DIY details at the reception and the unique “cheese” cake – Yes! Their wedding cake was made from wheels of cheese!

And a big HELLO to all of the fabulous teams that helped to make Shevaun & Derek’s wedding day dreams come true:

Photographer: TLAW photography / Design: Inspired Occasions / Make-up: Trena Laine Makeup Artist / Bouquets, Boutonnieres and Corsages: Sarah Mayerson Design / Limousine: Cascade Limousine / DJ: Andy LePage / Invitations: Pinkpolka Wedding Design / Hair: hedkandi / Ceremony Venue: St. Mary’s Cathedral / Reception Venue: The Ranche Restaurant /

Bride’s Dress: Rivini from Dina Alonzi Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Bride’s Veil: Paloma Blanca / Bride’s Sweater: J.Crew / Bride’s Earrings: Nadri / Bride’s Bracelet: Swarovski / Wedding Bands: Birks / Groom’s Suit: Burberry / Groom’s Tie: Armani / Groom’s Shoes: ECCO / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale from Blush Bridal / Bridesmaids’ Sweaters: J.Crew / Groomsmen’s Ties: Hudson Room / Groomsmen’s Cufflinks: Banana Republic / Groomsmen’s socks: Daniel Buchler / Burlap Table Runner: Paula And Erika (Etsy vendor) / Window for seating chart: WindowsEtcetera (Etsy vendor) / Cheese “Cake”: The Ranche Restaurant /

My ode to a terrific 2011 now begins!  My best wedding photos that I’ve taken this year – this category is the Bride and Groom.

2011 was such a fantastic year of beautiful and fulfilling weddings that it was truly a difficult task to narrow down my favourite images of the year.  I was honored to be allowed to spend a day with all my wonderful couple’s and am looking forward to another year of beautiful images of lovers in love.

To the lucky couple’s who got engaged over the holidays and New Years, congratulations!  I hope that means I’ll get to hear from you soon and we can get together to create some stunning imagery for you as well.  I only have a limited number of weekends left for 2012 so don’t wait!  I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Over the next several days I’ll be featuring my favourite and best wedding images from this past year in the following categories:

- Bride & Groom
- Wedding Party
- Details
- Engagements
- Visuals

So for the bride & groom images…in no particular order:

The last 3 images from a wedding I shot with Blake Loates Photography last month :)

I always love photographing this family, this is only the third time but each time its been an amazing journey to watch this little family grow.  From the maternity session, to the newborn photos, to where we are now 2 years later.  It really is amazing to watch the family bond grow so tight after these years.  Thanks again Mikolajow family for letting me spend the afternoon with you.  I hope you like what you see and that the family photos you see here help to tell you a story about your family.

And since this is my first blog post since Christmas has passed, I definitely want to give a congratulations to all those couples who got engaged over the holidays!  What an amazing time of year to celebrate a new engagement and the upcoming wedding!  Give me a call – I’d love to hear from you and hear about how it all happened!

Terence

Last month, I had the privilege of photographing a wedding waaaayyyyy up north in Edmonton with my dear friend Blake Loates Photography.  It’s been a long time since I’ve played the role of a 2nd shooter but one of the things I love about the role is the freedom to shoot whatever and however I want.  No pressure, no time limits, no expectations (well, sorta – I mean, I stills gotsta produce good photos eh).  But the flexibility Blake gave me was incroyable (I bust out in French every now and then).  I photographed things that I never thought to do before, saw candid moments that I probably never would have noticed before and felt, at times, like a true photojournalist just running around capturing photos of things that happened as the wedding day went along.

And one of the last duties that I’ll do as a second shooter for Blake, edit an entire wedding purely in black and white – something I’ve wanted to do for a very very long time but never had the cahonies to do for one of my weddings.  I LOVE the old-school vintage feel of black and white processing.  It’s got this beautifully insane throwback feel to it that forces you to see the elements of the image.  If anyone wants to have their wedding photographed in all black and white please shoot me an email!  I’d LOVE to hear from you!

Kelsey and Scott were pure joy to get to know – Blake did such an amazing job with them that I know their images are going to be outstanding (as is all her work).  At the insistence of Blake, I’m posting some of the shots I took of that beautiful wintery day in Edmonton.

It’s Blake!! She laughs while she photographs..She’s such a cutie…its a ton of fun to watch her in action!

As the blog title says, this is my absolute favourite image I took while in New York City recently. Nothing fancy, nothing mind blowing, but full of meaning. I love every bit of this image, and the person in this image.  I love the simplicity and the smile on her face.  Sunday morning brunch at Hell’s Kitchen

Taken with my iPhone 3GS – but who cares, its the image that counts ;)

I love how the weddings I photograph resemble the couple’s I meet in so many ways.  And the wedding of Julia and Greg at the Silver Springs Golf and Country Club was no different.  A touch class and a heap of style brought on by their wedding designer, Terra Law of Inspired Occasions (yep, thats my wifey!).  A touch of fun, and a lot of dirty jokes.  Dirty. Jokes. Lots.   But those jokes sure made for a ton of laughs for wedding party and guests alike.

For my final wedding of 2011, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the year!  Thank you Julia and Greg for giving me a glimpse into your lives and allowing me the opportunity to create some memories for you, your friends and your families.

For my final wedding of the year, I’ll finally confess to something that I feel each time I’m photographing a wedding… During the speeches, I always always am reminded of why I married my beautiful wife.  At times I want to stop and just pick up the phone and give her a call and tell her that I love her.  The benefit of being able to work with her on these gorgeous events, is that I can just walk up to her, and tell her right there.  Julia + Greg – thank you for helping remind me one last time this year why I do what I do, and why I love who I love.

Wedding Photographer: TLAW Photography
Wedding Designer & Planner: Inspired Occasions
Ceremony: Grace Presbyterian Church
Reception: Silver Springs Golf and Country Club
Florals: Sarah Mayerson Designs (Flora)Stationery: Plush Invitations
DJ: DJ Andy Lepage
Shoes: Valentino Garavani

It’s not often (or ever) that 5 dudes voluntarily jump into bed together

The ridiculously gorgeous bridesmaids
It’s hard to take the groomsmen seriously…

David took this awesome shot from the balcony of the church

The boys and the “Warthog” very discreetly parked up on the concrete barrier

The story of how Julia and Greg met – it was a dark and stormy night.  The moon was full and bare.

Julia and Greg thanked me in their speech so I hid behind my camera and snapped this photo.  This is sooo them.

When you look at this beautiful family below, you’re gonna be all, “yeah, they’re cute and beautiful and happy and all, but where the heck did you photograph them at this time of year that still has those beautiful fall colors and leaves?”  And I’m gonna be all “I got the magic stick. I dance between raindrops. I make my own weather”.  Enough with the small talk.  I give you, the ultra awesome Perrault Family.  Thank you for spending the afternoon with me and allowing me to photograph your family :)

“Hey sis! Let me help you…fall over”

“What? That’s not fair! I’m gonna run over here!”

Can you believe Robberta walked down that hill in 3″ heels? I thought her ankle was gonna snap!

Proof that teasing your wife is a fun thing to do

Well that’s interesting. I put a couple of these images up on my facebook page, but I never put them up on my blog!  Sometimes being busy gives you an excuse as to why you’ve forgotten some things :).  I get a built-in excuse!  Here’s a tasty sampling of some of the wedding images I created for Lisa and Phil at Stewart Creek Golf and Country Club.