I had my doubts that the colour was going to last long enough. Worried when we set up the time for the engagement pictures that we were going to be scouring the woods for the last little bit of colour. Last year all of the leaves in the Valley were down by the beginning of October (right Holly?) so I was sceptical that we could hold out until mid to late October. Turns out that I know very little, as we had a spectacular fall – the colour has been unreal; and we are getting our second wave of it now as the tamaracks come through.

We had a great time wandering around with Megan and Rafal and getting to know them a little bit. People always look at us like we are crazy when we tell them that the photos are of secondary importance from the engagement session. Great wedding photos are so much easier to capture and create when you are comfortable with your photographer. So to help that along, we go out and act a little goofy, and wander the woods for a couple of hours. Megan was making fun of me by the end, so I can only assume that we were successful in our goal. I can’t wait until their wedding up at Island Lake Lodge next September!

I hope you enjoy the photos!

And so ends a busy summer of weddings – we are officially in shoulder season now folks! Really pleased to be able to share with you today Julie and Ryan’s wedding as the last one of the summer. I love attending weddings where it is clearly a celebration of family, faith and a deep connection between the couple. Plus, there were so many former clients and friends (Julie and Lowell, Alison and Steve)  there that it was a chance to catch up a little bit! A beautiful country wedding near Carstairs and Cremona, and a beautiful fall day made for a perfect end to the season.

Julie had a gaggle of flower girls, so there was lot of general cuteness during the ceremony. Julie and Lowell, actually brought their brand-new baby (less than 10 days old!) as well, and I think the flower girls were having a hard time concentrating on the ceremony… 

I love listening to this man perform. If you haven’t checked out Steve’s music before, I highly recommend having a listen over at his website!

The sweet getaway vehicle! I overheard some of the guests questioning my sanity as I got the shot of the horses… something about a headline for a trampled photographer…

I never post any of the family shots on the blog, but while I was shooting them, I looked over my shoulder and saw Lowell and Julie hamming it up for one of the guests. So, so typical for these guys…. =D 

Julie’s brother-in-law and sister had a farm near the reception, so it was a no-brainer to head over there and explore for a little bit! Really glad that we did! 

Some last minute prep before making their entrance to the reception. 

Thanks so much for having me along – I had a spectacular day hanging out with you! We’ve still got a bunch of sessions to post in the coming weeks (some engagement sessions that never quite made it to the blog during the craziness of summer, and some more recent shoots, so make sure you check back over the coming weeks!

Crystal and Robert hosted their wedding at one of the most unique venues we’ve ever been to. The Sparkling Hills Resort, located between Vernon and Kelowna, is a pretty impressive building!  It was designed and built specifically for the rocky hill where it’s located and has amazing views of both Okanagan and Kalamalka Lakes.

We had a lot of fun at Crystal and Robert’s wedding.  It seemed like there was always something funny going on, from the guys getting their ties tied, the recurring joke about criers attending the wedding, and some of the hilarious comments during the speeches and open mic! It was an awesome day with you guys, and we wish you all the best!

This is the view of Okanagan Lake from one of the rooms!  Pretty spectacular!

The flower girl ready to make her big entrance.

There was some gorgeous colours in the trees around Sparkling Hills!

After using some locations near Sparkling Hills, we decided to head back up to the resort to use some of the views and architecture!  I could have shot up there for hours.

I love this portrait of Crystal.

After dinner we were able to steal Crystal and Robert for a few more shots.  

There’s certain light that we always hope for on a wedding day. Most couples want a sunny day with blue skies. For us, we don’t necessarily want overcast, but we really love it when we get clouds because they can create some really dramatic skies. Of course, when you hope for this, there’s always the chance that you’re going to be dealing with rain!

When I woke up the morning of Tifanee & Josh’s wedding, the rain was coming down in buckets.  As the morning progressed though, the rain tapered off and gave way to some low cloud with the occasional sunny break. This was great because I was shooting by myself (Kevan was shooting Karen & Ryan’s wedding in Fernie), and meant I didn’t have to try and juggle my camera, an umbrella, and the rest of my gear while shooting!

The bridesmaids have all been friends for quite a while, and there were some funny moments at the salon while they got their hair and makeup done.

Seems like we’re getting some pretty spectacular backdrops lately for ceremonies!   This one is at Emery’s Bed & Breakfast just outside of Cranbrook.

My favourite portrait of Tifanee!  I should give a shout-out to Avery, one of the bridesmaids, for helping out on this one – she made a great light-stand!

Tifanee really likes old and rustic buildings, so after doing a few shots on Emery’s property, we headed to Cranbrook to see what we could find!

A perfect fall day in Fernie to explore some of the colour that has graced the valley. I casually emailed Karen a couple of weeks back, and said that there was a location that I would really love to use, but that it may require tip-toeing across the top of a small beaver-dam. She emailed me back right away and said that she would bring rubber boots! Considering that they were getting married after their portraits, this was no small decision. While she didn’t have to scramble up anything, I feel that is more than worthy of inclusion in our Hiking Brides Club! I was also very excited to have Nic Genovese along as a second shooter for the day. Nic is a really talented cinematographer here in Fernie, who has done a lot of incredible bike edits. You check out his most recent edit, which was featured over on PinkBike.com. Seriously, check it out; it’s incredible!

The day started out with us meeting up with Karen and her crew at Sparrow for Hair. 

A couple of simple and relaxed portraits prior to meeting up with Ryan.

Ryan impatiently waiting to be able to go see his bride =D 

Their first look. Nic’s photos. 

Gearing up for the hike down across the beaver dam. 

I think it was worth it! 

Nic’s angle. 

Another from Nic. 

Love the classic Chevell that they brought for their ride! 

Then it was off to the United Church for the ceremony. 

The reception was at the Fernie Golf and Country Club. 

I happened to pop my head outside during a break in the evening program. Glad that I did! Have I ever mentioned that I absolutely love living and working in Fernie? 

The shoe game. Always good for a few belly laughs! 

Nic’s view during the first dance. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!