Ohwowowowowow!!! We are delirious – last night we won Best Portrait of the Bride & Groom Together with the picture above at the BC Wedding Awards!!! WAHOO!!!! We still can’t believe it. There are so many incredibly talented photographers in BC and we are so humbled that we won. The other finalists were the amazing Sakura Photography & Jonestu Photography, two photography couples whose work we really & truly admire. What an incredible group for us to be in!

One thing that we will never forget is how excited our wonderful peers & colleagues were & are for us. We are so so lucky to work in such a supportive and kind industry. Thank you so much to everyone for all of your congratulations and love.

We had a hard time falling asleep last night when we got home from the really fun party. To be honest, we’re still pinching each other, making sure that we’re not dreaming. When I woke up this morning and realized that yes we really did win last night, I cried big fat tears of joy. It is a wonderful feeling to have our work recognized.

Many many thanks to the BC Wedding Awards for an unforgettable evening. Most of all, thank you to the delightful Rosemary & Andrew for hiring us to be your photographers and for being such fun clients. We wouldn’t have this award without the two of you!

Below are some photos we took of the evening with our little ol’ point and shoot.

14 of us from the wedding industry all took a limo together out to the awards at the Red Robinson Theatre. We were all giddy about getting to ride in a limo and not have to work!

 A silly self portrait of us in the limo

One thing we learned last night is that Devon from Fairy Godmother Weddings is hilarious!The red carpet! So fancy!So fun running into new friends!The Fairy Godmother Weddings babes!The gorgeous Kathy Marliss, who kept on telling us that night that we were going to win!Bethany, Shari & I in our fancy red shoes for a fancy night!

The beautiful Melanie, who also won last night! Wahoo!
The lovely Gemma & Cailyn from Milestone Events
Beautiful Tanya, Devon & Kate!The lovely Leslie, who also wore her Fluevogs & won best overall photography!!

Me in my Fluevogs

The lovely Daniela!

A self portrait before we won.This photo cracks me right up! Roger brought our camera on stage with us when we accepted our award & he tried to snag a self portrait of us with the M.C., Fred Lee. We had the camera on manual setting and in our frantic rush to the stage Roger didn’t change the settings on the camera for the lights of the stage. Even though the photo isn’t all that great, it really makes me laugh.Hurray!!! Here we are with our award! 

We ended off our 2011 wedding season with a bang at Ali & Kendra’s intimate cocktail wedding at the lovely Granville Island Hotel. Ali & Kendra are a truly lovely couple who are so devoted to each other. They had their wedding on a rainy November evening in the Dockside Lounge at the hotel. Ali & Kendra’s family and friends surrounded them with so much love that night – it was awesome to witness.

Ali is the owner of Oasis Flowers and it was so touching for us to be hired by someone working in the wedding industry. Not only is Ali so so kind, her work is absolutely beautiful as you can see in the photos below.

Thank you so much, Ali & Kendra, for having us be a part of such a wonderful evening. Congratulations!

Some of the beautiful arrangements Ali createdAli & Kendra’s gorgeous gownsWe loved how they both wore sparkly shoes.Isn’t Kendra gorgeous?The lovely Ali is stunning too!The final touches
Ali and her unofficial bridesmaids having a toastAli & her Dad waiting for the ceremony to startand Kendra and her Dad ready to go!There was lots of laughter and tears of joy for this amazing coupleAli & Kendra wrote the most beautiful vows that ended with “one lifetime is not enough”. No wonder there were not many dry eyes (including my own) during their touching wedding ceremonyOfficially Wed!Isn’t Kendra’s Dad so cute in this picture? I love how happy he is!Hurray!

Cheers to the lovely couple! It was such a pleasure to see Kate & Neal again.Isn’t this such a sweet photo of Kendra’s Dad hugging the brides?Kendra and her dear friendsAli and her dear friendsAren’t they such an adorable couple? And don’t you just love their gorgeous bouquets that Ali made?Kendra really wanted a portrait with the city lights in the background. Isn’t it romantic?Sisterly love is the best!Not everyone was enjoying the speeches, though! : )

Nicole & Bas’ destination wedding at West Coast Wilderness Lodge was oodles of fun. Nicole & Bas’ wedding guests came from 20 different countries so having their wedding at a place that showed off the beauty of BC was perfect. The view from the lodge is stunning and the weather cooperated with a gorgeous, crisp fall day.

Nicole & Bas created so many of the lovely details of their wedding. Nicole knit the gorgeous shawls for herself and her bridesmaids. She also baked their wedding cake (which was delicious!) and knit their cake toppers. Bas’ Dad is a professional baker and he helped Nicole decorate the cake. Bas designed their invitations and their wedding logo. We only realized when we were at the lodge that Bas had incorporated the view from the deck into their invitations. Nicole & Bas gave everyone a little care package when they arrived that had their button that told them what table they would be eating at. It also had their wedding favour which was a delicious jam that Nicole & Bas made.

Their wedding day zoomed right by. After the ceremony on the deck all the guests headed upstairs for champagne and nibbles while we did a portrait session with them and their families. We were so touched that Nicole & Bas seated us with their family during the delectable dinner. After dinner the guests all headed back downstairs for dancing. Nicole & Bas proved that yes, you can party like crazy with just an ipod. Nicole & Bas very generously invited us to stay and enjoy the party after our work was done. We had a ball dancing up a storm. Nicole emailed us the other day and said that their guests were still talking about Roger’s dance moves!

Nicole & Bas, thank you so much for sharing your incredible wedding day with us! Congratulations!

Bas’ niece was their flower girl and she is so so cute! Don’t you just want to pinch those gorgeous cheeks?

Bas’ Dad was so hilarious as you can see.Bas getting ready. Don’t you love his boots and stripy socks?Bas and his brothers made me giggle. We loved how they didn’t wear ties.Isn’t Nicole gorgeous? We loved her red wedding dress!We loved the unique flowers and boutonnieres that Olla Urban Flower Project created for Nicole & Bas. Each piece was a work of art.Let the ceremony begin!Isn’t the view spectacular?I loved how Bas had his hand in his pocket at the start of the wedding ceremony. It suited the casual atmosphere of their wedding.It’s official! Hurray!Congratulations from Nicole’s sister and auntI love the joy on Bas’ mom’s face in this photo.

And all the joy from Nicole’s parentsCheers to Nicole & Bas!
Bas’ Dad kept everyone laughing!Don’t you love the ladies shawls that Nicole made?Bas and his brothers had the best shoesCan you tell how much fun Nicole & Bas are?
Nicole did an amazing job making this delicious cake. She even made the adorable cake toppers!The sunset that night was so pretty.Nicole & Bas asked their guests to tell a story about them to get them to kissNicole surprised her mom by changing into a Cheongsam for the rest of the evening.Nicole & Bas’ first dance was so fun.and so was Nicole’s dance with her Dad.Nicole & Bas did a fantastic job putting a great playlist together for that night. Everyone (including us) had a great time dancing away.

We had so much fun yesterday at the Brock House Wedding Show. It’s funny, I don’t usually associate the word fun with a wedding show but we really truly had a ball yesterday. We used to participate in one of the crazy big wedding shows that was overwhelming for everyone, so it was such a treat for us to be in yesterday’s show. DreamGroup did a fantastic job creating a cozy and laid back atmosphere at Brock House.  The wine was flowing, the nibbles were delicious and everyone had big smiles on their faces. We enjoyed meeting everyone who stopped by our booth and getting to chat with all of the lovely and talented vendors at the show. The day zoomed right by. Here are a few pics from the show. Silly us – we forgot to grab a photo of us and our booth!

We want to say a huge thank you to DreamGroup and to Brock House for hosting such a fantastic show. We can’t wait for next year!

A taste of Flowerz amazing talent

Melanie working her magicMusical Occasions sounded fabulousWe loved how Side One performed all the music for the fashion shows. They are so so good!

]]> http://www.unionphotographers.com/2011/10/such-fun-at-the-brock-house-wedding-show/feed/ 2 http://www.unionphotographers.com/2011/10/michael-jareds-intimate-wedding-at-brock-house/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=michael-jareds-intimate-wedding-at-brock-house http://www.unionphotographers.com/2011/10/michael-jareds-intimate-wedding-at-brock-house/#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 01:09:43 +0000 holly http://www.unionphotographers.com/new/?p=5709 Continue reading →]]>

Michael & Jared’s intimate wedding at Brock House was wonderful. Jared & Michael are  so so sweet together. Jared has the best most infectious giggle we’ve heard in ages and Michael is really gentle-hearted. We really loved how they made their wedding their own and a reflection of themselves. Michael & Jared had no flowers in their wedding, because they don’t like them. Instead they had handsome brooches made for themselves and their wedding party and Colin Upright created masculine decor for them that was filled with blue lights. It was our first wedding where they didn’t have an aisle – they just walked around their guests during the ceremony and met at the top. Michael’s parents created some lovely handmade touches for Michael & Jared. They made the fun sticks with ribbons and bells on them that all the guests used to cheer the newly married couple. They also made the fake mustaches which were a huge hit with their guests. Everyone broke out in silly voices when the mustaches came out. It was hilarious. Jared & Michael had one of the best cake cuts we’ve ever seen – they used a Katana (a Japanese Samurai sword) to cut the cake. It was awesome.

Thank you so much, Michael & Jared, for sharing your unforgettable wedding day with us. Congratulations!

Michael’s Mom put this adorable message on the bottom of their shoes.
The lovely Jared getting ready The handsome Michael getting ready. We loved how Jared’s best woman, Alanna, wore a tieWe loved too that Michael’s best man, Justin, wore a kilt!

Jared brought his Katana with him that Michael gave him on their anniversary  to cut the cake with. which of course, Roger couldn’t resist playing with!Aren’t Jared & Michael so great together?

A super fun bunch!
We headed to Jericho Beach for more portraits since that was where Michael proposed to Jared.It was such a treat for us to photograph a couple on Jericho when the beach was empty. First kiss as husband & husband and a cheer from their loved ones!I love this photo that Roger captured of Jared & Michael. Can’t you just feel their joy? Jared & Michael painted a beautiful painting for all of their guests. Isn’t that so thoughtful?Their cake cutting was the best we’ve seen! So fun that they used a Katana.Everyone had so much fun playing with the fake mustaches that Michael’s parents made.

We’re so thankful that Jared & Michael wanted a picture with us. Thanks, guys, for making us feel part of the party!

Come say hello to us this weekend at the Brock House Wedding Show. We are very excited to be participating in such a fantastic show and to be in the company of so many really talented and wonderful wedding vendors. There will be fabulous gift bags, amazing door prices, yummy hors d’oeuvres and free wine! YAY! There also will be an awesome fashion show with the sensational Side One providing the music. It will be a fun show for sure. It is best to purchase tickets online as they are $5.00 cheaper than paying at the door.

And…. drum roll please…. we have tickets to give away to the show! The first 5 brides to post a comment below will win a free ticket to what is often called the most informative, elegant and all around fun wedding show in Vancouver.

We’ll see you on Sunday!

Clara & Scott’s wedding at Hycroft Manor was a lovely and elegant day. Clara & Scott are just so great together and a joy to be around. Their love for each other is palpable. We had photographed ceremonies before at Hycroft but this was our first full wedding day there. Hycroft Manor is one of our favourite wedding venues. The spots to photograph there are endless and we love weddings where guests can move from room to room of a house for different parts of the evening.

Clara & Scott’s wedding ceremony on the Juliet balcony was really special. Right before Clara came down the aisle, it started to lightly rain. Everyone ignored it and kept going and it was magical. If you look closely you can see some drops of rain in the ceremony photos. There was also a light breeze blowing Clara’s veil which added to the romance. Clara & Scott wrote their own vows to each other and I have to admit that I choked up when I saw Scott get overcome with emotion during the vows.

Clara & Scott’s chic decor worked so well with their beautiful venue. We loved the pink, white & orange flowers created by Garland’s Florist and their lovely china and damask linens. Clara & Scott put mementos around the house that had special meaning to them. Their cake created by Ganache was stunning. It was a treat for us to work again with Candice from A Day to Remember Events who kept everything running smoothly so Clara & Scott could enjoy themselves. We loved too the jazz duo they hired to play instead of hiring a DJ – it was another elegant element to their day.

Clara & Scott, thank you so very much for sharing your wedding day with us. Congratulations!

Holly & Roger

Isn’t Clara beautiful?

Scott’s niece was their adorable flower girl

Can you see the rain drops?

Such beautiful emotion

Scott’s nephew did a great job as their ring bearer

When I was editing through Clara & Scott’s wedding photos, I was blown away by this photo that Roger captured. It was one of those magic moments where Roger was trying to focus on Clara & Scott but he caught the bubble instead. Don’t you love it?

Clara & Scott asked their guests to write Haiku’s in order for them to kiss. It was fabulous.

Clara’s cousin surprised the couple by singing them a song she wrote just for them.

The chocolate fountain was a big hit.

I love everyone’s expressions in this photo

Lara & Alan’s wedding at Heritage Hall was a whirlwind of an evening. They were married on a Thursday evening that was the 10th anniversary of their first kiss. Isn’t that romantic? Lara & Alan and their families all pitched in to create so many amazing handmade details for their wedding. Lara’s mom made Lara’s sensational dress and the ring bearer’s outfit. They also made all of the pompoms, the cake stand, the programs and the candle holders and Alan’s sister created the pretty flower arrangements. Lara & Alan hired Corrine from Filosophi Events to coordinate their day. She did a fantastic job keeping the evening running smoothly and on time.

Lara & Alan wrote their own vows for their ceremony which was so lovely. After their ceremony Lara & Alan headed outside Heritage Hall for a family photo and Roger’s fastest ever portrait session. (It is amazing what he captured of Lara & Alan in just 10 minutes!) Memphis Blues catered their yummy family style dinner before the hilarious and touching speeches were given. Lara & Alan served their cake to their guests which was such a nice touch. Then they danced the evening away as SideOne played.

Thank you, Lara & Alan, for hiring us to be your wedding photographers. It was a pleasure to share your wedding day with you.

Holly & Roger

Lara’s stunning dress that her mother made. Isn’t it amazing?

Lara looked so beautiful, don’t you agree? Eman did her gorgeous makeup and Nadia styled her elegant hair.

The look on Lara’s nephew’s face when he saw the limo was priceless.

Just a few details of their gorgeous handmade decor. Be sure to watch the slideshow so that you can see all of it.

Alan waiting patiently for Lara

Lara’s newphew, Mitchell, was their ring bearer and he stole the show. It was so cute when he grabbed some juice to drink during the ceremony.

Alan traded Mitchell a toy train engine for the rings. Mitchell was pretty pleased.

It took a while to get the rings untied which were on the pillow pretty tight

Lara & Alan’s bestman and MC, Andrew, gave a toast before Lara & Alan walked down the aisle

We think every couple should give high fives when they’re walking down the aisle.

I love the portrait on the right that Roger captured of Lara & Alan. It really shows their love for each other.

Alan was adorable, sticking out his tongue while they were cutting their cake.

We loved how Lara & Alan served their guests their wedding cake. It was a lovely way for them to get to chat with their guests.

It was lovely for us to see Ali & Nathan again.

Kat & Alvin’s wedding at Ryerson Church & Kirin Starlight Restaurant was an action packed day that zoomed by. We started bright and early to capture some getting ready photos before the entertaining games started. After the bridesmaids had Alvin and his groomsmen put on pink hair, feather boas and women’s undies, they had to dance, put on lipstick and do push-ups. It was hilarious. Kat & Alvin then had a tea ceremony with Kat’s family before heading over to Alvin’s house for a tea ceremony with his family. Their wedding ceremony at Ryerson Church was lovely with Kat shedding some beautiful tears of joy. We took portraits with Kat & Alvin and their wedding party around Kerrisdale and then headed to Kirin Starlight for their banquet. The evening was really lively with more funny games and boisterous toasting.

Thank you, Kat & Alvin, for sharing your wedding with us. Congratulations!

Holly & Roger

It was lovely to see Gloria & Kevin again. Gloria was one of Kat’s bridemaids and Kevin was one of their MC’s.

Let the games begin!