Puppy Love ~ Barb and Chris’ Engagement Sneak Peek
Posted on May 19, 2012 at 9:00 am by Liz · No CommentsBefore I even met Barbara I knew that I’d love her. Barbara’s mother was helping with the search for a photographer for Barb and Chris’ September 2011 wedding and the inquiry started out something along the lines of “My daughter also love dogs and shoes!” and I knew I had to meet her!
Sure enough, Barb is wonderful and so his her awesome fiancé, Chris, as well as their super adorable fur-kids, Ava and Lily.
When we were talking about their engagement session I asked them if there was somewhere special they wanted to have the session and Barb knew right away a place that would be perfect. We had the session in the woods around her parents’ house in the small town of Carp, Ontario – where she grew up, and where they still walk their dogs today while visiting.
As we walked into the woods yesterday, Barb mentioned that she had a few places in mind for us to shoot in and sure enough, they had also thought enough ahead to bring a ladder into the forest to climb one of the trees!
Their dogs were so excited to run and play through the woods, even though Ava, their 3 year old white boxer, had just had surgery to remove a porcupine quill and wasn’t supposed to be playing around with Lily, their 10 month old Cane Corso Mastiff. Of course this meant we had to separate them every 5 minutes but they had a blast, including racing through the muck and mud…repeatedly.
Thank you Barb and Chris for climbing trees, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and for loving the idea of having the session for your dogs just as much as for you.
Family.
Ava, who is such a sweetheart and jumps like a deer.
Lily, the gentle giant who follows her big dog-sister around everywhere.
This may be one of my favourite images ever. This wasn’t set up at all, I was photographing Barb and Chris and saw this little face peering out at me through their legs. So cute!!
By the lake.
Can you spot Ava?
Barb’s ring is a family heirloom. It was Chris’ grandmother’s ring and both of them feel so special to have such a beautiful history in their engagement ring.
And this is what dogs look like after a session with me. Sleepy sleepy. Ava could barely keep here eyes open!
Have a wonderful day,
Liz – Contact Me, I would love to speak with you!
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The Not-Going-To-Run-Away Bride ~ Hilary and Phil’s Wedding
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 9:00 am by Liz · No Comments
Hilary and Phil are such a friendly couple. They were so much fun to work with, and really enjoyed their whole wedding day. As you will see from their photos, these two are very much in love. Hilary’s friends teased her about the possibility that she could be a runaway bride, but as soon as she saw Phil, it was evident that the only direction she was running was down the aisle.
Their wedding was held at the Bean Town Ranch, and the beautiful setting made for a fantastic backdrop to a day of fun, family and friends. The couple tried to remain as relaxed as possible in the planning of their wedding, and kept this attitude during the day as well.
Hilary and Phil married on a sunny day in June of 2011. They are now settling into their life together.
I asked Hilary and Phil about their wedding day and here is what they had to share:
Which one moment will last for each of you forever?
Hilary: I’m kind of a runner when it comes to commitment. People were making jokes and taking bets right up until the wedding day about whether or not I would make it down the aisle. One friend even made a special effort to make sure her gas tank was full in case we needed a getaway car. I will never forget turning down the aisle, seeing Phil and feeling the urge to run turn into a pull to walk towards him. I will always remember feeling completely calm and certain at a time when I expected to have a panic attack.
Phil: I liked all of the moments when we were “alone” and no one could hear us, like during our carriage ride or even during dinner when we could whisper.
Best advice for future brides/grooms?
Buy a dancing dress for the reception! My beautiful princess dress brought a great deal of delight, but I LOVE dancing and I feel like I couldn’t do it to the max because of the weight I was carrying around.
Also, try not to sweat the small stuff. We looked at our wedding as a chance to celebrate with our favourite people instead of an opportunity to showcase our party planning skills (which are poor). We only put as much effort as we wanted to (centerpieces were stressful so we didn’t have any) and we think it turned out beautifully.
Best wedding related decision?
Our photographer, Liz Bradley! That seems like a suck up, so if you want our second best decision, it was having the ceremony and reception at the same place. It simplified the day SO much.
What was the funniest memory from your wedding day?
Phil and I were sitting on the bench on our private island having our pictures taken when we saw the horse drawn carriage heading from the ceremony site to the parking lot. At first it looked normal and harmless until we noticed that Phil’s 3 year old nephew was hanging out alone in the back. Right when we saw him we noticed that his father was sprinting after the carriage at top speed.
What is your favourite image from your wedding day and why?
This is the hardest question. There are some dance floor pictures that make me smile every single time. They remind us that we were right to have a smaller guest list and only invite people we really like. Our favourite picture of us would be one of the ones when we were standing on the island. They’re absolutely beautiful shots with the water and the tree, but you can also look at them and see how much we love each other.
Wedding Songs
Hilary: “This one is funny because our music ended up all in the wrong spots. My fault I guess for not being more organized! This was the plan…”
Entrance to Reception – “All I Want Is You” by Barry Louis Polisar
First Dance – “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds
Mother/Son + Father/Daughter Dance Father/Daughter – “The Way You Look Tonight” by Rod Stewart
Others – My friends specially requested that the DJ play for me “The Creep” from Saturday Night Live
Vendors
Ceremony and Reception Location – Beantown Ranch
Officiant – Rob Campbell
Wedding Dress – Maggie Sottero
Bridesmaids Dresses – Alfred Angelo
Suits – Moores
Rings – La Maison D’or
Flowers - Weekly Flowers
Hair – Josee Leonard
Makeup – Ottawa Makeup Artists
Caterer – Beantown Ranch
Cake/Cupcakes – The Flour Shoppe
DJ – Derek from First Quality Sound
Photography – Liz Bradley from elizabeth&jane photography!
Have a wonderful day,
Liz – Contact Me, I would love to speak with you!
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Sunsets and Lilacs ~ Jia and Wada’s Engagement Session
Posted on May 14, 2012 at 9:00 am by Liz · No CommentsLast May I had an engagement session with the beautiful couple Jia and Wada around downtown Ottawa. It was a gorgeous day full of lilac blossoms, greenery and a picturesque sunset, but nothing was more lovely than the couple themselves.
These two radiate with happiness whenever they are together, and I felt so lucky to be there to capture their love and the beginnings of their life together.
Jia and Wada married in July of 2011 in a beautiful tea ceremony at Wada’s family home. I’ll post the images and memories from that day soon, but for now get to know the couple by looking back on this great day.
Have a wonderful day,
Liz – Contact Me, I would love to speak with you!
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You are the waves and I am the ocean ~ Mike and Lisa’s Engagement Sneak Peek
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 11:00 am by Liz · 4 CommentsI am so excited to share yesterday’s engagement session with you and it’s because it is a really special one for me. This one is family.
Michael is one of Thomas’ (my awesome hubby) brothers and when the whole family met Lisa for the first time, we knew she was special. They complement each other so well and Lisa just fit into the family like she had always been there.
Now I have to share their engagement story for the title of this post to make sense. Lisa adores the beach – if she could spend every waking moment there she probably would. In the cold and dreary winter this year, Mike and Lisa decided to take a vacation to somewhere warm – with beaches of course. They decided on Costa Rica and after much researching, Mike got a great deal on an amazing resort where “celebrities” stay (according to them! haha). Little did Lisa know, but Mike was also planning to propose on their trip.
As they packed their bags, Mike got really worried that Lisa would find the ring. On Thomas’ advice, he balled up the ring box in a pair of socks and proceeded to stress about it the entire trip there. Lisa was so excited to get to the beach that she didn’t even notice Mike clutching his bag very closely in their travels.
As soon as they arrived in the hotel, Mike suggested they go for a walk (if you ask Lisa, she will tell you it was more like he insisted on going for a walk). She got changed out of “plane clothes” and they went down to the beach. In a private little clearing, Mike got on one knee and Lisa screamed so loudly that people at the other end of the beach heard her and later wished them all the best.
I am pretty sure everyone, except Lisa, knew that Mike was going to propose on their vacation and we all were anxiously awaiting their return to celebrate. I, in my awesome nerdyness, decorated their house full of kitchy valentine’s day and love-themed decorations which they found upon their arrival back home at about 2am!
Lisa and Mike decided they wanted to have their engagement session encompass some of their favourite things. For Mike, that is cars, in particular, Porsches. So our first stop was the Porsche dealership in Ottawa. Lisa wanted to include the location of their first date, a walk along the paths around Dow’s Lake as well as her family dog, Benji.
One bonus was that this weekend was the beginning of the tulip festival so there were some beautiful flowers out for us to photograph among.
And now, without further adieu, two very special people whom I am so honoured to have photographed yesterday.
Lisa’s favourite colour is purple so we obviously had to find some purple tulips.
Love.
Of course, Lisa brought one of the seashells from their trip back with them and I asked her to bring it along with her to photograph her stunning ring with.
This cutie is Benji, Lisa’s 16 year old family Lhasa-Poodle mix. You could never tell this dude is 16! He was running and bouncing all over the place!
I had to include this one. This is them making fun of me – I kept asking them to bend forward at the waist, so they did…a bit too exaggeratedly. (Oh and also some woman’s arm who rode in front of me while taking this shot.)
Have a wonderful day,
Liz – Contact Me, I would love to speak with you!
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Breakfast at Tiffany’s ~ Amber and Darrel’s Wedding
Posted on May 5, 2012 at 4:54 pm by Liz · 1 Comment
What woman doesn’t want to be just a little bit like Audrey Hepburn? Amber is no exception, and she and her new husband Darrel fashioned their wedding after Hepburn’s classic movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
From the music for the couple’s first dance, to the bride’s ring (obviously from Tiffany’s!), to the touches of Tiffany blue, this wedding invited guests to revel in the world of Audrey Hepburn.
On this day though, Amber and Darrel were the stars of the show. The bride and groom were all smiles as they said their vows in front of family and friends. There was great food, plenty of dancing and tons of fun all around. A lot of planning went into this wedding, and all the details came together to create a beautiful and memorable day.
Amber and Darrel were married in October of 2011 and are now settling into their new life together. When they look back on this day, they can’t help but smile as they remember all the great memories. Even the sky was channeling that Tiffany blue.
I asked Amber and Darrel some questions about their wedding day and here is what they had to share.
Which one moment will last for each of you forever?
The entire day – from getting ready with our wedding party and parents, to our first look, to our personalized vows and first kiss as husband and wife, to a fantastic meal and night of laughter and dancing with our families and friends.
Best advice for future bride/grooms?
Have the wedding that fits your vision and enjoy every moment.
Best wedding related decision?
Having a one-stop venue for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. Also, our choice of wedding photographer!
What was the funniest memory from your wedding day?
The speeches from our fathers. One included Amber’s horoscope indicating that the day might bring a boring task, but do it anyway! The other included a humorous Irish tale.
What is your favourite image from your wedding day and why?
That’s a tough one as they are all beautiful. Loved the black and white bride and groom portraits and fountain shots!
Wedding Songs
Processional – Moon River (theme from Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
Recessional – Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin
First Dance – At Last by Etta James
Mother/Son + Father/Daughter Dance – Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
To Get the Party Started – You Never Can Tell by Chuck Berry
Last Song – All You Need is Love by the Beatles
Vendors
Ceremony and Reception Location – Le Cordon Bleu Bistro
I would definitely like to highlight Le Cordon Bleu, especially Jennifer Carter. We knew right away that it was the perfect venue for us, but had some issues with staff turnover, etc. until she came on the scene. Jennifer was great! ~ Amber
Officiant – Michael O’Callaghan, All Seasons Weddings
Wedding Dress – Estee by Pattis, Luxe Bridal Boutique
A special thanks to Maddie and Lisa from Luxe Bridal! ~ Amber
Shoes – Yen’s Bridals
Groom’s Suit – The Bay
Darrel had great service when shopping for his suit at the Bay. ~ Amber
Bride’s Ring – Tiffany & Co.
Groom’s Ring – Epochs
Flowers – Tivoli Florist
A special thanks to Tamiko. ~ Amber
Hair – Perfection Hair Design and Spa
Makeup – Mattia Colasanti, MAC Cosmetics
Caterer - Le Cordon Bleu Bistro
Live Musicians/ DJ – Quality Entertainment
Photography - elizabeth&jane Photography
Have a wonderful day,
Liz – Contact Me, I would love to speak with you!
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