Catherine and Edwin - June 30, 2007

What a great time we had at Catherine and Edwin's wedding! These two are a lot of fun and their wedding day really brought out the best in them! From the time we started until the time we finished after the first dance, the day was filled with warmth, laughter, and joy. From the ceremony at the beautiful Shaughnessy Heights Church, to the fabulous reception at the Terminal City Club, Catherine and Edwin's wedding was just amazing all day. A special shout-out to Kelly Brunner at Sweet Beginnings for taking care of the gorgeous garden-party themed decor and planning a flawless day. Congratulations to Edwin and Catherine and thanks for having us along for the ride!

Less is More!

In an effort to keep more images new and fresh for the main website, we're cutting back the number of images we display on the blog. Each entry will now have about half the images we used to display - but with website updates every couple of months, check www.magnoliaphotographic.com often to see the images we've been keeping secret!

Anne-Marie and Matt - Engagement Session

I met with Anne-Marie and Matt for their engagement session in historic Steveston Village - one of my very favourite places to shoot! Anne-Marie and Matt are a very cute couple, with excellent taste in shoes - Matt wore some cool black Vans with red bats, while Anne-Marie sported a funky pair of red and black lace heels - how fun! Anne-Marie's favourite colour is red (as you might have guessed by the red heels), so we took advantage of the many red brick and painted walls throughout Steveston. I had a great time photographing these two, and we're very much looking forward to their big day later this month!

Lance and Laura - Engagement Session

Holy mosquitoes, Batman! We've shot at Iona Beach lots of times before, but we've never encountered the little blood-suckers like we did at Lance and Laura's engagement session - it was crazy! Fortunately these two braved the bugs for some fun photos in the beautiful Iona environment. Lance and Laura are a very sweet couple, and it's obvious how much they love each other - there were lots of subtle flirtatious looks and deep gazes into each others' eyes! :) Laura and Lance will tie the knot in just few short weeks, and we're looking forward to their big day!

Rebecca and Kairns - Engagement Session

On our fourth try (yes, fourth!) we got a beautiful sunny day for Rebecca and Kairns engagement session! Due to all that pesky rain we had in June, we had to reschedule over and over again - but it was well worth the wait! I shot their session at Jericho Beach, a location I've been to many times before but never when the tide was out. To get the shot I wanted, we had to cross over to a sandbar and then I waded into the water and crouched down for the best angle. Well, a big wave came in and needless to say I got a cold surprise! Fortunately it was so hot out that my wet bottom dried within minutes! We are really looking forward to Rebecca and Karins' wedding at Farmhouse Lifestyle, one of our very favourite venues - can't wait!

Published in WedLuxe!

Wow, this has been a great year so far! Not only do we have awesome couples all season, but we have been published in two magazines (see my post below regarding our feature in Real Weddings magazine). This post is about our article in the beautiful WedLuxe magazine. WedLuxe is "Canada's luxury wedding magazine", and it does not disappoint - check out the amazing article on "Haute Heels", as well as the many fabulous real-life weddings. We were lucky enough to shoot Steve and Megan's wedding last July at Capilano Golf Club, and it's their amazing wedding that has been published in WedLuxe. If you haven't seen this magazine yet, check it out at Chapters, London Drugs, and many other locations. A big thank you to Steve and Megan and to the awesome people at WedLuxe!

Vanessa and Jason - May 26, 2007

Vanessa and Jason got married at the beautiful new Celebration Pavilion at Queen Elizabeth Park, followed by a very fun reception at the University Golf Club. This was our first time at the Celebration Pavilion, and I thought it was a really neat buliding - it has a very open concept design, essentially bringing some of the outdoors in. The surrounding fountains and interesting new structures made for some great photos, then it was off to a nearby Vancouver heritage school for more photos. The lighting was perfect - it gave the whole area a very ethereal feel - add in a lovely bride and groom and voila! A great image is made! Later that evening, we photographed some very talented guests who were seriously grooving on the dance floor - however, Vanessa and Jason were not to be outdone and had their own dance moves perfected for their first dance. Thanks again for having us there on your special day!

O Canada. Wow.

This past Canada Day weekend we had two absolutely incredible and fabulous weddings. Both weddings made me think about what it means to be Canadian, and I as I thought about it I felt particulary proud (and I'll admit, a little emotional) to live in this amazing country. Weddings are an expression of culture and custom, and we have the extreme privilege of documenting these events; through these experiences we are enriched by the cultural diversity that makes Canada so unique. This weekend alone, our weddings have taken us through a variety of cultural traditions, from an intimate Chinese tea ceremony to a moving reception performance by dancers from the Salish First Nation. Each wedding was very different from the other, but they shared feelings of togetherness and celebration that reminded me that although we are all different, we are also all the same. We are all Canadians, and though our cultures and customs may be different, we laugh together and cry together and live together. O Canada.

Theo and Elisicia - Engagement Session

What a great time we had with Theo and Elisicia at Granville Island! These two were constantly laughing, joking, and of course, cuddling throughout their session. Their engagement session and wedding (which is happening this weekend) will be a bit of a whirlwind, as Theo and Elisicia both live in merry old England and will be heading back fairly soon after the wedding (Theo just arrived last Friday!) They will be having an amazing and unique "vintage glam" theme for their big day - Elisicia has let me in on a few of the details and let me just say I can't wait to see how it all comes together! Also, they both have about the coolest hairstyles I have ever seen. We had a lot of fun at their engagement session and we are so excited for their Canada Day wedding!

Sharon and Andrew - Engagement Session

I have to say, when Andrew said to me "I brought a prop" at our engagement session, I didn't know what to expect! Needless to say, I was very excited when he pointed to the parking lot where his shiny Harley Davidson motorcycle was parked! It was a blast photographing these two on the bike and throughout the park near their new home in Port Moody. This area clearly holds a lot of special meaning for these two and it was really neat to hear about the stories of their romance as we walked around. It also became evident early on that Sharon and Andrew have a lot of fun together, which made them a pleasure to photograph (in between laughs and some Monty Python references!) Chris and I are really looking forward to their big day later this month!

Jennifer and Scott - May 19, 2007

Until now, we have never had a day where the groom doubled as a seamstress - but when a button popped off of Scott's jacket, he was quite nimble with a needle and thread! Good thing too, as he had a wedding ceremony to go to where he would marry the lovely Jennifer. Conveniently the only time we had rain was during the half hour ceremony, which I'm sure was due to my incessant praying to the Rain Gods the night before! The wedding at Minoru Chapel was followed by a photo shoot at various locations around Richmond, during which we had a great time photographing the bridal party and bride and groom. Jennifer and Scott's bridal party was quite unique, as four members were Jennifer and Scott's children - what a wonderful way to include them in the big day! Thanks again to Jennifer and Scott for having us as your photographers!