Laura and Lance - August 4, 2007

As we all know, wedding days are almost always late - the ceremony starts late, the reception starts late, everything is late, if only by a few minutes! Well, not on Lance and Laura's big day! In five years I have never photographed a wedding that was so on time! Truly, it was a remarkable thing to witness! But I digress - with fabulous weather that day we were able to shoot at several different outdoor locations around Richmond. The cool thing was that although I have lived in Richmond almost my whole life, photographing weddings here allows me to see the scenery in a different light - it's challenging and inspiring to take the common and make it uncommon, and I love that! I also loved the quiet but strong connection between Lance and Laura, and the way they exchanged subtle, loving looks throughout the day. August 4 was a great day, and thanks to Lance and Laura for having us share it with them!

Anne-Marie and Matt - July 28, 2007

Anne-Marie and Matt's day was all about family, friends, and good times. Both of their families are very close-knit, and this was evident in so many aspects of their day. In fact, Anne-Marie's uncle flew all the way from Italy to perform the ceremony at the beautiful Holy Rosary Cathedral. Later that evening, both Anne-Marie and Matt's parents and siblings gave very touching speeches that left everyone a little weepy! Family and friends were able to take advantage of super-fun carousel rides, since the cocktail reception was held in the Carousel Pavilion at Burnaby Village - and let me just say that antique carousels go a LOT faster than what I'm sure is the safety standard for today's carousels! The party continued with Anne-Marie's fathers' band, Killarney, performing traditional Irish music, which was fabulous! This is the same band that performs at the famed Blarney Stone in Gastown, so it was a real treat to hear them play at the reception. True to her Irish heritage, Anne-Marie got up with several other ladies and performed some amazing Riverdance-style Irish dancing. It was a fantastic day and we were honoured to be a part of it!

Laura and Ashley - July 21, 2007

Laura and Ashley's beautiful wedding took place at the very scenic Westwood Plateau Golf Club. Unfortunately it did rain off and on (and at times, it was torrential!), but we made the most of it by sneaking outside in between showers and then using the amazing architecture inside as a background when needed. Laura and Ashley are a very sweet, quiet couple, but after spending just a few minutes with them anyone can see how very much in love they are with each other. And what's a bit of rain when you know you'll be with the one you love forever? Thanks again to Laura and Ashley for having us with them on their big day!

Sharon and Andrew - July 14, 2007

Sharon and Andrew have such an amazing connection between them, and it was an honour to witness the joy and love that they share. Their wedding ceremony took place at the beautiful Brock House on Jericho Beach, under an archway hand made by Andrew. As the couple exchanged vows they had written for each other, the Folk Festival down the beach started up - but even with all the music, these two were in their own world - nothing could phase them! The ceremony was followed by a photo session, then a fabulous reception under a beautifully decorated tent on the lawn. Through all the speeches, mingling, and delicious food, Sharon and Andrew rarely took their eyes off each other - they clearly adore each other!

Elisicia and Theo - July 1, 2007

West Coast scenery and an Edwardian glam theme came together to create Elisicia and Theo's amazing wedding day! We started off with photos of the bride and groom getting ready at the beautiful Hotel Le Soleil in downtown Vancouver, then headed up Grouse Mountain for a tram ride to the top. Since Theo is from England, the couple wanted to show their out-of-town guests some distinctively West Coast scenes and traditions. The incredible mountain view of Vancouver highlighted the scenery, while members of the Salish First Nation performed a dance for the guests. The Edwardian glam theme was represented in the amazing florals by Bloom Room (the bouquets and arrangements incorporated peacock feathers!) and in Elisicia's jewellery and very funky red sparkly shoes. The intimate ceremony was followed by a fabulous reception, where guests danced the night away. Thanks again to Elisicia and Theo for having us photograph your beautiful day!

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!