Since shooting their engagement session last summer, I noticed a spark between these two that I absolutely fell in love with. The chemistry and closeness they have came through in the engagement session, and I couldn’t wait to witness their wedding day. August 2010 finally came, and with 12 hours of photo coverage on their wedding day, we were able to capture great moments in the morning as the girls and guys were getting ready, as well as 6 locations with the wedding party (including a stop at my studio for a quick lunch and some indoor photos), finished off by a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Pine Ridge Golf Club and a hoppin’ dinner & dance reception. What a great way to celebrate love, friendship, family and a new chapter to their story! Congratulations Chantal and Andrew!!

Transportation by Bada Bing Bus, indoor wedding photography location at Creative Exchange Studio, outdoor ceremony and reception at Pine Ridge Golf Club.

- sturdy cover

- thick, sturdy pages

- photographic quality printing

- TONS of cover options to choose from (leather, faux-leather, silks, fabrics, glass, etc, you name it!)

- lots of size options (3×3 to 12×18, and everything in between)

- custom designed pages by me to match your style and personality

…and that’s just a few highlights. You have to check out the delicious photos (below), or even better, get me to take you out for coffee so I can show you the actual album and all the cover swatches I have. This book is a real treasure, and I think is the perfect way to showcase your wedding photos.

All I can say is that mosquitoes, as annoying as they were, cannot stop a session – it made for a memorable experience and I was happy to be able to laugh about it with the two of them. All the more reason to look forward to photographing their wedding next year. I know we’ll have fun and it’ll be a memorable day, no matter what happens!

Congratulations Crystal & Jarrett, I’m looking forward to what the summer of 2011 will bring. :)

… and here they are, swatting at the mosquitoes and laughing about it. Cute! :

I usually don’t post pictures of my clients’ weddings online before I’ve had a chance to give it to them, so lately I’ve been sitting on some photos, dying to post them, while waiting for the happy couple to return from their honeymoon. Joanna and Dan are an example of that. Their wedding was on May 8th, and while they were out gallivanting the world on their honeymoon, I was finishing their photo editing and impatiently waiting their return to Canada!

They’re now back, and photos are now in their hands – which means: blog time for me!

Joanna and Dan are no strangers to my camera – I’m sure you’ll recognize them from several shoots in the past. (studio shoots, some portfolio work I did, and lately their engagement session and now their wedding – they are regulars!)

Needless to say, they are good friends of mine and I was more than honoured to photograph their beautiful wedding at the Fort Garry Hotel. I never get tired of photographing them! It was so sweet to see them get married (by none other than Sean, another good friend of ours (yes the alphabet soup one), who also married my husband and I) and it took everything in me not to cry at the ceremony. (besides, I had a job to do!)

So here they are, pictures from the wedding. If you want to see the complete album go to my facebook album.

To view Joanna & Dan’s leather photo album from their wedding, click on the photo here:

Dan & Joanna's leather wedding photo album

I won’t get into the doom and gloom of wedding photography horror stories, but I will talk a bit about red flags and how to avoid bad situations before it’s too late.

First of all, I’ve seen situations where couples have booked a photographer that doesn’t have an online portfolio, hardly has any references and who offers cheap wedding packages. Results? More often than not, the couple is thoroughly disappointed with the pictures.

Keep in mind that a good photographer will be popular. Happy couples spread the news about good photographers, and word of mouth referrals are gold. Don’t let someone’s self-promotion convince you of their worth. Wait until you hear it from unbiased sources.

Some photographers hardly have any online exposure. I know that for some, the internet is not their favourite place to hang out at, which is fine in some cases. But find out why they’re not online. You want photographers who are enthusiastic about their work and who have a wide variety of images and examples to show.

We all know that good wedding photographers don’t come cheap. That being said, there is quite the range in prices. I know people have paid anywhere between $250 and $10,000+ for a wedding photographer in Winnipeg. People often say that you get what you pay for. But it’s not always the case. Though the price is a good indicator of the results you’ll get, it’s not always true. I think the strength of a portfolio speaks more about the photographer than their price list.

Ultimately you want to have a good feeling from the photographer’s portfolio and you want to be excited about the kinds of pictures you’ll be getting. Your wedding day is probably the biggest party you’ll ever throw for yourself (if you’re not P. Diddy), and you’ll be so caught up in the moment that you won’t have much time to take it all in. Your photographer is there to capture everything during the one day that will fly by faster than you expected.

Enjoy the planning, and most of all, enjoy your big day!