We have the coolest clients – really! Simon was so excited about planning the wedding that he contacted us about availability before he had even proposed!! As soon as we met Stephanie and Simon we knew these two were seriously in love and that they were going to have one very fantastic wedding. The whole affair was held on Thetis Island on the small farm where Stephanie grew up and it really took an Island to pull off this wedding. There is something very special about small rural places and even better to have your wedding in the place that made you who you are. The girls all got ready in her parents old farm house and the ceremony and reception were down in a field with cows grazing in the background. Stephanie and her helpers spent months searching for vintage floral table cloths, tins, vases, and mason jars to complete this beautiful vintage farm look. There were so many special things to remind Stephanie of those closest like her grandmother’s veil and heirloom engagement ring. Stephanie was truly blessed with the most amazing flowers from Quack Farm nursery who specially grows and gifts their former employees with their flowers on their wedding day – which resulted in the largest most stunning bouquet ever! It was really special to scout locations with Stephanie and Simon as she shared her childhood haunts with us. She is one of the lucky few to have actually attended a one room school house! Every once in a while a couple inspires us to do something a little different. Stephanie is a visual artist and has a love of photography so we decided to bust out our old polaroid and let them have a session photographing each other. We were really glad we did as they loved it and left them with some special keepsakes from their day (watch for a later post on this). Stephanie and Simon are so in love that they could barely keep themselves from giggling all day! We wish you two all the very best and are so happy that you shared not only your wedding with us but also your beautiful island home.
Recently we spent a sunny late summer morning having a visit with our new little friend West. We have gotten to know West’s dad Michael through his dedicated support of our favourite cause Power To Be Adventure Therapy and it was so great to meet Jen and West and spend some time with them at their home. Photographing little kids can be challenging – this little guy doesn’t really have a slow mode it is pretty much go go go – but it can also be the most rewarding. When little ones are comfortable in their own environment they just do what they do and you can really capture their personality. This little guy is really into his firetrucks, books with bananas in them, and a crazy little car that he is incredibly adept at maneuvering. His favourite word at the time was “more” – he just wanted more more more of everything! So we chased him around the deck, through the yard, then down the lane to the beach and back. By the end of the session we finally saw a yawn but I think he was the one who wore us out! We love little ones but this might be a favourite age as he definitely won us over with his dimples and sheer determination to investigate everything, climb anything, and try to do everything himself. We had such a great time playing with this sweet family and can’t wait to see more of them in the future!
When we received Jackie and Chris’ invitation last winter we knew this was going to be one stylish and creative event. What looked to me like a glossy abstract sheen on their invitation was recognized by Aaron as a map of the Gulf Islands! These two architects designed the most gorgeous DIY wedding we have ever seen and it was such a pleasure to be there to witness not only the incredible thought and details that went into planning and decorating this wedding but also the heartfelt love that was shared by everyone there. Saturna is a small Island and Jackie and Chris had to bring almost everything over with them – including the tables!!! They had a lot of help from friends and family with their stationary decor designed by Groomsman Matthias Smale, handmade wooden benches with cushions that matched the table runners, the wooden backdrop for the ceremony, paper pinwheels, and their extremely cute look-a-like cake topper. If we ever need any buildings designed we are definitely calling these two! The day was really hot and sunny and Saturna’s East Point Park, that looks more east coast than west, was an incredible place to shoot and the Saturna Lodge provided a warm sheltered evening for the reception. These two have now headed off on an international adventure of living and studying in Europe. It seemed meant to be that we had just purchased an old pull down map of the world on our way to Saturna from the interior. It made a perfect backdrop for this creative and adventurous couple. Thanks so much to Jackie and Chris for choosing us for your day! We loved every minute spent on Saturna and thanks to you we now have a new favourite place to visit where we can sit on a deck and listen to whales go by, eat the best pizza ever on sandy beaches, and nibble on the best spelt/oat chocolate cookies ever tasted (but keep it between us because we want the place all to ourselves ).
A wet boat, salty camera, learning the intricacies of iMovie, and over 2200 stills later we have the Team Kula 470 stop motion to release upon the world. My brother Fraser McMillan, and his team mate Eric van der Pol have been training and competing for the last few years working towards the goal of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. As the “official photogs” of Team Kula while they are at the Olympics, I feel a need to help out where I can. Since 470 coaching is not exactly my forte, I take photos of them for their promotional materials. Hope you enjoy.
aaron.
ps. they are underfunded canadian athletes. If you feel so inclined to do so, donations can be made @ kula470.ca
Welcome to Emmy’s second style segment. I am hoping to make this a regular thing and when wedding season slows down a bit in the fall you can expect a lot more of these. I am a bit design/craft crazy. I love making and designing things for gifts and for the designer fair that I run every Christmas so I always have my eye out for talented artists with a unique perspective. Recently I was checking out the vendors on a site for a local show when I found this one called Little Yellow Basket. The name is really cute and caught my interest so I looked up the site and found the most gorgeous vintage style feather hair accessories. I love it when brides have great hair accessories. Something simple and elegant can really complete a look and if you are a non-traditional gal and don’t want a veil this is a great alternative or an addition once the veil comes off. I contacted founder Alexis to ask if I could photograph her work for this segment and she gave me a bit of background on the name and her designs: “Little Yellow Basket Design’s was named after my favorite song sung by Ella Fitzgerald as a tribute and homage of my love for the past and all this with a vintage feel. When women wore their best pearl’s just to go to the grocery store or putting on red lipstick to get the newspaper. My piece’s speak to me like old hollywood silver screen star’s or old song’s sung by the lovely Ella. Each piece is named after one or the other! I want to take that vintage feel, the old time glam and make everyone feel like they just stepped out of the old silverscreen. I make each piece unique and treasure worthy so you will want to hold on to them for your daughter’s or granddaughter’s to come.” I have to admit there were two pieces I had to keep for myself after this shoot. Who doesn’t want to wear a peacock feathered headband! Wether you are a bride planning your perfect look or someone like me just wanting some glam in a headband these pieces by Alexis are gorgeous. The clips could also be very cool boutonnieres, everyone does flowers why not try feathers! Because Alexis is local she could do custom colours to match your day. You can find info on purchasing them on her site or see what is in stock at Sapphire Bridal shop on Fort St. in Victoria. If there is a style trend that you would like to have featured please send some info my way Happy Tuesday!!
Jessica and Dusty love music, tattoos, their pup, and each other! Surrounded by all the people who love them the most they got married on the beach under a driftwood arch that Dusty built. It was a perfect breezy sunny love filled day and we were so excited to be there to witness it. We knew that this wedding would have style when we first met Jessie and Dusty with their tattoos of trees, roses, and gypsy wagons. Their ceremony was held at a family friend’s property in Deep Cove and the cocktail reception was at the fabulous the Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse in Saanichton. We didn’t do a prep session with these two and Aaron was up at the road waiting for Jess to arrive so the first time I saw her was as she came down the aisle and I think everyone gasped with me at how gorgeous she was. Her Martina Liana dress is stunning and so perfect for a breezy day. Her gorgeous flowers, that are so stunning and filled with daisies, poppy heads, and luscious greenery were done by friend Claudia Logan who really should sharing her gift with everyone! Their something blue was a cool vintage ride in a Plymouth GTX. The very sweet Mr. McKay of Deep Cove let us use his gorgeous Garry Oak meadow which held a most perfect lone tree that was just waiting for us. We then headed to a beach to catch the late day calm of the inlet before the tide came in. I was in my wellies focusing on not getting too low on the water with the camera when I heard Aaron running and scuffling behind me as he rescued my floating dress shoe and our reflector from a trip on the sea! The night ended with views over the Sea Cidery’s orchard, cigars on the patio, delicious appies, chilled cider cocktails, and the best dessert bar ever created by the lovely ladies of Jam Tarts. I think Aaron is still daydreaming about the oreo truffles! These two had the most unique and personal guestbook – a painted tree filled with the fingerprints of their guests turned into art. Jess and Dusty were so happy on this day and we could just feel it in the way they looked at each other. We also saw why these two are so loved by their friends and family – all the best to such a sweet couple!
I don’t even know where to begin with this wedding! We are being seriously spoiled with fantastic weddings this summer, such a treat! (get ready there are a lot of exclamation marks coming up ) We knew that these two were our kind of people from the very first email. Jess wrote that she and Rob were getting married “under a LONE TREE IN A FIELD!!!” If any of you have read the E/A Who? page on our main site you will know that I, Emmy, have a thing for making photographs of lone trees in fields, bit of an obession really. Anyway Jess and Rob really do live a dream life. Jess is a lover of horses and what better life than to run Foxstone Stables at Glenora Farm and also live right above the stable with 300 acres of Cowichan Valley paradise including your own natural spring swimming pond, meadows with lone trees, and gorgeousness everywhere you look! There is so much beauty here that we are going to head back up there in the fall for a day of photo making because we felt like kids in a candy store with not quite enough time to fill our pockets. This dreamy day was a hip-nouveau-country-handle-bar-moustache-ray-ban-sunglasses-with-a-dash-of-vintage perfection! There were so many personal touches and such wonderful details that the result is that I have a lot of images to share!! To start with Jess’ dress is stunning and so perfect for a vintage country wedding. Her rings, carried in little leather pouches, were Rob’s Grandmother’s and her vintage bracelet has been worn by the other women in Rob’s family on their wedding day. All through their home are old family photos and antique treasures that I couldn’t help but photograph. These old photos were inspiring so the tintype looking shot at the end is a shout out to American Gothic and old family images. The ceremony seats were bales of hay with Jess’ baby quilts made by her mom, the bridal party entered through the field with Jess’ first man in her life, her old pup Jackson, looking so so proud in his bow-tie, the flowers with daisies and sunflowers and red gingham table clothes were so perfect and the weather was hot and sunny! Many of the guests set up camp in a nearby field with vans and tents to make a weekend of the event. In honour of Rob’s ‘stache many of his friends grew their own and the groomsmen bought stick ons that you could shape in different styles. The sun set really low on the horizon leaving the reception drenched in buttery late daylight. Instead of a wedding cake these two ordered a table full of pies!!!!!! Best idea ever! It was really hard to photograph them and not sneak a taste. After the ceremony we headed up the hill to the old red barn for some shelter from the heat. You have heard the famous saying don’t work with kids or animals – well we usually love working with both and the kids were fantastic it was the darn goats that couldn’t take the hint that it wasn’t their day! One really wanted his picture taken, after he tasted a bridesmaid’s bouquet of course. At first it was funny until I had to push him out of the way by his bottom, goats are stubborn. We left the barn via tractor and at dusk the music started, the lanterns came on and man could these folks dance! I have never seen grannies with such moves, so so much fun. Jess and Rob are so in love and their wedding day was perfect from beginning to end. We know we will see them and Jackson, and probably the goat many more times in the future. At the end of the day we were still hot, a little sweaty, and so so grateful to our new friends Jess and Rob for sharing their sweet day with us!
Location: Glenora Farm, Duncan BC. Dress: Priscilla of Boston. Flowers: Leaf and Petal
I LOVE Rock ‘n Roll Bride! If you guys haven’t heard of it before click the icon and run run over there for some seriously creative wedding inspiration. We have been featured a few times on this blog and since our first feature of Pam and Dave’s vibrant day this blog has become super super popular with its creator, the fabulous Kat,winning a best of blogs award, regular features in Pro Photo magazine, and the latest is her win for Best Wedding Style Blog from the Wedding Channel (go over there and vote for her to win best overall blog!). Kat started out as a bride looking for something different and became really interested in wedding style and photography. Now she shares the most unique and inspiring artists from around the world. We are really excited to not only be featured but to also be named as an Approved Rockstar Vendor! Remember Sarah and Travis’ sweet elopement - well it has been featured on Rock ‘n Roll Bride and you can see the full feature by clicking here or on the image below!!
The old song “At Last” comes to mind with these two and their families. Dani and Kevin have been in love with each other for a long time and now they are finally Mr. and Mrs. The past few years have seen them travelling around the world for Kevin’s job and not too long ago they were able to slow the world down, gather on a beach on a beautiful sunny day with all of their friends and family, and promise their future to each other. We had a lot of fun with these two. Dani and her girls got ready for the I Do’s at the beautiful Villa Marco Polo in Rockland (We love gorgeous prep locations!), the ceremony was held at Saxe Point Park with sail boats floating by behind them, and Kevin kept us entertained on our location shoots by acting out movie scenes. I think our favourites were Steve Irwin in the brush and Russel Crow running his hands through the grass from Gladiator – are you sure you didn’t miss your calling Kevin ! It was a really hot day and you guys were so great with just the right amount of silliness (see below when we asked them to pick a spot to fix their gaze). Congrats on your beautiful new family!
It all started this first day of kindergarten. My mom will tell you that until I was older I really could have cared less whether my clothes were clean, let alone matching, my hair was done, or if I had peanut butter on my face. Up until the first day I kindergarten I hadn’t really thought much about what I put on my feet and then everything changed when I met a pair of little red canvas slip-ons and their lucky owner Natasha. I come from a really small town and I grew up a good distance from that town, one could say it was in the bush. Those shoes did not come from town where all we had was a Fields and a Sears catalogue delivery office. My sinlge most vivid memory of that first year of school is those little red shoes. Natasha topped off my shoe envy by moving to a town named Summerland – seriously!!! She had perfect shoes and she got to live in place that was always summer – not fair! Well I survived that first experience of shoe envy only to become plagued by it. I have bad, narrow, flat, skinny, boney, hurt-in-anything-cute feet. To my dismay, sturdy, practical, stiff soled mary jane’s with orthodics are was make my feet happiest. But in my heart when I close my eyes I am really wearing a pair of super-cute-stop-you-in-your-tracks works of art. Soooo when I decided to start highlighting local style hot spots for brides and grooms it was a no brainer that I would start with shoes. I love it when brides and grooms really strut their style with a hot pair of shoes and I love photographing them! In some dresses you can’t always see the hot shoes – but you know they are there when they peek out while you are walking, sitting, or showing them off. In shorter dresses the shoes complete the look. On our wedding day I wore a pair of cherry red patent leather Steve Madden heels with an ivory strap – they are the only comfy heels I have ever found and I adore them! Why have plain white when really you can do whatever you want and have a fantastic pair of shoes to show off later. In Victoria’s Trounce Alley their is a little piece of shoe lover heaven found at Shelagh Macartney’s shop She She Shoes. A couple of weeks ago I headed down to She She with an old luggage trunk – that I have been waiting for years to use in just the right shoot, and our old milk crate to spend some time with the other love of my life – beautiful shoes. There are so many gorgeous pairs of shoes in this shop it was hard to pick which ones to photograph!! The shop manager Agnes was so helpful and is a sweetheart – if you don’t have a girlfriend to help you pick out the perfect pair Agnes is your gal! There were a few brides in there while I was shooting trying on Nina’s Elga (see below). And for all you gals having outdoor weddings and afraid you’ll sink in the grass with those stilettos – check out Clean Heels. Jen had them at her wedding and they were fantastic. I hope you enjoy these lovelies as much as I do and thank you so much to the ladies of She She shoes for letting me indulge my fantasy of having all these fabulous shoes to myself – if only for a couple of hours. We will have more of these style segments in the future so if you know of an amazing accessory, location, or decor theme let us know so we can share it!
E/A Photography is based in Victoria, BC Canada and will travel wherever the work takes us. Please contact us for pricing information and to book a consultation... because having your photograph taken should be fun.
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Happy Tuesday!!
