Congratulations, Carin and Ed! I am so happy for you. I can’t thank you enough for inviting me to be a part of this amazing wedding day.

Chris and Hannah came from England with 25 friends and family to celebrate their marriage. They chose Vancouver Island for their wedding after taking an Alaskan cruise that stopped here for a day a few years ago. Chris is fascinated by our whales and loves First Nations art. Hannah loves humming birds. Their colour and theme was based on a tie Chris found depicting a bear in First Nations style art. They wove the theme throughout their wedding, in their program, decor and even their wedding bands. And the natural beauty of Craidelonna Oceanedge Lodge was the perfect venue for their destination wedding.

They decided to keep things traditional and to not see each other before the wedding. Not an easy task in small quarters. All morning long Chris sent gifts to Hannah… A book of poetry he wrote for her, pearl necklace and bracelet with a humming-bird charm, homemade blueberry gin, autographed pictures from her favourite singer and actor, and homemade perfume. Yes, Chris made the perfume himself. And it was amazing!
Hannah and her mom made the bouquets themselves with flowers from Kenmar Flower FarmChris found matching ties for his best man, his sister’s boyfriend and both fathers. The watch is a gift from Chris to his dad. The killer whale cufflinks are a gift from Hannah to Chris.As is tradition at Craidelonna, a flag is raised by the groom to signify a marriage is taking place there that day.Chris surprised Hannah with a ukulele player for their ceremony. She loves the ukulele.Thirty minutes before their ceremony was due to start, this storm thundered in. Literally. Thunder on Vancouver Island in April. I know. Weird. Luckily Hannah and Chris were ready. Ritchard Keir, Craidelonna’s caretaker, rallied everyone together to start the ceremony 10 minutes early. He knew we were running out of time.Just as Hannah walked down the aisle, the rain started, then hail and wind.Ritchard took charge and moved everyone to the cover of the lodge. He opened the french doors to one of the guest bedrooms. Most of the guests witnessed Chris and Hannah exchange their vows from the comfort of the bedroom, with Hannah and Chris under a 3 foot shelter on the patio. Me…well I was outside  in the storm praying my camera would survive the downpour as I photographed the  I do’s. I’ve never been so wet at a wedding. After an hour, the storm passed and the sun came out again. But it was perfect really. You see, Hannah and Chris met in a storm, they got engaged in a storm, so it is perfect that they would be married in a storm. God does have a sense of humour.

We went down to the beach for portraits. The post storm light was beautiful.Every table had a painting done by Chris to signify all the important places they have been together. And the button hearts were everywhere.  They each made their own cake topper. Hannah didn’t want hers put on top of the cake, beautifully made by The Lighthouse Cake Company,  until after they were married because she painted it to exactly match her dress, and didn’t want Chris to see it early. 

Thank you Hannah and Chris, and your amazing family for a perfect day. I am grateful to have been part of it.

Honestly, I have never met a happier couple. They smiled and laughed the whole time!
Hannah & Chris’s perfect, romantic wedding…coming soon.

1. Have your hair and makeup done professionally. I thought I knew what I was doing. Where’s the buzzer?…I was SO wrong. I look bland and pale. A professional knows how to bring out the best in you. Even if you don’t wear much makeup day-to-day, the MA can create a natural look that accentuates the positive and eliminates the negative. Meeting with the stylist before your wedding day allows you to feel comfortable with the look you want to create and remember. Every bride wants to feel beautiful on her wedding day, and hiring a professional makeup artist and hair stylist will give you that confidence. See more advice on the subject from makeup artist Melanie Baird here.

2. Whiten your teeth. It is such a small thing really. I know it sounds vain, but remember you are wearing a white dress. And you will be smiling. Believe it or not, the white dress will accentuate the colour of your teeth because you can see the difference in the whites. I’ve had to adjust the colour on several smiles to brighten and whiten. Again, it goes back to looking your best and having confidence in how you look. Crest White Strips are your friend.

3. Have a manicure. And if you have open toed shoes, get a pedicure too. Your hands will be in the pictures. Your photographer will take pictures of you holding your bouquet, holding hands with your new spouse, your rings, hugging family. And he or she will also photograph your shoes, especial if they are super fabulous. The details matter and you will notice your imperfections in your images.

4. Get new shoes. This one is for the guys. Every time my husband looks at our wedding pictures, he says, “I should have bought new shoes.” The ones he wore were in fine shape, but the wear and tear on them shows. We were on a tight budget, so it seemed like an unnecessary expense at the time. However, it is a regret of ours because it shows in every single photo. He looks amazing in his tux but the look falls apart because of his shoes. Again, it goes back to the little things. They will matter in 20 years.

Get real flowers. From a professional designer. We went with fake flowers, again because of our budget, and because we followed bad advise from well-meaning family. You can totally tell in the pictures. There is nothing like the real thing. A well designed bouquet from a professional is worth every penny. The flowers add colour, flair and elegance to your wedding day. And to your pictures. Having photographed dozens of bouquets, I can tell a bouquet made from grocery store flowers versus one made by a florist. And I know very little about flowers. It does make a difference. Every time I look at our pictures, I feel as my husband does about his shoes. “I should have…”

6.Hire a professional photographer. This is one area we willingly spent money on. A big portion of our budget went to hiring a professional photographer. And I wasn’t a photographer back then. We spent $1400 for him to spend 2 hours with us, and we got an album with ten 10×10 prints, the proofs of all the images (about 40), and two 8x10s for our parents. That’s it. But when I compare his images with ones my family took, he was worth every penny. From the lighting to the posing to the quality of the prints, it is better in every way. I know we were wise to invest in a pro. My sister-in-law regrets having a family friend photograph her wedding, which they did in his backyard with his “good” camera. These are not “just” pictures; they document your family history. There is no re-do to your wedding day. Let a professional handle it.

7. Have fun. Our pictures are very boring. Truly. When compared to wedding photography today, especially. And to say I don’t like having my picture taken is a strong understatement. It shows in my wedding pictures – stiff, awkward and unnatural. The closest we got to having fun during our portraits was pretending to be frightened by the life-size concrete dinosaurs scattered around the Calgary Zoo. Lame. Couples often ask me what they should do in their photos. Honestly, if you are having fun, being yourself, enjoying your day and celebrating your love, it will show in your portraits. And isn’t that how you want to remember your wedding day?
 

So, I’ve made an appointment with a photographer. I’m not getting any younger, after all. I won’t have this time again. Debra is a photographer herself, so we  agreed to trade our talents. But it’s too rainy to weed the garden. And I know I won’t say no to chocolate.

Part of our course included a photography dive. Now one of the keys to a great image is keeping it sharp. The way to do that is to plant your feet firmly, hold the camera perfectly still in both hands, hold your breath and gently squeeze the shutter release. The number one rule in scuba is NEVER hold your breath. Ever. Nasty things happen. Plus you should never stand the sea floor. It destroys life. So you have to hover, bobbing with the current and your own breath. And if you kick, you stir up the bottom, flicking up silt, which messes with visibility. Particulate everywhere that reflects your light and ruins with your picture. Getting a good image under water is super hard!

But I got one. Before the photo dive, I told Cliff that if we saw an anemone, I wanted it back lit. I found one. Cliff was amazing! I didn’t even have to motion to him.  He came around the back and to the side, and shone his dive light on it while I tipped sideways with my feet slightly above my head, braced myself with one hand on a rock, the camera in the other while s-l-o-w-l-y exhaling to take the image.

Not perfect composition; I would have liked a bit more room at the top. But I’m happy with it. Because underwater photography is HARD. I can’t wait until next weekend when we go to a wall full of these beautiful creatures.