Pinebrook Golf Club Wedding // Mackenzie & Doug - Part Two

This is part two of Mackenzie and Doug’s wedding, because it was so amazing we couldn’t fit it into one blog post.  As we mentioned in PART ONE, Mackenzie and Doug are both very close to their families and were surrounded by some pretty amazing people on their wedding day! Mackenzie's mom Bonnie is one of our favourite people, we've known her since way back when I was finishing high school and just getting started in photography! She was the one to put Mackenzie and Doug in touch with us (thanks for the referral Bonnie!) and the one who made sure we put down our cameras and long enough to jump in the photo-booth with her ( thanks for that too!)

PART TWO includes the lovely outdoor ceremony, family portraits and the reception when Doug surprising Mackenzie serenading her with the John Mayer song “Waiting on the Day”, he had his bride and half the room in tears!  The day ended with a breathtaking sunset and the picture perfect view which Pinebrook Golf and Country Club is known for!

Thank you to the wonderful team of vendors who contributed to this beautiful wedding and did an incredible job of serving this bride and groom! Also a shout out to the bride and groom for creating the cutest wedding favours (planting hundreds of tiny succulents) and decorations all on their own.

Venue & Caterer: Pinebrook Golf & Country Club / pinebrookgolfclub.com

Florist: Janelle Wydeven / @road134design 

Make-up Artist: Glam Away Beauty / @styledbysiobhan 

Live Music: Janice Pearce / avalonharp.com 

DJ: Adrien Dharanj / @DirtyTonesEntertainment

Rings: Spence Daimonds / spencediamonds.ca

Brides Dress: Beautiful Bride / @beautifulbridecalgary

Bridesmaid’s Dresses: David’s Bridal / davidsbridal.ca

Groom Suit: Moore’s Clothing for Men / mooresclothing.com

Groomsmen’s Suits: Moore’s Clothing for Men /  

Photography: Let There Be Light Photography/ lettherebelightphoto.com

Officiant: Nada Ramsdan

Decorator: Bride & Groom

Pinebrook Golf Club Wedding // Mackenzie & Doug - Part One

What does it look like when two elementary school teachers with a passion for traveling, fall in love & get married? A lot like these two! Mackenzie and Doug have been together since high school and had shared many adventures, one of the best being when Doug surprised Mackenzie with a proposal while they were backpacking in Bali! (Way to go Doug ...we wish I could have been there to photograph that).

They planned their wedding a little closer to home at Pinebrook Golf and Country Club so they could be surrounded by both of their incredible families. This was one of the loveliest yet most laid back weddings we've ever been a part of, with more favourite moments than we could fit into a single blog post!  

So here is PART ONE! Starting with the bride getting ready and then the couples first look in Griffith Woods Park, followed by portraits with their wedding party. We'll post PART TWO on Monday.

Thank you to the wonderful team of vendors who contributed to this beautiful wedding and did an incredible job of serving this bride and groom! Also a shout out to the bride and groom for creating the cutest wedding favours (potting dozens of tiny succulents) and decorations all on their own. Photos of that in PART TWO!

Venue & Caterer: Pinebrook Golf & Country Club / pinebrookgolfclub.com

Florist: Janelle Wydeven / @road134design 

Make-up Artist: Glam Away Beauty / @styledbysiobhan 

Live Music: Janice Pearce / avalonharp.com 

DJ: Adrien Dharanj / @DirtyTonesEntertainment

Rings: Spence Daimonds / spencediamonds.ca

Brides Dress: Beautiful Bride / @beautifulbridecalgary

Bridesmaid’s Dresses: David’s Bridal / davidsbridal.ca

Groom Suit: Moore’s Clothing for Men / mooresclothing.com

Groomsmen’s Suits: Moore’s Clothing for Men /   mooresclothing.com

Photography: Let There Be Light Photo / lettherebelightphoto.com

Officiant: Nada Ramsdan

Decorator: Bride & Groom

Calgary Wedding // Kate & Dan

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"Let there be more joy and laughter in your living."

-Eileen Caddy

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Imagine a wedding with a sweet and charming simplicity you thought only belonged to weddings of another time. Well, Kate and Dan's day made us forget that weddings are supposed to be complicated and remember how beautiful it is to celebrate two people falling in love. Their beautiful spring wedding took place at Calgary Community Reformed Church, with an intimate ceremony in the beautiful old sanctuary.  Soft white light flooded in through the large glass windows of this historic building as they said their vows to each other. 

After the ceremony they had a casual cafe style reception! And then went and took pictures in the city core at locations that held special significance for them as a couple; starting out downtown at East Village by the Simmons Building and the Riverwalk. Latter we ended our day at McHugh Bluff to take advantage of the incredible view of the Calgary city skyline, but more importantly because this was a place were Kate and Dan had spent many evenings together talking an dreaming about their future. We love it when our couples pick a sentimental spot to have their wedding portraits taken, because when there are already memories & history in that place it adds another layer of significance to the stories you will share when flipping through your album with the grandkids one day.

As you'll see in their images these two were naturals, totally relaxed and genuine in front of the camera and so sweet towards each other. And every member of their wedding party showed up to make this day amazing,  we were blown away by how kind and helpful they were to us as the photographers.

We are so grateful to have be part of this celebration and once again feel that a couple who started out as clients have become friends! Kate and Dan asked for wedding photos that were not contrived but real and filled with joy. I'll let you been the judge as you scroll through this post.

Sincerely,

chenoa allyse

Olds College Wedding // Monique & Chris

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"When someone else's happiness is your happiness, that is love."

-Lana Del Ray

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I like asking couples how they met and fell in love, and when I asked Chris and & Monique this question, Chris had the best response, he said "When we met there were fireworks!" And he meant it literally, because they first laid eyes on each other at the Global Fest Fireworks Competition, where they were introduced to each other by mutual friends. They've been together ever since. 

They tied the knot at Olds College Rose Garden near Monique's childhood home, surrounded by the people who love them. And let me tell you this couple is loved by many, people came from as far away as Australia to help them celebrate! I could go on and on about  this wedding, but I thought it would be fun to give you my top three highlights and let the photos tell the rest of the story.

1. The Bridal Party: these girls were not only sisters and friends of the bride, they were all competitive figure skaters who had travelled together and knew how to work as a team! #squadgoals This  includes the brides amazing mother/wedding planner extraordinaire. They had seriously thought of everything (just wait until you see all the pretty details) and made sure the bride could relax and enjoy her day! 
They were also a dream to photograph.

2. Two first looks. Before the bride and groom did their first look, Monique did a first look with her dad. It was the first time he had seen her in her wedding dress and such a heartwarming moment!

3. Chris and Monique's dance skills! This couples first dance was a show stopper & her gorgeous gown was made for twirling around the dance floor. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Jasmin Headshots

Having a photography business has changed and impacted my life in so many ways, but one of the best parts is the people who it has brought into my life. This beautiful lady has been in front of my camera many times, and it's honestly hard to remember back to before we were friends...but the truth is I may have never known her is we hadn't been hired to shoot her sister's wedding almost seven years ago! 

There is so much I could say about Jasmin, she's creative, thoughtful, enthusiastic, determined and she does everything wholeheartedly! She's also really good at taking care of people (I say this from first hand experience;  going back to that wedding seven years ago, I'll never forget how Jasmin showed up first thing in the morning with pumpkin spice lattes for the photographers! We were blown away.)  

Which is why I'm super excited for her in her newest venture: Jasmin Howell Reality. If your looking to buy or sell a home in the Red Deer area, you need to get in touch with her. I promise she'll take great care of you!  Seriously, I've considered the idea of moving to Red Deer just so I could hire her to be my realtor (also so I could hang out with her more often).

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"AS SOON AS I SAW YOU I KNEW AN ADVENTURE WAS GOING TO HAPPEN"

-Winnie The Pooh

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Halfway through our time together we had the cutest little session crasher join in for a few shots with his momma! As you can see, this little guy is a complete sweetheart and every bit as photogenic as his mommy.

 Mothers with their babies are one of my favourite things to document with my camera and this mother son duo hold a very special place in my heart. I can so clearly remember the day Jasmin called to say that they were adopting a baby. And will never forget the day they brought their son home from the hospital! that was nine months ago & it's been such an honour to witness of their journey.

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Corinna // Headshots

This beautiful lady has just launched an amazing new business, helping families with food allergies. It was such a joy to capture her head shots for this venture! 
As a mom who has first hand experience, Corinna is now reaching out to educate and create community for others who are facing the same challenges. If you or someone you love is trying to navigate life with a severe allergy you'll find her brand new website www.friendlypantry.com is filled with helpful information. I am so excited for her and all the people whose lives are going to be impacted by her passion and the incredible resources she has created!

Meckelborg Family // Life Is Beautiful Session

These sweet and stylish people have been a longterm let there be light family & we are so grateful for the privilege of documenting their lives through the years. They are every bit as wonderful as they look and we could photograph them all day long! For this session we met up at Arbor Lake and captured some beautiful moments by the water, including one of my all time favourite sister pictures. Having three sisters myself, this image tugs on my heart strings.

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For there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather;

To cheer one on the tedious way,

to fetch one if one goes astray,

to lift one if one totters down,

to strengthen whilst one stands.  

- Christina Rossett

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Kelowna Wedding // Sarah & Andrew

Sarah and Andrew's wedding was simply the sweetest day you can imagine. Truly a joy filled beginning to a beautiful marriage. The bride sang her way up the isle bringing tears to her grooms eyes. And he surprised her with a stellar performance of his own latter that evening!  The pumpkin patch venue in Kelowna was straight out of a fairytale with horses grazing in an open field, a giant old tree serving as the ceremony backdrop and the most adorable flower girl; who could have easily been mistaken for a fairy princess. Relaxed, fun and focused on family, this celebration was full of love!!!

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"Love is a friendship set to music."   - Joseph Campbell

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Calgary Graduation // Vanessa

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"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

- Winston Churchill

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Ergang Family // Life Is Beautiful Session

We met up with the Ergang family one golden November evening, and seriously couldn't have picked a prettier night for pictures! We found a gorgeous spot right beside the stream in Confederation park; one of the only spots in the city where there was still leaves on the trees as well as plenty on the ground for the kids to play in! 

I am going to take this opportunity to write a little about my right hand girl. I'm so blessed to have the best second shooter in the world who happens to be wonderful with children, which helps when it comes to getting some photos of mom and dad. As a wedding photographers it' become very important to us that couples continue to take photos together, just the two of them, even after their family has grown! 

The day after the shoot Krystal texted me to say how much she appreciated Quiana being there for her kids..."I can't tell you how nice it was to have your sister there, she was helping you, but she helped us as well! We really love the new photos!" Those are the kind of texts that just fill us right up and make us fall in love with this job all over again.

Love this shot of Krystal and her baby girl!