So it’s supposed to be spring right? One would think so! This sweet couple travelled from west all the way to our lovely PEI to finalize plans for their summer 2013 wedding. I am sure the day of their wedding in August will be a lot more warm than today.
I love a good love story. and I love a good travel story. Combine them both and I am super excited and happy.
Gareth was in Vancouver on a business trip when he met Monique at a business exhibition. Monique had never thought she would see Gareth again after he left to go home to England. They skyped and talked for about two weeks after Gareth returned home. Within those 2 weeks of chatting and falling in love, they decided they would see each other again. Gareth returned to Vancouver from his home in England and never looked back. Once he arrived they decided to do a 2 week road trip to Alaska. This now has been added to my travel list. They went from not knowing each other at all, to falling completely, deeply in love with each other as they travelled all over Alaska.
I could see the love in their eyes as we did this engagement session outside on this freezing cold day!
Below are some images I shot with my medium format Mamiya 645 film camera. I have a few film cameras on the go right now. Getting back to basics is important for me to continue learning in this field! It its going to be fun to start shooting including film into my shoots!
10 Beautiful Words About Love That Don’t Exist in English as found on the UrbanDud blog!
1. Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan, an indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego): The wordless yet meaningful look shared by two people who desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to start.
2. Yuanfen (Chinese): A relationship by fate or destiny. This is a complex concept. It draws on principles of predetermination in Chinese culture, which dictate relationships, encounters and affinities, mostly among lovers and friends.
3. Cafuné (Brazilian Portuguese): The act of tenderly running your fingers through someone’s hair.
4. Retrouvailles (French): The happiness of meeting again after a long time.
5. Ilunga (Bantu): A person who is willing to forgive abuse the first time; tolerate it the second time, but never a third time.
6. La Douleur Exquise (French): The heart-wrenching pain of wanting someone you can’t have.
7. Koi No Yokan (Japanese): The sense upon first meeting a person that the two of you are going to fall into love.
8. Ya’aburnee(Arabic): “You bury me.” It’s a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person, because of how difficult it would be to live without them.
9. Forelsket: (Norwegian): The euphoria you experience when you’re first falling in love.
10. Saudade (Portuguese): The feeling of longing for someone that you love and is lost. Another linguist describes it as a “vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist.”
Photographing a destination wedding doesn’t always mean travelling to a tropical country. This could also mean anywhere in the Maritimes. This wedding took place at the amazing Magnetic Hill Winery in Moncton. Laura contacted me wondering if I would travel to Moncton to photograph her wedding and of course I said YES! I love to travel to new places to photograph as this helps stir the creativity and mind up a bit. Laura & Matt’s wedding was held at the beautiful winery during the most beautiful light on the day! I cannot get enough of that late evening light. It is so magical.
Laura & Matt are the easiest going of couples, as were their wedding parties! Having a supportive wedding party makes all the difference in the world on your wedding day. Choosing wedding parties would be stressful I would think. I would want to put everyone I ever came across that was amazing, which would be a lot of people!
- Determine the best number of attendants for you. The more is not merrier! Sometimes too many causes complications!
- Select your main attendants. This is traditionally the maid (or matron if the woman is married) of honor and the best man.
- Choose wedding attendants who will be reliable and dependable. You are going to need a lot of help!
- Consider selecting close relatives over friends. Blood is always thicker than water. It is worth having family involved to avoid any unnecessary conflict!
- Both Guys and Girls make great bridesmaids! There is no reason to avoid having a male wedding party member just because he is male! A close friend or relative is just that, regardless if male or female!
- No Pay Backsies! Which means, just because you are in someone’s wedding doesn’t mean you have to ask them!
Using some of these tips, may help you choose a powerful, amazing wedding party. I would love to see all my wedding parties be so supportive of my brides and grooms. It will make such a difference in the wedding day of amazing clients!
Having your destination wedding as a private intimate celebration can be a difficult decision. A lot of people do choose to do this as a way to keep their ceremony unique, real, simple and memorable. Such a wedding can allow the bride and groom to share vows openly at ease with each other without a large audience. Being able to look into each others eyes and say true feelings with waves crashing in the background is amazing. I have the honor of being able to witness and capture such a unique ceremony discretely. As a photographer seeing these moments unfold, it fills up my heart with joy and love as I capture it.
You can feel confident in hiring your own photographer from PEI as opposed to a resort photographer for so many reasons.
-Personal attention and ideas through planning in a local setting before the trip.
-Style & Creativity will be heightened from the photographers point of view as we have love a new environment to shoot in.
-Resort Photographers shoot multiple weddings per day, and this may cause less custom & creative photos.
-Cost is about the same to use the resort photographer as to use one you trust.
-Trust, knowing that you will get the images that you dreamt of as well as physically having the photos.
“I was not the girl who had her wedding planned out in detail from the time she was a little girl. I did not have a wedding binder of inspiration collected in anticipation of the big day. I did however, know two things before I got engaged: 1. I wanted to get married in Jamaica 2. I wanted Rachel Peters to be my photographer. I have known Rachel for many years and just knew my wedding would not be complete without her capturing every detail. I felt so lucky and relieved when Rachel agreed to photograph my destination wedding in Jamaica because I knew right away that I had nothing to worry about. Brides have so much going on and in the end we put a lot of trust into our vendors, counting on them to make our dreams come true. Rachel has the experience to make things happen. With her experience, she can foresee problems and help to avoid them, she also has an incredible creative energy about her that is so obvious in her work. Our photo session with her was easy and fun and we were under her creative spell from the time she turned her camera on until she left us. As it turned out, my husband and I decided to have “just us” in Jamaica…just us, and Rachel that is! She came through for us in every way and we were so honoured to have our special guest with us.” – Tiffany + Brody MacLean
Resort: Sandles
Dress + Shoes: The Perfect Pear Bridal
Brides Bracelet + Earrings: Tiffany & Co.
Groom Suit: Custom Made by Indochino
Groom tie, tie bar + Pocket Square: The Tie Bar
Groom’s Watch: Michael Kors
Engagement Ring + Wedding Bands: Excel Diamonds – NYC
Paper Products: Kim Roach Design
The very best part of travelling is finding the people that give the soul to the places you fall in love with. Each and every trip meeting these people make so super fired up. It is people like this make my creativity go through the roof. It happens every single time I travel to places where I can explore and peer into the lives of locals.
I met this little gem in a local surf shop just outside of Pacific Beach. As soon as I walked towards the cash and spied the beautiful jewellery she was wearing, I was excited! As we discussed how she made the jewellery from old skateboard scraps, I knew I would need to photograph her!
Every stop we made along the Pacific Coast of California, I fell more in love with this place than ever. There is something special about the ocean and how it has the power to wash away any ill feelings I can have. It instantly calms me and refreshes me.
I found this quote on a wall in San Diego. I love it.