As wedding season is starting to pick up, I decided that it might be a good idea to remind everyone of some basic wedding etiquette. Might seem a bit silly, but I am constantly surprised at some of the things I see when working.

1. Ladies.. Don’t wear white. Seriously. I’m the least traditional person out there, but the bride being the only girl allowed to wear white is sacred. I recently attended a wedding where a guest was in a floor length white dress. Mind boggling.

2. Put down your iPhones, iPads, point & shoots, DLSRs. Unless you’re being paid to take photos, resist the urge, relax and just enjoy the wedding. There have been a few posts recently about this (http://petapixel.com/2013/05/15/guest-photographers-or-why-you-should-have-an-unplugged-wedding/) that go a little more in-depth, but I’ll just say this.. the amount of times I’ve had guests stand in front of me right before the first kiss, or as the bride walks down the isle is saddening. We’re there to do a job, and one of the most stressful things during a wedding day is having guests stand in the way (literally!) of doing our job well. Unless you want your butt in the professional photos, I recommend staying in your seat haha.

3. Stay off social media till after the ceremony. This is a big one. People seem to forget that the bride coming down the isle is a big moment. Last summer a girl I know got married, and had a friend photograph her wedding who doesn’t shoot weddings. The friend actually posted a photo on instagram of the bride PRE-CEREMONY. This is a huge no-no. Wedding photographers know this, but this goes for guests too. If the bride is getting ready, please refrain from posting photos of her on any form of social media. The last thing you want to do, is post a photo the groom or other guests can potentially see.

4. Show up on time. Allow enough time for traffic, and allocate some time in case you get lost. Nothing worse than having to slip in, and have everyone turn around and look at you.

5. Turn your phone off. No one wants to be that person. You know, the person whose phone rings in the middle of something important, and Grandma turns around and shoots you a dirty look.. turn it off, or at least put everything on silent.

6. Dress appropriately. Be mindful of the wedding dress code. My rule of thumb, is that it’s better to be overdressed than under. Please remember it’s a wedding, not a nightclub!

7. Have fun. Every bride is secretly terrified that people won’t have fun, and that no one will dance. Weddings area time to celebrate, so take advantage of this opportunity, dust off your old dance shoes and have a good time. Everybody wins!

Felicia’s mother Mary put on the sweetest Bridal Shower, and every detail was carefully taken care of. The shower took place at Heritage Park, on a beautiful Sunday a few weeks back. Felicia looked stunning, I can only imagine how beautiful she’s going to look on her big day next month!

Thank so much for letting me be a part of your celebration! The beautiful cake was made by Roya’s Sweets.

xo.

-j

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you had an amazing holiday, and got to spend it with the people you love. I always hate to say best of.. because they’re not necessarily the best, more my favourites if anything. This is always one of the hardest things to put together, because I love everyone I shoot and want to post everything. But here are some of my favourites from the year. 2012 has been crazy, I have the best job a girl could ask for and have made so many amazing friends through it. I wish I could put you all in my pocket, and take you everywhere with me.. did this just get weird? Haha, anyways, here are some of my favourites I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! I love being a wedding photographer in Calgary!

Cutest 1st birthday I’ve seen!

Here’s a couple I shot for Bridal Expo with Paul McGrath. You might recognize this one from Luxe magazine and Bridal Expo’s website!

I had the privilege of travelling with my good friend Jeff Cruz to second shoot for him, which also included me photographing his surprise proposal to his adorable girlfriend (now fiance ). Definitely a highlight of 2012!

And of course here are some from the wedding I second shot! Verde & Jeff went to high school together, and her and her new husband Scott were so welcoming, I can’t wait to go back and visit.

What’re big sisters for.. if not to make you smile.. haha

A big thank you to all my lovely clients for making 2012 such a memorable year, full of laughter. 2013 looks like it’s going to be full of amazing people and new adventures, so I can’t wait to see what’s to come! My new years resolution is to be more handy around the house, and do all the DIY renovations I’ve been eyeing on interest (holy, is that site ever addicting!!!). What’re your resolutions??

xo.

-j

When I received my first initial e-mail from Nicole, I had to do a double take at her name. I thought to myself, I know her. And sure enough, her and my brother were friends back in the day. She’s as beautiful and sweet as I remember, and her and Shawn compliment one another perfectly. When I found out her colours, I knew I was going to adore this wedding.. and I was right.

Meet Nikki, Nicole’s talented make-up artist/bridesmaid.

Big thank you to my second shooter Kendra Kier, and Julie Hill for second shooting the reception with me. I’m lucky to work with such lovely and talented people. Congratulations Nicole and Shawn! I love being a wedding photographer in Calgary. Their ceremony took place at St. Joseph’s church, and their reception at the 4 points Sheraton.

xo.

-j

 Nicole & Vance were married on a beautiful fall day by the mountains. Their intimate wedding was lovely, just like them.

I love her Dad’s reaction!

I LOVED their idea on how to get them to kiss.. $20 donation to a charity near and dear to them!

How cute is he?!

Congratulations you two! I hope you’re enjoying married life, and all the fun stuff that comes with it. Big thank you to my wonderful second shooter Kendra Kier!

xo.

-j

 

Monna & Clay are probably one of the most amazing couples I’ve met. I knew Monna was a keeper the day she text messaged me saying ‘Can we be friends after the wedding?!’ to which I replied ‘I thought we already were?!’. She is the sweetest person, and I feel fortunate to call her a friend. Clay is a firefighter, which I think speaks volumes in itself. When they’re around one another, you can just tell they’re better people.

Probably my favourite expressions ever.

How stunning is she?!

Special thank you to my oh so lovely second shooter Kendra Keir from Urban Edge Foto, and to Tessa Pelletier for being not only an awesome bridesmaid but an amazing make-up artist, and to Redbloom Salon downtown for the ladies hair. This just started sounding like I’m accepting a speech, so I’m going to stop while I’m ahead haha. Congratulations Monna & Clay, I’m so glad you two found one another.

xo.

-j

 I knew when I first met Kelli & Phil that their wedding was going to be absolutely stunning. Kelli’s Mom Dayle is starting up a tabletop company, and it definitely showed from start to finish. They thought about every little detail, and because of that this is probably the longest blog post ever haha. Dayle’s home was the perfect location for the girls to get ready, and made shooting a pleasure.

The extremely talented Chef Kat prepared the girls the most amazing lunch.

How adorable were the flower girls?!

My lovely second shooter Kendra got to hang out with the boys..

Kelli & Phil decided to do a first look, which was awesome!

Probably one of my all time favourites.. so happy!

The reception took place at the Italian Club in Bridgeland. I had the pleasure of shooting 3 events there this summer and I must say, it’s staff has made it my favourite venue to shoot in. Not to mention Roma Catering is amazing.

Cake was by Simply Sweet. It’s simply beautiful.

They had 4Korners from Toronto DJ their wedding.

A big thank you to Magical Moments who did the day of wedding coordinating, Roma Catering for their amazing service and food, and last but definitely not least my second shooter Kendra from Urban Edge Foto, she is an awesome sidekick. Flowers by P Chong Flower Bar. Congratulations Kelli & Phil! Your wedding day was absolutely beautiful. Don’t forget to leave them lots of love.

xo.

-j

Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Calista & Paul’s wedding in Red Deer, at the Canyon Ski Hill. The two of them are both musicians, and I loved all the special touches that showed off their love for music.

Calista is seriously stunning. I could photograph her all day. (And I did!!)

 It was super hot the day of their wedding, so the umbrellas added a nice little touch!

When Calista walked down the isle, Paul and his groomsman played instruments along with the other musicians.

Any couple who has a pinky swear in their vows, automatically wins brownie points with me!

I don’t usually post family photos on my blog, but with these guys I couldn’t resist a couple.

Considering we had only minutes to shoot Calista & Paul’s photos, I’m pretty darn happy with them!

Girls & Boys!

 Thank you so so much for letting me be a part of your big day! I met so many amazing people, and your families were so warm and inviting. Your wedding was absolutely lovely.

xo.

-j

 

Lesley is anything but your typical bride. I’ve never met someone so calm and put together. She got a hold of me a month or two before the wedding, because she originally was going to go without a photographer. I’m so so glad she did, because I had a blast in Edmonton shooting it. Her and Tony were so kind and welcomed us into their home with open arms. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your big day!

Here’s my favourite guests from the wedding. I loved how happy Lesley’s Grandma looked all day!

Congratulations Lesley & Tony! I hope your honeymoon was as amazing as your wedding. Stoked to do some Edmonton Wedding Photography! And for all of you who love local musicians, Lesley is super talented and has a youtube channel worth checking out!

Lesley’s Youtube!

xo.

-j