Best of 2021~ Weddings

Well, its been a year. A year filed with big juicy beautiful moments and weddings reimagined. After a 2020 that was full of ups and downs in the wedding industry, one thing was clear. Folks were ready to get married however they could this year.

And they did. With me.

I’ve compiled a few images from some pretty memorable moments of 2021. Unsure how to sum it all up really. It’s been a remarkable year.

What. A. Journey.

There were moments when I was barely holding on and others where I was literally on top of the world. A wild ride and a beautiful one for sure. Full of gratitude and for all the lessons this past year has brought. SO many lessons⭐️Through it all I’m so thankful to have such incredible clients to share it all with.

Years ago I changed from shooting a LOT of weddings in a year to shooting about 10-14 comfortably. Giving me time and space to take on some family sessions and enjoy life with my own kiddos and family. Enter 2020 cancelling/postponing most of my weddings. The 2021 season and wedding vendors had to try and squeeze everyone in. 2020 and 2021 clients. All rolled into a few months. I photographed 35ish weddings and elopements this year and to some who shoot more than that it may not seem like a lot but it certainly was a lot for me.

What is clear to me is that I love how my clients and the wedding industry has shifted towards elopements, intimate and insanely unique celebrations. I’ve had so many incredible opportunities and adventures because of folks getting creative! I’ve been on sea planes, float planes, boats, tiny airplanes that land on remote beaches and SO many helicopters. My clients have gotten married on glaciers and mountaintops, on farms filled with every conceivable barnyard creature, others said "I do" right in their own back yard or on rugged, breathtaking remote beaches .

They’ve done headstands on paddle boards and ran barefoot through west coast storms. They have braved the elements an ongoing global pandemic with ever changing restrictions and done it all with exquisite style, grace and joy. These quirky, inspired and love filled intimate celebrations are where it’s at for me.

2021, you weren’t without challenges… but you were, beautiful.

To all of my mind blowingly wonderful, flexible, gracious, patient, determined and glorious 2021 clients thank you for choosing me to share your moments with. I celebrate you all in these images.

And to all of the remarkable vendors who shared these clients with me, Thank YOU for being so rad. (there are more of you, I'll add!)

Gowlland Harbour Oceanfront Resort

Wildflower Beauty on Location

French Kiss Events

The Good Party - Creative Planning + Production

Bezaire Floral

The Good Wife Gourmet

Coastal Cake Company

Rook & Rose

Helicopter Elopement-Vancouver Island

2020 was shocking wasn’t it. I personally felt completely unprepared for a global pandemic. Hard to wrap my brain around the thought that the NHL could even be shut down, or that Disneylands doors could even close. The impacts were far, wide and deeply felt by everyone. Some industries hit harder than others. So devastating for so many. Including my business initially as well.

The wedding industry was initially shut down entirely with travel restrictions and gathering sizes limited. The impacts were felt by our entire industry, instantly. With so many uncertainties and questions about when in person packed dance floor weddings would resume, it was overwhelming for all to attempt at rescheduling or cancelling or deciding how to proceed with bookings. It was a lot. (For vendors, for venues, for brides, grooms, families, for me as well) Just a LOT. I think everyone would agree.

As things slowly opened back up in the early summer I was fortunate to be able to photograph a few micro weddings and elopements. It was inspiring to see how some couples chose to celebrate their love despite their dream weddings being cancelled. Some eloped and chose to postpone their celebration to another year. Some postponed. Some, reimagined what an epic day could look like all together.

Danielle and Reid had their Quadra Island celebration all mapped out, guests scheduled to come from all over. Visions of friends and family eating and laughing and celebrating together. When that wasn’t possible for the foreseeable future they decided to say “I do” in an epic way.

It was so wonderful in fact that 49 North and I have now teamed up to create helicopter elopement packages. It was truly spectacular and really did get me excited for all the reimagined elopements and celebrations in the future. I’m a fan of making the most of a situation (and when clients do too) I am so grateful to have been a part of their sweet mountain top elopement.

Each celebration is so deeply personal and each couple so different. This way to celebrate isn’t for everyone, but it is certainly one that I am a huge fan of.

If you’re interested to see or hear more please check out 49 North for packages with me.

Akane and Justin, Tofino elopement

Akane and Justin are my kind of humans.  Their story is colourful, full of chance meetings and different countries.  They traveled from their home in Romania to Tofino for their destination elopement.  Their elopement, my kind of elopement.  Her visions and priorities were her beautiful kids, family, Tofino beaches, dress, flowers, hair, and me. Laid back, love fuelled, beautiful event.  If you think you need a million hours of coverage, just for the record... I was with them for a total of 2 hours of photography.  I definitely can not do a big wedding in that amount of time, but an elopement with a few of your faves... I can do.  I love Tofino elopements, Tofino anything really and it appears judging by the amount of time I spend on the west coast, it is a favourite of my amazing couples as well.  The moment I set foot on the property I knew I was going to fall in love with their celebration.  Akane was calm, sweet, caring and I absolutely fell in love with her energy and infectious laughter.  I loved how she just carried on mothering her boys although it was for sure going to mess up her hair/makeup and dress... she laughed it all off.  Thats when you know, you are onto something good at a wedding.  When the little things are just that, the little things.  Another thing I love at weddings is live music, like when your incredible sister in law has the voice of an angel and sings the bride down the isle.  Makes everything more momentous and memorable.  How beautiful.  How grateful I am Akane and Justin to have shared it with you. ox

Michelle and Martin.

At times I feel like it's incredibly hard to put into words what it means to me to be a part of such intimate, personal moments in people's lives. I just feel so deeply honored. Especially during an elopement. THEY CHOSE ME. And, virtually no one else. WOW. I mean. Wow. So so so honored.

I put a lot out into the world. Personal stuff. Emotional stuff. Things that make me a little vulnerable and sometimes just downright uncomfortable. Why. Well, ideally...I do it to connect with and attract the perfect clients for me. Clients who, when I first meet them, feels like I've known them forever. Emails between us seem like they are between old friends, not complete strangers.

My photography business is not just a way to make a living. I view it as my profession, yes and I am so grateful to make a living from it. But, 'work' is also 'life' and my life. I value my time. My time here on earth, my time away from my family. If my time at 'work' is more meaningful, more beautiful and spent with people who 'get' me, and love me before even meeting me. Well, then I'm onto something really incredible.

If, in the whole process, I can capture something meaningful. Something magical. Something precious... for my clients. Then, that is just remarkable. I felt an INSTANT connection to Michelle and her desire for an incredibly intimate Tofino, British Columbia elopement. On the beach. Just them. LOVE IT. LOVE THEM.

On a private beach, with not a soul in sight... they shared heartfelt vows, laughed, cried and even pinky swore. It was absolutely inspiring and lovely. I was swept off my feet. To top everything off... we headed to "Tacofino" a mexican food truck just outside of Tofino. BEST. IDEA. EVER. Seriously. Seriously. Best. If I were to say how I wanted my eventual "wedding" to be... this, is likely it.

If you were interested in what amazing things Michelle said to me after viewing a gallery of my favorites from our time together.... check out HERE. I hope you are swept off your feet by them as much as I was....am. ox