When Justin & Mary announced their sunrise shootout in Las Vegas during WPPI, I immediately signed up. It didn’t matter that I had no idea what I was actually signing up for, I just knew I had to be there.

Well, 4:30 a.m. dawns miiiiighty early.

After I dragged myself out of bed and down to the Signature, it turned out I’d signed up for a posing workshop! It was a lot to take in on 3 hours sleep, because Mary immediately launched into some tough questions. Why do we photograph? Why do we pose the way we do? What are we hoping to accomplish? There was laughter, there were tears. Needless to say, it was a powerful, inspiring session on a philosophical level, but also enormously helpful on a technical level. Justin & Mary approach photography with the same end goal as me – images that are authentic, truly reflective of the couple, and that convey love and joy – but they do that in a way that is fundamentally different from the way I approach photography. It sent me really far out of my element, really far out of my comfort zone, and of course when you’re put into a situation like that, you can’t help but learn. This session was the highlight of WPPI for me, and I left it with so much to think about, and so many ideas and techniques that I can’t wait to try out on my couples this summer.

I also left the session with tons of images I love, thanks to an absolutely adorable couple, Elizabeth & Ryan (Elizabeth in a gorgeous gown by Chaviano Couture!). They made our job entirely too easy. Check out the images (and lots of behind the scenes stuff, too) below.

Some of our beautiful surroundings. The Signature Towers made a pretty spectacular natural reflector! The light in our little courtyard was unreal, and it made me super jealous of the photographers who get to work in conditions like this all the time!

And finally, a look behind the scenes!

On Monday I had the unusual pleasure of meeting Anna Post and hearing her speak twice. She’s every bit as lovely as you would expect someone in the manners biz to be! In the afternoon she gave a half-hour presentation on business etiquette, and in the evening the main event – a longer presentation about wedding etiquette. Since the business etiquette presentation was all the standard stuff (turn off your cell phone, answer your emails), I only took notes (NERD) for the wedding portion. Here are a few tips I thought were interesting:

ON WEARING WHITE: It’s only a tradition because Queen Victoria did it. Wear white if you want to. Don’t wear white if you don’t want to.

ON BILINGUAL WEDDINGS: For the invites, you could do two languages on one side; one language on either side; or individual language cards. For the vows, she suggests translating them word-for-word; for the rest of the ceremony and reception, a summary is usually fine. The main point is to make sure that all of your guests feel included and know what is happening.

ON RECEIVING LINES: These are particularly great for 75+ guest weddings, where you might not be able to guarantee going around to meet everyone at the reception. Other than that, do it if you want to!

ON INVITATIONS: Not everyone on your guest list needs to receive a save-the-date. The “official order” for naming the participants on the invite goes mother > father > bride’s family > groom’s family… but you can save space by saying “together with their families.” Don’t make any mention of gifts on your invitations.

ON USING THE INTERNET: Email RSVP is great, but don’t make it your only method of RSVPing, as it might frustrate some of your guests who are less comfortable with computers; put your registry information on your wedding website, not on your invites (and while you’re at it, register for a wide variety of items and price-points, in up to 3 places – one online and one in town is especially good for convenience); in turn, put your wedding website link on your enclosure, but not on your invites.

ON CASH BARS: Ooh, Anna threw down on this one! She’s against them.

ON THANK YOU NOTES: “In an ideal world, within 24 hours”… but in our actual world, within 3 months from your return from your honeymoon. Sorry, people to whom I’ve told you have one year, apparently not so much!

As always, I think the most important part of a wedding (other than the actual marriage) is that it reflects you and your values. Trust your judgment, respect your values, respect your guests, and do the things that have meaning for you. As Anna says, weddings are not just “the bride’s day” but actually “the bride(s) and groom(s)’s day to share their wedding with their guests.”

Last week was exciting because it brought the arrival of my new sample albums! Picking the company who would supply my albums was no easy task, since I had to satisfy my needs as a photographer, my needs as a small business, AND the neurosis about longevity and quality materials that I picked up when I worked in an archives. Finally I found KISS Wedding Books, a company that fit so well with me and my values that I pretty much had to pick them. Ordering was a breeze, the turnaround time was mind-blowingly good, and when they got here… ooh la la!

So here they are, the perfect albums: simple yet elegant, modern, clean, and gimmick-free – the embodiment of my photographic philosophy. They are made from high-quality materials: full-grain natural leather covers (available in seven colours, as well as in linen for vegan types), lay-flat binding, and seamless folds (that means no cuts between pages). Images are printed on archival photographic paper, and each page is mounted on a hard substrate for strength and durability. These albums are custom-designed and hand-crafted, earning the title of heirloom. They will let your photos shine… and all of that comes in an extremely cute cloth sleeve.

The album shown is the 10×10 full-sized album in black leather, with 17 spreads. Albums are available for both wedding and portrait clients – get in touch to start the process of creating your custom-designed heirloom album!

I have been looking forward to this wedding for about three months now, ever since Margot & I first sat down together to bond over Battlestar Galactica and various Interests Geeky, as well as the concept of having a practical wedding. So imagine my dismay when, just days before the wedding, I got sick. Reaaallly sick. This is the kind of thing that’s always in the back of your mind as a photographer – it could happen, but would it, really? Oh it did.

I rallied, thankfully, and swigs from a bottle of Pepto-Bismol got me through the day (by the end of the day, I was actually feeling quite a bit better!), but what really made the difference was how this crew reacted. Between a sick photographer and a rainy day, there are definitely people out there who would have been all “OH NOES MY SPECIAL DAY,” but not these people. Margot & Dominic (and their awesome families) took it completely in stride, made sure I was comfortable all day, and because of that I was able to relax and do my job. That’s just the kind of people they are. Thank you guys SO MUCH for being your awesome selves. I really, literally could not have done it without you. You are awesome. My clients rock. And it all worked out in the end, didn’t it?

But this wedding was not about me. This wedding was about great love and great moments. About programs that fell in a puddle. About Emily’s amazing voice carrying the crowd through Jerusalem. About Dominic getting caught up in greeting everyone during the Peace, and Margot commanding that he “come marry me.” About a father’s happy tears (“kind of a big deal”). About Margot & Dominic’s love being compared to that of Othello & Desdemona… and the aunt (?) who cried out “NOOO he killed her!” About hope and renewal and two families coming together. And maybe a tiny bit about the transformative power of support wear.

Margot & Dominic, thank you for being so great; for having such great families; for having such a great wedding. Enjoy your photos. Then get busy changing the world. You promised us you would.

Wedding photography: hibou photo / Ceremony Venue: Edwin Jacob Chapel, UNB / Reception Venue: Ducks Unlimited / Catering: Brewbakers / Violin: Emily MacKinnon / DJ: DJ Qwality / Cheesecake Pops: The Hot Lollies / Dress: Le Chateau / Flowers: Apple Blossom Florist / Decor: Team Lantern, Team Pumpkin and Elyse Cragg aka Peonies & Brass

A dress made from the dresses of family weddings past. Matching purple Converse. (Product placement all over). You could say that Megan burst into tears of joy when she saw her dad for the first time in her dress, but you could also say that Megan burst into tears of joy when she saw her Cheeseburger Happy Meal, and how can we know for sure what really sent her over the edge? Vows were read off iPhones and iPads. (Megan’s reaction to Paddy’s vows: “shut up!”). The gorge lady in red who was the only person who could go toe-to-toe with me when I’m in the midst of wedding feastmode. TARDIS centrepieces and nerd trivia. Rick-rolling the first dance. A bridal party that needs to take their show on the road… so many pictures of people doubled over in laughter. And some serious fashion. So what if there was a downpour in the middle of picture time! The time we had was r.o.c.k.e.d. o.u.t.

Hey, did I mention that the place was just friggin’ swarming with photographers? (No pressure.) People kept asking me if I got “any good pictures,” and I said the same thing every time – “1 or 2.” I guess that’s not really for me to decide. But I do know that I loved this wedding. Every moment, every detail, and every person. My summer 2011 wedding season went out on a really, really, really high note. Thanks for having me.

August 3 FTW. #paddyandmegs. So say we all.

(Listen to this while you’re watching.)

Wedding photography: hibou photo / Venue: UNB Student Union Building Atrium / Catering: Sodexho / Officiant: Robert McDowell / Dress: Joelle Richard of Romantica Nocturnis / The hair, make-up, bouquets, and music were all DIY with family and friends!

As we loaded up the car and hit the road that particular Saturday morning, it was raining like crazy and I had resigned myself to my first rainy day wedding (hey, it had to happen sometime!). Approaching Sussex the sky cleared, and I became optimistic, but ultimately the bad weather found us once again… just in time for Julie & Josh’s planned forest ceremony. Rain fell in torrents, and Julie serenely remarked that it was okay, the forest needed the rain more than she needed the forest. A new plan formed, rearrangements were swiftly made…

And that’s how this beautiful, eco-conscious, creative-casual-hippie-chic, vegetarian couple got married in a hunting lodge under the watchful eye of a bear skin.

It’s a great story, and I’m recounting it here because I’m pretty sure that all anyone who was actually at the ceremony is going to remember is how Julie & Josh sang their vows to each other, and we all bawled our eyes out. Seriously.

(Afterwards the sun came out and we got to visit the forest after all.)

This wedding was full of beautiful, personal touches, from the edible flowers that topped our vegetarian meals to the giant mushroom that was the guestbook. There was plenty to love about Julie & Josh’s wedding, so enjoy these images. For best results, listen to the song they sang for their vows as you’re viewing. As we left the site, it came on the radio…

Wedding photography: hibou photo / Venue and catering: Adairs Wilderness Lodge, Sussex Corner, NB

Shanda & Aiden. Something about them really got me snapping… I got home and discovered somehow I’d shot a rather unprecedented number of images on their wedding day, which of course led to unprecedented culling sessions. That job was made harder because every time I looked at the images, I found myself getting a little bit misty at the emotion they so openly shared…

This wedding was beautiful. Gorgeous, emotional, romantic. Full of personality, from the pins-of-allegiance and “ringbears” to the traditional hand-fasting and the ruffled confection of a dress that everyone was surprised to see Shanda wear, yet thought it suited her perfectly. And beyond the look of things, it was clear how much Shanda & Aiden have touched the lives and hearts of people around them, and how much joy was in their community as they celebrated their marriage.

Enjoy.

Shanda & Aiden opted for a First Look before the ceremony. I love these so much.

Then they got their dance on! And I had some fun with my flash.

Wedding photography: hibou photo / Wedding videography: KV Films / Wedding coordination and decor: Events by Live, Love, Laugh / Venue: STU Conference Centre / Flowers: Main Street Floral Gallery / Cupcakes: Frosted Cupcakes, Alicia Tracy / Dress: Paloma Blanca from Cameo & Cufflinks (Calgary, AB) / Shoes: Call It Spring! / Earrings: Nyjolejewelry (Etsy) / Make-up: Made You Blush / Hair: Lisa Clark (Headmasters/Headmistress) / DJ: Spotlight DJ / Officiant: Barbara Hughes Campbell.

“She must have had a vision,” Courtney’s mother said, while creating the table centrepieces out of bottles that Courtney and sister Tallyia had been digging out of the local fields for years.

“Isn’t it incredible, the way the community has come together?,” Andrew’s sister said, while taking me on a tour of the grounds, so that I could observe the way the granary had been turned into a bar; the way friends and neighbours were bustling to prepare food in the makeshift kitchen; the tablewares that were borrowed from the local church; the high school students who had come out to act as servers.

“Nothing can get me down today, everything is perfect,” Courtney said, as Blake pulled her hair into a frothy, retro-inspired confection.

“I can’t imagine anything having gone better than it did today,” Andrew said during his speech, with a happy tear rolling down Courtney’s cheek.

“Best. Wedding. Ever.” said a party-goer, face full of joy.

Indeed.

Courtney & Andrew, from your happiness and that of your parents; from the beautiful and meaningful decor, and magnificent spread of food; to the custom designed dresses; to the speeches which brought tears to many an eye; to the landscape around you… everything was perfect. I wish you all the love in the world.

Hair: Blake Arsenault, Andrew Cameron / Dresses, Pocket-Squares, and Ties: Ryan Joelson / DJ and Pig Roast Guru: Alan Nason / Pianist: Alan Hawkins / Tent, Chairs, Glassware and Napkins: Advanced Fabrics, Hanwell, NB / Tables and tablecloths, dishes: loaned by the Anglican Parish of Prince William, NB / Other service rentals: K. Moffitt and Sons, Harvey, NB / Shuttle: Trius / Officiant: Bridget Beswick / Photographer: hibou photo / “There were so many family members and friends that chipped in time, talents, and energy to help us get the wedding and reception, as well as the events the days before and after, off the ground. We really couldn’t have done it without those many helping hands.”

I’m editing and Facebooking and emailing and meeting clients like a fiend, so I thought I’d better post something here for hungry eyes. Here’s a sneak peek of the sessions I shot last week… more soon!