James Street North, Hamilton - Engagement Shoot -Lindsey & Matt

It was a beautiful winters day when we took a leisurely stroll down James Street North in Hamilton with Lindsey & Matt. I’m in love with how the bright colours popped against the snow! These two were so cute, there were a couple of occasions where they received encouragement from random passersby, gotta love how friendly Hamilton is.  We’ve been wanting to do an engagement shoot on James Street North for awhile,  so we were pumped when Lindsey & Matt were all on board, especially for the impromptu snowball fight at the end! 

I think every engaged couple should have a snowball fight, gets the pre-wedding stress out    ;)

Gorgeous Bouquets

I spend a lot of time on Pinterest (shocker, I know), and since I have quite the collection of wedding themed pins growing, I thought I'd share a few on here. 

Some jaw droppin' bouquets that I've seen recently, there may be some inspiration here to take to your florist or wedding planner. Or you can just drool over them, then go to Fortino's (or your local grocery store florist) and pick the closest things they have ;)

er- something tells me the grocery store wont sell anemonies :D 

Julie & Brandon, Queenston Heights, Niagara On The Lake Wedding

Julie and Brandon were married on a beautiful fall day in Southern Ontario. Mike and I started out in a cloud of hair spray and flurry of bridesmaids at Julies house.

 We then popped on over to Brandons house for a quick couple of shots. The groomsmen figured out their boutonnieres and posed for an important shot in Brandon’s dad’s motorcycle, complete with a purple socked tribute to a much loved man. 

Speaking of a much loved man, I have a soft spot for daddy’s and daughters on the wedding day, and these two shots are two of my favourites of the day.

The church ceremony took place at the beautiful Cathedral of St Catherine of Alexandria, the same place that Julies parents and brother were both married in. 

In this shot, Mike replicated the same photograph that was taken by Julies parents photographer, back in the day.

The group photos were taken at the beautiful Royal BotanicalGardens in Queenston. There were so many amazing spots to take pictures here, we could have spent hours there, it was perfect. Plus, we are always grateful when it’s raining just a little bit, because the greenery is always so much more vibrant and lush looking. It was a little chilly, a little damp, but the weather only enhanced the warmth and love between this lovely couple (and I'm not saying that to be super cheesy, there really was a lot of snuggling going on!).

As Julie and Brandon met at a golf tournament, it was fitting for us to get a couple of shots on the nearby golf course.

Next, we headed off to the beautiful Queenston Heights for an intimate dinner party and reception. During the cocktail hour, the bride and groom surprised their guests with a special war of 1812 presentation, put on by the fine folks at Queenston Heights. The guests were delighted and Mike was able to get some really unique shots, these guys were so cool!

After a delicious dinner and dessert (where I was introduced to Crème Brulee for the first time and have now commenced a true love story with it…delicious!), it was time for the speeches & dancing. This little dude is not only imitating the cute monster on his pj's, but he totally drops down to the ground for some very intense break dancing. 

dress shoes and pj's? so cute!

 Finally, Julie and Brandon danced together to The Luckiest, by Ben Folds  (Mike and I had chosen the same one for our first dance tooJ ). 

We had such a great time hanging out with Brandon and Julie and we know these two are going to have a beautiful life together!

Danielle & Dave - Lowville Park Wedding, September 2012

It was a glorious early September morning when we arrived at the Waterfront Hotel, and Danielle and her girls were having a great time as they got ready for the day.

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After slipping into her beautifully simple lace dress, one of her bridesmaids tied the worlds most perfect bow with her wedding sash. 

After finishing up with the girls, Mike and I headed on over to Lowville Park where the ceremony was to take place outside a little old schoolhouse. I have to say that Lowville is such a pretty spot to get married, it's low key and absolutely gorgeous.  I just love all the simple details that Danielle included, everything has a fresh, comfortable feel to it and it just reflected her and Dave's easy going and friendly personalities.

As Dave was finishing greeting his guests, their friend started up with the most beautiful steel drum music to accompany Danielle down the aisle.

It was so amazing to be a part of this warm, sunny day with such gorgeous music as Dave watched his lovely bride walk down the aisle. 

maarrieeed! :)

After the ceremony, we headed over to the large stream in the park. We were pretty sure that Danielle and Dave would be up for getting right in, so we were pumped when the whole wedding party joined in. 

Islands in the stream!

that is what we are...;)

Danielle surprised Dave with a sweet message for him on the bottom of her shoes : ) 

Then it was back to the schoolhouse for a couple more shots.

The reception was held at the Lakeview Banquet Hall, a beautiful spot with a beautiful view of Lake Ontario.  But before the couple started in on dinner, we had time to grab a few more shots. Danielle  & Dave have a lot of fun together, they are so perfectly matched in personality. I really love how Danielle was totally up for a  game of hoops, and I must say the bridal party gathered a small crowd of admirers. 

In order to get these shots, Mike decided it was time for another installment of Ninja Style Photography, you can read alllll about it here.

Dave is at least 6"5, so I'm pretty sure this was easier for him than it looks !

So cute! They did this a lot : ) 

Inside the hall, we enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Carmen's.  But the most delicious part?

 

Home made hotsauce peeps. Now, I am not usually brave enough for hot food. But Mike is, so as soon as we got home that night he popped open the bottle, put a modest amount on his finger....and almost died. Seriously, it was so hot! I proceeded to taste an iota of this stuff and was all Looney-Toons-Steam-Exploding-Head after. Nicely done, Danielle and Dave.

Sweet 'n simple!

After a very lovely first dance (these two are just so in love, you guys)

Night was falling, and the wine was flowin' and a lot of carousing and rug cuttin' abounded. 

This guest was actually one of the best dancers I've seen :D

We thoroughly enjoyed the laid back atmosphere at the wedding of this gracious couple, and we know that they both have the commitment and love that is made to last. Congratulations you guys!