A Sunny Next Day Wedding Portrait Session at Pitt Lake // Mel and Matt

Melanie and Matt explore Pitt Lake during their wedding portrait session in Pitt Meadows // Victoria Wedding Photographers

If you saw our blogs of Melanie and Matt's engagement session and wedding, you know how both featured Mel and Matt smiling and celebrating through some very heavy rain. West coast, wet coast!  Sure, it's fun to dance in the rain, but it's also nice to celebrate love in the sun and warmth.  When the opportunity came to do a portrait session with Mel and Matt again at Pitt lake in the summer, we jumped on it!  We loooove "next day shoots" (well, for Mel and Matt it was more of a "next season" shoot"), when the couple dresses up in their wedding attire and heads out for another portrait season.  It means we can spend time with them without the constraints of timeline, pressure to return to guests, and more freedom to pick days and times where the weather might be more favourable and the light is just right.  What a day we picked for Mel and Matt, the weather was the complete opposite, the location was just as gorgeous as their wedding location, and Mel and Matt were looking as stunning as ever!

Here are some of our favourites:

Sunset Engagement Session at Sandcut Beach // Elizabeth & Will

Victoria Wedding Photographers // Exploring the rocky Sandcut Beach on Highway 14. 

Fewer things in this world are nicer than a Westcoast sunset at the beach, so when Elizabeth and Will suggested doing their engagement session at Sandcut Beach, just north of Sooke, we were all about it!  It's become one of our favourite island spots since moving over from the mainland. 

The walk down to the beach crosses over boardwalks through mossy forest, through tunnels of enormous west coast trees, up root-covered hills, and finally, descends down a staircase that emerges onto a beach covered in large rocks.  As the waves lap at the shore you can hear the peaceful repetitive chatter of the stones rolling out with the waves. 

This evening at the beach was no exception to the beauty we've come to know of Vancouver Island's west coast beaches. Elizabeth and Will wandered the beach hand in hand, traipsing over rocks and logs, up onto waterfall ledges, and basically anywhere I pointed.  We love adventurous couples!  The waterfall was a bit low on water, but it gave us the opportunity to explore the river pools and grooves in the rocks up above the falls.

We ended the shoot just as the sun dipped below the horizon, heading back into the dark trail to the parking lot.  It was an awesome evening!  Thanks, Liz & Will! 

Rocky Point Park Engagement Photos in Port Moody // Nicole and Brad

Nicole and Brad grab coffees at Creekside Coffee Factory and take a stroll at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody // Victoria Wedding Photographers

We always love photographing engagement sessions because it gives us an opportunity to capture something a couple really loves to do, and give a sneak peek into their dynamic and story.  A lot of our couples like to head straight for the woods and the beaches because that's where a lot of BC folk spend much of their free time!  And we do love our free time!  When Brad and Nicole suggested they'd like to grab some coffees before heading out for a stroll, we were immediately excited to try something new. We started our morning out by meeting Brad and Nicole at Creekside Coffee in Coquitlam, to get our fill of coffee and flirty cuddles.  These two were all giggles as we snapped photos of them and their yummy lattes, chatted about their wedding plans, and talked about their newly adopted pup!  After we were all caffeinated up, we hit the dock to continue some photos and admire the mist covered mountains and cloud blanketed skies.

Thanks Nicole and Brad for a sunday funday of photos! We can't wait for your 2018 wedding at Hearthstone Brewery!

Bastion Square Engagement Photos in Victoria // Stef and Ryan

Stef and Ryan explore Laurel Point, Bastion Square and Parliament in downtown Victoria during their engagement photos // Victoria Wedding Photographers 

We love getting the opportunity to work with other creatives, and other photographers. We're especially excited when other photographers trust our vision, style, and personalities to have us come photograph their wedding day!  When Stef and Ryan hired us to photograph their upcoming wedding in Ucluelet, we were over the moon to get these two photographers and their weiners on the other side of our lenses.  Made you blink: they have weiner dogs.

With Stef's love of Victoria, and her frequent visits to Vancouver Island to see friends, we knew that Stef and Ryan would really want to get their engagement photos taken right here in Vic.  With an end-of-season holiday planned, we lined up their holiday with our schedules to make sure we could get together!  Joining Stef and Ryan on their holiday would be their sweet dachshunds, Farfel and Harvest, and of course, heaps and heaps of November rain.  But as you know, when the ran comes, the tourists go.  We ended up spending the afternoon with them strolling around Laurel Point, and running through alleys in Bastion Square without seeing another soul. We had the city to ourselves it seemed and our laughter echoed through the empty streets!  

Thanks Stef and Ryan for braving this dark and rainy day to have some rainy day fun, and a seemingly post apocalyptic adventure with us! We can't wait for the wedding!

Foggy, Rainy, Puppy-y Engagement Photos at Mount Douglas // Melanie and Matt

Melanie, Matt and their puppy Nova explore Mount Doug in Victoria during their rainy engagement session // Victoria Wedding Photographers

With Melanie and Matt's December wedding fast approaching, we were so happy to hear they had a bit of time to take for themselves to visit friends in Victoria!  What a perfect opportunity for us to do some engagement photos with them, and meet their sweet puppy, Nova.  Having photographed at Mount Doug in the summer, we thought it would a great place to go with Melanie and Matt. We daydreamed about sunkissed autumn leaves trees at the base of the mountain, and miles and miles of stunning views at the top, that they could experience as out-of-towners.  Well, everything works in theory! Ha ha ha! The fog and mist rolled in creating a very dramatic atmosphere around the whole mountain, which was pretty amazing to take in. We were pretty excited for the images it would create.  The rain followed shortly after; starting up the second we took the lens caps off our cameras.  Being outdoor wedding photographers on Vancouver Island's wet coast, we've gotten comfortable working in all types of weather, but we were so glad to see how easily and enthusiastically Matt and Melanie embraced the rain and fog!  They were all laughs and giggles as their puppy dashed through puddles, and as their clothes became drenched in rain drops.  Even with the dense fog at the top of the mountain, we were still able to take in some spectacular views as tree tops and hills jutted out here and there through the mist. It created an isolated feeling, blanket-like atmosphere: perfect for enjoying some cuddles under their umbrella together!

Thanks Melanie and Matt for dancing and skipping in the rain with us, and bringing silly sweet Nova along for us to meet.  We're excited for the wedding!

Snaefellnes Peninsula Iceland Elopement // Meagann & Neil

Meagann and Neil elope amongst basalt columns, waterfalls and lava fields in Iceland // Victoria Wedding Photographers

 

In our experience photographing three destination elopements in Iceland, on back to back days, we took away so many highlights to reminisce about.  We loved getting to know our couples' different personalities, how they met, and what their lives were like back home, away from this dreamland.  One thing we weren't (but should should have been) expecting was the way all three of our couples would plan and execute their elopement in their own special way.  It only magnified the romance factor of an already romantic way to marry, and we felt it gave us an even more intimate look into the couple's relationship dynamic.

If you read Jessika and Mack's elopement blog from the day before, you know that they had legally married in their home state of Colorado a few days before they left for Iceland.  They had exchanged their wedding rings, but saved their vows for their big day Iceland.  As well, Jessika's wedding dress made it all the way to Iceland without Mack seeing it, so they could get ready the traditional way; without the groom seeing the bride, even though they were going to be in the same apartment at the time!   

The following day we met with Meagann and Neil at their hotel to start the day at their Reykjavik hotel, where they'd get ready together to share the anticipation and excitement of the day.  We found it so romantic that Neil would be the person to help Meagann into her wedding gown (insert 100 heart-eyes emojis), before they looked each other up and down with huge smiles, and headed out the door.  Meagann and Neil also legally signed their marriage papers in their hometown in Ontario, where they had exchanged vows and wedding bands.  The unique twist that we love, is that while the two had their wedding bands, Meagann had not yet seen the beautiful custom sapphire engagement ring that Neil had made just for her.  What a treat for us to get to see her face as Neil opened the little wooden box for her during their ring exchange ceremony. And what better place than an isolated area of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula; at the foot of a waterfall, and overlooking an endless field of bright green, moss-blanketed lava, veined by a river speckled with swans.  The warm light shining through overhead clouds, and the misty wind that danced through Meagann's hair and gown only added more drama to an already dreamlike day.  After their ring exchange, we explored more of the Snaefellsnes peninsula area, that Meagann and Neil had fallen in love with their first few days in Iceland.  They showed us areas that we hadn't had the opportunity to explore on our first trip to the area, and it felt like casual day out adventuring with friends as Neil pointed out all the quaint homesteads he was for sure planning to retire to when it came time.  We took in the impressive basalt column cliffs, took a drive through the incredible Berserkjahraun (mad-man's lava field), and they finished the day with some beachside cuddles at Djupalonssandur (the black lava pearl beach).

Thank you Meagann and Neil for letting us be the ones to peer in and capture such an intimate and personal milestone in your life.  We had so much fun driving around an area of Iceland that meant so much to you, and hope these photos hold a life time of treasure for you!