South Iceland Elopement with Jessika and Mack // Victoria Destination Wedding Photographer

Jessika and Mack adventure from Reykjavik to share personal vows and a glorious sunset in Vik during their South Iceland elopement  // Iceland Elopement Photographers

We had already been in Iceland for ten days prior to Jessika and Mack's elopement date. We had circled Iceland's Ring Road to enjoy a lot of the sites, and were treated to amazing autumn sunlight, which hung low along the horizon that it seemed all day everyday was golden hour.  A photographer's dream!  However, the three days leading up to their wedding were the three most treacherous weather days we experienced so far.  Three entire days of racing wind, up to 115 km/h at times.  Three entire days of pelting,  cold and stinging rain. It left me and Matt passing worried glances back and forth to each other as the elopement dates drew closer. We knew Iceland's weather could be intense and unpredictable, and we were bracing ourselves for that.  It was hard to deny ourselves a bit of worry since all our couples had travelled so far to come her to elope with us, and it was beginning to look like we may not even have weather that would be safe enough to photograph them outside!  Jessika and Mack came all the way from Colorado in the US for their wedding, and we really wanted to send them back with images that reflected the experience of their whole trip!

We woke up on the morning of Jessika and Mack's elopement to clear skies and zero wind.  The excitement was immediate and overwhelming, which is evidently magnified 100x when dealing with pregnancy hormones. Enter a relieved and impossible-to-contain happy weepy Sayde.  We planned to meet Jessika and Mack at their airBnB apartment where they would both get ready for the day, without seeing each other, before their first look in Reykjavik!  

From there we travelled a popular-for-good-reason route along the south of Iceland, stopping to visit some Icelandic horses, heritage sites, and a few of Iceland's most famous waterfalls.  We seemed to have some curiously coincidental luck the whole day. Not just with the weather turning out great, but with the areas we stopped to photograph in.  When travelling a popular route, it's expected that we were going to have to share the area with tourists and other visitors.  that day however, it seemed we were either arriving to locations as most people were leaving, or leaving locations as most people were arriving.  At Skogafoss this was made very evident as we photographed Jessika and Mack, with very few people around, right in front of the waterfall.  For a few minutes, any existence of the outside world was e blotted out by the sounds of crashing water made by this colossal falls.  It was just the two of them and us in the whole world, it seemed. As we wrapped up and turned 180 degrees to head back to the car, our eyes widened to the sight of 4 coach sized tour busses unloading simultaneously, and their 200 passengers all stampeding slow motion in our direction.  It was like waking up from the most surreal and beautiful dream to realize a zombie apocalypse had started, and the hoard had found you.  The four of us raced back to the car, dodging other bodies as we went, and breaking into fits of laughter as Jessika and Mack got tangled in a cluster of people who were desperate to take a cell phone photo of the two of them in their wedding attire. Once we were all safe in our car we all broke into a fit of laughter over what had just happened, then we travelled all the way to Vik where we wrapped up our day with Jessika and Mack's personal vows isolated amongst black sandstone formations, and watched a glorious sunset from the top of Dyrholey's jaw dropping cliffs. 

While we loved photographing Jessika and Mack in such a unique and interesting environment, it was even better watching their excitement, the ease of their connection together , and their sweet and personal way they interact together.  Riding around in our little hatchback all day with them was such a great way to get to know them better and really take in the magnitude of what this elopement, and their relationship together means to them.

Thank you Jessika and Mack, for travelling all the way from Colorado to elope in Iceland with us! It was such an unforgettable experience! 

Church and State Winery Wedding with Lindsey and Brent // Victoria Wedding Photographers

Lindsey and Brent's summery September wedding at Church and State Winery on Vancouver Island // Victoria Wedding Photographers

We first met Lindsey and Brent at Victoria's Modern Bride Wedding Show back in January, and have been eagerly awaiting their Church and State wedding since we did their spring time engagement photos. Wow, how time flies!  

Even though their wedding fell on an autumn day, Lindsey and Brent were still treated to summer sunshine.  What could be a more perfect way to start off a summery wedding, than with a private first look between bride and groom, under a willow tree, in front of a duck filled pond, in Beacon Hill Park in Victoria?!  To add a cherry to an already intimate first look, Lindsey and Brent took the time to read each other some very personal and emotional vows, before heading to the ceremony with family and friends. 

Church and State is already a top notch, rave-worthy venue, but throw in the organization and stylings of Borrowed and Blue Events, and you've got an unforgettable atmosphere for a wedding there: equal parts welcoming, breathtaking and intimate.  We always love speech time during weddings because it gives us another little peek through the window into our couple's lives, and Lindsey and Brent's family's opened those windows wide.  We finished off the night as the music cranked louder and these two and their friends left everything on the dancefloor (mostly just a lot of shirts)!

Thanks for having us there to celebrate with you, Lindsey and Brent, we hope you love the photos!

Travel Photography - Exploring the PNW Coastline with a Kiwi

Hey all, Matt here!  I figured I'd share a bit of a personal/travel blog.  This past August, we found ourselves with a rare weekend off.  You need to understand that, as wedding photographers, a weekend off in August is a bit of a holy grail. It's typically one of our busiest months....a month that we rarely see friends or family, and spend most our days (aside from Saturdays, where we're shooting), with our faces illuminated by a computer screen.  

So special an occasion was this August weekend off, that a good friend of mine from New Zealand decided he better take the opportunity to come experience a Canadian summer, and hopped a plane for a visit. Having previously only experienced Canada in the winter, Larryn's impression up until now from travels through BC was similar to the clichés......snow and cold, fireplaces, igloos.  

Upon Larryn's arrival in our hometown of Sooke, I set about showing him everything that makes this area so beautiful.  Larryn is a talented photographer himself, specializing in astro photography and landscapes, so we set out to capture as much of the beauty of the places we visited as we could!  

It was also fortuitous that the Total Eclipse happened to fall during his visit (totally unplanned), so we decided to travel down to the "Zone of Totality" in Oregon to experience it firsthand.  Pretty amazing!  Definitely have it in the calendar for next time.

Below are a selection of my photos from the trip.  For the photo geeks out there, these photos are a mix of shots from a Nikon D750, Canon M3, Mavic Pro Drone, and of course the trusty ol' iPhone. 

Sheringham Point Lighthouse, just outside Sooke in Shirley. 

Shortly after capturing the first photo of the Lighthouse, the fog came rolling in fast and heavy.  They sure don't call it "Fogust" for nothing!

After the fog came in we left Sheringham Point and headed to Jordan River where we photographed this row of pilings.  The fog on the horizon actually made for a great backdrop, creating an "infinity" effect where typically you can see the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.  

Travelling further up the coast to just outside Port Renfrew, where we had to get a shot using the drone of this bridge across a giant river valley.  Hard to tell the perspective, but it's probably 100 feet down to the water below the bridge!   That's us standing in the middle.

This is a giant Douglas Fir tree known as "Big Lonely Doug".  It's a bit of a 4x4 to get to, but well worth the trip!  We've taken almost every visitor we've hosted up to this location.  Doug was used as an anchor point to haul in other trees that were logged from this clearing, then for whatever reason he was left standing, the lone tree in the field.  For additional size perspective, check out THIS SHOT from a previous trip, with Sayde standing at the bottom of the tree! 

Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew.  We had a GORGEOUS sunset on the evening we were down here, but unfortunately we weren't able to capture at its most ideal moment, because a BEAR wandered onto the scene!  Still though.....this island makes an awesome subject.  

(This shot by Larryn, I am pictured in it).  The bear we encountered crossed behind me on the beach, and showed a keen interest in our bags of photography gear.  Larryn, being from the land of NO natural predators, was particularly fascinated by the encounter.  So much so, that it actually made him a bit of a celebrity down in New Zealand.  Read more about that here. 

Headed down the Oregon Coast, one of our first stops was Cape Kiwanda.  Always dramatic, always beautiful.

Larryn walking with Haystack Rock in the background.

Haystack Rock, Cape Kiwanda OR

Cape Kiwanda, OR

This was a little lookout we found as we were driving the coastline.  A pretty amazing perspective of the Netarts Bay peninsula. 

Finding a clear spot to photograph the eclipse was a bit of a challenge!   When we woke up in the morning near Depoe Bay, OR, there was a heavy fog sitting over the water.  We ended up driving a fair ways inland and stopping in a random little pull-out on the side of the road where the fog was cleared.  We of course didn't plan well enough to find any eclipse glasses, so we were VERY fortunate that other people stopped in the same location had spares for us!

The eclipse itself was such a unique experience in the Zone of Totality, and so hard to describe in a way that really portrays it.  The day literally turned to night, the temperature dropped significantly....crickets started chirping, birds went silent.  It was eerie and awesome all at the same time.  I captured this series of the moon crossing the sun. 

I also thought this shot of the sun just emerging (called the "diamond ring" effect) was pretty cool.

After the eclipse we travelled back up the coast, stopping at Cape Meares. 

We were back into the heavy fog here, and it was SUPER windy!   The pathway down to the lookouts.  

Foggy water out from the coast at Cape Meares. 

Cape Meares Lighthouse. 

Fog for days.

Cannon Beach has special meaning to Sayde and I, so I was excited to get back there to shoot more photos again!  Larryn and I spent the afternoon/evening at the beach, capturing a beautiful sunset, and getting the opportunity to do some drone flights. 

Larryn getting a snap shot close to sunset at Cannon Beach.

Setting up a shot.  You can see the fog still sitting on the horizon behind Larryn.

One of my shots of sunset as the sun disappears behind the smaller rock at Cannon Beach.

A neat portrait of Larryn standing in the water after sunset with the moon above him, getting his angle at Cannon Beach.  

 A long exposure post-sunset of the rocks at Cannon Beach. 

Campfires on the beach with the giant rock formations looming in the background. 

With Larryn being an expert astro photographer, I had to try my hand at a couple shots.  I'm sure his night photos from the beach will be much more impressive, but I'm pretty happy with these as a first attempt. 

A second shot of the Milky Way at Cannon Beach.

We headed further up the coast, stopping in to see this shipwreck at Fort Stevens State Park at the very Northern tip of Oregon, near Astoria.  What this picture doesn't reveal is that the beach was packed with people all over the place, and we got pounded by waves to get the shots!  We were regularly diving to save our gear from getting knocked down by waves.  

After Fort Stevens, we headed just across the giant Astoria bridge (which is also really cool....sorry no photo taken), and camped out beside a really awesome spot we had scouted out on the way down, hoping to capture a dramatic sunrise.  We were not let down!  I only wish the tide was a little lower as these pilings in the water were quite a bit more visible when we saw them on the way down.  Still though....that sunrise!  

A second shot from the same sunrise.  Capturing this was almost worth the no sleep.  The roadside camping location we chose was silent when we rolled into it around 1am, but what we didn't realize was that around 4am it turns into a busy trucking route, and it sounded like semi trucks were driving RIGHT THROUGH our tent.  Not much sleep that night.. 

Following the trip to Oregon, we headed back to Sheringham Point for Larryn to shoot a timelapse of the night sky with the lighthouse.  I captured this portrait of him shortly after sunset. 

I also took the opportunity to shoot some drone footage of the areas we visited.  I'm far from an expert video editor (or drone pilot, at this point), but check out the video below for a taste!

All in all it was a pretty awesome trip, and I was glad for the opportunity to take a short rare summer trip during our busy part of the year!  Showing an international friend around also gives you some fresh perspective on places you've been before, and I definitely learned a few things about photography from him as well!  I look forward to trying some more astro photography in the future.  Please make sure to check out Larryn's work as well, and for more of our landscape work, check out our gallery here!  

Golden Ears Park Engagement Photos // Kristina and Dan

Kristina and Dan explore the trails and waterfall at Golden Ears National Park for some epic engagement photos // BC Wedding Photographers

How was everyone’s Labour Day Weekend?  We spent the weekend chugging full steam ahead, photographing a couple events on Vancouver Island, and a couple events around Victoria! One of those events was an awesome evening spent with Kristina and Dan, hiking around Golden Ears Park to check out a waterfall, and do some engagement photos!

We were a little worried that photographing on a long weekend, in 33 degree weather might be a bit of a deal breaker for a great engagement session.  But, not the heat, nor the crowds stopped these two and their pooch, Max, from having an awesome time exploring the dusty trails and getting their feet wet in the river!  We were blown away by how cool and laid back they were the whole afternoon, and had such a great time chatting with them about their upcoming wedding at Cheakamus Centre, their Hawaiian honeymoon, and their story and life together!

Thanks Kristina and Dan for being such troopers on that balmy afternoon, we can’t wait for the wedding!

Hastings House Wedding on Salt Spring Island // Kim and Chris

Kim and Chris' gorgeous, hazy, outdoor Salt Spring Island Wedding at Hastings House // Victoria Wedding Photographers

As wedding photographers on Vancouver Island, we love the opportunity to island hop to photograph our wonderful couples. We've photographed on Salt Spring Island a few years ago, and just couldn't wait for the opportunity to go back!   When Kim and Chris invited us to photograph their intimate outdoor wedding at Hastings House, we jumped through the ceiling!  

When their day arrived in August, we knew it was going to be a beautiful one. The skies were hazy with forest fire smoke, and glowing with rich orange light.  Anything the sun touched was painted gold and seemed to radiate with warmth. 

With what Kim and Chris had told us about their wedding, we knew it would be a memorable event as well.  Not only do Chris and Kim have amazing chemistry, and the uncanny ability to make each other and others laugh (and laugh often!), they also added many personal touches to make their wedding as intimate and meaningful as possible.  Hastings House happens to be the place where Kim's parents married almost two decades ago.  With Chris' parents coming all the way from Perth, Australia for the wedding, Kim also got Chris' brother to fly in from Hong Kong for the occasion... to surprise Chris a couple days before the wedding. Boom! Excuse us while our hearts explode.  Of course, the wedding wouldn't truly be a "Kim and Chris Wedding" if there weren't a ton of hilarity and quirkiness involved!  From the guys' custom Indochino suits with tropical liners, to Ice-ing their friends at dinner, and Kim Ice-ing Chris during the garter grab, our stomachs hurt from laughing.  We also have to give a very special VIP shout out to Kim's maid of honour, who spotted a bee in Kim's veil as she approached the altar.  Knowing that Kim is allergic to bees, she promptly grabbed the veil and shook out the bee so eagerly that she pulled it clean off her head, saving Kim from a potential epi-pen prick and a trip to the hospital, and effectively breaking the ice for the ceremony by causing an uproar of laughter from everyone! 

We've been so fortunate to photograph so many beautiful weddings of couples who are so deeply connected to each other, the people around them, and have an insatiable lust for life!  We're so grateful when they let it all show on their big day.

Thanks Kim and Chris for having us along to photograph your wedding, and capture all those amazing moments. We hope you love the photos. Here's just a few of our faves!

Westwood Plateau Wedding in Coquitlam // Kerri and Nik

Kerri and Nik's Modern and Regal Coquitlam Wedding at Westwood Plateau Golf Course // Vancouver Wedding Photographers

Remember Kerri and Nik’s winter engagement in Whistler?  While January may feel a long time ago, their session is still so fresh in our minds because of how awesome they were to photograph and hang out with on that chilly, bright, music-filled afternoon.  We had so much fun with them that we were counting down the days to their wedding, when we’d finally get to meet the friends and family they had talked so much about, and see more of their wicked dance moves.

The day finally arrived for their wedding at Westwood Plateau in Coquitlam, and we were practically bouncing!  With their black-tie attire, and their easy-going attitudes, the day went seamlessly and regally - from their traditional church ceremony, their portraits, right up until that very last, (very-cocktail-fueled) photobooth photo printed out.  Their whole bridal party, family, and group of friends seemed to burst with energy and love, and this wedding was jam packed with picture perfect, genuine human connection and moments. It was a celebration full of hugs, happy tears, outrageously funny stories, and even more outrageous laughing. We couldn’t get enough!

Thank you Kerri, Nik, and to your family and friends, for being so genuine, loving and well… a little wild!  We loved capturing these moments for you!

Here's a few highlights from the Photobooth!