Alice in Blush Collaboration

May was quite the month and trust that in earlier versions of this blog post, I went on about it. But in short, it was busy on the work side of the balance coin, and busy on the life side of the coin as we tried to finish up our renovations and move back into our home.

Of the work side my hope to collaborate with Lisa Abi Chedid — local Montreal wedding dress designer of Alice in Blush — happened after our initial coffee in her studio at the start of last winter. We bit the bullet after a series of opportunities presented themselves and our little crew squeezed into my bedroom while the renovations continued downstairs.

This was an opportunity for us to play, to create something not so typically bridal. We used three different outfits from Alice in Blush: the first being more on the bridal side and then having some fun with allll the tulle in classic pink and in layers of violet, fuschia and black.

Some of my favorite photographers are fashion photographers and the common theme they hold is how they create shape in their images. Yes, light is at play. So is color. But ultimately they’ve managed to find movement and almost create something sculptural as well. This is something I wanted to explore.

The best part of the day was just getting to know these women, all so passionate about their respective life path’s, and the bonding that occurred in our conversations about working in weddings and for ourselves. The consensus we reached was that social media can be used for good: collaboration and community. Anything else that leaves you feeling the FOMO or lesser than should be kicked curbside.

Here are some of my favorites from the day!

Dresses: Alice in Blush

Model: Alice Anne

Makeup: Makeup by MaryK

Thank you to these hard-working women for this fun collaboration!

Ballyvolane House: Wedding Weekend in Ireland

Dave and I found ourselves going to Ireland at the start of June, for the first time without children in fourteen years of traveling there, for his cousin Donn’s wedding.

Donn and Cathy got married at Ballyvolane House in Castlelyons, County Cork. I was attending as a wedding guest, and gratefully so as I was able to dance until 3:30 a.m. (But as an aside, if you are planning on getting married at Ballyvolane House or in Ireland and are seeking a wedding photographer, I think you should reach out and talk to me!).

Most Irish weddings I have been to (and we had one ourselves!) have a two day element, and so the day after we sat by the fire outside in Donn’s family home & garden in Fermoy. This back garden is really like walking onto the pages of The Secret Garden.

To say the wedding weekend was beautiful, poignant and fun are massive understatements. I will require an entire box of tissues for any wedding that includes John O’Donohue poetry & blessings. (Take a listen to this interview with him on the podcast On Being)

For the photos, I made sure to never get in the way of the Official Photographer because that’s just a real jerk thing to do, as well as made room for being present for all the storytelling and ‘piss-taking’ that happens in Irish conversation. This means you will only see a brief, candid appearance of the actual bride and groom! However I think you’ll enjoy the visual journey of our travels.

Last call out- we’re heading out to the West Coast of Ireland for two weeks in August, if you are around and want a session, drop me a line here.

Until then, Enjoy!

Mount Stephen Wedding: Colin & Stefania

I met Stefania last November at the Elegant Weddings Show — she was working with Jennifer from Events by Cece at their booth and I had popped over to compliment them on their flowers. It took seconds for me to like both Jennifer and Stefania… and throughout the day Stefania talked to me about her plans for her wedding at The Mount Stephen in Montreal. We hit it off at the show and made plans to meet up (with her husband-to-be Colin in tow) a few days later to discuss all things wedding. And so… here we are!

We woke up on the first Saturday in May to the sun warming up our skies and generally relaxing the city of Montreal into thinking Spring had arrived. At the Mount Stephen — the staircases of flowers and decor accentuated the stainglass windows, statues, golden frescoes, wood paneling and carpeted staircases. All so beautiful with natural light pouring in from the windows outside.

Stefania & Colin’s wedding was intimate, relaxed, with a penchant for kicking the shoes off and hitting the carpeted dance floor. Here are a selection of some of my favorite photographs of their wedding day, I think it will give you a better impression than my words can of what the evening felt like.

Congratulations to Stefania & Colin — and many thanks to all their family and friends for inviting me into the fold for the evening. xo

Venue: Mount Stephen Hotel & Bar George Planning & Flowers: Events by Cece Gown: Anais Anette at Ma Cherie Bleu Suiting: Tiger of Sweden Rings: Pierre Bourgeois Hair & Makeup: Alper Sisters Cake: Family Friend Desserts: Alexandra Charlotte Cupcakes DJ: Larry Paiement

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