Steph & John : MARRIED

In June I had the amazing opportunity to photograph the wedding of John and Steph. I went to school with Steph and when she asked if I would photograph their special day I have to admit I was a little hesitant at first. I'd never shot a wedding and I was nervous about not being able to capture the day in the same way that a professional could. But Steph insisted that they had complete confidence in me and emphasized how important it was to them to have someone who knows them share this day. I decided to go for it and I haven't regretted that decision once!
And I hope they didn't either ;)

There was definitely electricity in the air surrounding these two as they prepared for the big day. You could feel the love and giddiness pouring from them both! I thought one of them was going to burst! Steph and John live in Toronto, but they decided to come back to Steph's hometown to be married in the beautiful, historic Empress Theatre. It is the oldest running theatre in all of Alberta and was deeply significant for Steph as much of her life was spent performing, working, and hanging out there. The fact that they were there at all was truly amazing. Earlier in the week, John had been hospitalized for some medical concerns and they didn't know if the wedding would happen as planned. Add to this the fact that the town had scheduled a community-wide power outage that evening, and the truly bizarre weather that day that changed from to sun to rain to snow (Yup SNOW in JUNE!) and back again! But somehow it all came together and with the help of so many people from John and Steph's lives it was a beautiful evening filled with tears, love, and laughter.

The ceremony was uniquely "them" and was the perfect way to start this next journey. One of their dear friends; the amazingly talented musician Katey Morley sang and played her auto harp during a beautiful slide show that Steph had put together. Be sure to check out her myspace site or facebook fan page! The ceremony was officiated by another friend of theirs, Abby Charchun, who did a fantastic job! What a difference it makes when all the people involved in your wedding are also a part of your life. It makes it that much more personal. After the ceremony, we cleared out of the theatre and headed to the community hall for the reception. The DJ, Steve MacKidd, is (you guessed it!) a friend of John's and I think that was the best mix I've ever heard at a wedding. He definitely kept the dance floor going into the early hours of the morning!! This was a beautiful night for John and Steph surrounded by all who love them. Thank you guys for including me in such a special experience. And now for what you all came to see.... ;)

Can you see how much fun it was to shoot these guys?! They couldn't keep a straight face and neither could I!!



Tears, love, laughter and of course a high five!! Truly them :)



This is what it's all about.... pure love.



This was so fun. Steph's mom Linda and her siblings wanted to recreate a picture from their childhood. You've all seen them... all the kids standing in a row from tallest to smallest! The one on the left is in homage to that and the one on the right is standing according to age. Love it!


I told you the dance floor was rocking! I don't think there was even one song where nobody was dancing :)


Definitely one of my favourites of the night. A stolen moment between two in love. Priceless.



Thanks again guys! It was a blast!