Archive for 2011

Sophia & Mandeep were the last couples of 2011 for us.  And what a way for us to end off a great year.  Sophia booked me a long time ago with what was only supposed to be an engagement session.  But once she had a date and venue, she asked me to photograph her calgary wedding as well.  Sophia and Mandeep had their wedding ceremony at the Calgary Wedding Pavilion, but before that, we met up with Sophie and her bridesmaids at the Four Points Sheraton for her prep.  When we arrived at the Calgary Wedding Pavilion, Sophia headed straight up to the bridal suite where we did her portraits while Mandeep was downstairs waiting for his moment.

Once the ceremony was complete we headed downtown first to photograph the bridal party.  We were even offered the use of an art gallery nearby for a few shots.  Once we completed all the group photos, it was time to whisk them away to a few spots I had scouted out the day before.  Sophia and Mandeep were troopers, willing to do pretty much anything I asked of them.  They gave us A LOT of time to shoot before their reception and what resulted was a ton of wicked imagery.  We headed to the Carriage House Inn on McLeod Trail in south Calgary for their wedding reception.  When I entered their venue I was in awe.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The drapes were wonderful, lighting incredible and the style was a perfect match for Sophia & Mandeep’s personalities.   They had a lounge area setup that had a night club ambience to it.  There, people were lining up to try their signature shooters, which were poured through a huge shot ice luge that had their initials and date etched in it.  The wait staff walked around with Indian hor dourves, that we couldn’t get enough of.  The reception setup was one of the top 3 nicest we have seen this year.    Dinner was absolutely fantastic and so were the speeches.  Once all the formalities were done, it was party time and let me tell you…. these guys love to party!!

Thanks M&S!!  Ryan and I really felt we got to know you guys well, after spending a whole day with you.  I could really tell you both are really into each other and it was a real honor to have been a part of your big day.  I hope we will stay in touch and maybe one day we can party together!

Tara and Julien had a destination wedding in Calgary…. well, not really.  They both live and work in Fort MacMurray, but decided to have their Indian wedding here in Calgary.  Their wedding was a very fun one.  I have never seen a groomsmen party more tight than these guys.  As soon as I started with them you could tell something was different.  They were all the same.  Happy, excited for Julien and loud.  Usually wedding parties are mixed with people from different groups of friends.  But these guys were all friends from childhood and all grew up together.   It was wild just hanging out with them and watching all the shenanigans.  As usual we started the wedding photography coverage with the groom, Julien, and his boys at Hilton Garden Inn in northeast Calgary.  Tara and her girls were also there, but on different floors, so we got to spend a lot of time shooting both parties.

The ceremony and reception were held at The Magnolia in NE Calgary.  The ceremony was a traditional Hindu ceremony.  I love the Hindu traditions. Julien arrived with his boys to beating drums and dance.  Soon after his feet were washed before he entered the Magnolia.  Tara came in with even more style while being carried by 4 men in a decked out Indian litter.  The words that are spoken during the ceremony are very poetic.  Throughout the ceremony, the priest always explained all the different customs and why it was done that way.  It really is very beautiful and spiritual.

During our pre wedding meeting, Julien asked if it was possible to have some pictures of him and his groomsmen playing basketball.  They are all huge basketball fans so he thought this would be fun and quite personal for them.  Of course I was more than happy to oblige.  We headed to one of Calgary’s newest neighborhoods, Skyview Ranch, where I found a basketball court and a cool location for some photos.  It had rained earlier during the day so we had a lot of puddles everywhere.  Sometimes you just gotta take advantage of what’s been given to you and make the best out of it.  We definitely used the puddles and made a lot of reflection shots!

Congrats Tara & Julien!  I finally know someone who lives in Ft. Mac!  You guys are the picture perfect couple and a huge pleasure to work with.  I hope our paths cross again soon so we can catch up.  Stay warm!