Lesley + Adam

While stepping into layers of tulle and satin, she filled the room with her laughter. Surrounded by her Mother’s and Sister’s love, they exclaimed how beautiful she was as they held back a few tears. And she was radiant! She didn’t even bother to check herself in the mirror before she glided down the stairs to meet her Father who was waiting to whisk her off to their next destination to join her Groom.

After many years of building a strong foundation built upon love, support of their community, and the grace of God, Mélissa and Derek were excited to finally become Man and Wife. The moment came for their first look; when she grabbed his hand and he finally saw her, he was speechless and immediately swept her up into a large hug. With their fingers intertwined, he never let her go. When she would be pulled away for others to wish her congratulations, he’d look lovingly at her even across the room. And when they finally met again he’d hold her hand and gently kiss the top while looking at her with all the love in the world.

Their ceremony was filled with applause and cheering when she walked down the aisle to meet him and laughter echoed off the walls while stories were told of their relationship over the years. And then, when they were pronounced Man and Wife, they couldn’t contain their happiness any longer and embraced each other with a lingering kiss.

It was such an honour to meet and photograph Mélissa & Derek, to be welcomed as if we were part of the family, and to witness a beautiful and amazing community come together to celebrate a marriage.

To view the highlights of the day, view the slideshow here!

They met in a modern way where the description of yourself is just as important as your appearance, over the internet. Months passed where their relationship blossomed over small chats, to emails, to long phone calls over Skype. Eventually they crossed borders with Wesley taking a 4 day bus ride from West Virginia to Vancouver BC to finally meet, face to face, someone who he knew his heart belonged to. Of course with the way that relationships go there are always things you won’t expect like not being allowed to cross over from the US into Canada, but it didn’t matter, their love prevailed through it all.

Genevieve & Wesley’s intimate wedding at the Chateau Cargill was simply beautiful. Their closest friends and family gathered to support and love upon them while they vowed to love each other forever. We’re so happy to be able to document their day and their love.

To see the highlights from their day, view their slideshow here.

A friendship that spans over a decade will instill a love deeper then they ever could have imagined. After their engagement in Paris Lisa & Josiah returned home to Vancouver to start planning their wedding but more importantly the life they were going to live together forever. Finally after years of longing their dreams were becoming a reality.

Lisa & Josiah had been dreaming of their wedding day for some time and it was such a celebration that we’ll never forget it. Every single detail incorporated them, everything from the music, the vows, and all the little surprises along the way like a music video created by Josiah and him singing a song for his mom instead of dancing with her.

We’re so honoured to have been asked to photograph their wedding. After capturing their love over many stages of their relationship it was a beautiful way to send them off to start their new life together. To see the highlights from their day, view their slideshow here!

The first time I arrived in Paris my hair was a curly mess of red and blonde streaks pulled into a tight bun to control the frizz. We had just left Greece and I was expecting to stay and enjoy a week in Munich. But while running through the airport terminal he turned around, told me to contain my excitement, and said he was taking me to Paris instead. My appearance nothing close to what I imagined myself to appear like when I would be introduced to Paris, however, from the surprise gift from my love my skin cast just a slight glow from my excitement that it erased all traces of what I had envisioned. With just a hint of makeup, my hair tight against my head, and wearing clothing that had been stuffed in a suitcase for far too long, I took my first steps onto the French cobblestones just outside our Parisian hotel. I instantly fell in love with a city that somehow always had a place in my heart!

On our second visit to Paris together, we kept on mentioning what a blessed and full life we live, that here we are under the Eiffel Tower at midnight toasting to two years of marriage and living a life in Europe.

On our third visit to Paris together, we fell even more deeply in love with each other, fell in love with the life we are building, and fell in love with all the travel and adventures before us. We stood on top of the Eiffel Tower to look down towards street corners and landmarks where we had shared so many memories before and marveled at what a beautiful life we have. When we walk the streets of Paris we feel like we’re walking around the deep tunnels of our own hearts and when we hear the French language around us it seems like the most natural thing in the world. We imagined taking our future children into Basilique du Sacré-Cœur to light a candle, we envisioned them bundled up in wool scarfs to protect their doll like faces as they rode a pastel coloured carousel while their laughter drifted through the air, and then saw their eyes light up while enjoying a vanilla and lavender macaron from Pierre Hermé. We envisioned a life in la Ville-Lumière and huddled close to each other while the winter wind swept around us taking our history and our future to infuse it with the Parisian air. On our third visit to Paris, we documented everything we felt for the city and for each other.

Images by Tanja de Maesschalk
Video by Adam Stefanski

Thank you Tanja, for capturing our history, our present day, our future and all our love between us and Paris.