Wednesday, March 27, 2013

shaun and sherry | first unitarian church wedding


In the car on the way to work, I often ask Beans this question:
What are you most looking forward to?

 And sometimes he'll answer big things like having a baby, medium things like that party next weekend, or little things like the cookies waiting for him in his lunch. 

 Today, we both answered: The Dominican...

 Shaun (Ryan's brother) and Sherry are getting married in the DR in a few short weeks, and ever since their legal wedding this past Saturday, I have been counting down the days. 

 Some of you might not know this, but most destination weddings are symbolic ceremonies, and the couple gets legally married in Canada before heading down South. It's a lot easier to have a destination wedding if you don't need to be there 4 days in advance to get your blood-work taken, prove you are who you say you are, and hire a translator...

 And now that the church wedding has come and gone, I think I speak for the whole family when I say...
LET'S BLOW THIS POPSICLE STAND!

 35 degree weather, slushy drinks, trading in thank-you's for gracias, sunshine and sunscreen and sunglasses...we're ready. 


Awww, Nathan... :) You might remember seeing pics of Shaun and Sherry's maternity session or Nathan's shoot at 4 months. He's a doll, and always manages to find my camera when I'm taking a picture...


I have to take a minute here and just say that this church is really significant for the Kelly family...

This is where Ryan's parents got married...where Ryan and I got legally married in front of only our closest family members...where Nathan's name dedication service took place...and now where Shaun and Sherry had their first kiss. 





See what I mean? This kid is gonna be the next Barney Stinson when it comes to taking a picture...


I can't wait to share photos from their wedding in Punta Cana :) 
It's going to be beautiful!

DOMINICAN HERE WE COME!
1 comment :

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

#2 design an album for our wedding



#2: design an album for our wedding

Designing my wedding album was one of my tasks for off-season, and yet...for some reason I kept putting it off. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to come up with just ONE design that I loved, and the thought of narrowing my entire wedding collection from Lauren down to 80 images or so, was terrifying.

So I did it slowly, making sure each of the photos I picked was in there for a reason, and that I was including not only the BEST photos...but the best moments. 

I'm so so so happy to have this album in my hands, and I just love showing it off! Most of all, I love that my photos are safe...bound together in a luxury leather album with pages that are sun-proof, fade-proof, and spill-proof. It's a little piece of history that will get passed down in our family, and that's enough to bring a little tear to my eye. 

Guaranteed my mother-in-law is 
crying at her desk right now, she's a sucker for weddings, 
especially her baby boy's wedding... :)

As for the cover: simple white; how could it ever be wrong for a wedding album...



These are just a few of my favourite spreads, since I figure you've probably already seen all of our wedding photos!





This is one of my favourite spreads, our first kiss and happy reaction -- Lauren...I hope you know how much I ADORE these images :)





The last page...


I am totally head over heels in love with KISS wedding albums, and it makes me so proud to offer these to my clients :) 



All wrapped up in a perfect little fabric cover... :)


And this one's for all the other photographers out there, who know what it's like to have a curious puppy sniffing around during photoshoots on the floor ;)

3 comments :

Monday, March 25, 2013

ivy turns two!


It does NOT seem like a whole year has gone by since I drove up to Toronto for Ivy's 1st birthday (complete with an adorable cakesmash!), but here I am, posting photos from the pink and purple Minnie Mouse birthday party we had this weekend. 

 I can't believe Ivy is two!

 As an auntie...I'm totally allowed to say that she is the prettiest girl in the world. Here are some of my favourite photos from the party :)



I think she likes it :)


These are the sugar cookies I made for Ivy's party...

Except I used a weird recipe for the cookies and some of the ears started falling off when I stacked them to bring them to my parents' house. 

I literally bawled my eyes out because I completely ruined them. I just wanted everything to be perfect for her special day!! I threw a little tantrum in my front hall, and Beans calmed me down and told me to bring them anyway.

Everyone still ate them, and at least I had taken a photo before they became earless :)

I hope Ivy forgives me.  








I love these two photos of Ivy showing Beans her My Little Ponies and her cellphone (a calculator, obviously). 


There was also an impromptu disco party in the living room...


And plenty of gift opening!!! She is the best little gift receiver, with big thank-yous, hugs, and an undivided attention for what she's just opened up :)


Her gift from Auntie Laura and Uncle Beans! A pony in a purse -- does it get any better than that, ladies?



Ivy's big gift from Nana and Grandpa!!! She was completely obsessed with this kitchen all afternoon :)


Miss Ivy: Auntie Laura can't wait to help you with your first batch of sugar cookies one day :)


Three things:

1. I just love how PINK this blog post is. 

2. I love you, little girl. Auntie Laura and Uncle Beans are so proud of you, and how smart you are. You amaze us every time we see you!!!

3. Try not to grow up too fast, okay?
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Friday, March 22, 2013

loving lately: southern weddings + the peanut butter ratio


I love SO many things right now...

I love my morning coffee ritual that I've started up again, I love joining my lovely friend Brittany for spin class, I love great conversations over Google Hangout with friends I made in North Carolina...but here are 3 things that I'm sure EVERYONE can love:

(and listen to the song too, because it's GOOD and 
I challenge you to NOT tap your foot and 
dance in your chair while you listen! Impossible.)

1. DECLUTTERING!! I've been really into decluttering my home AND my digital world lately, and I have soooo much more to share and blog on this topic and can't wait to get to it. But for now, I've just been instagramming my progress with conquering the problem areas in my house -- like my linen closet, or my pots and pans drawer. And honestly, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have LESS STUFF. Also, my blog readers are hopping on the decluttering bandwagon and this makes me very, very happy :)
2. Southern Weddings V5! On the last day of the Making Things Happen Intensive, all 100+ creatives gathered in a gorgeous ballroom for about 2 hours of mingling and picture taking with our idols, and the crew at Southern Weddings graciously offered a magazine to each of us. I read mine cover to cover, like a book piece of art on the plane ride home. I've been obsessing over Southern culture ever since I got home, and I have been passing around the magazine to all my future Brides :) Give me a shout if you want it next!!!!
3. Insanely overpriced fro-yo experiences. My lovely friend Kayla and I still had more to talk about after we had finished dinner and paid our bills, so logically...we continued up Merivale Road and stopped in at Menchies for the first time ever :) If you're looking for an 8 dollar bowl of ice cream, this place is for you. If you love trying new things and also happen to like being in control of your own peanut butter sauce and cookie dough ratio...this place is definitely for you. 
And, as always, here's a tune I'm loving lately:


{a note about this song: I am obsessed. I literally play it over 
and over and over again, and cannot get enough.}

P.S...I joined a book club! How exciting! I've downloaded the book to my Kindle and am planning to start digging into it TODAY. Accountability, friends...!! It's a wonderful thing :)
1 comment :

Thursday, March 21, 2013

hard work pays off (this time in the form of a pricing guide!)


You guys...I am SO fired up about what I'm about to share...

 Since the beginning of the year, I've been putting the same thing at the top of all of my to-do lists:
MAKE A NEW PRICING GUIDE. 

 And yet, every time I would try to sit at my computer to bust it out, the inspiration was never there. I'd start designing under one layout, realize I didn't really like the way it looked, and abandon ship. 

 But the inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday and I was able to work for 3 non-stop hours to create what I'm about to show you...

 This pricing guide is something I give out electronically to all of the Brides who inquire, however in the past, it was only one page with one tiny little photo and my pricing information -- less than exciting if I'm being real. 

 Well, instead of telling you about my new one...I'll just show you :)

Between pages of information about things like the best time of day to have photos done, or tips for incorporating personal details into your wedding, I have simple pages like this one below, to give hints at my style...

(and show off a couple of my FAVE images ever)


It's so important for the Bride and Groom to know exactly what your style is, and being able to define it has allowed me to target my ideal clients, and when they find me...choosing a photographer becomes the easiest part of the their planning process :)


And after all my pages for the engagement session, my 3 wedding packages, album design, and some frequently asked questions, there's a page with a few things about me, so they know who will be showing up on their wedding day -- and, let's face it, that way they can recognize me when we're meeting up for a consult!!


I've learned a precious thing since coming from the MTH Intensive...

Hard work pays off. 

The good things in life won't happen on their own...
you have to make them happen!!!

I'm so happy to have this pricing guide ready for my last few 2013 Brides, and my soon-to-be 2014 Brides. It felt SO good to cross this off my to-do list, lemme tell ya!

P.S...a couple of you had commented on my two previous blog posts about decluttering, and I was wondering how your progress was coming along!! Have you tackled any cupboards or closets since then? 
Brag a little!! 

P.P.S...has anyone seen that adorable Walmart commercial with the ginger kid who gives a speech about a bevy of bunnies vs. a herd? It kills me everytime I see it, and I have decided I want a child who knows the difference between a bevy and a herd. 
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