Tanis and Ryan chose to do a day-after wedding session for the majority of their wedding portraits so that they could have more time with their guests on their wedding day. I’m officially such a fan of day-after sessions! Tanis and Ryan were able to fully immerse themselves without me stealing them away to do portraits. Not only that but we were able to choose an ideal location for their session the next day rather than simply having to do them at the venue or close-by. Not that we don’t have some gorgeous spots for photos at venues in Kelowna (especially at Okanagan Villa where they got married) but Tanis had always dreamed of having her wedding photos done with horses and it was wonderful to be able to fulfill that for her! There was such a relaxed vibe at their session and we were all able to take in the stunning sunset-lit surroundings. Thanks so much to McMillan Farms for letting us take photos on their gorgeous property.
We were crossing our fingers so hard that their would be horses nearby in the field to have in the photos, so we were pretty excited that not only were they close, they were picture-perfectly all grazing around a gorgeous big tree. I couldn’t have posed them better myself. : D I had such a blast doing this session. Tanis and Ryan are truly such a sweet and endearing couple. : )
Tanis and Ryan positively radiate love and happiness. Their wedding party, family and guests were all so amazing as well. There was such a great energy surrounding the day!
I was soooooo excited to shoot a wedding at Okanagan Villa Estate Winery. Tanis and Ryan found out the night before the wedding that they get 2000 applications every year for weddings and they only choose one! Wow! Not only that, they have been given their own vine and they get to have what that vine produces every year! Tanis said, ” It was just so special, we could not have asked for a more beautiful place to get married and entertain our guests.” It’s a stunning spot – I wish I could shoot a zillion weddings there. : )
Tanis and Ryan are such warmhearted people and I’m so excited for them to start their next chapter together. With amazing attitudes like theirs, their future is sure to be bright and full of happiness. : )
A little joke for Ryan from the bridesmaids. Haha.Below left shot by my second shooter Carley Bortolin.I love the wine box ceremony tradition. They both put love notes, along with some favourite bottles of wine, in a box to be enjoyed at later milestones in life.High five and chest bump directly following the ceremony. I love these two.We only spent a little time doing portraits on the wedding day so that Tanis and Ryan could be with their guests as much as possible. I’m glad we got to get a few shots, at least, on the beautiful Okanagan Villa property. Check out their gorgeous Day After Session we did!!!This was so awesome. Weddings in Motion recorded the wedding party’s speeches before the wedding and played them on flat-screens at intervals during reception. The videos were so fantastic and it was such a fun twist on speeches.
You guys are amazing! Thanks so much for letting me capture your fabulous day!
Ceremony Venue: Okanagan Villa Estate Winery, Kelowna, BC.
Reception Venue: Laurel Packinghouse, Kelowna, BC.
Wedding Planning/Decor/Florals: Okanagan Executive Events, Kelowna, BC.
Ceremony singer/guitarist: Raquel Warchol. Tanis said, “When she is famous I will be able to tell people that she sang at our wedding!” : )
Catering: Okanagan Street Food, Kelowna, BC.
Cake: Whisk Cake Company, Kelowna, BC.
DJ: DJ Krucial K, Kelowna, BC.
Videography: Weddings In Motion, Vancouver, BC.
Marriage Officiant: Bonnie Schneider
Bagpiper: Kris Watt
Wedding Dress: Jasmine Haute Couture from Cameo and Cufflinks, Calgary, AB.
Bridesmaids dresses: Alvina Valenta
Hair: Melissa Dacre
Make-up: Bri Stein
Hair adornment: Hair Headpiece: Custom made for Tanis by a friend’s parents same with the veil, which had 800 crystals attached by hand! Tanis said, “Definitely going to be an heirloom piece for me – hopefully I have a daughter.” Aww. : )
Bride’s jewelry: Earrings and bracelet – Swarovski; Small chain bracelet from Tiffany & Co (wedding gift from Ryan)
Rings: Tanis said, “Designed with love by Ryan and I and made at Ferguson Jewellery in Calgary. We wanted more heirloom pieces to pass down the family.”
Bride’s shoes: Vera Wang
The Anne of Green Gables series has been a favourite of mine since I was a kid. I remember watching the movies, starring Megan Follows, over and over again. Surprisingly, despite being an avid reader, I didn’t read any of the books until I was 20. I went to visit my great aunt Waltraud in France for the first time and she left an English version of Anne of Green Gables on my bedside table. I gobbled it up and loved it. I’m kind of happy I waited to read it because it’s a special memory having it attached to that visit.
I’m forever indebted to L.M. Montgomery for her dreaming up Anne. There is something about Anne that makes it impossible not to love her instantly. What I always loved the most about her, besides her strength and vivaciousness, was her ability to bring out the best in people. She was never afraid to shine her light and be herself completely. I don’t think there has ever been a female character that inspired me as much as Anne, which brings us to this shoot.
I had been wanting to do an Anne of Green Gables wedding inspiration shoot with Stage Right Etc for a couple of years and we finally got a window to do it this year! Being located in the Okanagan valley, in Kelowna, BC, which is on the opposite side of Canada from Prince Edward Island, the home of Anne of Green Gables, we definitely had to do some location searching to get the look of Avonlea. I was SO excited when Danielle, from Stage Right Etc, found a pond with a rowboat in it! That was on my “must have” list for the shoot and it was a difficult one to find! We had so much fun dreaming up all the scenes and details from the Anne of Green Gables series to incorporate. Stage Right Etc did a fantastic job of weaving in those details while still doing their own twist. The result of their efforts was nothing short of stunning! We had the help of the talented (and yummy) Sweet On You Designer Cakes who made mini carrot cakes (a nod to Gilbert’s nickname for Anne) as well as some gorgeous larger cakes. I found an awesome Anne and Gilbert in the model Bailey Woodward and her boyfriend Yanni Papadopoulos. Melissa Dacre did a gorgeous update of Anne’s traditional hairdo and Melissa Craven did a beautiful job of her makeup.
I am beyond excited that one of my FAVourite wedding blogs, Green Wedding Shoes, posted this shoot last week. It’s been so fun seeing the amazing response we have gotten from it and all the Anne of Green Gables fans reminiscing about their favourite Anne and Gilbert moments. : ) Click to see the post on Green Wedding Shoes and Buzzfeed. I hope you enjoy!
Below: A little twist on the Lady of Shalott scene from Anne of Green Gables (probably my favourite part from the movie).A little tongue and cheek reference to the famous raspberry cordial scene in Anne of Green Gables.When Gilbert and Anne first meet in class, Gilbert tugs one of Anne’s braids to get her attention and calls her “Carrots.” Anne, who is extremely sensitive about her red hair, stands up, smashes her chalkboard slate on Gilbert’s head and makes him her sworn enemy. The part, later on in the series, where Anne finally lets Gilbert call her “Carrots” affectionately always makes me mushy. : )When Matthew first picks up Anne and rides her back to Green Gables in his carriage, Anne is in heaven with “so much scope for the imagination.” They ride through a tunnel of blossoms which she renamed “The White Way of Delight” (see that later on in this post) and when they pass “Barry’s Pond,” Anne says, “Oh no, this is ‘The Lake of Shining Waters.’ That’s its rightful name.”
