passionate rationality by dallas curow: burlington wedding

Her beautiful red hair gleams as she adjusts a bobby pin to put the finishing touches on her updo. Her hair and makeup complete, she looks around to see who else in her wedding party still needs help getting ready. Within minutes, she is applying her sister's makeup, and touching up her mom's. She then decides a headband might add to her hairstyle, so she sits down at her grandmother's sewing machine, pulls out some black lace, and whips one up.

Appearing completely calm throughout all these last-minute preparations, she casually holds her hands over her rounded stomach. On this day, her wedding day, Jonina is blissful not only because she's about to marry the man she loves - she's also expecting their child.

At the Atrium Conference Centre, Jeremy is hanging out with his groomsmen, waiting for his bride. As he walks into the room where the ceremony will take place, someone asks him if he is nervous. He grins widely and simply says, "No way. I just want to do this!"

This charming man with the mischievous smile has captured Jonina's heart. Her beauty, grace, warmth, and generosity have captured his. In fact, it is immediately clear that she has stolen the hearts of Jeremy's entire group of family and friends. The amount of love in the room for the bride and groom, as individuals, and as a couple, is palpable.

Throughout the ceremony and speeches at the reception, love, family, and embracing the unexpected yet lovely gifts of fate were recurring themes. Jonina and Jeremy knew the first night they met that their connection was powerful. When he proposed after six months, Jonina knew beyond a doubt that "yes" was the only answer. When they found out they were expecting, they knew there must have been a reason they'd finished most of their wedding planning early. Things were, it seemed, meant to happen this way.

Jonina and Jeremy, I was so honoured to photograph your beautiful wedding and to be a part of your wonderful day. I find it so cool that when we did your engagement photos back in August, Jonina was just about to discover she was pregnant! I know you two will be truly happy together, and that your baby will have wonderful, loving parents. Congratulations and enjoy every moment of the big events to come!

Jonina's elegant dress, which was ready just in the nick of time, one week before the wedding, and her gorgeous citrine engagement ring.

Jonina is a seriously talented makeup artist. She did all the hair and makeup for Kaitlin and Pat's wedding that I photographed in 2009, and, as I mentioned before, she did a lot of the hair and makeup for her own wedding party.