my bachelorette party

I'm writing this because I don't want to forget a single moment of my bachelorette weekend.

My best friend and maid of honour, Jennie, with the help of the rest of my wedding party and some of my friends, planned the most amazing, fun-filled weekend for me.

Because I love to plan parties and because I thrive on lists, spreadsheets, and all the other things that go along with project management, I tend to have a hard time giving up control. I would much rather do something myself rather than burden someone else with it. I tried to convince my Jennie to let me plan my own bachelorette party because I felt bad having her take on such a big task for my sake. She told me to shut up.

I am so glad I did.

She kept everything a secret until the last possible minute, planning a whirlwind weekend of activities for me. Every single detail was thought through, and everything she planned was so perfect for me it made me tear up constantly.

After a relaxing and wonderful Friday at my co-maid of honour's place, we headed over to my future parents-in-law's house so Brian's mom could help us with our beehives (having been a queen bee herself in the past). Using her old high school yearbook photos as inspiration, Jennie insisted on doing my hair for me. Every time I reached up to help, she swatted my hand away and told me to chill out. She did let me take this photo of the process, though.

And that turned into this:

Then we headed into the city to get ready for the evening's activities in our hotel room (which was also a surprise).

We assembled our outfits and headed to the cutest little Cuban restaurant for dinner.

Everyone had dressed for the "Sixties Chic" theme that Jennie had come up with!

We then headed to a Karaoke place, where Jennie had rented us a private room!

Here's me in all my tacky attire, looking like a crazy old lady!

There was a Pin the Nose on the Lion game, with my poor fiancé's face in the centre.

My full outfit, in all its glory

Last stop was a the upstairs of a great pub, where much hilarity was to ensue.

At the very end of the night.

But not before some of the girls tried to pick up — literally — a few men.

The next morning in our hotel room: a very bright beam of light!

And then a quiet breakfast before we all headed back to our separate cities.

Thank you, everyone, for the best night ever!

first wedding of 2011

This past weekend, my friend Jonina (right) married her love, Jeremy (left).  I'll share the photos and tell you all the details in my next post, once I'm finished editing. Right now, however, I'd like to talk a little bit about the experience of shooting this wonderful wedding.

There were 6 things that made shooting this wedding so awesome:

1. My little brother was my second shooter

That's right - he was both my "date" and second shooter. Brian was at a conference and unable to attend, so my brother stepped up to the plate. As we headed to the wedding, he played "Marry You" by Bruno Mars and mumbled "I thought this would be a good song to listen to on the drive." Cute alert! Dressed in a (borrowed, from our other brother) shirt and tie, he was so helpful and professional, and I was so grateful for his help and company.

2. I shot the wedding with a Canon 60D


I bought this camera back in December and instantly fell in love with it. The quality of the images it produces is SO much higher than that of my Rebel XTi. My decision to upgrade (despite it not being the easiest time to invest, read: wedding this year) was instantly affirmed when I saw my first images. I especially love the fold-out screen and the way it takes crisp images up to ISO 3000.

3. I used a Shootsac

After several obvious hints, I received a Shootsac lens bag for Christmas. Invented and sold by California-based photographer Jessica Claire, this neoprene bag fits very comfortably over your shoulder and has room for 3 lenses + memory cards, batteries, flash, wallet, keys, phone, etc. It made swapping lenses super quick and easy. This was incredibly helpful, especially because...

4. I shot the wedding almost exclusively with prime lenses

A prime lens is a lens with a fixed focal length e.g. 50mm. It doesn't zoom. To get closer or farther from your subject, you have to physically move. The two main advantages of prime lenses are that they are fast and that they generally have wider apertures, allowing you to shoot in lower light at achieve that beautiful blurred background effect. Also, I find that having to physically move to frame a shot makes you be more mindful and creative with each photo. Right now, I have a 50mm 1.8 lens and an 85mm 1.8 lens. I am dreaming of upgrading to the high-end versions, but each will cost me about $2,000. Eek! But it will be so wonderful when I can finally afford them.

5. I wore flats

Enough said!

6. Amazing people

Jonina and Jeremy, their wedding party, family and all the guests were so kind, warm, and welcoming. People were actually getting me water and constantly asking if I needed anything throughout the day! There was so much love and fun in the room at all times. Also, it is always a sign of a good wedding when the dance floor is packed during the very first song of the night.

Stay tuned for photos from the wedding.

a bachelorette party in niagara falls

My beautiful friend Lindsay is getting married in Mexico in less than a month. Although I sadly can't make it to the festivities, I had the chance to celebrate with her and 16 other girls at her bachelorette party this weekend.

Driving into Niagara with Kaitlin and Amanda, two of the first people who befriended me when I was the new kid in high school, I remembered again how lucky I am to have had these people in my life for so long. When we met 14 years ago, we were just starting high school.

Lindsay and Kyle, the bride and groom-to-be, also met in high school. They were sweethearts who parted ways and reunited several times. When Lindsay followed him to Australia (where he was living while in school) they got back together for good. I'm so happy for the two of them, and know they will be a great couple, forever.

elke & mason

How cute is this guy?


His mom is one of my favourite people. She and I met in high school on the swim team after she'd moved to my school from Cape Town (via Wisconsin). Elke and I used to float on the mats in my family's backyard pool and talk about which European countries we dreamed of visiting first.  Elke, a year older than me, went backpacking the summer after she graduated high school. All summer I waited impatiently for her to return so I could ask her about every city she'd been to.


She returned at the end of that summer, bronzed, and carrying a bag full of rolls of film to be developed. Remember how exciting that used to be, dropping off film after a vacation or big event? The moment you'd first peel open the envelopes and relive all those moments again. That was the best!


So, as I sat on her bedroom floor as she packed her final boxes for first year university,  I got to flip through all her photos and ask a million questions about what she'd seen. I always looked up to her for her sense of adventure, her totally zen attitude, and her tireless energy. Over the last few years, I've seen her find a great job, buy a first home, get married, and now, have a baby. Girlfriend's got her stuff together!

I am so happy for Elke and her husband, Matt for the birth of their first child,  Mason.  Elke's positive energy is infectious, and I'm sure her son's will be, too. I predict great things for their whole family.


 

my best friend's chai latte

So many of the people I love live nowhere near me, so I consider myself extremely lucky to have one of my favourite people in the world living only 2 hours away.

During our minimum once-a-month visits, we collect all the shards of moments that have broken away and gone unnoticed, and remind each other why all the pieces matter.

The steam from our hot drinks rise up during the coldest days of winter, and our comfortable conversation warms the parts of my personality that I leave cold for so many others.

It's the quiet moments - in between the plans - that I have come to value most.

on bodies rock summer '09

Two photos of a whole bunch to come. I am so proud of these guys! They played a rockin' show at the i(heart)music festival in Ottawa this weekend, and were mentioned in The Guardian's music blog last week.

Getting pretty good momentum going before going on tour next month!

bachelorettes and brides-to-be

So the moment has arrived. My first friend to get married is taking the plunge in 9 days. And so it begins. It makes sense that Kaitlin breaks the marital ice, I suppose. She's traditional, dreamy, and she just looks like a bride... if that makes sense(?)







Rings are popping up on other fingers, dates are being set, and the rest of us enjoy the oh-so-necessary bubbly, over-the-top girliness, and the emotional ride with our friends. Any excuse to eat pastel-coloured cookies and I'm there!



I was so touched when Kait asked me to be her wedding photographer, so I used last weekend's bachelorette party as an excuse to get warmed up.



But seriously, how gorgeous is she?