Kristen and Darren travelled with family and friends from Virginia to be married in Banff, the destination where their love was first revealed in 2008. Their wedding was filled with layers of emotion, beautiful textures, love and many tears of happiness. I was so excited for them that the weather which was in question since they had arrived in Banff worked in their favour and they were able to be married outdoors. It was a perfect mix of gentle wind, rain and sweet sunshine…

It is hard to describe in words the deep connection between them. It will all be apparent after viewing their highlight which I feel so honoured to share and have been a part of creating.

N.

P.S. View more of Kristen + Darren’s wedding on Style Me Pretty Canada

The soundtrack is Walden and the Willow Tree by, The Dimes, licensed With Etiquette.

Here’s a small glimpse of Kristen and Darren’s wedding.  I’m completely in love with the emotion of their day and will be posting their complete highlight soon.

Until then..

* The soundtrack I choose is titled, We Ran From the Rain by Drew Barefoot licensed With Etiquette. It is the perfect song to accompany their story!  Their ceremony was to be held outside and the question of the day was, “is it going to rain?”  We were all hoping with our fingers crossed that the sun would shine for Kristen and Darren who travelled all the way from Virginia to be married outdoors in the Canadian Rockies.   Thank you Callandra and her team from Cherry Tree Occasions for ensuring Kristen and Darren had the ceremony they wished for!  If you love beautiful imagery visit Orange Girl Photographs to view more of Kristen and Darren’s perfect Banff Wedding(search Buffalo Mountain Lodge)!

xo Nicole

A few weeks ago we experienced our first Edmonton Wedding.  I was so excited when I first spoke with Irene and Justin as they shared they were getting married at the Alberta Art Gallery.  We had never officially met Irene and Justin in person so the plan was to meet with them Friday evening before their rehearsal.  On rehearsal day, as we made our way into Edmonton driving through crazy  traffic heading to the Art Gallery, we looked over beside us and there they were.. our first official meeting in traffic!  As we were talking (well maybe screaming) over traffic with our windows down I knew the wedding journey with them was going to be perfect!  I gave Irene a hug at the rehearsal and I remember thinking she is so sweet!  And wow can she wear a pair of heels!  During our conversations before the wedding I asked Justin and Irene to describe their wedding.  They shared that they really wanted it to be fun and  their guests to enjoy themselves.  They smiled all day, except Justin perhaps when he and his groomsmen were greeted by Irene’s bridesmaids for “the bartering” where he was asked to do some interesting things which included wearing a corset, heels, make-up and popping balloons! ++ singing and being epilated which will for sure be in the main feature!  Thank you Irene + Justin for being perfectly sweet!

Thank you to… the kind lady(wish I had asked her name) at the Alberta Art Gallery gift shop for sharing the secret heart of the Gallery!  Mary and her team with Lavish-Wedding Planning & Design for the gorgeous decor and planning ++ making sure we were taken care of!  Tony Yang from New York and his second photographer Fern Lee who were incredible to work with.  A big hug to Bruce with Sliver Moon Productions for lighting everything down to the cake perfectly!!!

xo Nicole

Music: I Need Want It ~ Purse Candy…licensed withetiquette.com

It was just over a year ago we started our journey with Emily.  The beginning came to life while sipping lattes and sharing idea’s about Emily’s Champagne Breakfast shoot.  Emily shared her deep connection to tree’s and how they represented some of her fondest childhood memories.  I can remember leaving our first meeting, thinking to myself ~ I really need to find the perfect tree!  When I finally found the tree, I just knew it was the one.  Our ideas soon evolved to interpret the poem, The Waking by Theodore Roethke.  With the location confirmed and the story coming together, we decided to film during all four seasons as it fit so well with the story.  To truly understand the layers involved in Emily’s film I recommend reading Susan’s full interpretation and thoughts about the poem here.  Susan writes, “Ultimately, we perceive the poem as we would a piece of music, not in its themes and philosophy, but in the blending of sound, tone, movement, and recurring motifs.  When we join this to the metaphor, we sense something of the beauty and complexity of Roethke‘s poem.  It is as vibrant and fragile and mysterious as the circle of our lives–birth and decay, life and death–that inspired this poem”.  I hope you can experience some of these emotions while viewing Emily’s Film.  It’s true that Em inspired me on many levels throughout this past year.  I am grateful for her perseverance and unwavering dedication to this piece.  Thank you Em for always feeling. xo, Nicole.

Some Images of our journey…

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Distance from the road to the tree, grateful Blair had a key to open the gate.

The perfect day of filming at -9 celcius.

Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how? - Theodore Roethke

God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there, And learn by going where I have to go. - Theodore Roethke

During my journey with Emily, I learned to look up when I am walking, close my eyes and listen,  breathe deeply,  reach, move slower and find peace within.

I will be sharing all the layers of Emily’s story soon.

What falls away is always. And is near. ~ Theodore Roethke

Nicole

Music by Daniel Dixon + licensed from With Etiquette.

This past weekend I had the amazing privilege of having my portrait photographed by Orange Girl Photography.  I absolutely adore and love the images Kirstie and Kevin create together. We have been fortunate to work along side Kirstie and Kevin these past couple years at weddings together and have gotten to know them not only as a great photography team but as friends. Every time we work at  weddings with them, I see first hand their genuine passion for their clients and the work they capture.  I really just wanted one photo for my website and that one photo turned into a crazy adventure! We hiked a mountain literally:) Kirstie had these little touches that were so me.   Heart strands, a sweet banner with the letters “storyteller”, and the perfect surprise ~ a hand made toque in the perfect blue to match our brand colours. When we first spoke about the shoot I shared with Kirstie that I love wearing toque’s. I couldn’t believe how perfect it was when I opened Kirsite’s hat surprise! So thoughtful, exactly who Kirstie and Kevin are……I felt so comfortable all day. They not only captured me, but those I hold closet to my heart. I will be forever grateful. I had such a hard time choosing the one image I wanted for my website so I thought I would share a few more…..

P.S. The sweetest toque ever was hand made by Yokoo + a very special thank you to Stephanie Roy with Symiotics in Banff for doing my hair and make up – you are an angel!

The hearts strands were so sweet!

My heart locket means the world to me-I wear it all the time when I am working.

My favourite shoes ever!

I LOVE THIS!!!!!

I am in love with this toque:)

The other half of Confetti

Made for each other.  In Matt’s vows “Sent to each other at the perfect moment in life”.

For me, couples stories are told within the moments not necessarily the moment itself.  What I perceive about Jillian and Matt when I watch moments in their highlight:
They are very comfortable with themselves and each other.
They have a passionate relationship.
Jillian loves fashion and has impeccable taste.
Jillian does not sweat the small stuff, in fact she embraces it.
Matt is driven and content.
Matt is a perfectionist.
They love their friends and their friends love them.
They compliment each other and look to each other for advice.
They are both kind, gracious and thoughtful of others.
They can’t be apart.
They are adventurous.
Deeply connected to family.

They are also avid electronic music lovers, furniture fanatics and part-time artists.  Jillian wanted the wedding to be contemporary, clean, crisp, glamourous and luxurious.  From the candle lit ceremony, chartreuse ribbon, fully draped rooms, floating flower arrangements, custom stationary, and one of my favourites Jillian’s Donaire wedding dress by Pronovias.  The details of their day were sensational.

Thank you to the lovely Amira at Posh Productions for accommodating some special requests!  Amira and her team created such an elegant and extraordinary event.  Other fabulous artists that were part of the wedding – Fuller Edge, Occasional Bloom, Make Up by Jackie, Plush Invitations, Allegra Quartet and the Real Deal Band.

I was beside myself when I heard Jenna and Ross’s wedding was going to be featured in Real Simple Weddings.  I have been anxiously awaiting the magazine release, not getting too excited as anything could have happened between September and now.  When my good friend Kirstie Tweed called to share the magazine was out, I raced to the store to find this gem.  Into the Wild ~ Photo and Video ~page 102.

The paragraph took me back to the magical moments at Emerald Lake and all the amazing events that unfolded throughout the day.  Congratulations Jenna and Ross ~  your attention to every detail imaginable is, was and always will be perfect!

Click here to view Jenna and Ross’s highlight film and here to view their beautiful photographs by Orange Girl Photography: search Jenna and Ross.

Nicole

Every time I hear from Jenna whether it be via email(which we have shared a lot of as she lives in Scotland with Ray), phone or in person I can’t help but smile.  Jenna and Ray’s wedding was a perfect reflection of them. Genuine, gracious, tons of emotion and much love.

I wanted to share a part of Jenna’s recent email.

“I have seen the video, I think I watched it a million times yesterday and I wanted to firstly compose myself to be able to tell you how much I love it.  Not only have you captured one of the best days of my life in such a way that I will never be able to thank you for but you’ve allowed me to see some of the things I value most put together so beautifully.  Honestly there are so many things I love about it, the way you’ve put together our cabin (something that is such a huge part of my family and carries with it so many amazing memories of summers spent there), my family and friends and their reactions to things I missed on the day that makes me so happy now being able to see that, when Raymond says my name I literally get shivers, our kiss, us dancing, us driving away… honestly I could dissect every single second of the two minutes but I really, really want to get across that I feel so privileged to be the recipient of what you and Trev do.

Never for one second underestimate what you give people, each time you create what you do you’re letting someone have a tangible thing to act as a memory.  When I’m an old lady with loads of lumps and bumps, no hair, swollen ankles and I barely recall ‘the good ol days’ I’ll be able to watch this and remember a piece of my life that changed it forever.”

Nicole