Sarah & Brian {Okanagan wedding}

This wedding was very special to me. When Sarah contacted me to shoot her wedding, she said that it was in a small town called Summerland in the Okanagan valley, and have I heard of it? I was so excited because this is where I grew up! I haven’t had the time to visit home much since I left, so it was such a fantastic coincidence. Also, I knew the lay of the land and I got some of my people to hook us up with props and such, so it was a win-win.

The cherry on top were this cute couple. Sharing a quirky and contagious sense of humor, it’s not hard to see that these two have a lot of fun together! Peachland natives, they decided to venture to Summerland to celebrate their wedding at the amazing Meixcan-styled resort called La Punta Norte. Coupled with the signature Okanagan heat, I really felt like I was back in Mexico! Sarah was a laid-back bride, cooly sipping her martini as her makeup was being done, looking onto the Okanagan lake in anticipation of the day. Upstairs, the boys were having a party! Behind the comradery, I could tell that Brian was a bit nervous, which was replaced by a subtle calm when Sarah was finally standing across from him.

For the portraits, I had a couple very different locations in mind, from grungey to cheery, the whole gang was fun-loving and I felt like their personality really shined through. We even stopped at the Greata Ranch winery, Okanagan-style,  for a few sips and some vineyard meandering.

The whole day was beautiful and the reception was hilarious – complete with a mad-lib style proposal story, and choreographed dancing! They had a breast-cancer theme, and the couple participated in what’s called “Kiss for the Cause”. Instead of clinking wine glasses, guests were asked to donate money to the foundation – the higher the amount, the more outrageous the kiss and/or choreographed bridal party dance! I think they ended up raising over $500. Sarah and Brian seemed to have friends in all the right places because they were hooooked up. Their baker friend made the stunning cupcake tower (complete with a massive cup-wedding-cake) and one of the wedding gifts was a surprise 60″ plasma television, in part from a wedding party member, an audio-visual store owner (the crowd went absolutely nuts).

The next day, they let me take them to some questionable locations for their trash-the-dress session. I was super excited when I found this abandoned house, complete with vintage peeling wallpaper, smashed windows – and earwigs. You are way too good to me. I also took them to one of the oldest barn houses in town – over a hundred years old, it has been a monument of our town for years.

Thanks for including me in your day, allowing me to take a very rewarding walk down memory lane, and being so wonderful to work with!

For guests at the wedding, click here for the online gallery. Sarah and Brian will let you know the password.