{Caribbean Destination Wedding - Dreams Palm Beach Resort} Ottawa Wedding Photgraphers

Warning..this is a long one :)

I met with Julie back in the summer as she was just beginning to plan her luxury destination wedding in the Caribbean with Luxe Destination weddings in Toronto. We talked for hours...I think it was the most epic consultation ever...5 hours!
Her wedding was planned at Dreams - Palm Beach - a luxury resort in Punta Cana Dominican Republic.

She planned a poolside reception in the evening with fire dancers, a Dominican band and a private DJ to end the evening. It was a dream wedding shared with her closest friends and family. In total there were 30 of us traveling in her party and I can't say enough about the amazing friends that Julie and Pascal share. Julie and many of her friends met in med school and were now practicing in their respective fields. They traveled from Toronto, New York, Montreal and Quebec City to come together for their wedding.

Pascal was still away on a tour in Afghanistan and so it was only just before the wedding that we had a chance to meet face to face. The next time we would meet would be for their civil ceremony in their home, where I was able to see first hand just how deeply these two loved each other. He  was less enthusiastic about being photographed, after they had a preview of their images from the slideshow I prepared for everyone, he said to me " I am SO glad we brought you!" with a great big hug. Made me feel amazing that they were so happy with their preliminary images :).

By the end of the week we also did a trash the dress session VERY early Friday morning...because Punta Cana does not have sunsets on the water...only sunrises. It was worth it...especially when the clouds finally cleared.

It is always special to document a destination wedding. You can't help but get more attached to the couple and in getting to know friends and family, the wedding becomes so much more personal. Did I cry again? Yes. It was beautiful.

My favorite moment of the day was when we walked off the resort up the beach to have some quiet moments for photos with champagne in hand. It was the first time all week that I saw the two exhale and savor the moment they were in. With the warm breeze and the sun fading behind them...it was truly sweet.

Here are some of my favorites:




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Contact: melanie@m-contemporaryphotography.com

613.769.6019

{Winter Wedding Style Shoot Inspiration at Stonefields} Ottawa Wedding Photographers

There is something beautiful about the magic of winter white and weddings. There is a beautiful dreamy quality about everything against the clean elegance of snow. And in December this year, I was itching to do a style shoot and made a few phone calls to some of my favorite people in the Ottawa wedding industry and like winter magic it all came together. Before the winter is completely over I would love to share this work with you!

Why do a style shoot in the dead of the winter cold? Well, if you love shooting as much as I do and you are inspired, you just have to get it out of your system. Style shoots are a lot of fun. It's a chance to work with some of the best people in the wedding industry-your dream team. These ladies comprise my dream team. Not only are they amazing human beings, but they are so talented at what they do! Style shoots are a time to play, experiment and have fun without the pressure of the wedding day- simply put, they feed your imagination and hopefully they also inspire our clients.

Stephanie and Steve of Stonefields heritage farm were beyond welcoming. Not only did they let us interrupt their holiday, but they fed us lunch and dessert and offered wine and beverages...It really was outstanding. The house was decked to the nines for the holidays and the fire was roaring in the front room where hair, make-up and wardrobe were taking place. It was truly a luxurious experience and far beyond expectations (big huggy thank you to you both!). The whole shoot would not have been possible without them. Here are some of my favorites:

On this day, and you can hardly tell, Melissa Johnston also an Ottawa wedding photographer was not feeling well at all. But with her cough syrup in hand, she was simply beautiful-and you can hardly tell she was under the weather at all. Together we brought our favorite vintage props including her stunning antique grammaphone, some restoration hardware chairs, and other trunks and such to create something vintage by chic.

My friend and fellow wedding photographer Jon Rennie was also up in Ottawa from Toronto to join us! Can you imagine 3 photographers on the same shoot? It was awesome to have all the creativity on board!

About the talented team:

Erin Carmichael of Full Bloom Flowers created a beautiful bouquet and oblong table setting from willow, cream roses, orchids, mums, hydrangea and peacock feathers. Erin is no stranger to floral design and has recently re-established herself here in Ottawa after many years of doing wedding design in Vancouver and has had her floral designs featured in Wedluxe magazine. She comes with some solid credentials and has studied under the world renowned Floral Designer, Hitomi Gilliam.

Hair and make-up styling on-site were done by the lovely Lori Dyck (lori@showponyhair.com) and Sarah Walsh. Sarah is also a very talented jewelry designer and also provided the jewelry details for the shoot.

The dresses are from the Jim Hjelm Blush collection at With Love Bridal Boutique (the lace dress featured here was also in the recent Spring issue of Wedluxe magazine in the "Earl Grey" feature). The handmade custom hair accessories are also created by Dana and Becky -the talent behind With Love Bridal boutique, who create custom pieces for both your hair and your dress, including custom dress sashes.

The lovely blue and silver winter inspired cupcakes are from Isobel's cupcakes and cookies. Heather and her team put these goodies together in record time and let me tell you - they were delicious!

Last but truly not least, the luxurious and artistic wedding cake was by the very talented Cathy Campbell of the Cake Whisperer .  Cathy has a distinct cake design style characterized by her attention to whimsical and delicate details with a very romantic result.

A big thank you to everyone!


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613.769.6019

{Montreal Boudoir Photography Session} Ottawa & Montreal Boudoir Photographer

I was so excited to work with the lovely Tania Semper of efashionista to promote my latest boudoir marathon in Montreal. It was also my birthday and Tania's that weekend so it was just a little extra special and we had a great deal of fun with the make-up, hair and video professionals that we worked with this weekend. I can't wait to see how the video promotion works out- I am sure it will be fun and stylish.


Here is a slideshow of some of my favorite images from the montreal sessions...enjoy!

If you are interested in booking a boudoir session for yourself, I will be hosting Boudoir photography sessions in Ottawa in April and in May in Toronto. Please contact me and I will send you the details! 


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613.769.6019

{Sneak Peek} Montreal Wedding and B0udoir Photographer

Here's a quick sneak peek from Montreal's Boutique Boudoir Sessions....more details and behind the scenes to come on this session....til then...here's one of my favorites!

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Contact: melanie@m-contemporaryphotography.com

613.769.6019