Archives for October 2016

Today I’m tapping into my ethereal side and celebrating the bohemian bride.  It’s been fun to see my couples channel their inner bohemian and throw a casual and unconventional wedding.  One of my free-spirited brides linked arms with her Dad and walk down the aisle to meet her groom…barefoot.  Another couple said “I Do” in a woodland meadow.  The flowers were wilder and the fabrics printed and textured.  Whether it’s subtle bohemian touches or full-on Coachella, I’m all for couples throwing a wedding their own way.

As part of a recent bridal portrait series, I photographed Sloan from Numa Models out in Kananaskis Country with the fall foliage on display.  The starting point for her look was the two-piece long, flowing wedding gown from Martina Liana.  The way that skirt danced in the breeze took my breath away.

Okay, sometimes the wind needed a little help.  Who knew that hair and make-up stylist Erica Piebiak, is also a dress wrangler?

Bouquet for the bohemian bride

Janelle from Flowers by Janie brought seasonal foliage like leaves, berries and grasses into the bouquet.  Perfect for cool weather, and for Sloan’s look.

Every bohemian bride needs something pretty in her hair.  A lovely and delicate twist on the flower crown is the hair vine or halo.  This opal-encrusted piece from Olivia the Wolf added romance to the bride’s loose waves.

Can we talk about the bride’s bordeaux lippy shade?

For a hint of sparkle, Sloan wore layers of feminine gold rings from Adorn Boutique in Calgary.

Do you love the mountains like I do?  Here’s a recent Kananaskis engagement session, if you’d like to see.

Wedding gown:  “Tait & Sadie” by Martina Liana from The Bridal Boutique in Calgary

Headpiece:  Olivia the Wolf from The Bridal Boutique

Hair and make-up stylist:  Erica Piebiak

Bridal bouquet:  Flowers by Janie

Rings & bracelet:  Adorn Boutique

Model:  Sloan from Numa Models

Bohemian bride in Kananaskis captured by Calgary Wedding Photographer – Tara Whittaker

I have quite a treat for you today.  Steph and Sean’s Cornerstone Theatre wedding in Canmore was beautiful in so many ways.  Though they planned their wedding long distance, these two put a lot of care into the planning of their mountain celebration and as a result, the wedding details were thoughtful and cohesive.

Steph blended lavender tones, the texture of succulents and soft rustic touches beautifully.  That kind of thing is candy for my camera!

Steph and Sean said their I Dos with the Rockies standing majestically behind them.  Their vows were heartfelt and from the moment Steph walked down the aisle, every wedding guest sat in rapt attention.  One thing is for sure, these two are loved.

A few words from the bride…

“My favourite part about being married is waking up from the best dream ever and realizing this is real life. Ten days after Sean proposed I got on a plane to Asia and we spent six months of our eight month engagement apart, planning our wedding over choppy wifi, often into wee hours of the morning. Not only that, my five bridesmaids were also scattered across six different countries around the world until days before the wedding. It seems crazy now but I think part of the magic of the day was seeing everything come together in a way that perfectly represented us.”

Cornerstone Theatre wedding

“Part of our desire for our wedding was that our guests would get a sense of who we are as a couple, that glimpses of our love story would be meaningfully woven into all aspects of the day. Our first dance captured this perfectly. After the father-daughter dance, my dad gave my hand to Sean and within seconds we broke out into a sequence of unexpected moves choreographed to a medley of songs significant to us. The shock and awe on people’s faces was priceless but to me the most memorable part was looking into Sean’s eyes and knowing there was no one else he’d rather be dancing with.”

Ceremony venue:  Rundleview Parkette

Reception venue:  Cornerstone Theatre

Bride’s hairpiece:  Twigs & Honey

Bridal gown:  Leanne Marshall

Bride’s shoes:  BHLDN

Hair stylist:  Beverley Robertson from Influence Salon

Make-up artist:  Claire Simone Make-up Artistry

Bridesmaid’s dresses:  Two Birds Bridesmaids

Flowers:  Black Earth Floral

Wedding cake:  Cake Rhapsody in Canmore

DJ:  Gaston from Cornerstone Theatre

Cornerstone Theatre wedding captured by Calgary Wedding Photographer – Tara Whittaker

Weddings are all about traditions but sometimes it’s fun to add a new twist.  More often than not, flower girls baskets of petals for throwing as they walk down the aisle.  If you’re looking for unique flower girl ideas, how about an ice cream cone bouquet?  Nothing says summer wedding like ice cream!  Be sure to scroll down down for a complete DIY.

Flower girl ideas

If you’re not afraid of a little DIY, here are the detailed instructions for making these ice cream cone bouquets.

Supplies & equipment:

14” of ribbon (I used 1.5” width)
3 waffle cones
Hot glue and hot glue gun
Tissue paper
Selection of colorful blooms
Floral shears
Floral tape
Floral glue

Cut a 14” length of ribbon

Attach the one end of ribbon to the first cone using hot glue

Fold the ribbon in half and attach the two ends together using hot glue

Attach the 2^nd and 3^rd cone to the 1^st using hot glue and hiding the ends of the ribbon in the middle of the three cones

If needed, tuck crumpled tissue paper into the bottom of the cones. You may need it for filler and to secure the blooms firmly inside the cone

Arrange the blooms into small bundles, clipping the ends as needed using floral shears

To hold multiple stems together (if applicable) wrap them with floral tape

Add a dab of floral glue to the end the stems and place it inside the cone. The glue will keep the blooms in place for their trip down the aisle

Thank you to Swooned for partnering with me on this project and for featuring it in honour of National Ice cream Day.

Dresses: Children’s Place

Hugs and kisses to Kennedy and Ellie, the perfect flower girls for this summer project.

Flower girl ideas styled and photographed by Calgary Wedding Photographer – Tara Whittaker

This season I’ve photographed many different brides, each in their perfect wedding dress.  Some of those dresses were flowy and ethereal, others curve-hugging and sensual.  All of them were uniquely beautiful.  There’s something about Sarah’s timeless bridal style in these photographs that takes my breath away.  So much so, that you’ll find she graces the front page of my new website.  Like her elegant look, I love the idea that the images I take are also timeless in nature, capturing the essence of a wedding, just as the bride and groom remember it.  Recently I was thumbing through Vogue Weddings and came across a quote from the design house Marchesa that really resonated with me…

“It’s not about putting on something that’s trendy this year, it’s about something you’ll be happy with in 30 years”.

I hope that 30 years from now, my couples and their children (or grandchildren for that matter) won’t be flipping through their wedding photographs and grimacing because “yikes, that’s the way they did it in 2016”.   Of course the fashions and the hairstyles will change, but my desire is to capture a moment in time naturally, beautifully and sincerely.

Timeless bridal style

And because pretty wedding details make my heart pitter pat, I’m throwing in a shot of Sarah’s sparkling diamond rings in a velvet Mrs. Box.

Last fall I photographed Kellie and Ryan’s classic wedding in downtown Calgary, if you’d like to see.  Kellie epitomized timeless bridal style.

Thank you to all of the talented vendors involved in this shoot including…

Wedding bouquet:  Flowers by Janie

Make-up Stylist:  Tara from TOK Beauty

Hair Stylist:  Tara Watts from Hairbrained

Gown: Theia Couture from Pearl  & Dot Bridal Boutique

Veil:  Sara Gabriel Veils from Pearl  & Dot Bridal Boutique

Beautiful bride, Sarah Hames

Sarah’s timeless bridal style captured by Calgary Wedding Photographer – Tara Whittaker