Out of the vault we are bringing you this blockbuster double post: Melany + Kyle’s dreamy wedding day (see previous post) along with a smattering of shots from their engagement session. Enjoy!

On July 31st, we had the distinct honour of shooting Kyle Shaen + Melany Kucherka’s Midsummer Night’s Dream wedding. It was a stunning affair complete with twinkling fairy lights, butterflies, velvety moss, draping black chiffon and most notably, one incredibly good-looking wedding party! Truth be told, it was also and one of the most idyllic backdrops we’ve ever shot at {Stepstone}. This shoot involved our entire Bliss team and at the time I departed the cuban cigars were just coming out. We are thrilled to {finally} share their love story with you along with a smattering of images taken from their Big Day.

Kyle + Mel first met during the fall of 2002, when Mel’s best friend was dating Kyle’s brother at the time and introduced the pair to each other. The story goes that he wasted no time in asking for her number, but Mel was quite insistent that if he really wanted it he would have to find a way to get it. Lo and behold, he must have gotten it somehow because a few days later he called. As excited as she was to hear from him, Mel was suffering from a horrible bout of laryngitis. But they set a date nonetheless and began immediately e-mailing while she nursed herself back to good health. Two weeks of e-mails unravelled much in common and a sense of closeness they could barely explain. As their official first date neared it already felt as though they had known each other for years. And Kyle, well, he is one determined man. There was no way a massive snowstorm was going to keep him from this magic moment, and he arrived with a huge grin on his face.

Over the years they have shared so many amazing experiences together. When asked what they “know for sure” about each other, Mel replied unequivocally “we are best friends, one smile can make everything feel right and no matter what we always have each others’ back.” Sounds like the recipe for a fulfilling marriage.

Mel + Kyle: Congratulations to you both on this wonderful journey you are beginning. We hope your honeymoon in Cape Cod was as picturesque, romantic and fun as your wedding turned out to be. Hope you made some more amazing memories together! Please enjoy this sneak peek of images which have been edited to reflect the theme of the wedding… ethereal, romantic, vintage: Midsummer Night’s Dream-ish. {Quick shout-outs to Bethanie of You’re Invited Certified Consulting for her cool head and uncanny knack for taking the bride’s vision and helping bring it to life; to Maggie at Maggie’s Magicals and Miranda and her team from the Flower Shed for transforming the tent into a truly stunning creation.} — Alvis, Melissa + Sam

This one was for the books! Record books, that is. There are not too many things I won’t do to try and get the shots I visualize, and lately, getting soaking wet has just been par for the course. And so… like my jump in the lake out on location at Quetico — neck-high with the snapping turtles and all — I’ll just jump straight to the good stuff.

Kate + Craig are getting married this Saturday and they are STOKED. Can’t say as I blame them…. they’ve been blissfully in love since the summer of ‘06. But their story actually starts WAY before that when Craig’s parents fortuitously met Kate’s mom while she was pregnant twenty-five years ago {their first formal introduction to the future daughter-in-law!} Fun-loving and full of adventure, our couple is always up to something. They share a passion for riding the quad, hanging out at camp, boating, watching movies and admittedly, falling asleep while watching movies! My particular favourite *Kate + Craig* anecdote is Craig’s quirky marriage proposal… faking a broken leg while skiing in Lutsen, a concerned Kate attempts to comfort him only to realize he’s *just kidding*, but while still on bended knee asks her to marry him. Classic!

For their engagement shoot they wanted to go somewhere completely indicative of them… outdoors, a place that meant the world, with water, boating, casual elegance, private, fun. These were the themes we worked with and could only mean one option: Craig’s gorgeous Quetico camp. Kate being Kate was up for pretty much ANYTHING. We prepared for a change into some more formal clothes and she opted for something a little vintage: her high school graduation dress. Yes ladies, it still fits. Upon seeing said dress — a beautiful white, strapless gown — I thought to myself, “self, this is looking like it could turn into something reminiscent of a Trash-the-Dress shoot!” And so that was pretty much the approach we took as she and Craig made a run off the cliff and went FREEeeeee, FREE-FALLING for several dramatic seconds. I gotta tell you, I was loving it. *It* being this free-spirited take on love.

Guys: enjoy. I’m excited to look after you on this day that means so much. Get some sleep. Ok, who am I kidding… relish the adrenaline! — Alvis

This story and this couple are so colourful and downright delicious it’s hard to know where to even begin. And yes, I’m using the word *delicious*… Who’d have thought that chum you ride the school bus with at age 12 could wind up being the one? In Renee + Ryan’s case, this was reality.

Our two lovebirds began their relationship some 18 years ago when they both attended Sacred Heart school and eventually the same high school. In their own words, they were definite *buddies*. Renee knew she could always count on Ryan for rides to class since she was perpetually late and knew he had a rep for oversleeping. Not a bad deal if you ask me! The years following high school went by, but on random occasions the two would bump into each other and the conversations would just flow. Renee recalls one specific Halloween at a local watering hole where she spotted the dapper Ryan dressed up as a cow. Yes, as in *mooooooooo*. Without hesitation she flew over and yanked on his udders, thinking she must be the most hysterical person on the planet. Naturally, he did not complain. Moments like this kept cropping up over the years, including the memorable *bump-in* at Tony + Adam’s one evening when they both, very coolly, exchanged business cards, each thinking the other would be ueber impressed with said card! They then vowed to catch up in a different setting.

Eventually Ryan did call Renee, but his timing always was just a bit off. Who gives a girl 5 minutes notice to hop on a motorcyle and go for a ride?! {As Renee says, “Hellooooo!  I’m a girl! I need to prepare for such adventures!!!”} Well his persistence paid off,  they got that ride in and have never looked back since.

Although admittedly our couple prefers to be spontaneous and dodge planning when at all possible {thus driving their respective mothers crazy}, you would never know this from the lavish + lovely evening they created in celebration of their marriage July 30th. Everything was perfect: from the flowers and décor to the weather holding up to an afternoon that was, truly, F-U-N.

Guys, in looking at your imagery there are a few things that leap to mind. #1 you are madly in love with each other… even after all these years; #2 you can laugh at yourselves and let loose… thereby letting the real you shine through; and #3 Renee you are drop-dead gorgeous and shattered my 50 prime 1.2 {it’s little wonder you were crowned Ms Hawaiian Tropic} and #4 family and friends mean the world to you {as illustrated by the cameo appearance of *cinematographer extraordinaire* Mr. Mike Fazio… who drove in from Winnipeg without hesitation to capture these long-time friends memories on film}.

To sum, you were a treat to work with and your wedding party… they R-O-C-K-E-D. We know you and your adorable son Luke have much to look forward to in this next stage of your lives. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into the beautiful life you’ve created thus far. Stay tuned for a bucket-load of images!

–xo from Alvi + Sam

In the hallway. In the cafeteria. On the stairs. In class. At dances. Lynette + Craig were *that couple*. You know their kind… the ones who were aware of each other’s presence all throughout high school {thank you, PACI} but just never got around to speaking to each other. Fast forward to mutual jobs at the Great Canadian Superstore and Craig finally mustered up the nerve to ask Lynette out a week before he quit. And the rest, as they say… is history!

For the past five years the two have been inseparable, quickly learning that a deeply rooted friendship must come first. There isn’t anything they don’t share together. In their own words, they “complete each other.” Craig, an RN at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is stoked to take his blushing bride Lynette — a dental hygienist of the *gentle* kind — on their honeymoon somewhere in the Caribbean. For now, the plan is to quite literally *chill-ax*; well-deserved considering the stunning affair that was pulled off at the beautiful Nor’Wester Hotel on July 17th.

This was one particular wedding I could not wait to shoot and for them it was the full enchilada: cinematography coverage and multiple camera coverage. Guys; it’s been a long time coming since we first sat down to discuss your vision two years ago. I hope you are in the full-on throes of your chill-axing and that this preview imagery reminds you of the lifetime of memories that are yet to come. And one more thing, we know you had a huge decision to make in selecting your photographer… thanks for picking me!   xo from Alvi, Sam + Melissa

To our loyal blogstalkers (you know who you are!); you have come to know Bliss as a boutique photography company with a deliberate focus on wedding imagery. But from time to time, our cameras will be wooed away to enticing offers from long-time friends who happen to have the world’s cutest children and we then find ourselves powerless… surrendering to the intensity of said cuteness and thus making a date for a family photo shoot. Ok, that was wordy, but you get my drift!

This is one such story. Erika Bergman-Hachey and I have known each other for… ahem… we’ll say 22 years now. That puts us right about the early years at FWCI, I do believe? Thanks to the marvels of social networking, she and I have reconnected after all these years on Facebook, and when she mentioned that her family would be up from Illinois (where they now reside) and were hoping for some family photos that reflected the beauty of our boreal forest, it just had to happen.

Erika — an RN with a penchant for competing in and winning triathlons — married the love of her life, Peter — also a Canadian, originally from Saskatchewan — and together they are raising their three adorable life’s masterpieces: Liam, Kalum and daughter Brielle. And although life is grand down in Illinois, they do grow weary of the incessant 40 degree weather and regular tornado warnings. So visits back north to see friends and family are a welcome relief! Ironically, the day they arrived here mother nature wanted to ensure they did not forget what awaits them at home: she served up a tasty thunderstorm and some whopping tornado warnings {just for good measure}. Even way up here there was just no escaping the possibility of being swept over the rainbow!

Erika + Peter: this is just a quick sneak peek from your shoot and thanks for all your patience. Wedding season is no-sleep season but eventually we are getting caught up! And despite the wiggling bodies, your photo session captured the happy and relaxed nature of your family. You are blessed in all things money cannot buy.

–xo Sam (+ Alvi, busy working away in the editing room!)

Sabrina + Tor, you’ve been exceedingly patient and this one’s finally for you! In your own words, July 16th 2010 was best summed up as *bliss*; and in our world, we’ll tack on a few other superlatives when we hear our clients describe the feelings they have for each other, their wedding day and the memories they created using such a meaningful word.

Where to start… well, the beginning seems logical enough, n’est pas? The moment we received our first email from Sabrina, we were struck by two remarkable things, (1) that the email was coming from Norway and (2) that she put a serious amount of energy into describing what she was looking for and whom she was marrying. We were riveted, to be frank. Who was this articulate and romantic Canadian woman and how did she end up in Norway? What was her story? And just who was this “Tor” chap that had captivated her heart?

It turns out that both Sabrina and Tor (short for Torleiv) were destined to be together when they both made the decision to study at the renowned St. Andrew’s University in Scotland. Despite initially laying eyes on each other during a student fashion show (to be clear, it was Tor who was modelling… an important part of the story!), years would go by before they finally were officially introduced at a Christmas dinner party. What started off slow and steady, eventually deepened into a true love and their commitment to each other became obvious by the end of their final year; not long after plans of a future together were already in discussion. Tor proposed four years later in the most idyllic of settings: on the cliffs outside St. Andrews, with vistas of the old University, the beach and the North Sea.

Fast forward to today and our beautiful married couple already have one month under their belts! There were so many important elements we wanted to incorporate into our strategy for representing Sabrina + Tor’s Big Day. The vibrant Norwegian culture and symbols notwithstanding, another key element would be to try and arrange for their photo session on the water somehow. Growing up in Northern Ontario, Lake Superior would be so meaningful to Sabrina, and because its vastness is akin to an ocean of sorts, it would tie in perfectly with the oceanview proposal that set everything in motion. Not to mention the fact that Tor is a sailor… which meant their private photo session aboard a beautiful 42 ft sailboat (thank you, Captain Brett Clibbery!) made perfect sense. The images reveal a couple that radiates such authentic joy; it was near impossible to choose from the hundreds shot.

Our best wishes to both Sabrina + Tor, as they take a brief hiatus from their life in Norway to further their studies in Amsterdam (Tor will be completing his third masters degree but this time in Environment and Resource Management, and Sabrina will complete her two-year masters degree in GIS). Guys: it was our honour to be a part of your wedding day, and we hope this brief glimpse back will evoke all those intense emotions once again. Vi ønsker deg en livstid av helsen, lykke, fred og balanse.

Shout-outs to Maggie at Maggie’s Magicals and the Flower Shed for the outstanding work transforming the Valhalla Ballroom. Stunning work!

–Alvis, Sam + Melissa

Well, dear friends… we are smack in the throes of wedding season, mustering up all our reserves to try and keep up with the blogging! We have six more weddings to post to bring us up to the end of July and are working feverishly at the editing to get caught up. For those of you couples who might be new to this little piece of literature we humbly call our BlissBlog, thanks for stopping by; and please do stick around! We hope that these images will inspire you as you begin to plan for your own Big Day…

But let’s talk about our couple du jour: Nina + Terry. It seems that all of our brides this year share a common *killer* trait: a drop-dead gorgeous smile. Nina can certainly hold her own in this category! This particular love story goes back to an innocent long-distance introduction over phone/e-mail at the tender age of 16. One of Nina’s best mates from high school had moved to Calgary and as fate would have it, became friends with Terry. But fate did not stop there as her friend made the introduction to Nina, and thanks to modern technology the two formed a closely knit friendship despite the boundaries of geography. Eventually, Nina decided that Calgary should be her home and she made the move in July of 2005. Who do you think helped her move all her stuff? Yup. It was Terry. We like to affectionately call them “Beauty + The Braun” thanks to this little piece of info.

Four years later a romantic proposal at the Minowanka Loop in Banff ensued. This place holds special meaning to our bride and groom; one of their favourite couple pictures ever was taken there… that picture and that out-of-the-way little spot keep them mindful of the happiness they share together. And if you ask Nina what she attributes as the foundation of their relationship, she will most heartily profess it is the strength of their friendship.

Nina + Terry: thank you for letting us share this glimpse into your wonderful relationship. Your July 3rd 2010 wedding will go down in history as one of the hottest days we’ve ever shot; but that certainly did not stop you from relishing in the joy of the step you were taking. As you build on your life in Calgary, we hope your wedding images will always evoke those feelings of giddiness and excitement that you experienced when you went from best friends to husband and wife. Our warmest congratulations to you both.

Theirs is an international love story we can’t wait to share; but we are reserving these splendid details for Sabrina + Tor’s upcoming wedding post. You see, timing and geography prevented us from capturing engagement images prior to their Big Day. So in an unconventional twist a few days after their wedding, we opted to simply go for a little stroll and just start clicking the camera. Drinking in the rugged beauty of Northern Ontario, it was clear that this couple have such fondness and respect for nature, the earth, and nothing but crazy love for each other! Their genuine happiness seemed to leap off my screen as I began to edit their photos, and more than once I found myself thinking “Man! These guys are h-a-w-t!” But what else would you expect from a former local beauty queen and a Norwegian runway model with piercing {non-photoshopped!} blue eyes?

Sabrina + Tor: the words that come to my mind in thinking of how to describe you and the love you have for each other are authentic, natural, deep-rooted, enlightened, respectful, fun-loving and kind. I hope you are as enthused about these images as I am! You will have your work cut out for you in deciding what to enlarge and frame for your new home in Amsterdam… and wait until you see your actual wedding day photographs. Better have a lot of naked walls to cover!

June 25th is etched in the hearts of Josh and his beautiful bride, Sam, for eternity. Not only was this the day they first began their relationship seven years ago, it was also the day they promised to be there for each other, forever.

Their love story began on a camping trip in 2003 {at least, according to Josh it was a camping trip!} when he first asked her out. Sam surmises it was before this, but regardless… she said “yes” and the rest is history! The two shared their passion for hockey — in particular they enjoyed rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs — and all things travel and *fun* related. Five years blew by and before they knew it they were making that ultimate first purchase and were ecstatic to move into their new home. But what is a home without a dog? Empty, we say! And so goes the story of their precious peanut, Coconut. Sam must have cast quite the spell on Josh, because a chance encounter with a stranger’s dog and only one clue as to his origin led Josh to make a bazillion phone calls and ultimately a trip down to Atikokan at precisely 6:30 pm on October 10th, 2008 {this dog clearly means the world to them!}. Coco was an immediate hit and has been not at all spoiled with love and affection over the years. Finally, after six years of blissful togetherness, Josh popped the question on June 25th 2009.

Josh + Sam: it was a treat to work with such down-to-earth, happy people on your Big Day. Sam, this man is smitten. His surprise slideshow in your honour brought tears to just about everyone present. Your White Water wedding was filled with such tender moments; I hope you can see the real emotion that built up through the day in your images. I’m thrilled we were able to build a story that showcased your love for the outdoors, the importance of your family camp and most especially your fun-loving personalities. The fact that we were able to arrange for the two fighter jets to fly over, and, in pilot terminology *wave* to congratulate you is something that still mystifies me! {Cue the jets!!!} Despite the incredible heat that day, everyone kept their cool and every moment was maximized and recorded. I wish you a lifetime of happiness and travel and hope you enjoy those magic moments on your Sandals, St. Lucia honeymoon! And who knows, maybe one day we’ll get our Leafs to win the cup! –Xo from Alvis + Sam {my Sam}