How do you know when it’s really love? How about this: getting in your car and zipping on over to Ignace for the chance to spend just one night with the man you love. Or this? Realizing you’re smitten and it’s only date #3. For Jessica + Brad there’s just no questioning. It’s love. Plain + simple.

Their beautiful September 10th wedding rolled around with nary a glitch {quite impressive when you consider their engagement was a succinct six months… no time for stress! Just efficient decision making!} As usual we get excited with each of our client couples… but for this specific wedding we were über eager. To start, Brad is a firefighter and managed to convince his superiors that incorporating the fire engine into their wedding photos would be nothing short of genius. And it totally was! These are smokin’ hot photos; and Jess — you deserve some major kudos for throwing away the shyness and just going with the flow. There are very few brides — we believe — that would lie across the bumper of a fire truck on their actual wedding day. And given that this is one fun-loving couple whose list of fave things to do together includes fishing and skate skiing, we knew the day would be full of adventure. In fact, the central theme of their Nor’Wester Resort wedding was *fun*.

So in the spirit of keeping things to the point {just like Jess will attest her loving Brad does}, we’re gonna cut to the chase and post these images. Rave reviews go to Maggie at Maggie’s Magical Occasions for creating a dramatic and elegant backdrop that punched out splashes of bright pink from her black and white colour scheme; and to Jessica + Brad’s wedding party of 10: you guys seriously made the day. It’s easy to see why those friendships are so important to you. Thanks for all your patience guys, and we know you know this already, but huge heartfelt thanks for having chosen Bliss. We know there are lots of fantastic photogs to choose from; but we consider it a distinct privilege when clients pick us. Enjoy this sneak peek! –xo from Alvis, Sam + Melissa

One guy. One girl. Effusive beauty. So much love and laughter. The right stuff! We’re not entirely sure how it happens here at Bliss; but it seems that every wedding couple we’ve had the honour to represent is blessed with *all the right stuff*. Naturally we’re not just talking looks.

Enter Katie + Craig Version 2.0. Our regular blog followers will remember their cliff-jumping, turtle-snapping, roof-climbing, boat-maneuvering engagement session. {If you missed it, you really ought to scroll back a few blogs ago to get a glimpse of their zest for each other and life.} This was one wedding we were dying to blog! Kate put her heart and soul into every charming little touch at their Stepstone ceremony and reception. From the Sweet Tooth Booth to the glittering array of masks and wigs available for glamour shots behind the hanging empty frames; every square foot had her signature on it.

Kate + Craig, looks like your wish was granted. Your greatest desire for this wedding was to “have everyone you cared about in one place to celebrate and have a few good laughs with.” Mission accomplished, indeed. Thank you for letting us share these magic moments with you… and hopefully you enjoy this sneak peek summation of the day’s festivities! Since we know that you guys are “go big or go home” peeps, we can only imagine where life will take you next! Here’s to a lifetime of adventure + love. –Alvis, Sam + Melissa

If you live in Thunder Bay, have ever had your hair done professionally and you have a sense of style, chances are you’ve run into one of Melinda Minnella’s relatives, as this is a family that KNOWS HAIR. And we’re pretty sure we’ve not yet seen such beautifully coiffed creations in a wedding party before. But I digress.

Melinda + Ryan’s storybook romance began at — of all places — Future Shop. Once upon a time they merely worked together and had no interest in each other. Enter that proverbial spark, five years of dating and you’ve arrived at the crescendo of their relationship: a beautiful August 21st wedding celebration on one smokin’ hot day. When this classy couple first came to us with their wedding vision in July last year, we immediately we bought in. Melinda described her wedding as *traditional Italian meets urban Princess.* The more we chatted the better we understood what was important to her {and Ryan… poor grooms these days just have to show up!}. Upholding the timeless Italian wedding traditions was paramount but Melinda wanted to ensure that her photography captured the edgy/fun side of their distinctive relationship. Ummm…. yes please!

And what a day it was, including a lot of *firsts* for us. For starters, we’re pretty sure that we’ve not yet seen such a massive wedding party {eighteen enthusiastic peeps!}. We imagined that wrangling such a large group would be akin to a pressure cooker… trying to get in all those key posed shots while leaving time for the fun of what we call the *ham session*. But all involved were troupers and hopefully understood that our assertive approach was only meant to try and make the most of the time we had! We also ventured out to new, unknown territory when it came to locations for the shoot and that made for some interesting textures and backdrops in some of our group shots.

Melinda + Ryan live in Edmonton and have been patiently waiting their turn on this blog. Guys: the love you have for each other, for your friends/siblings/family members is almost palpable. You have been blessed to find each other. Thank you for allowing us this glimpse into your relationship and we wish you a HEARTY congratulations! Hope you are happy with this sneak peek of images; it was tricky to narrow it down. Happy Thanksgiving! — Alvis, Sam, Melissa, + Jeremy

Tequila. It’s either the great matchmaker in life, or, the very thing that ensures you NEVER over-indulge again. It’s a love it or hate it-type deal. We suspect in the case of Alisa + Mark, this particular bevvy is the former, as it quite literally is responsible for bringing these two goofballs together forever.

And what happens when said head-over-heels in love goofballs get together with one enthusiastic wedding party? A photo shoot that borders on an illegal dose of crazy. Crazy, I tell you! Such was the case for the vivacious Alisa and her dapper groom Mark this past August 14th. What we are about to show you illuminates the essence of their relationship and personalities: carefree, a lot of *sass*, unhurried, genuine, warm. Alisa, you were a stunning vision reminiscent of what we would call *vintage New York*. With that in mind, in our post-wedding discussions we opted to give your shots that very flavour in the editing room, wanting to create a sense of something timeless and lasting.

But back to our friend, Tequila. {Oh tequila: how we hope to never come across again you ourselves… but that is another tale that is already close to 20 years old!} We love this story because it’s just so raw and fresh… no hint of anything pretentious or embellished for the purpose of entertainment. A girl and a guy and a chance encounter with some gold stuff. Alisa — who has been said by her peers to put tequila in her cereal — found herself at a New Year’s party hosted by future hubby Mark and vowed to keep the drinking to a minimum so as to remain dignified and completely in control. Ahh the best laid plans. Eventually Mark pulled out the tequila and before long Alisa’s strategy evolved into a “I’ll show him what I can do!”: sans lemon or salt she took a shot and did not even bat an eye. This dazzling effort impressed everyone in the room and marked the start of a New Year and a new relationship. {Sidebar: although they also had a whiskey gargling contest, it is worth noting Alisa only came in *second* for this competition. !!!??!!}

So folks, the next time you grimace at that bottle of tequila, don’t discount its power. You just never know who may be watching and falling in love at that very moment.

Shout-outs to the White Fox for hosting their gorgeous tent wedding; to Maggie’s Magicals for her always tasty feast for the eyes; to Rollason’s for creating the incredible bridal bouquets; to Maverick for hosting one kick-ass, rock-and-roll dance party. Alisa + Mark: you’ve been incredibly patient and we thank you for that. If we could bottle up your boundless energy and sell it we could retire. It was an absolute blast working with you and I personally can’t wait until you see all your images. Very difficult to whittle it down to just a few of our faves {if you weren’t so darn photogenic!!}. Please enjoy! –xo Alvis, Sam + Melissa

Ashley’s most anticipated moment of her Big Day? Seeing Kevin’s expression as she walks down the aisle. Kevin’s enviable romantic proposal? A letter to Ashley outlining in great detail the moment he realized she was the one… and her having to read it three times before she finally understood, all the while he was getting down on one knee. {sigh}

Classic. Corny. Love. These two have it all… Mutual respect for each other. A deep appreciation for their strengths and talents. Unending laughter and inside jokes {the electrician gaffs aside, Ashley keeps Kev in stitches}. Passion. Commitment. Friendship. It’s a thing of beauty, really. And so this past August 6th, Ash + Kev put it all on display for their family and best mates to cheer on. Who’d have thought that her casual *saunter up* that fateful night of the 80’s party at the Outpost would result in the rest of their lives? And though when she asked him to dance he politely declined on account of *needing to hold his sweater*, in true Ashley form she grabbed the sweater, his hand and her nerve and headed out to the dance floor. The rest, is history!

It’s a wedding we won’t soon forget, if for no other reason than feeling Ashley’s effusive joy warm up every square inch of space she occupied. {This girl was brimming with happiness. Kev: you must be doing more than just something right!} Thank you for approaching us at the wedding show. Thank you for your faith, your ideas, your low-stress/carefree attitudes. There are hundreds of stunning images and just room for a few select in this wee post. Kevin you will note that it is a heavily-slanted *Ashley* post and we simply could not help that. Rest assured there was ample coverage of you posing it up with your groomsmen… I know they mean the world to you. Thanks for your patience, guys; congratulations again and we’ll be in touch! –Alvi, Sam + Melissa {the Bliss Team}

At Bliss we are continually surprised by the stories of sweeping and original romance that surround our wedding couples. Take Summer + Myles. They truly are one in a million… make that a billion! On August 1st, amidst a crowd of adoring fans, friends and family, they exchanged vows and became husband + wife. Each little detail of this big day was carefully chosen to showcase their uniqueness both as individuals and as a couple. From weaving in Summer’s absolute favourite colour {purple} into the palette of their reception {sidebar note: when recently asked to describe her wedding, Summer’s response was an enthusiastic *purple!*}, to stealing themselves away to a local *Einstein* building for their photo-shoot… every aspect of this wedding had their DNA footprint in it. And we absolutely love this. The concept of being true to who you are — 100% authentic — is what we hang our hats on {and, quite frankly, what we thrive on!}.

Before we get to the good stuff, I always like to share some background as it gives greater significance to the imagery once you know a little bit more about the happy subjects. Thanks to a classic case of exam studying *boredom*, Summer was propelled to log-on to an online dating website, something she had never done before, and something she found to be wildly entertaining! Once she discovered Myles {a computer engineer with a penchant for the board game *Settlers of Catan*}, their first messages to each other were in the form of Einstein quotes. This little exchange would prove incredibly meaningful and would ultimately play a lead role in the elaborate engagement Myles had planned. But I digress…

Eventually these two intellects decided to meet and chose Mooney’s Bay beach as a backdrop to their sunset picnic at Hog’s Back Falls {editor’s note: Summer + Myles live and work in Ottawa}. Mooney’s Bay has a huge hill which would serve as the official meeting point and which, in fact, was once an old trash hill. Myles notoriously jokes that he found his beloved Summer in a trash pile… usually after she does something that makes him shake his head and mutter, “what else can I expect from a girl from the trash hill ha ha.” Their first kiss wound up being under a shooting star {hence the starry night constellation theme of their wedding} and it must have been powerful, because not long after that while gazing into Summer’s big green eyes he realized he was hooped. 100% gone.

When it came to proposing, Myles put his creative, romantic energy into devising “The 7 Days of Summer”, with an activity each day for a week incorporating something that Summer loved doing. On the 6th day, Myles re-created their very first picnic at Hog’s Back Falls {though it very nearly did not happen as Summer just wanted him to take her grocery shopping instead of picnicking!}. Complete with the same food, exact same location and a book of Einstein quotes to read together, it was a resounding *yes!* when he finally proposed with a ring he had custom designed for her.

Guys: Hopefully married life is treating you well. We certainly enjoyed every aspect of your free-spirited, open personalities and are delighted we had a role to play in preserving these cherished memories. Summer: best of luck to you as you look to secure your dream teaching job; and Myles: we don’t know how you juggle your full-time gig as a computer engineer while simultaneously completing your MBA {insanity!}. To the both of you: your wedding was a perfect reflection of you and the love you have for each other. It was full of character. It was elegant. And so we leave you with these final words, we know you know who said them! — xo from the Bliss Team {Alvis, Melissa + Sam}

“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”

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 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

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