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I got out with Valeriya and Nick for their engagement shoot about a week before their wedding, we soaked up all that warm sunshine and had a wonderful time exploring around St. Boniface Cathedral. Nick proposed to Valeriya on the promenade on new years eve in the freezing cold! So the spot had some special meaning for them. The two of them were so fun to capture, they really made my job simple. Stay tuned for their wedding on the blog soon!
Im not too sure where to start this one… lets take it back a few years!
Years ago we received an email, it was from Josh. He was wanting to test the water in wedding photography, and asked if we’d be willing to have him join us on some shoots. What the heck, why not! He wrote a pretty solid email, and so I met up with him and he was a great dude! So he joined us on a lot of shoots and shot some weddings with us too. Turns out it wasn’t really his thing, but im glad he sent that email, and started what would turn out to be a friendship! He is an amazing photographer, and you should probably check him out on instagram @yoshigrams
When Josh and Melissa got engaged we were of course super excited for them, and even more excited when they came to us wanting us to be the ones that would document their wedding!!
Initially the plan was for a wedding in Winnipeg, then that changed to an elopement in Iceland. Then the wonderful thing known as Covid came around and put the kibosh on that plan. Flights, hotels, etc all had to be cancelled and refunded (fun stuff… not really, but it all worked out) Then, we found out that we would be able to travel west without an isolation period… perfect! So Melissa and Josh got to exploring where they would like to elope. They chose Tofino and Ucluelet. We got to planning everything out with them, sending each other links to airbnbs, locations for photo’s etc! Let me tell ya, we found an amazing airbnb!!
So the plans were set! Tofino here we come! Airports and travel was a bit of a change from what we were all used to, but no problems (not going to mention Melissa and Josh’s temporarily lost luggage) We arrived in Nanaimo, and drove a breathtaking and crazy drive to Tofino. Found our amazing airbnb and settled in and did some exploring.
The day of their elopement Amanda assembled a beautiful bouquet for Melissa (multi-talented wife i’ve got!). Melissa and Josh spent a relaxing morning getting ready, and then did their first look right outside the door of the AirBNB we were all staying at. We took a few photo’s there as well, because it was so beautiful!) Then we all jumped in a car and went to the location for their vows. We found a secluded spot in Ucluelet for their vows (not a person in sight) and from there we made our way back to Tofino, stopping along the way for more photo’s in the rain forest and then a stop at Tacofino for what would be the most amazing fish taco’s we ever did have! Spent some time hanging out at our airbnb enjoying some drinks and relax time. With sunset on the way we all walked down to Cox Bay Beach for some more photo’s to finish up the day. After that we all enjoyed a delicious meal from Shelter Restaurant.
The day after the elopement we would go our separate ways, and head to Victoria (they spent a few days there, as did we).
This elopement was one for the books, and in our minds exactly like an elopement should be. We had some really great times with Melissa and Josh, exploring, enjoying meals together, whale watching, checking out Tofino Distillery and Tofino Brewing Company, and so much more. It was relaxed, no stress of having to be at this spot for a couple minutes and then off to the next. We all just let the day happen and enjoyed every bit of it.
Even though things didn’t go as planned for Iceland, I think it all turned out perfectly, and we couldn’t be happier for Melissa and Josh, and couldn’t feel more honored to have been part of this with them!
If you’ve actually read this far, I want to thank you! Let us know by leaving a comment! haha.
Now time to enjoy the slideshow, or scroll through the photo’s below.
Corey & Amanda
Fun Fact! Shannon and I grew up on the same street, I didn’t know this until we got out for her shoot with Tyler! Such a small world.
These two were super sweet with each other. We adventured around Birds Hill Park, in the forest trails, on the beach, and in the parking lot with Tyler’s fancy Subaru!
Enjoy!
I met up with Sarah and Stuart out at Brereton lake back in the summer. They’ve got a family cabin out there, so it holds a special place in their hearts. They led me on a bit of an adventure to an amazing spot with a beautiful view. The sky was crazy, there was thunder and lightning happening all around us, and somehow the storm missed us. We made our way down to the lake just in time to catch the amazing sunset and capture a few more photos. Really enjoyed spending some time with these two out at the lake. Hope you enjoy the photo’s too!
Another gorgeous day for an equally gorgeous wedding! Holly and Brandan got married at Pineridge Hollow (Always enjoy working there!) The day started with some getting ready photo’s of the guys, and then over to the ladies. Champagne bottles were poppin and all kinds of fun was happening. The ceremony was wonderful and followed up by a fantastic cocktail hour or two for a chance to mingle with all their friends. Once the wedding moved inside some friends and family had to leave due to gathering restrictions. That didn’t stop the fun and good times for the rest of the evening though!
Had such a great time with Holly and Brandan and all of their family and friends.
Enjoy!
Courtney and Luke just wouldn’t let anything stop their wedding from happening. They had their closest family and friends with them for their amazing day at Hawthorn Estates. All the details were amazing. The venue was perfect as always. They just wanted to have fun and make their wedding day as special as possible. One moment that stands out to me was the first look between Luke and his girls, the sweetest thing ever, and it made my eyes tear up. I sure hope you enjoy looking at this one as much as I do!
Is there ever really a bad time? Well maybe not when it’s -40 degrees outside in the winter!
Every season in Manitoba offers a unique chance to have your elopement or wedding.
Winter
As cold as winter can be, it can also be extremely beautiful. There is also a lot less weddings happening during the winter. Why is that, well because its cold is what I would think. A lot less weddings means good things for you though. More vendors will have availability, and more venues will have openings. This gives you the chance to get what you really want.
Winter can also make for some really stunning and beautiful photo’s. Maybe you elope and head out to the lake, rent a cute airbnb with a fireplace to cozy up by. Have a fire outside or on the lake and get married right there.
Spring
Spring can be wonderful too, but it can also be super messy and gross. I wouldn’t really suggest an elopement in the city in the spring (well at least maybe avoiding downtown might be best) The roads are messy and not really that attractive. However head a bit outside of the city and spring can be really pretty. Maybe there is still some snow around, but the temps are a bit warmer, making it easier and more comfortable to be outside. Late spring brings about the blossoms in the tree’s and the days are lasting a bit longer.
Summer
You can’t really go wrong with summer in Manitoba. I would say this is probably when most weddings and elopements take place. The weather is great, the days seem to last forever and those beautiful prairie sunsets! But what if it rains you ask? Embrace it, embrace every single drop. You can’t control the weather, so just make the best of it. Whether its finding some shelter outside for photo’s or just getting right into the rain and taking it all in. We’ll be right there taking photo’s and enjoying it with you.
Fall
I don’t think there is a more beautiful season in Manitoba to elope than fall. The colors are amazing, the sunsets are spectacular, and the temps are a bit more mild. My only complaint about fall is that it doesn’t last long enough. Fall is generally our busiest season for weddings and engagements, family photo’s etc.
Meaghan and Will met up with me at Birds Hill Park for their engagement. Right off the bat these two were a lot of fun. We had good laughs, crazy beautiful sunlight, and a great time. Looking back at this shoot and going through these photo’s sure makes me miss that warm summer sunshine! Can’t wait for their wedding next year!
Lorraine and Karlos planned their wedding really quickly, but it was fantastic and beautiful. They had me along for just a couple hours to capture some photo’s of them, and of their ceremony. I don’t always have all the time in the world to get to know our couples, and don’t always get to spend a full day with them, but being able to connect with people and have them comfortable in front of the camera seems to be something that comes very easy for me, and I think that shows in these photo’s. I really enjoyed the bit of time I spent with these two, and hopefully will get out for more photo’s with them again some time soon.
Im not sure if you know this or not, but we LOVE Clear Lake, in Riding Mountain National Park. Its one of our fav places to go anytime in the year. So when Kirstin and Blaise contacted us to say they were getting married there we got all kinds of excited! They are from Saskatchewan, and the wedding almost never ended up happening in Clear Lake because of travel restrictions, lucky for them and for us travel was allowed between the provinces and the wedding could go on! They had a beautiful ceremony at the Wishing Well, and followed it up with an evening cruise with family and friends aboard the Martese.
We ended up spending a few days camping out there with the kids after the wedding too! Always nice when we can make a trip out of it.
Enjoy!
