I love sessions like these – 4×4ing around the countryside, random locations, old vehicles … totally my thing!

They looked great on my new old truck!

Many dads have reservations about letting go in front of the camera. Luckily, Steve is not one of them! He put on a clinic of how to rock your daddy/son photos.

Chuck and Marlie booked me WAAAAYYYYY back in 2008; they were supposed to get married last year, but postponed the wedding to 2010. It seemed to work out perfectly anyway! The couple married in her parents’ backyard, which backs right onto the beach and Cold Lake itself. Absolutely gorgeous! Marlie was so beautiful in her ivory gown, and Chuck was handsome and beach-wedding-ready in his white shirt and khakis.

A few quick shots just before the ceremony started …

The beautiful bride and her dad!

The guys watching the bride come up the aisle …

The amazing wedding location

Smooch!! I think the kiss is my favorite part of every wedding!

The receiving line …

Is there anything cooler than a hammock by the lake?

Then we headed out to the M.D. Park for some more photos …

And then back to Marlie’s parents’ place for drinks and some more photos!

I was TERRIFIED for Marlie’s dress! But the seadoo shots worked out great!

Congratulations Chuck and Marlie, and thank you so much for choosing me as your wedding photographer!

These are some awesome fabrics I got off eBay for the area I’ve so classily named “the naked girl section” – the dressing room and boudoir room.

And these are some more awesome eBay finds, fun fabrics for the meeting room!

This is the wallpaper that will go on the feature wall in the boudoir room. Awesome, yes? Yes.

And this is one of our “baby” foxes. Each year, a pair of foxes takes up residence in our yard, under an old building. This year, they had four kits – two black and two red. Very cool! They’re all grown up now and they delight in running around tormenting the dogs. This is a shot I grabbed of one of the blacks the other day, when I was actually out shooting a car … anyway, these so-called silver foxes are actually quite rare. You can find out more about them here.

‎1.) That weddings cakes weren’t stuck back in the corner every time. I’d like the cake to be in the middle, where everyone can see it. Would make for much better photos!

2.) That people would get married in the late morning, have a luncheon reception, and then do all their photos in the evening when the light is the most beautiful.

3.) That more people would decorate with light! Strategically placed floodlights highlight your decor and can also hide/distract from any ugliness in your reception location. A chandelier over the dance floor is always awesome. And a well-lit guestbook table ensures your guests can see what they’re signing!

I finished painting the boudoir room … (photos from August 11)

I love Kijiji! I picked up this antique French provincial couch and chair for the meeting room in Lloydminster the other day.

Main door, sanded and filled and ready for priming!

Studio room, in the midst of drywall repair. There are hundreds of spots where the top coat of paint has peeled off the layer below it (a good example of why you don’t paint over a high-gloss paint without sanding it first), so each spot gets hit with the palm sander. Then there’s all the areas where the original drywall job was done incorrectly, all the spots where the nails used to hang the drywall are coming out …. so yeah, a lot of drywall repair!

Meeting room … possibly the room that will be requiring the most work! The paint in this room is chipping/flaking/peeling on most of the surfaces, probably because of temperature fluctuations from the wood stove back when it was still in use, and of course, from age. There will be a lot of sanding in this room! I am planning on putting a textured paintable wallpaper on the top portion of the wall, repainting the wainscotting and painting the ceiling. If you notice a cat in some of the photos – there’s also a litter of kittens and their momma in here – 13 days old today! The momma cat catches any mice that come in through the open windows and under the door, which still needs weather stripping. She’s a great mouser.

The two panes on the window that have paint on them are ones that had to be replaced, hence the reason they didn’t get taped off. I actually removed both these panes last night and replaced one of them … and then promptly broke the other piece of glass. So, back to Lakeland Glass I shall go this week! Good thing glass is relatively cheap …

The big blank wall (the one without the chimney) will be receiving wallpaper.

This is the boudoir room – it’s up next for painting! It just has one coat on here. Boring, I know – just white – but it’s great for photos and makes these small rooms seem so much bigger and brighter! This room may or may not get wallpaper on one of the walls. I’ll have to see how it looks once the floor is refinished and the furniture is in!

Jack & Andrea were married July 31, 2010 at the AMAZING St. Nortbert’s Church, south of Provost. The church has been designated as a historic site, and began undergoing restoration back in 1976. The Rosenheim Historical Society has done a great job restoring the building!

Jack’s kids, Mike and Leanne, served as his groomsmen.

The adorable Jacob!

Is Andrea gorgeous, or what?

The lucky man, seeing his bride coming down the aisle to him!

Giving the bride away …

Mike and his son – handsome guys!

Andrea grew these gorgeous Calla lillies in her greenhouse!

Sitting down during the scripture lesson

Exchanging vows

Ring exchange

Jack’s ring was a tight fit, so Andrea licked his finger. In church. This is the moment right after the infamous church lick!

Kissing the bride!

Crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s …

Unity sand ceremony

They kissed again after the sand ceremony! I love the moments just before and just after a kiss, when you can almost see the love in the air between them ….

It’s all official – meet Mr & Mrs Kleinsasser!

Carrie & Mike

Mother of the bride, Leanne and Jacob!

More smooching! They were the smoochiest couple!

That amazing church again!

After the church, we headed back to Jack & Andrea’s acreage for some more photos

The wedding party ….

I love love love Andrea’s dress!

Are they cute or what?

The reception was at Cadogan hall. They spent all day Thursday decorating it and the place looked amazing!

Grand entrance into the hall …

Gotta smooch the grandbaby!

Thank you speeches …

Big group shot outside!

Then it was time for dancing and partying!

We snuck out just before sunset for some more photos …

Fun cake topper!

They started off the cake cutting by behaving themselves ….

And then Jack started it.

Leanne was on the dance floor all night!

Smoke machine + DJ lights = photographic fun!

Crazy, fun bunch of ladies!

And that was it for us for the night!

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Such a loving bunch!

I love photographing sisters together. There’s something so special about that sisterly bond!

Chris is actually a distant relative of my husband’s, somehow …. it’s a small small world!