the blog

T & W | Their Story

The Couple:

After a kismet initial meeting at a family wedding, these two found their way together & eventually decided to go for a date. They soon discovered that the universe had other plans for them than just that one initial date. She says he stole her heart dancing on the beach at sunset with her that night after the first few dates. After getting engaged on the island last October, they have now been together for almost 6 years (or it will be come July!) and the universe was right.

Tracy & Wes love being outdoors together. Any given day of the week scrolling my Facebook feed I can see Tracy posting photos of their walks and adventures as a couple & a family with all their kids. Any chance they can get to be by water or forests and spending time with the kids – you’ll find these two there.

(You can check out their Engagement Session in the mystical forest by clicking here.)

The Wedding:

Family means everything to these two. They have a beautiful family and their little baby girl was even present (technically – she wasn’t born just yet) at their engagement session! Tracy’s love of family runs deep and she is true to her loyalty to her family. Her love for family trickles into holidays, finding her favourite one in the joy & celebration of Thanksgiving. It was no question that on the one day of the year we give thanks & are grateful for our loved ones that these two would bring all their loved ones together for the greatest celebration – their fall wedding falling perfectly on Thanksgiving weekend. It wasn’t about putting the focus on them – although it should be, their love is powerful & strong forging a united team – it was about bringing together love and putting the focus on family.

Thanksgiving Fall Wedding Gallery:

Here’s a curated selection of favourites from their rustic vintage Thanksgiving-theme wedding day!

Check out their warm intimate Fall Wedding Gallery… Congratulations again to you both & your beautiful family! 

Getting Ready

Ceremony:

Bridal Portraits:

Reception:

Vendor Dream Team:

Venue: West Langley Hall

Catering: Dutchman’s

Florist: Blooms & Beyond

Hair & Make Up: S & Co

Bride’s Dress: Everything But The Groom

Officiant: Karen Newman

Cake|Bakery: Tracycakes

photographer for the authentic joyful & adventurous
www.megkristina.com
All Photos here by Meg Kristina Photography.

Loved this Thanksgiving-time local Fall Wedding? Get swept away to paradise with this Sandos Finisterra Beach Wedding Story.

Are you a Wino?? Curl up with a glass of wine & relive this Glass House Winery Summer Wedding

Laugh your heart out at all the cheesy captions & highlights over on IG @megkristinaphotos

Booking for 2021 & 2022 Weddings.

A & D | THEIR STORY

The Couple:

I just love this Sandos Finisterra Beach Wedding but before I get carried away… Back to the beginning, Angie & Dan met August Long weekend of 2012 at a pool party being thrown by a mutual friend (that same friend ended up being photographed by me in a bridal party just a few years later – but more on that in a bit…). They immediately caught each other’s attention, hitting it off instantly. They hung out practically everyday for the next month and the rest they say is history.

Together for just over 5 years, fast forward to an all too familiar long weekend (August) in 2017. It was the 3rd annual house boating trip for these two and their crew. Once they docked that first night, Dan found her trying to sneak in a cat-nap & stole her away. The proposal itself was a blur, as they often are, but without hesitation Angie said YES despite recovering from being in shock. They came off the boat to have 26 of their closest friends waiting for the thumbs up from Dan before they started cheering and holding up the Congratulation banner!

The Lead-Up:

Speaking of that friend who threw the destined pool party that brought these two together, as I mentioned, he had been a member of a bridal party I’d photographed a few years before. Maria & Brad were married at Manning Park in summer 2016, and while Angie & Dan weren’t at the wedding, many mutual friends were. The memories & photographs captured stuck with Angie and sooner rather than later she reached out to me.

(One of the best parts of this all?! Not only was there familiar faces in this wedding travel group because of capturing many of them at Manning Park a few years ago, but many are from Kelowna (where I’m from originally!) with most of them graduating from the same high school. I certainly felt right at home with everyone). While we’re on the topic of community, it has to be said how amazing their entire crew was. From the first moments, there was always someone who went out of their way to ask if I wanted to join for a meal, drink, or activity and I had the best time with this crazy awesome group of people. 

The Wedding:

Sandos Finisterra Los Cabos is truly a spectacular resort and I could happily photograph my entire wedding season here. Set against the cliffs that lead to the Arch of Cabo, the resort finds itself draped over the mountain – hugging both Downtown Cabo and the harbour as well as the Pacific Ocean on the opposing side. It creates the perfect dramatic romantic setting for your dream Sandos Finisterra beach wedding. And did I mention the stairs?? Endless, spiralling, seemingly hundreds of stairs that lined the cliffs around the resort ensured our step goals were far exceeded and leg workouts more than done for the day and I wouldn’t have it any other way! 

Their day was everything you could want and hope for in a wedding day. The perfect balance of sun & cloud, laughter & tears, dancing & reminiscing. These two had plans for a sparkler send off to their night that quickly turned into a bunch of us Canadians loud & proud sing-shouting “Oh Canada” from the rooftop patio into the Cabo harbour for all to hear (sorry not sorry). Not to mention, the exact second A&D took the mic to begin their thank you speech, a spectacular firework show began directly behind them. You just can’t plan this kind of thing.. well I guess you can, but when they happen so magically on your wedding day, you know it’s kismet. 

• What made you want a Destination Wedding?

Honestly ever since I was young, I always imagined myself having a destination wedding. Something about the beach, the more laid back vibe etc. Plus having a week with friends and family rather than just 1 day sounded way more appealing. Plus we get our own holiday out of it too! 🙂

– Angie & Dan

Sandos Finisterra Beach Wedding Gallery:

These two are truly spectacular – both as dynamic individuals and as a strong united couple. Their love & connection to one another knows no bounds. Between them and all the other lovebirds within their community in attendance, you could truly feel the love.

• What is one dream you two have for the future together?

To continue to grow both independently and together as a couple. Travel somewhere new every year, and work hard in the hopes of early retirement to somewhere hot and near the ocean.

– Angie & Dan

Here’s maybe the biggest selection of favourites from a wedding day I’ve had! Check out their Sandos Finisterra Beach Wedding Gallery… Congratulations again ya crazy lovebirds!

Getting Ready

First Look

Bride & Groom Portraits

Bridal Party

Ceremony

Sunset Portraits & Cocktail Hour

Reception

photographer for the authentic joyful & adventurous
www.megkristina.com
All Photos here by Meg Kristina Photography.

Loved this Sandos Finisterra Beach Wedding Story & Gallery in Cabo? Click here for more Destination Wedding Love.   

Are you a Wino?? Curl up with a glass of wine & relive this Glass House Winery Summer Wedding

Laugh your heart out at all the cheesy captions & highlights over on IG @megkristinaphotos

Booking for All Remaining 2020 & 2021 Weddings.

Vendor Dream Team:

Venue|Catering|Planner|Bridal HMU|DJ: Sandos Finisterra Los Cabos
Dress: Enchanted by Mon Cheri

Bonus:

I had such a great time and felt so welcomed by Angie & Dan and all their friends & family. I just wanted to extend another thank you to these two for the amazing trip. To end off the trip and thank everyone for coming down, they chartered a catamaran for the group and we had the best sunset sail around Cabo together. I didn’t bring my camera so I could soak it in (& in all honesty it had been pouring all day as well). It was a great way to end another great beach destination wedding – I hope to be back in Cabo soon.

T & M | THEIR STORY

The Couple:

My goodness do I ever love these two & their little family so much!! These guys are the best to hang out with and there’s no one else I’d rather spend a wedding day with! We hit it off right from the first meeting sitting on their front steps, planning their engagement session and hearing their hopes for their wedding day. You can take a look back on their beautiful autumn engagement session in Golden Ears Park a couple years back.

These two met the old fashioned way – on the good ol’ web ;). Doesn’t it seem like everyone meets on Tinder or Bumble nowadays?!? Gosh I feel old haha – while my boyfriend & I met in person, I’ve actually had quite a few of my couples meet either via Plenty of Fish or Tinder – it’s more odd to meet in person than through an app now! These two were destined to meet. However they found their way to each other didn’t really matter because their meeting was always going to happen. These two compliment & balance each other so well. I love their banter and how they relate to one another.

They got engaged May 2017 on a dock at Harrison Lake in Harrison Hot Springs and started planning for their Triple Swaan wedding shortly after.

The Wedding Day:

These guys are AWESOME and so was their wedding day! Their bridal party helped carry the energy and keep up with my crazy 😉 throughout the whole day and we had such a blast with them all.

The First Look is always touching, emotional and beautiful just because of the intimacy of the moment between a bride & groom. The most unexpected beautiful and emotional First Look that I never saw coming was Taylor & their little girl – gosh it made me tear up so badly and was such a beautiful moment.

Their little one is adorable to say the LEAST! She is a total camera stealer – not in that she was trying to grab my camera but that I couldn’t take my camera OFF her! She is WAY too cute – I’m not kidding. During the ceremony, while her dad (the Groom) was walking the mom’s in and when mom (the Bride) was walking down the aisle; she was running up and down between mom & dad. It was ridiculously cute and made for some of my favourite shots of the day. She was no different at our Fall Family Session (up on The Blog soon!) and I can’t wait to watch her grow up over the coming years.

Shooting a Triple Swaan Wedding is always a breeze – the venue is a dream and always on my top list of venue vendor recommendations in the Fraser Valley. The staff, grounds, and options always make me happy to be there and this day was no different. T&M had hired an amazing caterer (check their link at the bottom of this post) that blew me away. I have weddings almost every weekend from April-November and that makes for a lot of buffets & caterers – these guys had me DROOLING! Couldn’t recommend them more for a BBQ/unique wedding caterer. So delish!

Their reception was designed and decorated perfectly. I loved all of their personal touches & decor – the cake was simplistically divine. Their day did have a bit of a hiccup, as most do – one of the key relatives fell ill during the reception and an ambulance had to be called – putting the festivities on an indefinite hold. Their bridal portrait time prior to their ceremony had been cut short but we had accounted for extra time during sunset for just the two of them. When the hiccup happened was right during sunset so these two missed out a bit more than I would’ve liked for their portrait time but at the same time it brought into focus what these two centre themselves on in their lives and that is family. Loss and grief is sadly something they’ve dealt with recently and isn’t something anyone should have to go through.

They’ve learned to value and hold on tight to each other and those family & friends around them because every moment we have together is precious. That showed through crystal clear all throughout their day but none more than in this moment. While the relative is okay & all is well, these two pulled strength from each other and it shows what strength their relationship has to conquer anything together going forward. We made up for missed time and stayed extra late to capture their dance and work in some nighttime portraits but these two are worth it! They are building not only a strong and beautiful family but also a resilient and loving community around them.

Triple Swaan Wedding Gallery:

When I asked Taylor & Mat one dream they had for their future together, their answer could not have been more perfect with them saying that their entire life is already a dream come true. Just love these two & their sweet little family.

Here’s a little photo from a post Mat made on his FB after the Triple Swaan wedding – I (along with my second Marvin) truly loved working with these guys. They were SO kind hearted and open with me and I couldn’t be more grateful these two found me.

Here’s a curated selection of highlights from their Triple Swaan Wedding Gallery in Abbotsford… Congrats again you two! 

Getting Ready:

First Look:

Bridal Party:

Bride & Groom Portraits:

Ceremony:

Reception:

Nighttime Portraits:

Vendor Dream Team:

Venue: Triple Swaan Nursery
Catering: Roll N Coal BBQ Catering
Officiant: Sharon Eistetter
Florist: Blooms & Beyond
Hair/Make-Up: Be Flawless Beauty Bar
Dress: Agape Bridal
Second Photographer/Assistant: Marvin Herrera

Glass House Estate Winery Wedding | LANGLEY, BC

J & S | THEIR STORY

The Couple:

This Glass House Estate Winery wedding was made for these two lovebirds. Just two crazy kids in love. These two love the beach and spending time at their family’s cabin. While they’ve been together for a whirlwind 4 years, they’ve known each other so long they don’t even really remember the first time they met (elementary school at some point Jessica mused to me in the weeks leading up to their wedding). Engaged oceanside in California and growing up close to the beach in White Rock, it was only natural we went to the beach for their engagement session. Reminisce with me back to their e-session – and YES that wind was cold – Jessica was so brave haha!

The Wedding Day:

The day could not have gone more perfectly and I absolutely fell in love with this amazing venue. I could shoot here all season. Jessica opted out of Getting Ready photos to provide more photography time and coverage of portraits. This is something that’s become quite a theme this year with some of my couples and to be honest I really have enjoyed the extra time during the latter part of the day with them that this allows! I always help to customize your timeline with my couples so it’s always something we can consult on if you’re in the planning stages!

Back to their day, while it was – in true Langley fashion – threatening to rain, Jessica was unbothered and absolutely stunning! We came prepared with our handy dandy clear umbrellas that we did not need which is always a win in our books. The threatening rain allowed for gorgeous cloud coverage and a beautiful contrasting backdrop. These two and their tribe were enthusiastic and easy going and we had a blast capturing them. Their reception included my first ever Father/Daughter dance turned FLASH MOB – is this even real life anymore? I have the best clients ever and I feel so thankful.

Glass House Estate Winery Wedding Gallery:

When I asked these two one dream they had together for their future, it was to own their own detached home. Here in the Lower Mainland that is no small feat! Many families aspire to even afford a townhouse (my current goal!), but the market has evened out a bit thankfully! These two are such a power team together and I have no doubt they’ll hit their dream goal very soon. I wish them all the best in this next stage of life and a huge congratulations again!!

Here’s a curated selection of highlights from their Glass House Estate Winery Wedding Gallery… Congrats again you two! 

First Look:

Portraits:

Ceremony:

Reception:

Sunset Bride & Groom Portraits:

Vendor Dream Team:

Venue: Glass House Estate Winery
Catering: Design by Desire
Officiant: Karen Newman
Florist: V&J Plant Shop
Hair/Make-Up: Salon Cordeiro
Dress: Lisa’s Bridal
Band: Side One
Second Photographer/Assistant: Marvin Herrera