photography wedding work

2010 COLOUR OF THE YEAR

Pantone, the global authority on colour and provider of professional colour standards for the design industries, recently announced that Turquoise is the colour of the year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise is a colour that most people respond to positively. It's universally flattering and appealing to men and women alike.

With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with all colours in the spectrum. It adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, compliments reds and pinks, creates a classic look with deep blues and livens up all other greens. Turquoise is especially trend setting with yellow-greens.

For brides wanting to incorporate it in their wedding, Turquoise can either make a statement that is elegant and dressy or casual and fun. Because of its versatility, it's a great accent colour for decor as well as jewelry, purses, shoes, hair accessories and even nail polish for women and ties and shirts for men.

THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR!

As 2009 comes to a close, Viva la wedding would like to take a moment to thank all the wonderful people we’ve had the pleasure to work with throughout the year.

We are so grateful and feel privileged to have had the opportunity to coordinate so many fabulous weddings and bond with such great couples and their families over the past twelve months. Thank you for having chosen Viva la wedding and allowing us to be a part of your special day. We wish you all a happy and healthy future.

Of course these weddings would never have been possible without the hard work of the many outstanding vendors we are fortunate to have access to in the Ottawa area. Thank you for your talent, professionalism and willingness to go above and beyond to make our couples happy. Viva la wedding is looking forward to working with you all again in 2010.

Photo Credits: Two Tone Studios

Budgeting Time for Photography - Article published by ISPWP

I've just had an article published by the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers about budgeting time on the wedding day. I am often asked about the timing of things, so I thought I'd put together a guideline with some rules of thumb.

Read the article

Announcing Eunice's new website in Halifax!

I'm excited to share that Eunice now has a web presence in Halifax & Antigonish, Nova Scotia and she's looking forward to working with couples on the east coast. You can find her online at www.eunicemontenegro.com. Her blog posts have also been copied over to her new address. Congratulations Eunice!!





Halifax Nova Scotia Wedding Photography Wedding Photographer Antigonish family maternity and baby portrait

FunkyTown featured in ISPWP "Real Weddings"

Exciting news! Maria & Stephen's Guatemala wedding is now being featured in the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographer's "Real Weddings" site. Check out the article about this amazing 400-person wedding. http://www.ispwp.com/category/real-weddings.

Ode to Eunice

Photos by Eunice

I am still in disbelief that one of my closet friends will now live on the opposite coast, exactly 6213.79710 kilometers away. I was looking through some of our work over the year and found myself going, "oh, that one is so cool." "OMG. I love that one." So, I decided to pay homage to some of my personal favorites from her weddings in 2009. She is a rare talent and a nutty chick and I'm going to miss her like crazy. I've heard that I'll be using Skype a lot this year to keep in touch. Eunice will continue to serve some of FunkyTown's Caribbean destinations. We'll keep you in the loop as she settles into her new life out east. Goodbye Eunice! We're going to miss you!!

halifax antigonish nova scotia wedding photographer weddings photography new brunswick

Tamara & Brad's Trashing the Dress

Photographed by Eunice

I have no words to describe how cool Tamara and Brad are. This was
my last photoshot before I moved to the maritimes and it couldn't have been more fun. Tamara is a fan of the Twilight movie so we tried to create mood to resemble some of the scenes. I don't need to tell you that there were lots of passers-by who stopped what they were doing to watch us do this shoot. LOL. Thank you Brad and Tamara for making my work so easy!!
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer
wedding photography halifax nova scotia vancouver calgary ottawa trash the dress victoria weddings photographer

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

INSPIRATION - THE ESCORT CARD






Photo Credits: The Knot

New Membership in the Hard-to-Get-Into ISPWP

We've just heard today that we were accepted into the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers Organization. Membership is limited to only a small group of photographers from around the world and applications are reviewed by a jury of some of the world's most critically acclaimed wedding photographers... it's very difficult to join. You can find out more about the organization at http://www.ispwp.com

Here's what the website says:
"The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers is an organization of the best wedding photographers in the world...When you hire an ISPWP member, you can be sure they have passed a rigorous application process and are recognized by their peers to be at the top of their field."

A very special thank you to our references (the ISPWP requires two client and two photographer peer references), Glenn & Tammy from Ottawa, and Celine & Rob from Sudbury (who were married in Cuba) and to our friends and fellow photographers Jenna Tye & Kirk Klein.

Glenn & Tammy's Ottawa wedding:
wedding photography ottawa ontario

Celine & Rob's Cuba wedding:


I didn't expect it, but Glenn & Tammy shared their reference with me by email today and I was blown away by their words. I just had to share:

Hello Joe,

We are pleased to provide a reference for Christina Craft.

Christina was the photographer for our wedding in December 2007. Based on her previous work, we brought Christina to Ottawa, Ontario from Victoria, British Columbia to shoot our ceremony and our reception.

Christina was generous with her time in the days leading up to the ceremony in scouting out locations for our photographs. We took her to several places in the city, and she was able to quickly determine which locations would work best for the type of shots we were looking for. This made for efficient use of time on the big day.

On the day itself, Christina was with one or both of us for most of the day. She did a fantastic job in capturing the various aspects of the day, from the shots of the bridal party getting ready through the ceremony and the evening reception. Our photo collection has great coverage of the day's events and the important people and places in our lives. Though she managed to capture all of this, not once did we or our friends and family feel intruded upon or otherwise inconvenienced by the photography. When Christina did intervene to set us up for a shot, she was very adept in putting us at ease. We feel that this really came through in the photos.

While the process was great, the photos that Christina took were the crowning achievement. She did a wonderful job in capturing the spirit and emotion of the day in all of our faces. She showed true dedication in braving a cold December day with us to produce a number of outside winter wedding photos. We feel these shots are unique, and capture us within aspects of our city that make the images deeply personal and meaningful.

The online album that she put together for us is elegant and well-organized, and was made available to us and our family and friends very soon after the wedding. We have received many glowing compliments on the online album. The hard copy album that she put together was also wonderfully composed.

All-in-all, we found Christina to be very professional, and we cherish the work that she did for our wedding. We never hesitate to recommend her to family and friends for weddings or other special occasions.

Best regards,
Tammy & Glenn

THIS MONTH'S VIVA LA WEDDING Q&A

Q - Can you explain the difference between an escort card and a place card, or are they the same thing?

A - Escort cards are a must if you're hosting a large seated dinner. They go on display in a place that's easily accessible to your guests during the cocktail hour and communicate one crucial piece of info: what table they are to sit at for dinner. The tented card is traditional however brides are getting more and more creative and lots of variations of the escort card can now be found. As long as your guest's name and their table number is obvious, the design is really up to you!

Place cards go on the actual dining tables at each place setting showing your guest what seat they should sit at during dinner, once they've used an escort card to find their table of course! Unless you really want to structure the seating, place cards are optional.

VIVA'S BOOK CLUB - THE BIG WHITE BOOK OF WEDDINGS

Named “Top Trendsetter of The Year” by Modern Bride and “Best Celebrity Wedding Planner” by Life and Style Magazine, David Tutera is now opening his files to reveal a wealth of detailed information about planning the perfect day in his latest book The Big White Book of Weddings: A How to Guide for the Savvy, Stylish Bride. The same insight he gives to his A-list clientele is now at your fingertips!

Covering the entire wedding experience from brainstorming, budgeting, invitations, gift registries, food, music, traditional reception rituals, and even what happens after the wedding's over, Tutera has created a must-have for brides to be. Full of the personality that David brings to every wedding he plans and every TV show or magazine article he appears in, The Big White Book of Weddings is the book every bride needs to make her wedding unforgettable for all the right reasons!


The Big White Book of Weddings hits stores January 5 2010.

Other books by David Tutera - Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings (2010), Big Bithdays (2006), The Party Planner (2005), America Entertains (2003), A Passion For Parties (2001).

INSPIRED BY THE RED CARPET, WORN ON THE WHITE CARPET

Celebrity wedding planner David Tutera and special occasion dress house Faviana have joined forces to launch David Tutera By Faviana, a line of luxurious wedding gowns inspired by celebrity red carpet fashions.

“I have been planning and designing high-profile weddings for over 20 years and know what brides look for in the search for the perfect dress,” says David Tutera. “Walking down the aisle at a wedding ceremony is like walking down a runway. I am delighted to work with Faviana to bring celebrity style to the bride through red carpet fashion trends translated into wedding day styles at accessible prices. Every bride should feel like a celebrity on the biggest day of her life…her wedding.”

Each dress is appropriately named after a red carpet star and her head turning sense of fashion. Charlize, Cameron, Gwenyth, Penelope to name just a few. Viva's favorites? Eva (bottom left) and Fergie (bottom right). Both dresses start off full length for the ceremony (back of full length dress shown in pictures) with the lowest part of the skirt removable to reveal a short party dress for the reception. So fun and flirty! Perfect styles for 2010 as two in one dresses are an upcoming trend.

The collection is expected to be in stores in January 2010. We'll keep you posted on where you can get a David Tutera By Faviana dress in Canada.

Camosun College Portrait & Wedding Photography Class

Some fun photos from the workshop shoot with the Camosun College photography class. Molly - the best model in the whole world - braved a chilly morning looking absolutely stunning. If you're ever in need of a professional model, contact the Coultish Agency in Victoria and ask for Molly - she is awesome!!


funkytown photography studios victoria b.c. photographers
wedding photography class victoria bc
wedding photography course class workshop victoria bc
wedding photography class workshop victoria


Amanda & Greg Trash the Dress Session in Victoria - Sneak Peek

Photos by Christina

Amanda & Greg eloped at an ice castle in Quebec City and wanted to have their trash the dress session here in Victoria. The day we went out started off dry but then turned into one of the rainiest of the fall with sheets of water drenching us everywhere we went. I think it shows in the photos that Amanda & Greg were game for anything and I was so in awe of Amanda who actually got into a freezing cold water fountain for some extra shots. When it comes to braving the elements these two get the award!! Amanda & Greg - congratulations and thanks so much for being so easy to work with and fun! I hope you enjoy the photos. :)

trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax
trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax
trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax
trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax
trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax
wedding photographer hatley castle victoria british columbia vancouver

wedding photography trash the dress victoria vancouver calgary barrie hamptons new york weddings belize
downtown wedding photography urban trash the dress night photography photographers calgary vancouver halifax victoria


trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax
trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax
raining wedding photography victoria vancouver halifax calgary banff jasper ottawa trash the dress photographers belizetrashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax
trashing the dress wedding photography vancouver victoria belize calgary banff jasper weddings halifax