Fun day at the Vancouver Olympics

As the Olympic Games in Vancouver come to a close I thought I'd share our fun day out last Monday. My husband Cary and I got tickets to see the women's hockey playoffs, which ended up being between the USA & Sweden. I absolutely love cheering crowds and all the colors and craziness that goes along with the ride. We took the ferry over with photographers Jenna & Tristan and it was really cool to get there first thing in the morning to see the downtown area bare of people. By the time the game was over the crowds were thick and we hung out watching the zip-liners fly over Robson Square. As we were walking around we ran into Doug, one of our classmates at the Western Academy of Photography - such a small world. I feel for my poor husband for being around all of us photography geeks, but I think he had a good time. LOL Here are some photos from our day:

And last, a photo of the Olympic flame. I made Cary put on his reflective sunglasses, even though it was already dark.

So excited! I ranked 4th place overall with the International Society of Wedding Photographers!

I've just returned from a day at the Olympics in Vancouver (pictures to be blogged soon) and was so excited to get an email that latest rankings are in with the International Society of Wedding Photographers. Obtaining a membership with the ISPWP is an intense process - you need to have references from two photographers and two clients, and you need to have photographed 50+ weddings in order to be considered. A jury then evaluates three of your weddings in-depth before making a decision. When I was accepted as a member in December I did a little happy dance since so many of my favorite photographers belong. That's why I'm completely thrilled to have placed 4th overall!!! Thank you to the couples I worked with in 2009 for having so much trust and for being total rock stars. Here were my winning contest images:


First Place - First Dance Category (Saskia & Ian's Wedding in Calgary)



First Place - Pure Art Category (Amanda & Greg in Victoria)



7th Place - Framing the Subject Category (Shelise & Bruce's wedding in Turks & Caicos)



7th Place - Ceremony Category - Michelle & Lee's Greek Wedding in Victoria




9th Place - Bride & Groom Portrait - Meg & Shane's Wedding in Sooke



10th Place - Framing the Subject Category - Kortni & Chris' Wedding in Victoria



11th Place - Family Love Category - Rachel & Aaron's Wedding in the Bahamas



11th Place - The Decisive Moment Category - Shelise & Bruce's Wedding in New York


14th Place - Emotional Impact Category - Meg & Shane's Wedding in Sooke



19th Place - Venue or Location Category - Michelle & Lee's Wedding in Victoria



20th Place - Reception Category - Maria & Stephen's Wedding in la Antigua

Skip & Traci - Engagement Portrait

Photographed by Christina

Skip & Traci have this chill, easy-going way about them that make it so easy to take their picture. We went out on Valentine's day, starting at the Star Wars wall (I love that they are Star Wars fans!). They were up for anything and we played around with reflections downtown before heading over to the ocean. The weather here has been downright obnoxiously beautiful and there were hundreds of people out enjoying the sunshine. We managed to find a few spots to take pictures without fighting for oceanfront space. LOL I'm really looking forward to their wedding in September. Judging from their engagement session, I know they're going to make a photogenic (and easy-going) bride & groom!

And, finally, one last photo to share with the folks back home. Yes, our cherry blossoms are already in full bloom! Are we spoiled? Absolutely!

THIS MONTH'S VIVA LA WEDDING Q&A

Q - We have a four year old son and can't imagine not having him at our wedding. There are also a lot of young children in our family and we would love for them to be present on our wedding day as well. Can you give us a few tips on having a child friendly wedding that will help make it more enjoyable for the kids (and their parents too)?

A - Take a child out of his or her normal surroundings, dress them in uncomfortable formal clothes, break their routine, place them in an adult setting - it won’t be long before they are tired and bored. They also have a short attention span and may need a little help if you want them to make it through the day. How can you keep them entertained and having fun? Here are a few tips so that not only will they enjoy themselves at your wedding, but their parents will be able to enjoy themselves too.

Offer a kids meal - While you may be excited for your guests to try the oven roasted AAA rib eye served with exotic mustards and creamed horseradish that melted in your mouth at your food tasting let's face it, the kids at your wedding probably aren't going to be all that excited to eat it. Offer them something that will please their palates like pizza, chicken fingers or mini hot dogs and make sure to ask your venue/caterer if they can be served first. Especially at an evening reception seeing as it will probably be well past their normally scheduled eating time when you sit down for dinner.

Arrange for childcare - Having someone on hand to watch over the kids, making sure they're not getting into the wedding cake before it's officially cut or dipping their little fingers into the candy bar and overdosing on sugar before the night has even begun, can be a real life saver. If your wedding is taking place at a hotel/resort they may already offer this service on-site.

Hire a professional magician, balloon artist or children's entertainer. Not only will this keep them entertained but it adds a fun aspect to the day that's especially for them, and can sometimes be fun for the adults too.

Create special areas with activities for the kids - Set up a children's table using butcher block paper as the tablecloth with crayons for colouring. A children's wedding activity book is a great way to keep them busy and they can take it home afterwards as a memento of your day. The book can include colouring pages, crosswords, and word searches depending on their age.

Goodie bags for each child are a nice touch. Fill the bags with bead sets, bubbles, colouring kits, pipe cleaners, disposible cameras, juice boxes and a few little snacks.

If your venue allows for it, set up a dvd in a separate room along with puzzles, board games and crafts to keep them entertained.

Great find!! - These stuffed paper dolls from Anthropologie are super cute! Included are five water-based markers kids can use to create their own unique dolls. The cool thing about them is that when they get home and days later decide the doll needs a new look, simply throw it in the wash and start all over again.

VIVA'S BOOK CLUB - FÊTE THE WEDDING EXPERIENCE

FÊTE is a dynamic New York City event planning and design production firm led by Jung Lee and her husband Josh Brooks. Their website is filled to the brim with inspiration and eye candy of the most opulent and over-the-top events (you could really get lost oohing and ahhing for hours).

Jung Lee and her team design weddings that seem bigger than life, but are thoughtfully produced down to the smallest detail.

In her book FÊTE THE WEDDING EXPERIENCE, Jung Lee uses 9 very different weddings as examples of how you too can plan a truly unforgettable wedding. Follow her advice and your wedding will have the energy, soul, and authenticity that makes a wedding truly fantastic.

A KINDERGARTEN WEDDING

As told and photographed by 6 of Four

Every year the Kindergarten class at Berry College’s Elementary School (in Mount Berry Georgia) puts on a Kindergarten Wedding. They study a letter a week. For M they study marriage and have a wedding. It’s the highlight of the year and it’s exciting to have your name drawn as the bride and groom.

They learn about loving one another and take vows to be friends forever. It’s simply adorable. It includes a first dance, cake, and bouquet/garter toss. It’s just like a real wedding... only miniature. Each child brings in a picture of their parents at their wedding. They learn about commitment and the love their parents share. Each child has a role. Whether it’s a reading, a song, bridesmaid, minister, or ring bearer. Everyone is involved.

This wedding feels like it’s in fast forward speed. From getting ready to the end of the reception, it all happens in about two and a half hours so we were running around as fast as we could to capture the day.

For more pictures of this adorable kindergarten wedding check out 6 of Four's blog

WILL YOU MARRY ME? SAY CHEESE! (#3)

Here's #3 - (as told by photographer Mike Allebach)

I'm rarely ever nervous as a photographer. I can't remember the last time I felt nervous before a shoot but this past Friday I was nervous. Dan and I stood outside the Phoenix in Center City by Love Park waiting for Jackie to make her appearance. She had no clue what was about to take place.

Jackie came out of the Phoenix from a spa visit that Dan had secretly scheduled for her and she walked across 16th street towards Love Park. At the corner stood Dan smiling, knowing full well what the next 10 minutes would hold. I stood in the bushes, more nervous than Dan, snapping photos at machine gun speed playing paparazzi.

For more pictures of this surprise proposal check out Allebach

WILL YOU MARRY ME? SAY CHEESE! (#2)

Here's #2 - (as told by photographer Laurel McConnell)

Lets set the scene: Nick is an illustrator for a hot gaming company. Danni has a huge following on her design blog, Oh Hello Friend (it’s yummy, check it out!). They met at art school 4 years ago. His plan: surprise Danni with a flight from their sunny and “everyday-is-70-degree” Orange County home to the rainy “every-day-is-a-crap-shoot” Seattle getaway.

The other day, some pictures of a very special nature arrived in my inbox: I was to magically get these to appear on the back of my camera (you’ll see, just wait for it!).

Now, cue the actress, Seattle’s own Darrah Parker (wild applause emanates from the audience). At 1pm today, Darrah and I boarded a ferry to Bainbridge Island, and found ourselves snapping pictures of each other on the windy deck while crossing Puget Sound. Okay, Fib #1…. I was REALLY snapping pics of Danni and Nick, acting all cute-like in the background. Nick not only woke up his sleepy girlfriend from her short snooze on the relaxing ferry, but dragged her out to the violently blustery (um, understatement of the year) deck to watch the silly girls shooting pictures and take in the sea air. He gets an A+ for his mad setup skills- he kept pulling her into ideal spots for us to snag some shots no matter what her agenda was!

Nearly an hour later, we found ourselves in the gorgeous Bloedel Reserve, a historic, well kept, private park on the island. Waiting, waiting, waiting. I kept saying to Darrah, “What if he changed his mind and he’s not coming? What if they got lost in the 150 acres? What if we are at the WRONG “Waterfall Lookout By The Historic House?” Sure enough, here they come, meandering down the path. Seriously, Danni, could you walk any slower? Didn’t you know there were three people screaming silently in their minds with excitement with what was about to happen? Of course not. She was sightseeing and leading their self-guided tour, map in hand, having a grand ol’ time, mostly oblivious to Nick’s scheming.

Enter Darrah, stage left. Laurel wanders off to check her cell phone and “look busy with something else,” while actually getting into position. Mini-fib #2.

“Oh my gosh! Hey! Weren’t you the guys on the ferry?” chimes Darrah. Luckily, Danni totally remembered us as being the silly tourist girls on the deck getting blown over by the wind, and being all smiles, greeted us like old friends as Nick gave “The Look” to mean it’s “Go Time.”

“I saw you guys, and I took some really cute pictures of you. Wanna see?” Fib #3. Danni and Nick agree in unison. Nick reaches into his pocket. Here it comes. Darrah flips through some of the cute (stalker-like!) images we snuck of them on the ferry. Then she gets to the REAL images.

She turns around, and Nick is on his knee, holding the sweetest ring I ever saw, barely able to hold those four words in his mouth before they gushed out in the most beautiful sentence a girl ever wants to hear.

For more pictures of this surprise proposal check out Laurel McConnell