MEGHANN & WILL GET MARRIED!!

While spending a rainy May afternoon working on the details of one of Viva's upcoming weddings at the Museum of Nature, we got to thinking about our very first wedding at this fantastic venue. Viva was lucky to coordinate only the second wedding to take place at the Museum after the extensive renovations were completed last year and could not have been happier with the outcome. The event space is spectacular and the staff are truly top notch.

You'd think coordinating a wedding for a couple getting married in Ottawa but living in New York would be somewhat of a challenge but thanks to Meghann's wonderfully supportive family here in town and the wonders of email, the planning process was not only a breeze but so much fun!

The perfect Ottawa venue + an amazing New York couple = a really fabulous day. Here are a few detail images of Meghann & Will's wedding captured by the award winning Photolux.

ONE PRINCESS BRIDE, TWO LOOKS

It’s becoming more and more common for a bride to show off two different looks on her wedding day. Viva has seen this over the past few years with our own brides and previously blogged about celebrity wedding planner David Tutera’s line of wedding gowns including the “Eva” and “Fergie” - dresses that start out full length for the ceremony with the lower part of the skirt removable to reveal a short party dress for the reception - so it came as no surprise that Kate Middleton chose to change her look too. Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Kate married her prince charming in a fitted white v-neck gown with a long sleeved lace overlay and 2.7 metre train and then transformed into a strapless satin gazar evening dress with diamante embroidered detail around the waist, topping it off with a white angora bolero cardigan. Perfect.

Here are the rest of the details on Kate's wedding day look.

VIVA LA FUSION!!

Everyone knows Barb Cameron the Wedding Photographer - Barbara Ann Studios offers couples a style that is fresh, romantic, sexy and fun. Not only have her images been featured in countless wedding magazines and on numerous blogs, Barb was recently acknowledged as one of Canada’s Top 30 Inspiring Wedding Photographers for 2011.

Not everyone knows Barb Cameron the Baby Photographer - Wee Bairn Photography was launched when Barb’s former wedding couples started reappearing requesting that she photograph the next stage in their life, their newborn baby.

For those of you that don’t already know, Viva recently welcomed a new bundle of joy into the world and couldn’t wait to have Barb capture her on film. We were even more ecstatic when Barb told us about “fusion”. Combining video with still images, the end result is simply fabulous. Being all about memories, Viva had to have this!

And here it is...



While on a personal level we’re excited to share this with you let’s face it, it’s Viva la wedding. So for all you brides-to-be out there, here's a little wedding fusion... That’s right, Barb does fusion for weddings too! Love!!

Amanda & Riley

AMANDA & RILEY'S WEDDING
MACLAREN ART CENTRE, BARRIE, ONTARIO

Photographed by: Christina Craft & Ben Benvie

I'm excited to share a sneak peek from Amanda & Riley's extremely fun wedding in my home town of Barrie, Ontario. This was a party I'm sure will be talked about for years to come (and I love photographing a group that likes to celebrate). Amanda & Riley have such an easy way about them and they're both so photogenic. Riley is someone who loves to goof around and Amanda has this cute smile whenever she is around him. She looked stunning in her wedding dress and I had a great time going out with them for a post-wedding shoot on a day when the sky was crazy moody. It made for some interesting fashion/fine art stuff. A special thank you to Mr. Ben Benvie for partnering up with me for this wedding. We shot our first wedding together almost five years ago to the day (back in Victoria) and it was really awesome catching up with him. His photography never fails to amaze me. Amanda & Riley - you were a treat to work with. Congratulations!

SLIDESHOW
(Click the play button - it may take a few seconds to load)

Photo by Christina:

Photo by Christina:

Photo by Ben

Photo by Christina:

Photo by Christina

Photo by Christina:

Photo by Christina:

Photo by Ben:

Photo by Christina:

Photo by Christina:

Photos by Christina:
 
Photo by Christina

Photo by Christina:

Photo by Ben:

Photo by Ben:

Photo by Ben:

Photo by Christina:

Photo by Christina

Photo by Ben:

Photos by Christina
 

THE DRESS YOUR BRIDESMAIDS REALLY WILL WEAR AGAIN!

Every bride-to-be has had this problem when looking for a dress for her bridesmaids - finding something they can still wear once the wedding is over. And while every bride-to-be tries her best the truth is, that bridesmaid dress will most likely hang in the back of a closet somewhere never to see the light of day again. 27 Dresses anyone? Jane (played by Katherine Heigl) is "always a bridesmaid" in the 2008 romantic comedy and has a closet full of bridesmaid dresses to prove it. Fortunately these dreadful dresses have come a long way and Ottawa's best bridal boutiques now carry some oh so chic styles, contrary to what poor Jane had to sport. Styles your bridesmaids would be proud to wear on your wedding day and could pull out again for that New Year's Eve party or special formal function.

One of Viva's favourite bridal boutiques, With Love Bridal, not only carries some fabulously stylish bridesmaid dresses but is now the first boutique in Canada to carry the twobirds bridesmaid dress. It's the dress you can wear 15 ways making it so easy to wear again and again! This dress’ versatility allows your bridesmaids to all wear the same dress, in the same colour, wrapped in the style that suits them best. And even better, because it's so versatile you don’t have to be a bridesmaid to wear it. Viva just might head on over to With Love and get one of these beauties for herself!

Featured: Four Winds Weddings

FUNKYTOWN PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURED ON THE FOUR WINDS WEDDING SITE - COSTA RICA

Visit the Four Winds Blog to see the feature

SAVE THE DATE - MAY 13 2011

Obviously we wouldn't do what we do at Viva if we didn't love all things wedding so we're more than happy to take a short break from planning when a wedding related movie comes out and head over to the local theatre to see what it's all about. This spring, producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad) and director Paul Feig (creator of Freaks and Geeks) invite you to experience Bridesmaids.

Kristin Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lilian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie's life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lilian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.

TO WEB OR NOT TO WEB

The countdown's on! With Will and Kate's wedding only 26 days away, the anticipation is growing and we at Viva know we're not the only ones who can't wait for the big day to arrive.

Knowing that many, like us, would not only be dying to see all the details come together on the 29th but would also be dying to hear about them leading up to the day, St. James Palace launched the Royal Wedding website. The website is the official source of information for anyone interested in the upcoming Royal Wedding and is updated regularly with exclusive content including photo galleries and video.

Wedding websites also know as "wedsites" are nothing new and while not all brides and grooms-to-be choose to create one, they're a great way to keep your guests up to date with the details of your own wedding day. Some like mywedding.com are free while others like wedsite.com offer couples a free 7 day trial with the option to purchase an extension for a small fee if you decide you want to keep your wedsite active.

Viva loves wedding wedsites!! Do you?

Cross-Canada Workshop Series

WORKSHOP SERIES - TORONTO, CALGARY, OTTAWA, VICTORIA, VANCOUVER & CANCUN MEXICO!

I'm excited to share the new promotional video for future workshops across Canada. A very special thank you to Jenna & Tristan for their video and still footage from the workshop we had a few weeks ago. I'm so thrilled with the way they captured the event. Here it is... Yaay!

Watch the video!

Find out more about the Wedding Photography Workshops in Canada or Cancun, Mexico