Ealeen & Chris: Epic Session @ Stanley Park, Hycroft Manor and Iona Beach… AWESOMENESS!!!

Ealeen and Chris.  Two of the nicest and kindest people we know.  Ealeen and I have known each other since high school.  Though in different grades, we got to know each other through being in student council together, and through a few mutual friends.  We had lost touch after high school, until Ealeen and her mom suddenly appeared in front of our booth at the Urban Wedding Fair at the Roundhouse last November.  What a surprise!  She had no idea we were going to be there, and I was equally surprised to see her at the show!

A few months and a few emails later, we set up a time to get together, to chat about her wedding day, to meet her beau and to just catch up after all these years.  We met up at Planet Veg in Kits (best wraps ever!) and sadly learned that we were booked on their day this coming August.  But that didn’t stop us from taking their photographs!  We planned an Epic Session!  Three dresses and an eight hour day around Vancouver.  WOW.  It was EPIC.

The day started at Stanley Park at the Brockton Point Lighthouse.  It wasn’t quite sunny, but that meant for killer clouds.  Ealeen was in a beautiful dress and Chris looked sharp in his tux.  Ealeen’s childhood friend Linda Nguyen of Lovestrands came along as the hair stylist extraordinaire!  It’s amazing what Linda can do in 15 minutes!

Our super assistant Julian helped us light this day, as well as shoot some background video.  Thanks Julian!

Ealeen had THREE VEILS!  So awesome!  We started off with this gigantic veil, and it was SO windy at this location, it was GREAT!!  Usually we’re begging for the wind to pick up to do veil shots, but this time, we were almost fighting against the wind! Ealeen is so pretty!  We can’t wait to see her wedding photos! Since we were at Stanley Park, we knew we had to hit up the Lions Gate Bridge.  We shimmied our way over, and I whipped out a shift lens while Dan shot from across the bride.  Oooooh shift lens….droool….. It’s truly amazing being on the Lions Gate Bridge.  The view is phenomenal, and the mountains in the background are stunning.  We’re so lucky to be in BC!  Love this shot where they’re just about to kiss!

Ealeen loves the vintage look, and her jewelry, dress change, and even her wedding invitations all reflect that.  After Stanley Park, we drove to Hycroft Manor near Granville and 16th.  We had the entire house to ourselves!  It was overwhelming – this mansion is such an incredible building, we were so worried we weren’t going to get to shoot all of it!  We did the best we could with the time we had, and it rocked! Ealeen and Chris had their wedding invitations designed by a lady down in the States (with input from Ealeen of course), and she did such a beautiful job! Gorgeous!! Handsome!!  We were so excited when we heard they had brought a huge photo frame as a prop! Ealeen explained that she was looking all over town for an antique-like frame, but they’re incredibly expensive!  She nearly gave up until one day her father was digging stuff out of their garage for a garage sale and pulled out this massive painting with a beautiful frame around it.  Ta da!  Hycroft Manor is a beautiful house!  Beautiful! Our last stop:  Iona Beach.  Before shooting, we had a little picnic nearby to satisfy our hungry tummies.  Chris had mentioned he had a few munchies, but according to Chris, a few munchies are sandwiches with gourmet cheeses and meat, the most delicious chips, chocolate, almonds, dried cherries, veggies and dip, juice…wow!  Thank you Chris for a lovely picnic lunch! Ealeen changed back into the first dress she wore at Stanley Park.  The sun was in the right spot, the clouds were perfect, the dress was stunning, everything was so great!  Until the sneezing started!!  Chris especially has allergies and walking through the fields and tall grasses was no fun for him!  Oh we felt so bad!  Chris was really good about it though, and he hid it well.  Sorry Chris!  But it was all worth the shots…right!!?  Lol We brought a ladder along knowing we’d shoot this shot.  It worked out quite nicely!

The clouds were just amazing!

Dan and I cannot say in words how much fun and exciting this shoot was, but it was even greater and more rewarding to see Ealeen again and meet Chris, and to see the genuine care and love they have for each other.

Here’s a part of an email they sent to us before we showed them any of the photos, we’re so touched by their kind words!

“Thank you for treating us to a luxurious day of artistry, excitement, and fun! Ealeen and I had a fantastic time; awkward subjects as we were, you totally put us at ease with your clear directions and encouraging affirmation. And what a way to re-discover Vancouver – you shared some hidden gems, and we’re thrilled to think that those same sites may become new memories in the years to come.

Dan, we love the way you see light. We don’t know how you trained your eye to envision such well orchestrated palettes of light and dark, but we were fascinated [and blown away] by your talent! We were especially impressed by the amount of thought you put into the shoot before the day of – that’s right, we saw how many folders you kept on your iPhone, and we LOVED the way you drew from inspiration to transform them into our own.

Kat, what a creative spirit you are! Thank you for taking every idea – reasonable or unreasonable – and finding the form to make them come to life. Your clear instructions, your calm nature, and your attention to every detail not only put us at ease, but also brought the intricacies of fine art into focus. You were extraordinarily flexible with every whim and fancy we had, and your talents shone as you candidly integrated our surroundings to augment each and every shot.”

Check out their slide show below!!!

Thank you Ealeen and Chris for an amazing day!

God Bless,

Kat & Dan

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