How I Photograph Weddings | Southern Alberta Wedding Photographer
One Wedding Story
10 Chapters
I believe your wedding day should be photographed as an entire story — not just a collection of highlights. I am a story-driven, documentary style wedding photographer with an editorial flair for turning ordinary moments into photographs that feel like a movie poster.
Your wedding isn't one moment. It's an entire day made up of chapters: the anticipation of getting ready, the people who surround you, the ceremony, the portraits, the hugs, the dinner, the speeches, the dancing, the tiny details and the grand moments in between.
And here's the thing: when photography coverage ends early, the story ends early, too.
You can have the most beautiful ceremony photographs in the world, but if your photographer leaves before the reception, you've lost an entire chapter of your wedding. The details you spent months choosing, the reception you've invested thousands of dollars into creating, the speeches you've carefully planned. The first dance you've been practicing, the expensive, gorgeous cake you purchased to cut and share with your new spouse. The laughter, the dance floor moments, the people you brought together from all over the world.
You've already invested years of planning, countless hours, significant money and so much energy into creating a wedding day that feels like you. Every detail has been considered for a reason and should be photographed and preserved for that same reason.
I believe your wedding album should honor that investment by documenting the whole darn story.
My approach is intentional, thorough and story-driven. I'm there to photograph not only the moments you know are coming, but the moments you didn't know you'd want to remember — the reactions, the in-between moments, the people, the atmosphere and all the little pieces that make your wedding uniquely yours.
Because twenty years from now, you won't just want to remember what your wedding looked like through a few sets of photographs - you will want to remember what it felt like, and look back on exactly how your wedding story unfolded.
So let's tell the whole story. No missing chapters. No regrets. Just your wedding day, exactly as it happened.
I have included roughly how much time I leave in my clients wedding timelines for each set of images - hope this helps!
Chapter One — Getting Ready
The anticipation before it all begins.
Before the ceremony, there’s a whole world happening behind the scenes. The dress hanging in the window. The invitation suite you spent hours choosing and designing. The perfume, jewelry, shoes, florals, handwritten letters and little details that make the day yours. There are mimosas, cigars, music, nervous laughter, champagne toasts, happy tears and the people who have been beside you through it all.
So much time, money and energy goes into creating these details — and even more goes into the people standing in the room with you. Getting-ready photographs preserve not just what everything looked like, but what it felt like before you walked down the aisle. These quiet moments are special and are worth remembering and sharing for years to come.
Time Required
Bride's Side - 60-90 Minutes
Groom's Side - 30-45 Minutes
Chapter Two — The Ceremony
The moment everything becomes real.
This is the chapter you’ve been waiting for.
The walk down the aisle. The look on your husband’s face as you descend the aisle. Your parents watching. The hands that tremble just a little. The vows you carefully wrote, rehearsed and practiced repeatedly. The rings. The laughter. The tears. The big kiss. The moment you turn around and realize you’re officially married. The fist pump that comes out as you walk back up the aisle as husband and wife- and of course that mid-aisle dip kiss you practiced more than a few times.
The ceremony may only last a fraction of your wedding day, but it holds the reason everyone gathered in the first place. These photographs become the visual record of the promises you made — and the people who witnessed them.
Time Required
30-45 Minutes
Chapter Three — Family Formal Portraits
The people who helped you become who you are.
Family portraits aren't always the photographs couples get most excited about — but years down the road, they can become some of the most treasured.
These are the photographs with the parents, grandparents, siblings, children and loved ones who have shaped your life. Some of these people may not always be here to recreate this exact photograph again.
We’ll keep this portion organized and efficient, with a plan for exactly who needs to be where, so you can get through the formal portraits without spending your entire afternoon standing in a lineup.
Because while these photographs may feel traditional, there is nothing ordinary about having everyone you love in one photograph.
Time Required
Immediate Family Only (Both Sides) : 10-15 Minutes
Extended and Immediate Family (Both Sides) : 30-45 Minutes
Chapter Four — Bridal Party Portraits
Your people. Your biggest supporters.
These are the friends and family members who have been answering your texts, planning showers, fixing your dress, calming your nerves and probably hearing about this wedding for a very long time.
Your bridal party deserves to be remembered, too.
We’ll create beautiful, polished portraits of everyone together while leaving room for the candid moments that happen naturally — the laughter, ridiculousness, hugs and personalities that make your group your group. I’ll be throwing out some light prompts to raise the energy a bit as we wind down the formal portraits and switch gears to a few fun prompted or posed images that you are sure to all love.
You put thought into who stood beside you- let’s remember them and the place they have in your lives and the part they had to play on the way to the alter.
Time Required
30-45 Minutes
Chapter Five — Couples Portraits
The only part of the day that belongs entirely to you two.
Your wedding day will be filled with people — people you love, people you haven't seen in years, people asking for hugs, conversations, photographs, congratulations and your attention.
Your couples portraits are the rare opportunity to step away from all of it.
For a little while, it's just the two of you.
This is where we slow down, breathe, take in the fact that you're actually married and create the photographs that will become the visual legacy of your relationship. Your dress, suit, florals, venue, rings and all the beautiful details you've invested in finally come together — but you two are always the focus.
These photographs aren't just about looking good. They're about remembering what it felt like to be newly married, standing beside the person you chose on this very special and important day in both of your lives.
And practically speaking? This is where all of the styling, florals, hair and makeup, wardrobe, venue and planning come together in photographs you'll likely frame, print and pass down for generations.
Don't rush this chapter. It's worth the time.
Suggested Time
60-90 Minutes
Chapter Six — Cocktail Hour
The beautiful in-between.
Cocktail hour is where the formalities pause and the celebration really starts to breathe.
It's the hugs you didn't expect. The friends catching up. Your grandparents chatting with someone they haven't seen in years. Champagne being poured. Beautiful food being served. Signature cocktails, live entertainment, florals, lounge spaces and all the thoughtful details you've spent months planning.
These photographs capture the atmosphere — not just the decorations, but the people experiencing them.
Because you didn't spend months choosing the menu, styling the space and planning those little entertainment details for them to simply exist…you created them for your guests to enjoy.
Let's remember the guest experience, too.
Suggested Time
30-60 Minutes
Chapter Seven — Reception Entrance & Introductions
Your grand entrance into the next chapter.
After months — sometimes years — of planning, you finally get to make your entrance as a married couple. The MC may ask your guests to wave their napkins in the air as you erupt through the doors and make your way through the sea of guests all waiting to see and celebrate you.
Whether your entrance is elegant and understated or loud, energetic and completely chaotic, this is one of those moments that happens once. Take it slow, enjoy the moment and have fun with it.
We'll capture the energy of the room, the reactions of your guests and the two of you stepping into your reception for the first time as newlyweds.
Suggested Time
15 Minutes
Chapter Eight — The Reception
All the moments you've carefully planned.
There is so much more to your reception than dinner.
The speeches you've been secretly writing. The stories your friends have been waiting to tell. The slideshow you've spent hours putting together. The dinner you've carefully selected for your guests. Guest games, cake cutting, first dances, parent dances, surprise performances, champagne toasts and all the little details you've planned to make the evening feel like you.
These are the things that can easily get lost in the blur of the day.
Photographs allow you to go back and experience them again — including the moments you weren't able to see because you were across the room laughing with your friends or wiping tears from your eyes.
Required Time
2.5-3 Hours
Chapter Nine — The Party
When the ties come off and nobody cares about the timeline anymore.
This is when the day starts to get a little wild, and honestly I think it is every couples favourite part of their entire wedding day experience.
The jackets come off. The heels come off. The drinks start flowing. Your favourite songs come on. Your friends hit the dance floor and suddenly the perfectly planned wedding becomes an unforgettable party. Your mom is dancing, your grandpa is dancing, your friends are twerking – this is were all of the different generations of guests join together and share unforgettable moments with you.
This chapter is about personality.
The ridiculous dance moves. The old and nostalgic, yet incredible songs. The best friends losing their minds. The spontaneous hugs and dance battles. The champagne and shots. The laughter. The moments you definitely won't remember all of the next morning…
These photographs don't need to be perfect.
They need to be real.
Because someday, you'll want to remember exactly how much fun you had.
Suggested Time
2 Hours
Chapter Ten — The Big Exit
The end of the day. The beginning of everything else.
After all the planning, the anticipation, the nerves, the happy tears, the dancing and the celebrating, there comes a moment when the day finally comes to an end.
Maybe you're running through a tunnel of sparklers. Maybe your guests are tossing rice, waving pompoms or cheering as you make your grand escape.
Whatever you choose, your exit is the final chapter in the story of your wedding day and it is historically my favourite photographs to capture. There is nothing like the raw emotion on a couples face at the end of their wedding day. We can either “stage” this exit if you plan on partying until late in the morning hours, or we can literally photograph your exit as it unfolds – both options are awesome and complete the story we are telling through your wedding photographs.
And then — suddenly — it's just you two again.
The lights disappear. The guests go home. The dress comes off. The flowers fade.
But the photographs remain.
Ten chapters. One wedding day. A lifetime of memories.
Suggested Time
15-20 Minutes
A Day Worth Remembering
I know that booking 11–12 hours of photography is a big expense. I completely understand that. Wedding photography is an investment, and I would never expect you to take that decision lightly.
But when you think about how much you are already putting into your wedding day — the venue, the dress, the florals, the decor, the food, the entertainment, the little details you've spent months choosing — and, more importantly, all of the time, energy and planning that goes into making it happen, I think your photography is one of the places that is worth investing in.
Because when the day is over, you don't get to keep the flowers. The food gets eaten. The champagne gets finished. The beautiful details get packed away.
Your photographs are what you get to keep.
And I don't want you to have to choose which parts of your wedding are worth remembering.
I want you to have the whole story.
The quiet moments. The crazy moments. The people you love. The details you spent so much time planning. The tears, the hugs, the laughter, the speeches, the dinner, the dancing and everything that happens in between.
Years from now, you'll be able to look through your gallery and remember not just what your wedding looked like, but what it felt like to actually be there.
That is why I believe extended, full-day coverage is so worth it. I offer a 12 hour package upgrade for couples who value telling their entire wedding story and want every detail photographed with care - the 12th hour is free and the 11th hour is heavily discounted when upgrading from standard 8 hour (full day) coverage at time of booking.
You only get one wedding day. You've put so much into creating it — let's make sure you get to remember all of it.
I can't wait to tell your wedding story
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