Over the past year and a half, I have seen, edited, and photographed many engagements. They are my favourite shoots because we get to know you, the couple and capture your intimate and special connection. The anticipation of the wedding day is undoubtedly in the air without the overwhelming feeling of the actual day – it is just you two, Kathy… and most of the time Amanda (me).

This particular engagement shoot was very special. The bride-to-be just so happens to be my best friend and I have the pleasure of being her maid of honour, which means I have the inside scoop on how they found themselves in front of Kathy’s lens, celebrating their engagement.

Leading up to the engagement, Marco was great at playing dogdeball, not actually but figuratively. Dorota was led to believe that it wasn’t going to happen for a looonnng time. I remember the conversation when she just “knew” it wouldn’t happen on their European adventure to both motherlands, Italy and Poland. I even believed her! But that isn’t much of a statement since I am as gullible as a unicorn! (they do exist right?!) But that trip certainly became the highlight of summer 2012: my best friend got engaged, in a dream setting, with the man who was made for her.

I remember the day exactly, she was in Italy and I was at work, in this very spot. I got the call that Marco proposed to her in front of the Trevi fountain while I heard the bustling streets of Rome in the background and the crying excitement in her voice. He had it all planned out after all! Before going through customs the ring was wrapped with a note in Italian and English saying “Please be discreet engagement ring inside!”  Marco smoothly had a tourist to take their picture in front of the fountain. As Dorota was getting ready to throw a coin over her shoulder for goodluck, Marco was getting ready on a bended knee to ask her to be his wife! I am sure that tourist was just as shocked as Dorota was. The pictures say it all. You can actually hear their laughter and happiness through these pictures, which is so contagious!

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Fast forward to their engagement session. Dorota and Marco decided to trust Kathy with capturing the moments that will symbolize the start of their life together. A dear friend of mine once said ” Friends that eat together stay together!” This has proven to be true. Not only are Dorota and Marco foodies, they love to cook together. Marco happens to be an amazing chef and Dorota is a delicious baker. It only made sense to do part of the day in the kitchen with food, wine and obviously laughter. Marco’s friends at La Cucina Ristorante welcomed Marco back into their kitchen to make some magic.

PINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEWe carried on the day to Pinhey’s Point to frolic in the historic grounds. We had such a fun day together, we were racing against Mother Nature and her tendency to create water fall from the sky. Dorota and Marco love effortlessly and I am so happy to be a part it. I can’t wait for October 2013 and everything in between and after! PINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGESpread Love,
AC

 

It is safe to say that this wedding goes down in the history books. It wasn’t just one day of celebration; it was one week in Punta Cana with family and friends who are beyond welcoming, loving, supportive and positive. It takes a very special couple to get one of the hardest working families in Ottawa to take a week off at one time and enjoy the sand and sun together. I brought my partner in crime on this trip with me, Amanda. I don’t think we really knew what was going to come out of this experience together other than sheer excitement. These photos are just a glimpse of the week we spent together to witness two people decide to love each other forever. Luckily, our friends at Bespoke also captured this experience perfectly; watching it makes my heart smile. These photos bring me back to that time that changed more than one life. It was truly an honour to have watched and photographed the story unfold throughout the week.

Be safe, happy, healthy… loved

Kathy

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Ps. Frankie… Amanda says HI!

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This wedding was one of those weddings that I wish I didn’t have to miss. Kathy was a lone ranger on this shoot heading to outside of Toronto to undiscovered territory. It turns out that Nestleton Waters Inn was so romantic and unique that Kathy was in full inspiration-overload. I remember getting a text from Kathy saying, “I got them in a canoe and everything, this is amazing!”

Only a laid back adventurous couple like Ashley and Andrew would risk going in a body of water with the dress of her lifetime. Sometimes risk turns into beauty. The lighting was spectacular, bright and crisp on one of the hottest days of the summer (actually). I hope you enjoy their magical day just as much as Kathy did playing with sparklers.

AC

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I believe in God wholeheartedly.  I believe I have a purpose beyond anything that I can comprehend today.  Maybe one day I will know this purpose fully, but for now, I am just happy to be on this path. Blessed.

My husband Amer and I started dating when I was 22 years old. I was magnetically drawn to him; I knew he was meant to be in my life. At 25, my champagne year, I took over the photography business from my mom, got engaged, married, and pregnant, all in one year.  2005 was a whirlwind year for me and I wouldn’t change a thing.  I literally had the golden ticket. Blessed.♥

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Yes, he is quite handsome !!

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Throughout this blog I want you to get to know me and my life and all the things that I love; my family, babies, photography and everything in between. All the pieces that are close to my heart, hence the reason it has taken me so long to open my life in a blog. This is me, I just happen to take pictures.

To start this journey, meet my first born baby. My angel face, my monkey; Inara. She is 6 years old and she taught me everything I proudly know about motherhood.  She is kind and loving. Maternal instinct is in her bones, she cares for all the people in her life and for those who aren’t.  She prays for strangers, sick baby piglets, her family and friends.  She is my prized possession. The name ‘Inara’ is Arabic, and it signifies the light, that illuminates the path of your life.  She is both my light and the reason of my existence. We underestimated how perfect and powerful her name really was…

 

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My son, Ishaia, is a swooner.  He melts the hearts of all who meet him. He has a quiet strength that is irrefutable.  He loves me to his core, a mama’s boy (to my delighted content), but he wants to be just like his dad (his baba).  He is thoughtful, intense, cautious, loveable, and charismatic.  He loves to make you laugh. Ishaia holds my heart, I am lucky to be his first love. He is 4 years old.

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Iviya (spoken: Ee-Vee-Yaa)… even just saying her name out loud sounds dreamy and magical. She is my powerhouse. Her walk, talk and love is strong. Iviya is fierce with touches of delight. She loves to love.  She adores her brother and sister and copycats all that they do.  But she wants to be the boss, Inara and Ishaia abidingly play along, because she is just so darn cute. She will sing your ear off and kiss you till Tuesday morning. She finishes all her sentences with, ‘I wov u”. My baby is two.

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Be safe, happy, healthy… loved

Kathy

 

 

These three simple words flood my heart with memories of love, amazement and new beginnings.  The moment I heard them, I was re-defined. Kathy’s definition had altered. I was a Mother. It was my mom’s voice that I heard, I will never forget the shakiness in her voice, the joy; I could hear her tears… “It’s a girl.”

What brings you back to your memories? Is it a song, a word, a photo, a smell, a look? What brings you back to that moment that re-defined you, that moved you, that took your breath away?

I believe that life is about love and relationships; true in its simplest form.  Happiness for me is both being able to live whole-heartedly in the moment and to be able to evoke it. Creating these memories makes me happy, as they bring me back to the days and that made me who I am.

I believe these are God’s gift to us.

As a photographer, I am the link between a moment that defined you, and the memory of it.  I am the story, the smell, the song, the look…. the photo.

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Be safe, happy, healthy… loved

Kathy
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