An Intimate Garden Wedding in Kerrisdale, Vancouver
Real Vancouver weddings, beautiful venues, great people and all the little moments in between.
There’s something about a summer garden wedding in Vancouver that just works. No need to make everything feel overly formal or perfectly polished. Give us a beautiful garden, good food, people you actually want to spend the day with, and a little bit of Vancouver sunshine, and you’ve got the makings of a pretty damn good wedding day, in this case, wedding afternoon.
Kerrisdale has that quietly fancy Vancouver feeling. Beautiful houses, mature trees, manicured gardens and streets that somehow manage to feel both residential and a little bit glamorous. La Maison Villa, served as a perfect background and also a major participant for this stunning afternoon which is exactly why it works so well for an intimate wedding.
Shooting through greenery can be some of my fave because it gives everything this really natural, layered feel. I’m not big on having couples stand there and pose for every photo, so I’d much rather let them move, talk, laugh, and just be together while I catch what’s happening. Same with guests. Some of my favorite photos are the ones where nobody even realizes I’m there. My goal is to keep the colours true with hints of vibrancy to the day, especially with a garden wedding where everything is already so beautiful and green. It’s a mix of relaxed portraits, real moments, and all the little in-between stuff that actually makes the day feel like their wedding.
There’s a reason garden weddings work so well in Vancouver. We have no shortage of beautiful greenery, mature trees, little hidden pockets of nature, and gardens that already give you an incredible backdrop without needing to overdo the décor. Whether you’re planning an intimate Vancouver wedding or something a little more elevated, a garden setting makes the whole day feel relaxed and natural while still looking beautiful in photos. And honestly, when Vancouver decides to give you a good weather day, there’s not much better than getting married outside surrounded by trees, flowers, and the people you love
Once the sun went down, the whole energy shifted. Dinner, drinks, a little Trinidadian flavor, a beautiful mix of cultures, plenty of dancing, and definitely a little blunt making its way around. 😂 It was romantic, loud, relaxed, and completely theirs. This is the part of a Vancouver wedding day I love photographing most, when everyone stops worrying about the camera and just lets the night happen. So here’s the rest of the night, exactly as it unfolded.
A Casco Viejo Destination Wedding in Panama | Panama Wedding Photographer
An intimate destination wedding in the heart of Casco Viejo, Panama, surrounded by historic architecture, emotional moments, Brazilian-inspired music, and the unmistakable character of old Panama. Captured and coordinated by The Studio by Elka.
An Intimate Destination : Casco Viejo, Panama
The day began in the heart of Casco Viejo, where the bride and her girls gathered at a beautiful Airbnb near the historic Arco Chato. Surrounded by her closest friends and the textures of one of Panama City's most historic neighborhoods, the bride got ready against a backdrop that felt almost cinematic. Let me tell you about this gem ,Arco Chato, part of the historic Santo Domingo complex, dates back to the late 1600s and has survived centuries of fires, change, and time. Today, its architecture carries the stories of old Panama into the present, making it an extraordinary setting for a destination wedding. Wedding Coordination from the team of The Studio by Elka brought the day together through wedding coordination, working alongside the couple's team of vendors, while Elka photographed the celebration and Iuseff Madrid captured the day through film and drone footage. From the quiet excitement of getting ready to the energy that followed, every part of the day felt deeply rooted in the character of the beauty of antique Panama City.
As evening arrived, the celebration moved to Casa Catedral, a historic restaurant-museum in the heart of Casco Antiguo, where dinner, dancing, and a distinctly Panamanian energy took over the night. The room filled with music, Brazilian flavor, laughter, and the kind of emotional speeches that make a wedding feel less like an event and more like a gathering of everyone who matters most. There was something beautifully international about the evening: a couple bringing their people to Panama from different parts of the world , surrounded by the history and character of Casco Viejo, and creating a celebration that felt entirely their own. From the historic ruins to dinner and dancing at this beautiful restaurant , it was the kind of intimate destination wedding that makes Panama such a memorable place to celebrate.
An Elvis and Priscilla Inspired Elopement
What a pleasure it was to hear these two when they came up to me with the concept of : “I want our elopement to feel like an Elvis and Priscilla Story” …… Yassssss!!! I said to myself; finally !! Let me walk you to the process of how these became to be.
As a photographer’s point of view , all these eclectic ,unconventional looks , wedding and elopements, are my jam. I tend to have a creative outlook in life, and traditional is beautiful but I much prefer a little more individuality touches that bring out the couple’s character. After all, a wedding is not so much dress up; although it is, who are we kidding lol, but it’s also about what it says about you as the couple .
It all starts with the idea of the outfit , the location and the feel we were going for . To say that I was a fan of the veil at first when I saw it, was like : Waooo , this will be fun for it. The Little White Chapel , was an ideal location specially for that pink Cadillac that was a hit and always is with everyone that marries there. The outside area where the car is, the ceiling is like a sistine chapel with the most beautiful vibrant blue and characters that make it that much more exciting to take photos in.
We started shooting later in the evening , with Jess and Aaron arriving fully dressed and ready to go . Jess had a hairstyle and makeup that was an ode to 60’s , light blue shadow, thicker liner and big voluminous hair. Aaron came in with his velvet dark green jacket and something a little different for a tie. The sun was just right specially for a Vegas afternoon , which tends to be super warm in the summer, but we found it to be a good time. From there we did a quick ceremony style and then off to shoot outside grounds . The evening came by with all the shimmer and shine that Vegas is know for. That’s always the part that gets me to love Nevada in general that much more. We were able to go the Las Vegas sign and have some fun there. Lets not forget that the place is always surrounded by people, but they were nice enough to give us a few minutes to take some shots .
Take a look at how it all turned out ! Thanks for reading.
Gatsby Love
One of my fave things to do is give an idea life when it comes to photographing. This was not the exception . Love comes in many styles my friend, and this could not have been a more beautiful elopement. With champagne and that sparkle to it, it’s a form of self expression to the couple and their ideas coming to life. Beautiful hair and makeup that still gives those hints of modern times , it muah! (chef’s kiss) Langley has some beautiful places to make anything look old world and also new world.
An Italian Vintage Story
An ode to a Vintage elopement in a beautiful Gastown building.The Carol Space.
Ladies and gentleman, I am a sucker for movies that make me feel something !!! Every time I watch a movie the first thing I notice is the cinematography and the way the wardrobe goes along with every scene …. I know , it sounds like a lot but I can’t help myself ! , I love to see what emotions it displays and how I can transfer that to my photography as well.
For this photoshoot , the inspiration was a cross between Peaky Blinders and what the style of a wedding would be like in Italy in the 50’s . I wanted to portray story telling within a wedding which nowadays I think it’s awesome to document all the special moments between the bride and groom, all the details are worth saving I say. For the bride , the long sleeves, high neck with beautiful buttons and lace details at the back . We added modern touches like the flower crown and some strappy sandals that are very current with the times. An elegant cathedral veil that softens the whole look. For the groom a sleek 3 piece suit and some elegant accessories .
The flowers which were done by Peridot Event Design , implied much needed unique touches on the flower crown with all cream off white tones, as well as the peach and pink of the flower arrangements around the studio (The Carol Space in Gastown) We also added a book to make it look like a fairy tail . I cannot get enough of the lighting which really gave itself to what I was envisioning.
60’s Film Style
Vintage Style wedding vibes
How fun it is to come across some vintage styled photos when you see Pinterest and wonder; how they do it? The looks of the bride, the flowers , the groom dressed in the coolest way possible, a rad location, ugh the list goes on and on. Well, this is exactly what the plan was when a few of us artist got together and decided that there isn’t enough cool wedding vibes going on the city, so we needed to create it to inspire you !
This was the perfect opportunity to try out my new Godox Flash that seriously I could not have been able to go by without ,as well as my new diffusion filter Cinebloom 20% from Moment that gives this exciting soft diffused vintage look.
The colourful pinball machines from Slice Vancouver studio was the main inspo , it has this rugged , unbothered artistic feel about it that we thought it would look amazing with 60’s style Joy dress from Fern and Moon , added some Priscilla Presley inspired hair and makeup from Elkathemakeupartist . The flowers were created with a soft color palette to compliment the bride and groom .The outcome? check it out for yourself !
