Reava and Steve got married!!

"When you came down the aisle......I was breathless." 

That could sum things up just nicely about Steve and Reava's wedding.  I had the absolute pleasure of spending the day with them, their family and friends.  Steve's eyes were full the whole day.  Full of love, tears, joy and excitement about what their future as husband and wife held.  I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of such a huge moment in couple's lives.

"Oh I can't look at Steve as I come down the aisle.  Otherwise I'll be crying way too much."  Reava mentioned as she was getting her make up touched up.  "He will set me off for sure." 

The house where the girls were getting ready was calm, peaceful and full of anticipation.  Reava's eyes were full of excitement, joy and a complete knowing that this was perfect.  Steve....perfect......dress...perfect....family and friends present....perfect.....a lifetime together with the man of her dreams........perfect.

As she put on her gorgeous wedding gown, the room was full of laughter and smiles and a few tears as we all beheld such a beautiful bride.  It was also a learning experience as I was taught the correct way to shift yourself into a strapless gown....didn't know that! 

It was a beautiful day filled with love, laughter, joy......perfection.  The sun even decided to show itself and gave us ample opportunity to shoot photos. The friends that stood up for Steve and Reava were a blast and I had such a good time with them all, I can see why they enjoy spending time together!  And....for the first time ever....I actually remembered all their names....for the whole day!!!!!

Kayla of Paisley Floral Design created aMAzing the amazing bouquets and boutinierres for the wedding party.  I loved the greens and yellows that Reava chose....I can't really say how much I loved them!! They were so fun!! 

I didn't want to have this post go on forever so stay tuned for part 2!

Loved LOVED her shoes!  Reava had told me about them earlier and they didn't disappoint!

Reava....you are stunning....stunning...that's all.

Aren't they fun?

These guys were always laughing, especially Steve!

Seriously....you two....gorgeous!

Intensity turning a corner - K & A engagement photos

Reflecting on how K & A started out I'm actually surprised we were taking engagement photos.  You see they met on MSN via a mutual friend and really didn't like each other.  This dislike lasted quite a while until they realized that these intense feelings they were having maybe weren't so bad! One day the sparks flew in the right direction and they haven't looked back since!

I spent a lovely evening exploring downtown with K & A last Sunday.  The light was beautiful and we had a great time wandering around and shooting.  Thankfully the mosqutioes held off until the very end!

I'm looking forward to their July wedding and getting to spend some more time with these two....I know I'll be laughing my way through that day!

Gorgeousity - I've made a new word.

It was a crowded room when their eyes first met.  She'd been hired by a family friend to serve appetizers during cocktail hour at a wedding.  He was dressed to kill (okay not like James Bond or anything, but he was looking good!) attending his brother's wedding.  Something must have been good about those appies because he made sure he got introduced to her during the reception.  Smiles were shared, glances were stolen and email addresses were exchanged.  After a few visits via email a coffee date was made to visit face to face.  That face to face meeting went very well because we're shooting their wedding this July!  Hhmmmm, wonder if some unassuming couple will meet at their wedding?

We had to reschedule our photo shoot due to hurricane force winds and an ugly looking sky.  Now we should have been a little more patient because that evening turned out to be absolutely gorgeous!  Thinking we'd avoided the hurricane winds we headed out for our photo session the next evening and seemed to have found a wind tunnel right in Calgary. I didn't need to worry at all though.....Thomas and Leanne worked it wind and all!

I was laughing out loud with these two....and if you know my laugh, things gt downright noisy at times!  Seriously though, I had a great time and am really looking forward to hanging out with them in July at their wedding.  I had quite a difficult time choosing which images I liked the most and you probably will too.  You will see that Leanne epitomizes gorgeousity.  Check back in July for more of these two!

 See? What did I say?....gorgeousity!!!

This is a tradition I hope we keep!

9 years ago I celebrated my very first Mother's Day.  I'd been a mom for one month....I was exhausted but still wanted to celebrate.  Garth and Tysen (although he won't remember!) took me to Peter's Drive In for a burgers and a chocolate banana shake.  We ate and then went home so I could have a nap!  Things have changed since that first Mother's Day, but one thing remains the same......I still find myself in awe of the fact that I've got two boys to love.  God has blessed me greatly and most of the time I find myself so thankful to Him for choosing Tysen and Rylen to fill my heart.

I love Mother's Day.  It's great, I get to celebrate the mother's in my life (from a distance) and I get to spend some time with my guys.  We've started a tradition in the Koop household.....at least I hope it's a tradition.  Mother's Day is now spent in one of my favorite places....Banff.  After church we get in the car, grab some drinks and drive west.  A late lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory, a stop at the candy store and chocolate shop, a dip in the Hot Springs and then a Starbucks for the drive home.  If we could guarantee warm sunny weather it would be more than perfect!

We started what I hope will be a new part of the tradition....a few photos with Mom....you see I don't exist in our photo albums, I'm the one behind the lens.  So Garth grabbed a camera and made sure that we got a few memories from the day.

I apologize for the quality of these photos....not too sure what's happening with blogger!

 

Tys and Ry both wanted to take some shots too....hhhmmmm...future second shooters?

Wouldn't that be fun!!

This is the after photo of all three bearing their chests for me to compare whose

was hairiest..... I love the laughs on the faces!!

Brunch sealed the deal.....Reava and Steve - Engagement Session

Their eyes met across the club....she was there to keep a friend company while at a birthday party and he was there with a friend.  Steve kept glancing over at Reava and her friend.  Reava being the shy girl she claims to be (not too sure about that!) was uncertain about approaching him.  Reava's friend had to leave for a few moments and thought that Steve would be great company while she was away.  He sauntered over and they visited for quite a while and ended their time together with the promise of brunch the following morning.

Brunch lasted 3 hours and in that time Reava realized that Steve was the one for her.  Time passed along with them spending a great deal of time together at home cooking, trying out new recipes, walking their dog Lucy, listening to music and vacationing in the tropics.  All this time together culminated with Steve proposing to Reava over a special birthday dinner he'd made just for her.  And in June they'll start their lives together as husband and wife in Okotoks.  And I'm so pleased to be sharing in this time with them.


What a great way to start off this year's wedding season!  These two are a lot of fun...alot.  I had the pleasure of spending some time with them last week wandering around Calgary shooting engagement photos.

From the very first frame I knew this wasn't going to be work for me at all.  They both were comfortable infront of the camera from the beginning and the time just flew by.  Steve and Reava had absolutely no problem getting close for shots and even better I never once had to ask them to kiss....they just did it themselves!  I take that as a compliment actually....it's a sign that I'm doing my job in keeping the moments real, relaxed and unscripted as much as possible.  I like to think that engagement sessions are a time for my couples to unwind, enjoy some time alone (okay with me and my camera) and just reconnect.  It certainly looks like they got to connect!  Steve and Reava....keep practicing those poses at your bathroom sinks!! :-)

Enjoy.

 She is just stunning....I'm looking forward to June!!

 Just love it....

 Steve and Reava were always ready for a laugh....

this is one of my favorites from the session....it's real