Eli and Melissa. A couple that booked me so long ago. A couple that had tons of questions and wanted to make sure they made the right decision when hiring their important photographer for their big day. I met them at their house one sunny day to talk about their wedding, after they booked, and just knew I was the right photographer for them. Eli sat so close to Melissa and Melissa lightly touched his hand. They loved each other and anyone could see that. I could just feel it. He looked at her like I have never seen. It was amazing. We got chatting about their day and I remember one hesitation Melissa had. She said she was not “photogenic”. Looking at this girl, I couldn’t wait to get her in front of me camera. Her glowing red hair, pale skin, and gorgeous eyes. Who was she kidding?! So I said,TRUST ME, like I do to all of my clients.

Come the wedding day, Shawn and I caught ourselves just staring at Eli and Melissa as their hugged all of their guests. They just glow. There is something about them that I absolutely admired. They are always smiling, and always slightly touching each other. Honestly, the purest of love.

And then we headed out for formal photos. The first shot we took, Shawn and I were inspired. These two were naturals and looked amazing. They moved with each other, and just LOVED each other to the full degree. If there are any inspirational photos I could show any of my couples, these would be them.

Be You.

Be in the moment.

Feel the love.

Big Thank You to Eli and Melissa for having us there. It truly was such a great day!

~N~

Hair/make-up: Stefanie Carlson
Dress: Ellana Bridals, Edmonton
Flowers: Shigs Flowers, Sherwood Park
Church: Mount Olivet Lutheran Church
Hall: Polish Veteran’s Hall
Suits: Derks Formals and Menswear
DJ: Revolution

What I love most about my man: How much he loves me everyday- the way he is so affectionate and caring…I just eat it up!Proposal: Eli got a hold of the teacher I work with and they schemed it all out.  On the day he proposed the teacher I work with told me we had to do a practice for our end of the year celebration, and so they sat me on the rug and all the kids stood in a semi-circle around me and they all had blank pieces of paper.  One by one they flipped over their paper and it spelled out “miss girard will you marry me?”  Then he came around the corner from where he had been hiding and popped open the ring box!  Not even sure if I said yes until the other teacher said, “what did you say, what did you say???!!”  It was one of the best moments of my lifeWhat I love most about Melissa : How she goes out of her way to help others, tries new things that I like to do & is a perfect compliment for me to spend the rest of my days with.I tried on more than 30 dresses and I was utterly crestfallen when they didn’t fit or couldn’t be altered to my size, were too bedazzled or were out of my budget…so it the last week of December (the deadline I was given by most dress shops), my bridesmaid Nicole suggested I try this little shop run by a little Chinese lady.  When the owner saw me she said “Oh, you small like me!” and I found my dress but it was encrusted with beads everywhere and had a full skirt, so we altered it to have only the beads in the center at the top and turned it into a fit and flare….I had no idea what it would really look like until it came in August, soooooo stressful, but I love it sooooo much!What will I remember most…wow, hardest question yet….hmmmm….I will remember how incredibly nervous I was (to the point of being sick) and the moment the doors opened and I saw Eli all of the nervousness left in a rush and I was totally present in our moment. For Eli, being so nervous about hitting a traffic jam & being late, only to arrive in plenty time & the reality sinking in once the gorgeous bride started walking towards him. Also, getting to celebrate & reunite with friends & family and the first kiss to his fiance turned wife.Any advice for future bridres? I would start planning early- Eli thought I was crazy to start doing things a year before the wedding, but in the long run, it made the time closer to the wedding more enjoyable because we weren’t caught up in doing a million last minute things. I would also bring up the guest photo thing…just because it was something that didn’t even dawn on me and I didn’t know the pastor told the guests they could only take pictures during the processional, recessional and signing of the register.We were most looking forward to the party!  We wanted to dance and have fun with our friends and family and truly celebrate our day.

I picked NC photography because Eli was on Facebook one day and his ex was posting sneak peeks from her wedding and I thought they looked amazing.  So, we went to your site and we fell in love with your style, your stories, and all the amazing moments you capture.  You were out of our budget, but we compromised elsewhere and we don’t regret it one bit!