When Alex and Cheryl met with Patty and Jerry, an engaged couple that just happened to love the outdoors, they presented them with the idea. Patty and Jerry thought it was a great concept and voila — the first piece of the puzzle was solved. A trip to MEC to rent a canoe was easy, though getting it on Cheryl’s tiny Kia Rio was an adventure in itself. All that was left was a location in the GTA. Off they went to check out Humber Park, which was not only beautiful but which also had a little stream flowing through it. It worked out perfectly, and the proof is in the pictures. Enjoy!

All photos by: Young Hearts Photography

Myles sources most of his stones from Canada and, specifically, from Ontario — good news for brides (or brides-to-be) searching for engagement rings or wedding bands made from “fair trade” diamonds. For many women, an engagement ring is the starting point for her jewellery collection and it sets the tone for years to come. Choose wisely.

One of-a-kind Flower Ring

Winning photo from The Great Engagement Shoot Challenge.

Read our interview with Jennifer about completing the shoot and to find out a little bit more about what makes her tick:

The Wedding Co.: What inspired the picture you submitted at The Great Engagement Shoot Challenge and what was it like to have to incorporate the couple’s dog unexpectedly into the image?

Jennifer Rowsom: Pearl (Heather and Steve’s dog) actually influenced the park location right off the bat. I am generally afraid of dogs having been chased by one but luckily I liked her personality right from the start and I wanted to incorporate her. I think an engagement portrait captures a moment in time and while it shouldn’t be too posed, it needs to be more than a snapshot — something you’d hang on your wall — and I was prepared with a few props but Heather’s comment that Pearl often sits on the park bench with them was enough for me, and the light was absolutely perfect.  Using the Polaroid image was one of my first ideas and we combined the two for our entry.

TWC: Let’s go back to your start as a photographer — how did you get into the profession and why did you pursue wedding photography?

JR: My dad got me started with photography when he created a darkroom in a bathroom at home; I loved the process of shooting a roll of black and white film and processing it in the same afternoon. My high school also started a photography class and I got into it the first year it was offered. I now use my first camera, a pink and grey Cool Cam as a prop in some of my work. I am photography obsessed and my camera collection is now at about 50.

Jennifer Rowsom Photography

TWC: What has been your most challenging shoot, in a professional capacity, since you’ve become a wedding photographer?

JR: My greatest challenge is weather — I love the light in the wedding pictures from Southern California — unfortunately we have snow, rain and cold to deal with and that can be hard. I also like to be the unseen presence when I work because that makes for more intimate and personal shots, establishing that invisibility can be hard.

TWC: Can you describe your style of photography?

JR: I love to experiment and I love to mix things up. Working with film as well as digital, and doing both fine art and commercial jobs, my work is full of pictures created by different processes. When it comes to digital, I use a light hand in Photoshop and rather than use layers and textures, I use different cameras to get different effects and a range of images throughout each job. Also, where digital photography typically speeds up work for commercial projects and weddings, my fine art work, which is entirely film, slows me down and makes me more appreciative of each frame I take.

Jennifer Rowsom Photography

TWC: What inspires you in your work and what do you aspire to as a professional wedding photographer?

JR: As a wedding photographer, I love that there are no compromises, my heart races through an entire wedding, I forget to eat or drink and the situation is always slightly different. The time to experiment with new cameras and ideas is over and the level of focus is so high — it’s that new style of wedding photography that drew me to document weddings in the first place, the ‘90s static shots aren’t my style at all.

Karen’s (Whylie) aesthetic inspires me a lot too, her editorial and storytelling background to the finished products she provides her couples, in working with her on weddings she gave me the freedom to explore my own style. We both like to document the moment which is something that connects my weddings to my fine art where I shoot reflections of the past in order to preserve it.

Jennifer Rowson Photography

Jennifer Rowsom Photography

Jennifer Rowsom Photography

Notes: Jennifer photographs weddings for Coyote Photos. Her answers were shortened for brevity but we endeavoured to keep her tone and meaning throughout.

GreenAutumn Photography by Jimmy Bender

Today’s tip: Most people are on a tight budget and schedule nowadays. Spontaneity can be lots of fun, but know that such short notice will limit your guest list.

Day 30 - 30 -Day Bride Day 29 -The Date Is Set Day 28 -The Location Day 27 - Brace Yourself For The Unexpected Day 24 – The Photographer Day 23- The InvitationsDay 22 – Dance Lessons Day 21 – Dance Lesson #1 Day 20 – Décor Part 1 Day 17 – The Dress Day 16 – Needs Your Help Day 15 – Sort Of Jewish WeddingDay 14 -Things Change Quickly Day 13 –  Off to California Day 8- Their Back Day 6- The Cake Is Ordered

Karina Lemke and Mark Breslin

But, first, meet the couple: Karina is a wedding planner and owner of Posies, a flower shop in the heart of Toronto’s Mirvish Village. She’s also the host of HGTV’s Petal Pushers and a featured planner on Rich Bride, Poor Bride on Slice network.

Mark is a key player in the Canadian comedy industry. He’s a founder and owner of Yuk Yuk’s comedy clubs and has produced a series of television shows, including Late Night with Joan Rivers for Fox Broadcasting. Mark is also a successful author and broadcaster, as well as a story consultant on the wildly funny Kenny vs. Spenny.

Karina and Mark met back in 1995 at the opening night party of the Toronto International Film Festival. (They’re both hardcore movie buffs: Mark sees around 500 movies a year and Karina a respectable 200.)

So, why, after 14 years together — four of those years being engaged — have they chosen to get married now? “We realized that every year it becomes more difficult to gather together the people we love to celebrate,” says Karina. “On the 81st birthday of Mark’s sister, Maxine, we casually asked her, ‘If we were to get married, say, in California… would you be able to travel?’ Without hesitation she emphatically replied yes — and so the planning begun.”

Day 30 - 30 -Day Bride Day 29 -The Date Is Set Day 28 -The Location Day 27 - Brace Yourself For The Unexpected Day 24 – The Photographer Day 23- The InvitationsDay 22 – Dance Lessons Day 21 – Dance Lesson #1 Day 20 – Décor Part 1 Day 17 – The Dress Day 16 – Needs Your Help Day 15 – Sort Of Jewish WeddingDay 14 -Things Change Quickly Day 13 –  Off to California Day 8- Their Back Day 6- The Cake Is Ordered

Photo Credit: Jenna Muirhead

We have had the great fortune of working with the Drake Hotel on a few occasions this past year and have been blown away by the high-quality of service, food and atmosphere.  A bridal shower hosted at the hippest hotel in the city would definitely make for some memorable moments for you and your guests.

Without further ado, and in light of our ‘you’re engaged, now what?’ theme for this week, a fun Save The Date idea that’s got a little Do It Yourself built in …

Consider getting a custom silhouette created for $10 of the two of you from le papier studio (Etsy). Use the high-resolution JPEG to create your very own save the date with a little text or a sweetly handwritten note on the printed image, even turn it into the front of a homemade postcard. The blend of classic style and modern simplicity of the design will have your friends and family excited for what’s to come at the event itself, and that anticipation is just what you want to create for your favourite people!

Now, when someone asks, have you managed to get your STD taken care of, you can say with a smile, you bet we do and we had so much fun!