Sarah + Mike's Super-Fun High Park Family Portraits :)

Sarah & Mike have 3 boys aged 6 and under. For most parents (and many photographers!), this would be a handful - thankfully these three guys are pretty chill and love to laugh :) We recently met up with them at High Park for a morning of log-climbing, bird-spotting, and giggles.. we even made a trip to the zoo! Here are some of my favourite images from the session..

 I love how baby Henry goes from super-serious to toothy grin in a split second :) Also - how great are dad & Cameron's matching faux hawks??

Just because he's the smallest, doesn't mean Henry's not running the show sometimes - his older brothers could barely stop him from running away! And Oliver (one of the most enthusiastic smilers I've ever met) thought that was pretty hilarious :)

We walked along the pond and over to the zoo (those kids are great walkers!).. Oliver loved holding onto a baby chick, and - after a bit of encouragement from mom - Cameron had loads of fun feeding the llamas. All this excitement was too much for baby Henry, who decided it was time for nap :)

Sarah & Mike: it's always such a pleasure spending time with you two and your sweet and hilarious boys! We had so much fun, and can't wait to show you the rest of the photos :)

xo
Jessica + Norman

Kym & Adam's Fall Leaves Family Session in the Park :)

Whoever thinks that little girls are less rambunctious than little boys, should spend a morning with Miss K! From the minute she saw us and came bounding down the path in the park, to the (approximately) one million times she ran in a circle around this big tree trunk to jump out and yell "SURPRISE!!!", she was a non-stop whirlwind of excitement :) We had so much fun chasing her around! Here are some of my favourite moments from our recent session..

The only thing that slowed her down all morning was when she discovered the fairy houses at the bottom of the tree :) She immediately went to work piling little handfuls of leaves up around them for protection.. this is maybe one of the cutest things I've ever seen!

 And then there was throwing leaves everywhere!

Miss K helped me take this photo of her Mommy & Daddy, which is one of my favourites of them together :) When we tried to add her into the picture though, there was more squirming and wriggling and tickling and giggling than you've maybe ever seen!

Totally worth it in the end though :)

Kym & Adam: We always have such a blast with the three of you, and this time we got to add "magical" to the long list of happy words associated with spending time with your family :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

Baby on the Way: Andrea & Dave's Beautiful Fall Maternity Session at the Brick Works :)

We've known Andrea & Dave since they asked us to photograph their wedding a few years back - we loved doing their engagement photos at the Lakeview Restaurant, and their wedding day itself was both very personal and really beautiful (that's what happens when two designers get married, and their designer friends help out with the details!). So when they told us they were expecting a new addition to their family, we were so excited! And as luck would have it, the weekend we photographed their maternity photos at the Brick Works was also stunningly beautiful :) Here are some of my favourite images from their session..

My two favourite parts of this day: the way Andrea & Dave pop out of the orange backgrounds with their blue tops, and the amount of giggling that was done by all of us while Dave tried to teach Andrea how to do a "stoic" look ;)

 I love the reflection in the image on the left (below) :)

Andrea & Dave: we are over the moon happy for the two of you, and can't wait to meet your new little guy in just a couple of months! Then we can teach him how to be stoic too ;)

xo
Jessica + Norman

Martine & Terence's Bubble Tea & Arcade Games Engagement Session :)

Martine & Terence are such a sweet couple :) Slightly shy, but with smiles that come easily - especially when they're together. When we were discussing ideas for their engagement session, Martine mentioned that they both liked bubble tea and video games. Even better, she knew of a place in the west end that has the old style arcade games. So we decided to start with bubble tea, see some fall colour at the park, and finish off at the arcade - not bad for a lovely autumn afternoon! Terence went for honeydew bubble tea, and Martine chose her favourite - taro :)

By the time we got to the park, it was lovely and warm. The sun was low enough to give an awesome glow to the pretty fall colours :)

I was glad to see that their competitive spirits weren't too serious ;) 

Next we went to Get Well Bar, which is one of the coolest bars I've ever seen - the decor and ambiance are fantastic, there's a pizzeria at the back, and the arcade games are free!

 Aww :)

Martine & Terence: we had such a fun afternoon with you two! Thank you for suggesting such a fun date, and for letting us come along :) And thank you for a great introduction to bubble tea, which I look forward to having again soon!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Katherine & Mike's Brick Works Family Photos :)

Katherine & Mike have two busy, active boys, so we thought it would be fun to do their family portrait session somewhere that they like to spend time playing together as a family. Luckily, the Evergreen Brick Works is not only fun, but one of the most beautiful spots in the city this time of year! Here are some of my favourite images from their session..

If this family decides to start a rock band, I'm pretty sure this (below) will be the album cover ;)

Julian is an engineer in the making - you can see the wheels turning as he builds rows of bricks or figures out how something works. Little Kiran takes the rows of bricks apart as quickly as Julian can build them, and has one of the most enthusiastic "chasing" smiles ever :)

 Everyone enjoyed the pond, where we saw a turtle and some ducks :)

Katherine & Mike: you and your boys were an absolute pleasure to spend the morning with! We had so much fun, and can't wait to make an album out of your great images :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

Romina & Mike's Humber River Kayaking Engagement Session :)

There's no better way to enjoy this time of year than being outside in nature - everywhere you look it's a stunning reminder of the cycles of the seasons, and a feast for the eyes. When I found out that Romina & Mike enjoy kayaking together, it seemed like the perfect thing to do for their October engagement session! We spent a couple of fabulous hours paddling along the Humber River before exploring the paths in the surrounding area.. the colours were spectacular, and Romina & Mike did an amazing job navigating to get into just the right places for some great images (not always as easy as it sounds with a current!)

Every corner we rounded rewarded us with a new gorgeous view :)

 This little marsh area was one of my favourite spots..

We were lucky enough to see a few herons as well as egrets, swans, and lots of ducks :)

And then a little wander through the woods - no sign of the pair of deer I saw earlier (of course!),
but lots of other prettiness :)

Romina & Mike: you two were awesome! We loved your "let's do it!" attitudes, as well as how sweet the two of you are together :) Keep practicing that slow motion kiss - it'll come in handy on your wedding day! 

xo

Jessica + Norman

Kayak & Canoe rentals: Toronto Adventures

Eleanor & Liam's Gorgeous Fall Wedding at the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse :)

When I first met Eleanor & Liam, I noticed that they're one of those couples who - even though they've known each other for years now - are always holding hands or have their hands on each others knees. I love that about them :) For a couple like this, the joy in their wedding day has nothing to do with pretty details, and everything to do with a room full of love and your soul mate beside you. So months before the actual wedding, I knew it would be an amazing, fun, and heartfelt day. As it turns out, it also happened to be stunningly beautiful :) Here are some of my favourite images from this fantastic day..

The guys were very relaxed in the "getting ready" stage - and that was without even dipping in to the lovely bottles of rose gin that the groomsmen got as gifts ;)

 Looking good and ready to go - complete with a sword that's been passed down through Liam's

 family since the war of 1812! (more of that sword later..)

 There's something fantastic about bookshelves full of real books that people have actually read -

this one ran the length of the wall and seemed the perfect background, since it's a common love of theatre that brought Eleanor & Liam together in the first place :)

I love these reactions - especially Dad's!

We took these gorgeous ladies down to the Distillery District, where they turned heads
everywhere they went :)

 I'm so in love with these images of Eleanor on the little bench under the hearts!

If you thought that got a lot of attention, you should have seen the large crowd that gathered to watch as a piper led Eleanor, her dad, and the ladies from there to the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse for the ceremony! Thankfully they were kind enough to mostly stay out of the pictures ;)

an amazingly grand entrance :)

A post-ceremony photo with all the guests out front of the schoolhouse..

 I absolutely adore how the golds and oranges of the bridal party pop against the red brick
and blue woodwork!

 The beautiful hall, all ready for dinner - believe it or not, Eleanor had a ladies' night the night before and they did all these floral arrangements themselves! :)

 If guests wanted to see the bride & groom kiss, they had to get up and sing something for everyone - this might seem like a tall order, but it turns out this was a room full of very talented performers!

And here comes the sword! Not only great for cake-cutting, but also for the spirited Highland
dancing that followed!

Eleanor & Liam: I can't imagine a more perfect wedding day for the two of you :) It was a beautiful reflection of the genuine warmth and thoughtfulness that characterizes not only the two of you, but also your families and friends as well - may you have many many years of happy days together!

xo
Jessica + Norman

Venue: Enoch Turner Schoolhouse

Meg & Michelle's Romantic Autumn Wedding at the Elm Hurst Inn :)

Meg & Michelle first met years ago, when Michelle commented on a story that Meg had posted online. That email sparked a correspondence that turned into a friendship, and before they knew it, that friendship had turned into a romance :) After years of long-distance phone calls, and cross-border visits, these two lovely ladies officially joined their futures together with a lovely and intimate ceremony at the Elm Hurst Inn. It was a perfect fall day, and a very personal and beautiful celebration :) Here are some of my favourite images from the day..

We picked this tiny and intricate gazebo as the perfect place for their first look :)

 The Elm Hurst Inn was a beautiful location.. one of my favourite spots was this golden entryway with beautiful architectural details - it was cozy and glowy, perfect for a few pre-ceremony pictures of the happy couple!

 In spite of a rainy forecast, we were blessed with a gorgeous crisp sunny afternoon - perfect for
Meg & Michelle's ceremony in the valley behind the Inn :) The two dads were very helpful in decorating the gazebo while we were doing photos with the ladies.

 Meg & Michelle wrote their own vows, and they were some of the most romantic and heart-felt lines I've ever heard :) They had also written love letters to each other, which were sealed in a box to be opened and read together on their 10th anniversary

 The guests threw rose petals at the newlyweds as they walked back up the aisle together :)

This small dining room was so perfect for the number of guests and also for the vintage feel that
Meg & Michelle had wanted for their wedding - as the sun went down there was a spectacular glow to all the gold details :) The other great thing about having such an intimate space was that it was possible to cover almost every inch of available space with tea lights and roses! {believe it or not, Meg did all the flowers with the exception of the boutonnieres. Her own bouquet, the arrangements at the ceremony, and countless little lacey vases full of roses for the reception - and they looked amazing!}

Martha Zacharias from Every Occasion Cakes did an amazing job working from a vintage design that Meg had found, and also made all the cupcakes - not only was it all beautiful, but also delicious! Meg is also quite a baker, and did all the baking for the cookie buffet - a tradition throughout parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio. "Guarding" the cooking buffet was a sweet picture of Chubbs the Wampug, who perfectly combines Meg's love of pugs and Michelle's love of Star Wars!

As the sunlight faded, the candles added even more romance to the atmosphere :)

Enjoying each other, and their perfect day :)

One last little bit of magic - we all headed outside while Meg & Michelle released a Chinese lantern, which floated up into the sky with their wish and the happy wishes of everyone present :)

Meg & Michelle: You two had such a perfectly romantic day, and it was unbelievably full of personal details. All of your hard work and thoughtfulness resulted in a day that was completely unique and absolutely suited the two of you! It was a pleasure to be part of your family for this day, and we wish you a future filled with as much warmth and joy as your wedding day :)

xo
Jessica + Norman

venue: Elm Hurst Inn
Meg's makeup: AM Pro Makeup Artistry
Meg's hair: Kendall at Roots to Ends Hair Studio
linens, cake stands, dinnerware rentals: njs design
cake and cupcakes: Every Occasion Cakes by Martha Zacharias
officiant: Lori Siska
cellist: Kate Woodman
photography: Jessica + Norman, Jessica Lin Photography

{Are you planning a wedding that's intimate in scale and very personal in details? That's our speciality, so if so we'd love to hear from you :) Fill out our contact form here or email photo@jessicalin.ca now to check availability!}