Louisa & Ellie's Destination Engagement Session in the South of England :)

Louisa & Ellie are having a busy year.. In case you missed it, we did a pretty fantastic engagement session with them in Toronto a few months back, and then a couple of weeks ago we were all in England together for their wedding :) While we were there, we spent an evening in Warberswick photographing this gorgeous couple in the town where Louisa's grandparents had lived, and where she'd spent lots of time when she was growing up. This church is where her parents were married, so it was both a beautiful and meaningful location to start the photos..

This marsh was the view Louisa had out her bedroom window when visiting her grandparents, and it was only a short distance from there to the picturesque beach (where Louisa & Ellie took turns serenading each other) and the row of huts that lines it :)

I love the peacefulness of this next image, especially when contrasted with the goofiness
that followed!

I fell in love with these beach huts as a backdrop, and the setting sun just made them
that much better :)

While it's unusual to have someone else along for an engagement session, Ellie's awesome brother Robert came all the way from Canada to be there with his sister, and was a welcome addition to our gang as we toured this lovely seaside village, creating and capturing new memories to go along with the old ones :)

Louisa & Ellie: You two are such a joy to photograph - your sweetness and silliness with each other is so endearing, and we had such a great time in England with you!

Everyone else: if you think this location is stunning, just wait until you see the 14th century Priory where Louisa & Ellie got married! Coming soon..

xo
Jessica + Norman

special thanks to amazing Toronto wedding and event planner Kristina Chau from Not Your Average Party for introducing us to this lovely couple :)

Eleanor & Liam's Toronto Island Engagement Picnic :)

Eleanor & Liam first met doing stage production in university, but it wasn't love at first sight. Actually, it wasn't until 13 years later that fate stepped in - Liam was the only person who showed up for a BBQ party at Eleanor's - and the rest, as they say, is history. When I asked them what they loved about each other, Liam said he loved how Eleanor makes him smile all the time, and Eleanor said she loved Liam's ability to be silly and spontaneous.. When we all took the ferry over to Ward's Island this week for their engagement session, the evening was full of smiles, silliness, and more than a bit of romance :)

These two are professional level picnic planners, and we thought this was the perfect picnic tree :) Hats off to Liam for putting together such a good-looking spread!

Next we headed down to the beach, where Eleanor drew a heart in the sand with her toe, and Liam gave lessons on skipping stones..

We wandered through the unreal cuteness of the lanes of cottage-style homes on Ward's Island, and paused to enjoy the magic of this birch grove (I love this image of the two of them!)

Before heading back to the main land, we waited on the beach until the sun went down and the city started to glow.. and then lit sparklers :)

Eleanor & Liam: We can't believe that somehow all this fit into one evening! We had so much fun with you two on your romantic Island adventure, and can't wait for your wedding in the fall!!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Lauren & Michael's Gorgeous Beach Wedding in Panama (part 3 - evening)

Last month, Emily and I went to Panama to photograph and film one of the most amazing couples and their beautiful wedding :) You definitely don't want to miss out on the pre-wedding fun earlier in the week, or the stunning ceremony on the beach if you haven't already seen them!
Once the sun started to go down, family and friends gathered at their tables around a dance floor made of sand, and settled in for an evening of pure magic :) In case you think I'm exaggerating, have a look through some of the highlights of the night and I promise you'll agree..

I think maybe all first dance locations should be framed by palm trees :) 

I've never seen a dance floor fill up so instantly and enthusiastically! 

 

I loved how Lauren's maid of honour (her sister Vanessa) told about the bride's tendency towards accidents, but said the best and biggest fall of all was when she fell for Michael :) {yes - I'm a total romantic sap, but I love knowing that I'm not the only one!}

the Panama canvas filling up with signatures, and the Sasquatch feet make an appearance on the dance floor.. 

 So if right now you're thinking "wow - what a beautiful day Lauren & Michael had!", then you'd better do two things: 1. Click here and listen to this song in the background (this was actually playing during some of the moments below), and 2. imagine being on a beach at your favourite restaurant, with 70 of your family members and friends.. It's totally dark, the weather is perfect, you can hear the ocean.. And then one by one, these fiery globes start glowing around you, and then floating up over the water.. magic :)

This was truly one of those moments when you feel like you're a part of something that has made your heart just a bit fuller than it was before.. When you realize you're standing in what feels like the middle of eternity, and it's beautiful.. 

Lauren & Michael - I can't thank you enough for not only allowing us to be a part of your amazing adventure, but for being so incredibly lovely to be around throughout it all! We wish you a lifetime of the kind of love that we saw you surrounded by on your wedding day, and may all the wishes on all those Chinese lanterns come true :)

xo

Jessica

{Adventure and Romance are my two favourite things :) If you've got a destination wedding adventure in your future, please get in touch!}

Venue: Pipa's Beach Restaurant

Photography (stills and film): Jessica + Emily, Jessica Lin Photography

Lauren + Michael's Romantic Paradise Beach Wedding in Panama (pt.2)

In case you missed the beginning of this story, Emily and I were fortunate enough to spend a week in Panama with some of the nicest people I've ever met :) Lauren + Michael are Canadians who've been living in Panama for a few years now, so it was only natural for them to get married on a beach in the paradise they've adopted as their home. Unlike most destination weddings - where the "destination" is far from home for the couple getting married - they had the wonderful opportunity to get married at their favourite restaurant on the beach, Pipa's.
The whole week was full of fun and gorgeous photographs waiting to happen, but as I've been going through those many many images it's struck me that what made the week - and especially the wedding day - so amazing and beautiful wasn't all the palm trees, sand, surf, hammocks, wildlife, or even piña coladas.. it was the 50 or so guests that flew down from Canada, and the additional 20 friends from other neighbouring countries who flew in to celebrate with Lauren + Michael. And after knowing the couple for only a few hours, I could see why 70 people would get on planes to be with them as they took this step into the future together. Warm, gracious, and thoughtful are a few of the words that come to mind when thinking of these two, and that's what set the tone for their wedding week. They have an easy sense of fun, and didn't seem to get stressed out about anything, even when about half the guests ended up getting sick throughout the week (including the two of them). And - best of all - they are totally, sentimentally, very romantically, in love with each other :)
Anyways, without further ado, here are some of my favourite images and moments from Lauren + Michael's beautiful wedding day..

One of the things I loved best about Lauren + Michael were the sentimental details.. they each had a surprise gift custom-made by the same jewellery designer who made their rings - Michael gave Lauren a heart necklace that contains a sound wave from part of their first dance song, and Lauren gave Michael a tie clip that was engraved with the coordinates and dates of their two wedding ceremonies (this one in Panama, and their upcoming one in Canada this summer) - how sweet are they?!

 

best shot glasses EVER ;) 

Lauren's hair piece was made with lace from her mother's wedding gown, which was also used to trim the neckline of Lauren's gown :)

The Sasquatch feet have a long history, and also showed up in Lauren + Michael's engagement photos (along with the rest of the Sasquatch suit!), so it seemed only appropriate for Lauren to be wearing them the morning of the wedding!

Lauren is a woman of many creative talents, and she made beautiful necklaces for her bridesmaids and for her Mom :)

Stunning..

I love this shot of Lauren and her two beautiful sisters :) 

When guests arrived at Pipa's for the wedding, they were greeted with not only a beautiful setting, but tonnes of personal details.. There was a canvas printed with a map of Panama for guests to sign, homemade hot sauce for everyone to take home, and lots of photographs to share memories of 

Lauren + Michael's adventures together, as well as some classic family photos..

Another great personal touch - the ceremony was performed by Lauren + Michael's friend Sava :) 

 

:)

Originally I'd said I was planning to do this sneak peek as a two-parter, but there were just too many gorgeous details and moments! So stay tuned and I'll share some images from the fantastic evening that followed, including the amazing Chinese lanterns..!

xo

Jessica

{We love to travel! If you've got a destination wedding in your future, please get in touch!}

venue: Pipa's Beach Restaurant

custom jewellery: Apa Design

photography (stills and film): Jessica and Emily, Jessica Lin Photography

Sunny Panama - Family Portraits at the Beach :)

While we were in Panama recently, I had the pleasure of photographing wee Jackson and his Mommy & Daddy one morning down at the beach. In spite of weather that had me starting to sweat at 7:30am, Jackson was so enthusiastic in his exploration of both sand and sea that he kept all of us on our toes! Here are some of my favourite moments from our session..

I'm not sure how many of his shells got to make it back home in the suitcase, but for that morning he was the richest collector in all the land :)

How cute are these father and son hats?? 

I'm sure everyone will have fabulous memories of this week in the sun, and I'm so glad that we got to capture some of them on this morning at the beach :) Thanks to Vanessa and Jon - it was a pleasure spending time with you and your super-sweet little boy!

xo

Jessica

{want unique art for your walls and amazing memories for your family? We don't only do family portraits on exotic beaches ;) Email us now to book your family portrait session!}

Lauren & Michael's Awesome Panamanian Wedding Adventure (part 1 - pre-wedding fun)

 Right from our first skype chat, I knew that going to Panama to photograph Lauren & Michael's wedding week was going to be tonnes of fun - I've rarely met a couple as welcoming and laid-back as these two are, and they carried that through in all the planning and details of their wedding. Because they actually live in Panama, it was a bit different from most "destination" weddings - but it was at its heart an amazing relaxed week on the beach with lots of friends and family :)
Emily and I were fortunate enough to be there for the whole week, which meant not only a great chance to get to know everyone before the wedding day, but also lots of other fun stuff to photograph! Here are some of the highlights, including a "beersbee" tournament on the beach, and an early-morning surfing lesson..

I've never even attempted to surf before, so I was super-impressed by the progress made by all the first-timers - in spite of taking a huge beating from both surf and boards (including at least one black eye!), everyone stuck with it for the whole 2-hour lesson! 

 You've seen Point Break right? It was exactly like that - first everyone had to practice "surfing" on the beach, on boards traced in the sand..

 ... and then the real challenge came!

An awesome time was had by all! 

And that was just the first few days! I can't wait to share some of my favourite images from the wedding day - stay tuned!

{p.s. We love to travel! If you've got a destination wedding in your future, please get in touch!}