Donna & Gary's Beautifully Intimate Family Wedding :)

When we first met with Donna & Gary, a couple of things were immediately obvious: that they are both very warm and genuine people, and that they are both very proud parents. Each of them has 3 sons (all in their 20's), and the only people maybe more excited than Donna & Gary for them to be joining their lives together are their boys :)
It was a perfect day, and made even more so by the closeness of everyone there. Small weddings are a personal favourite of mine (we had one ourselves!), and I think these images will show many of the reasons why..

Donna was radiant :)

 Donna's close friends Manon and Denise were there to help her get ready, as well as her entourage of lovely ladies: Allison, Charlotte, Vanessa, and Jenn :)

Gary had a play list for the morning.. most brides would have been worried that one of the first songs was "Born to Run", but this is a couple that has travelled the world to see Bruce Springsteen ;)

Once they were dressed, the guys headed over to the Irish Embassy for a drink and some laughs 

 One of my favourite parts of the day - the "first look".. I love the anticipation of this moment! (I also loved this beautiful vintage Bentley!)

 Donna's sons Matthew, Michael, and Jonathan helped lead her down the path to where Gary was waiting..

Since music is such a big part of their lives, The Toronto Music Garden was the perfect place for Donna & Gary's intimate ceremony :) The bridal party consisted entirely of the couple's sons, with Donna's sons preceding her up the aisle, and Gary's sons Cameron, Craig, and Ian standing next to him

This was beautiful - immediately following the ceremony, everyone released a Monarch butterfly :) Donna's decided to stick around, and was perched happily on her bouquet..

We had lots of fun with this group! 

(I have to say - a bridal party of just young men in black suits is pretty striking..)

The guys, showing off their fancy socks, and aerial skills :)

 I love love LOVE these images of the newlyweds with the late summer garden and glowy sun :)

 The dinner reception was held not far away at Canoe, which has stunning views and amazing food

 The guys were surprised by Gary's classy dance moves, but that was nothing compared to the surprise he had planned for Donna..

Just before sitting down to dinner, Gary stood up and started to sing "I Love You Baby" to Donna :) The look on her face was fantastic, especially when all the guys got up and joined in! 

I don't know if you remember the crazy lighting storm we had a couple of weeks ago..? This was that night - and the feeling of being in a cosy candlelit room while watching lighting strike the CN Tower about a dozen times was absolutely awesome! 

I've heard a lot of wedding speeches, but what was different about these was that instead of the bride & groom's parents talking about how proud they were, it was the bride & grooms sons saying how grateful they are for everything their parents have done, and how much it means to them to see 

Donna & Gary so happy together.. I'm sure most parents never get to hear that from their kids, and it was really touching :)

If I had to pick two words to describe this day overall, they would be "elegant" and "joyful" :)

Donna & Gary - we loved your wedding so much, and were so honoured that you had us there as part of your "family" for the day! Even nicer than knowing that you had such a perfect day though, is knowing that the two of you will be bringing each other so much happiness for all your future days together.. May there always be music in your love and in your lives :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

Baby Oliver's 3-month-old Family Trip to the CNE :)

What better way to spend an afternoon than with a couple of sweet little guys at the Ex? Cameron - the Big Brother at 3 years - had such a blast with rides, reptiles, dancing, bubbles, running, riding tractors, playing drums, and probably a million other things, that we could barely keep up with him! Baby Oliver - being less independently mobile so far - was easier to keep track of, but no less entertained :) How sweet is this little face..?!

I seriously can't remember the last time a couple of hours contained so many different excitements :)  

Sarah & Mike - thanks again for allowing us to tag along on your perfect end-of-summer day of family fun! I'm not ashamed to admit that we came home and had a nap after this ;)

xo Jessica + Norman

Emma & Colin's Engagement Session with a Touch of Star Wars :)

If you know Emma & Colin, you'll probably agree with me that the best word to describe them as a couple is "adorable" :) They are super-sweet to each other, and have a great shared sense of humour that frequently leads to giggling.. Maybe my favourite thing about these two is that they also aren't shy about being just a little dorky, which is how we ended up with a lightsaber duel in the midst of their engagement photos - although not until after we'd already seen loads of cuteness and romance!

I love the "bring it on!" faces ;) (also - how awesome are Emma's Princess Leia buns??)

Like every good duel, it ended in kisses :) 

Emma & Colin - we had such a great time visiting a galaxy far far away with you :) You two were an amazing amount of fun to photograph, and we can't wait for your wedding day!

xo

Jessica + Norman

*special thanks to Azadeh and Kanzen for bravely and generously trusting us with their Star Wars figures - you guys rock!*

Julia & Al's Engagement Session Where it all Began :)

When planning an engagement session, we always ask couples if there's anywhere significant to their history together that might be a cool place to do the photos - but rarely do we get to do the session in the actual location where the couple first met, as we did with Julia and Al :) These high school sweethearts met at a 24 hour dance-a-thon in their school gymnasium, so it seemed the perfect place to go for their engagement photos! Everywhere from the hallway where their lockers were, to a classroom they shared, the lovely outdoor courtyard, and of course the gym - we had so much fun skipping down memory lane with these two..

While Julia was always a very good student, Al was a slight trouble-maker ;) As soon as he sat down in his desk, paper airplane construction began.. 

To tie in with their Doctor Who themed wedding, Al proposed to Julia with a TARDIS ring box, and a very apt quote :)

Practicing some dance moves in the gym :) Check out that last spin - I love it! 

We finished off with a visit to the beautiful sunny courtyard :) 

Julia & Al - we had a blast photographing your engagement session! I loved how you two were somehow so well organized and at the same time spontaneous :) We're so excited for your wedding, and can't wait to see all the Doctor Who details!

xo Jessica + Norman

Make-up: Christina Carducci

Special thanks to everyone at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, for allowing us to use this perfect location!

Sweet Baby Seija at 7 1/2 months :)

From the first time I met Baby Seija, I was struck by her intense gaze - it was almost like she was working really hard on figuring things out. And then all of a sudden, she would burst into smiles :) A few months later, she definitely still has the intense gaze, and still goes easily between that and a huge grin.. and now there are two shiny new teeth to show off with that smile :D Between the smiles and the big blue eyes, she completely charmed us when we were there to capture this super-sweet moment in her little life..

Seija's toes are pretty much her favourite thing in the world right now :) I love her pretty little beaded anklet too! 

 Here's that serious face ;) And then more smiles :)

Cheryl & Jonny - you guys have such a sweet little girl! Thanks so much for having us over to capture all her moods, expressions, and teeth :)

xo Jessica + Norman

{do you have a little one with a sweet smile you'd love for us to capture? Get in touch and tell us why this is the perfect time to photograph your family!}

Sweet Baby Ewan at 22 days old :)

Ros & Hil are one of the sweetest couples we've ever met - adorable and romantic, and just generally a joy to be around :) We loved photographing their engagement session in the Roncesvalles and High Park area, and we had so much fun capturing their New Year's Eve wedding at Mildred's Temple Kitchen! So when we found out they were expecting an addition to their family, we couldn't wait to meet him. Baby Ewan has no trouble living up to high expectations.. he's super-sweet and even treated us to a couple of "practice smiles" :D

 Everywhere you look in Ewan's nursery, there's something that's been made by a friend or family member - so much love!

 And of course Paco - who is taking his role as "big brother" very seriously :)

 Roslyn & Hilary - a huge congratulations to you both and your families! We loved meeting Baby Ewan, and can't wait to see all of you again soon :)

xo
Jessica + Norman

{do you have a super-sweet baby in your family or in your future? If so, we'd love to chat with you about creating and capturing beautiful memories of this amazing time in your family's history! Email us now at photo@jessicalin.ca to learn more}

Art Show Summer Schedule and New Work!

Okay - so this year I was really enthusiastic when it came time to send in applications for the summer art shows.. the result is that I'm doing a lot of shows in the next 4 weeks! It's a lot to keep track of, so I've made this handy list for you :)

And in case your next question is: "what's new for this year?" - I have an answer for that too! I've been working really hard on a couple of new collections - I'll be unveiling my Ireland Collection at the Riverdale Artwalk June 7-8, including some super-cute little limited edition sets that you may have heard about! (you haven't heard? Follow us on facebook and twitter already, so you won't be out of the loop next time!) Here's one of my favourite images from this Collection:

These images from Ireland were taken over a few trips, one of which was our wedding trip and honeymoon road trip :) There's a lovely story to go along with this collection, and as soon as I have a minute to write that blog, I'll post a link to it here!

I'm also going to be participating in a group show during World Pride at the Artscape Youngplace, with a theme of "Pride in Canada".. this was a great challenge for me, as it's the first time I've been given an "assignment" in terms of what I'm creating. I'm really happy with the results - 7 images that combine animal characters with vintage details and some playful text. Here's one of my favourite images from this set, "The Fortune-Teller":

And since I know that not all of you are in Toronto or available on weekends, there are also two new places where you can find perfect happy art gifts (either for others or yourself!): the first is my shiny new Etsy shop here, and the second is my awesome Society6 shop where you can get everything from tote bags to cushions, wall clocks, or even a shower curtain! As a bonus, Society6 has free shipping this weekend if you use this link!

Alright, art-lovers - it's time for me to get some sleep before my art show marathon begins tomorrow morning! Hope to see you in an art-filled park very soon!

xo Jessica