Liz & Joe - Romantic Downtown Christmas Engagement Session :)

Liz & Joe are one of the sweetest couples I've ever met :) They wanted a Christmas-y feel to their engagement session, so we headed downtown to be right in the heart of all the evergreen and Christmas light action! Here are some of my favourite images from their cozy winter session..

 We thought that a trip to the poutine truck would be a perfect warm-up..

And then headed over to the skating rink at Nathan Phillips Square, just in time for it to light up like a fairy tale :)

Liz & Joe: we had so much fun with you guys, and couldn't believe how well you endured the chilly weather! We can't wait for your wedding this spring :D
xo
Jessica + Norman

Super-Smiley Baby Kayla at 18 months :)

Since we last photographed her for her first birthday, little Kayla has acquired lots more teeth and a huge vocabulary! She was up to over 400 words a couple of weeks ago, which means that everything you say gets echoed back, and everything she sees gets proudly announced :) She loves to colour and chase her kitty around for hugs, and by the time we'd left that day had added two other words to her repertoire: "Jessica" and "Norman" :D

She was also pretty awe-struck by the Christmas lights :)

 My new assistant, helping take a picture of Mommy & Daddy :)

 And THIS: Kym spent about a million hours making their Halloween costumes this year - with awesome results! (That's Rainbow Brite and Twink, for those of you who weren't 80's children ;) )

Thanks again Kym & Adam - I can't wait to see what new skills and words Kayla has figured out by the next time we see her! What a super-sweet little girl :D

xo Jessica + Norman

Solene & Jerome's Adorable Fall Family Portrait Session :)

Last weekend we had the pleasure of going to Riverdale Farm with one of the sweetest families :) From the minute we first said "hello!", Solene's beautiful smile absolutely melted my heart.. Jerome kept his smiles a bit more secretive, but when he shared them they were pretty adorable too :)
Here are some of my favourite images from this super-fun and relaxed family session..

When it comes to photographing families, these sorts of images are my favourite - the ones that aren't posed, but just show the family hanging out and goofing around together - and I feel like they're also the ones that actually capture childhood and the chaotic joy of having a young family the best :)

Not only did we visit some of the animals at the farm while we were there, but Cynthia, Jean-Pierre, and the kids had the perfect Halloween costumes to fit in with the barn setting!

Cynthia & Jean-Pierre: both of you and your adorable kids were so much fun to photograph - thank you for allowing us to capture these memories for you, and for having such a great group Halloween costume! :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

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!}

Baby Oliver's First Halloween :)

It's hard to believe that it was already a few months ago when we hung out with Baby Oliver and his family at the CNE for his 3 month session, but time flies and now at almost 6 months old, we got to see him dressed up in his first Halloween costume :) He was the sweetest fuzzy little skunk I've ever seen! Fall leaves are also a new thing for him, so it was super-cute to watch him discover the joys of them too..

Big Brother Cameron was a Canada Goose this year, and did some spectacular flying around the park, along with occasional  pauses to pose and show off his great wings!

I love these colourful fall family shots :)

When I asked Cameron about his new hat ("What kind of beaver are you?"), he didn't hesitate before answering that he was "an honourable beaver" {this is why I love working with kids!} 

Talk about time flying, it was almost 7 years ago now that I photographed Sarah & Mike (aka Mommy & Daddy) for their engagement session in this same park :) 

Sarah & Mike: We had lots of fun running around in the fall leaves with you two and your little guys :) It has been such a pleasure capturing the past 7 years for you, and we can't wait to see Oliver's first teeth come in!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Emma & Colin's Out of This Universe Wedding :)

Emma & Colin (whom you may know from their awesome Star Wars themed engagement session) are one of the cutest and funnest couples I've ever met :) We hit it off within about two minutes of meeting, and I've been eagerly anticipating their wedding ever since! When the big day finally came, it was absolutely perfect - here are some of my favourite images from their wedding at The Heintzman House...

I really love Emma's taste in shoes! A bit of a vintage feel, and such a pretty colour :) 

the stunning bride, all ready to get married.. 

 There was lots of fun being had in the groom's "getting ready" room as well - Colin has a gift for fantastically goofy behaviour in front of the camera, but we also managed to get some images of him that were a bit more relaxed. What stands out in my memory of the day is how both Emma & Colin were bubbling over with excitement and happiness :)

 the "First Look" - always one of my favourite parts of the day, and I really loved this beautiful little solarium alcove :)

 it's always important to test the twirliness of your dress ;)

 I love the groomsmen in their pre-ceremony huddle!

 If you can picture the Imperial March playing as everyone walked down the aisle, you'll get a better idea of the fun feeling that set the tone for the day :)

Unfortunately, Colin's mother was unable to travel to the wedding due to her health, but Emma & Colin arranged for the ceremony to be live streamed, and made sure she had a front row view :)

One of my favourite parts of the ceremony was when the officiant asked all the family and friends to raise their right hands and swear to support Emma & Colin in their futures together :) 

 Now - it was definitely an accident - but I found it hilarious (and thankfully so did Colin!) that one of the first things Emma did after becoming Colin's wife was to head-butt him ;)

Colin, whispering something hilarious in Emma's ear :)

 Not only was there an awesome live band for the reception, but Emma & Colin had awesome dance moves to go with it!

Emma & Colin: You two were so adorably enthusiastic to marry each other that it touched the hearts of everyone there that day! We wish you a million more happy days together, and many fantastic adventures - whether at home or in a galaxy far far away ;)

xo 

Jessica + Norman

Venue: The Heintzman House

Angela & Roman's Cozy Autumn Engagement Session :)

Angela & Roman were high school sweethearts, but haven't actually lived in the same city since they were in high school. After years of long-distance romance, these two will be living together in California after their wedding in May.. after spending a couple of hours with them for their engagement session, I'd say they can't wait to finally settle down and start their lives together :)

Roman was visiting last week, and we headed to High Park to catch some of the beautiful fall colours.. 

 As beautiful as the colours were, I also love the drama of black & white for this image 

below on the bridge :)

And THIS - believe it or not, Norman & I had scouted and picked this background before we knew what Angela & Roman were going to be wearing! In this business, we see a lot of kissing, and I can tell you that coming up is one of the best kisses I've ever seen...

(right?!) 

I loved Angela's poncho not only for the fantastic pop of red, but also because it was a gift from her father to her mother many years ago :)

Angela & Roman: you two were such fun to photograph! I love how cozy and snuggley your engagement session was, and we can't wait for your wedding in the Spring :) 

xo Jessica + Norman

Baby Duncan and his Big Brother Sam :)

Kim is one of the very first clients I ever had, way back when I started my business at the dawn of the new millennium. This of course seems like ages ago now, and we've known each other through over a decade of "growing up" - both in our businesses and in our lives. I've had the pleasure of photographing Kim's gorgeous jewellery, as well as the beautiful fall day when she and Paul got married. More recently, we were there to photograph their first baby, Sam, when he was 6 weeks old. And now, the latest adventure in their lives - Baby Duncan :) Duncan is a very sweet and smiley baby, and Sam has taken very naturally to being a big brother.. it was so cute to see them together!

We started off with little Duncan on his own, showing everyone he's just as strong as his brother was...

Every now and then, Sam would jump in - he's a very busy almost-2-year-old and rarely stays still for long, but he's also very adorably fascinated by his tiny brother :) 

Sam & Baby Duncan also gets to spend lots of quality time with their Grandmother, who lives just around the corner..

Amongst all the chaos, there are also these lovely moments that define being a family - tickle fights, giggles, kisses, and reminising :)How sweet is that little face?!

Kim & Paul: It was such a pleasure to spend time with your family, and to get to know Duncan and Sam even better :) Through all the busy running around, I hope these images will remind you that there are also some moments that are still(ish!), and that even the busy chaos is beautiful and perfect :)

xo

Jessica + Norman