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