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

Louisa & Ellie's Wedding Brunch Celebration at The Fifth :)

In case you missed it, Louisa & Ellie had a spectacular wedding last month in a 14th century Priory in England (click here to see those photos). Now that we're all back in Toronto, it was time for their celebration on this side of the pond - at The Fifth Grill and Terrace in downtown Toronto. Not only a great venue, but - as we knew it would be - a great group of guests to help the ladies finish off their wedding celebrations :) Awesome wedding and event planner Kris Chau from Not Your Average Party organized a fun and casual brunch, made all the more fun with a fantastic live celtic fiddle/guitar duo! Here are some of my favourite images capturing the atmosphere of the day..

 I love this: Louisa & Ellie's wedding bands (made by Andrea Apa) feature each others finger prints from their ring fingers!

These tiny knit dolls of Louisa, Ellie, and their little puppy Dewi were made for them by a friend :)

Guests were greeted with champagne to sip while they waited for Louisa & Ellie to
make their entrance..

If this freight elevator isn't one of the coolest ways to arrive at your wedding, I don't know what is!

 Ellie's wee niece got to be a señorita for the day, with a great Spanish party dress and castanetas!

Answering the quiz questions about the brides proved a great challenge - hearing the correct answers was highly entertaining for everyone :)

 I love this "sit proper" series ;)

Louisa & Ellie: it's been such an adventure over the past few months! Thank you so much for having us with you in England, and again back home in Toronto - we've enjoyed every minute of it!! While your lives might calm down a bit now, I feel certain things will never be dull :) Wishing you many years of love, kisses, and inappropriate jokes!

xo
Jessica + Norman

Venue: The Fifth
Event Planner: Kristina Chau, Not Your Average Party
Cake: Le Dolci
Musicians: Aaron Solomon
DJ: James Drummond
Wedding Bands: Andrea Apa, Apa Design
Photography: Jessica + Norman, Jessica Lin Photography

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

Kayla's 2-year-old Rainbow Bridge Adventure :)

Little Kayla has grown up a lot since the last time we photographed her - like most toddlers, she loves to run, spin, jump, and giggle, and her vocabulary would put most grown ups to shame ;) She also loves rainbows. Mommy thought the rainbow bridge in the Don Valley might be a fun spot for our photo session, and she was right - Kayla's reaction to seeing the bridge for the first time was utter glee.. I'll be surprised if she's not asking to go back on a regular basis ;) I love this first shot of her as she rounded the corner and starting racing towards the bridge! And rainbow umbrellas were the icing on the cake :)

 She made us all dizzy spinning around and around swinging her umbrella, but somehow
never stumbled (thankfully!)

 She's also got a keen eye for nature - after spotting a racoon napping near the bridge over the river, she also spotted a really big (and very dead) salmon washed up on the rocks. After pointing it out to all of us, she mentioned that he'd "got himself in quite a predicament" - which had us all in stitches!

Kayla had her own ideas about the "cute matching shoes" picture ;)

 Kym & Adam: we had so much fun with you two and Miss Kayla! Thanks for having us tag along for your rainbow bridge adventure day!!

xo
Jessica + Norman

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