Sylvana & Travis - Fairy Tale Blossoming Orchard Engagement Session :)

Ever since she was a young(er) woman, Sylvana knew that the blossoming orchard across the street from her family home would be a perfectly romantic and stunning location for photos. Mother Nature must have been smiling down on Sylvana & Travis a few weeks ago, when we were in Saint Catherines to photograph their engagement session :) I can't imagine an orchard more perfectly in bloom, or a more lovely evening to be in the midst of it.. I actually had to stop and take it in, convince myself that this was really real. Love is like that too - sometimes just so strangely perfect that it seems like you're dreaming..

As the sun went down, it just kept getting prettier and prettier :)

As the sky darkened, the four of us transformed the backyard into a glowy lantern fantasy :) The sparklers were the icing on the cake!

 It's not as easy as it looks to draw a heart with sparklers ;)

Sylvana & Travis - we loved every minute of your fairy tale engagement session! You two are so sweet together, and we can't wait for your wedding day in the fall :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

Gorgeous Ward's Island Engagement Session :)

When your wedding invitation features the Toronto skyline, there's no better place to go for engagement photos than Ward's Island, where you get a beautiful view of the city :) We had the fortune of having a gorgeous crisp Spring day, with an unbelievably blue sky.. These are some of my favourite images from our session with K&A :)

Blue. Suede. Shoes.

Awesome :)

 I love how playful these two are together..

K&A - we had such a great time hanging out with the two of you on the Island! Looking forward to your wedding day in downtown Toronto :)

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

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

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 :)

Louisa & Ellie's Walk Down Memory Lane Engagement Session :)

Louisa & Ellie are one of the funnest and most playful couples I've ever met - I knew we were going to have a great time at their engagement session before we'd even started planning it :) And then we started discussing ideas about locations, and wanted to be sure to include all the important places in their history.. "first kiss", "first date", and best of all - where they first met: a downtown drag bar where Ellie used to tend bar!
But before all that excitement, we started off at the park where they walk their little puppy Dewey :)

 Our next two locations were The Banknote (first kiss!), and The Princess of Wales Theatre 

(first date!)

And then for the evening.. we had a lot of fun revisiting the drag bar where Louisa & Ellie first met!

 I love this image :)

Special thanks to Matt & Tommy for helping out with the shoot, and to Crews & Tangos owner Michael for allowing us to use this fabulous location!

Louisa & Ellie: we had such a blast following you down memory lane! We can't wait to see you in England for your wedding!!

xo
Jessica + Norman

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

Maureen & Matthew's Winter Engagement Session at the Distillery District :)

Maureen & Matthew are one of those couples who almost seem to have a language of their own.. they don't exactly read each others minds - but it's pretty close ;) To spend time around the two of them isn't to feel left out of this close circle though, it's actually the opposite: they are both so warm and personable that we immediately felt like we were part of their secret gang too :)
There were two things I particularly loved about Maureen & Matthew's engagement session (other than the fantastic locations!) - the first was how cozy and snuggly they were together, and the second was how often they made each other laugh :) Here are some of my favourite images from their session..

One of my favourite places in Toronto this time of year: the Distillery District :) It's hard to beat the atmosphere of all those little lights, especially with a cup of hot chocolate keeping you warm!

Maureen & Matthew: you two are adorable and were such fun to photograph :) We can't wait for your wedding day!!

xo
Jessica + Norman

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

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

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!*