Kayla + Dylan | Romantic Okanagan Valley Wedding

When Kayla told me the amazing news that Dylan had proposed I was beyond excited for her and when I got asked to be their official wedding photographer I think I squealed and I’m sure the little girl inside me was running around in circles shouting OMG!!!!

This wedding had my heart from he beginning. Before the gown was chosen, before the flowers were picked I felt so honoured and humbled to be a part of their special day. Kayla and Dylan hold such a special place in heart and I was extremely grateful that they trusted me to document all the special moments for them.

Not only am I thankful that Kayla & Dylan asked me to come to the Okanagan to share in their special day, I took this as an opportunity to take my two oldest children with me on a cross Western Canada road trip. This road trip meant the world to me. 1. To witness, document and share in such a special day with two amazing people in love that welcomed me into their lives with open hearts and 2. my children are growing up so fast before my eyes, I never had the chances to take them on a trip to a place that holds my heart so near and dear. This was the most incredible summer road trip ever to date.

It rained a fair bit in the Okanagan before Kayla & Dylan’s wedding, we drove all the way thought the Rocky Mountains in the pouring rain and greeted with sunshine in Kelowna once we arrived. The morning of the wedding we were welcomed with clouds & sunshine peaking through with no rain in site. We knew it was going to be a perfect day from the start. I drove from Summerland up to Peachland to photograph Kayla’s stunning dress at her new in-laws house, met the guys as they were having a few last words and a traditional shot of Golden Pear before heading to the ceremony location.

The ladies got ready at the Best Western Hotel in West Kelowna and from there we headed to the gorgeous Sanctuary Gardens for Kayla’s first look with her Dad. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. I choked back the tears pretty hard on that one. (as I tear up writing this)

I want to say the ladies at Sanctuary Gardens were so amazing and very accommodating, they greeted me, showed me around and made sure I was ready to go before getting things started. This ceremony venue is absolutely breathtaking!! I’ve been following them on social media for over a year and finally seeing this place in person just blew me away! Overlooking Lake Okanagan, it is the perfect place to get married! Just so romantic and best part of all…… QUAILS! If we have them in Saskatchewan, I certainly have never seen them… but they are EVERYWHERE there and their little noises and how cute and adorable they are made me pretty giddy. Ok, maybe that’s the 2nd best part because seriously, Kayla was stunning in her Essense of Australia gown and her cathedral veil that Saskatoon’s own W Bridals helped create.

As Kayla’s Dad walked her down the path towards the ceremony, we all burst into tears, well mostly Dylan. Seriously that guy has such a love for his real life princess and it shows, not only that day but all through their relationship leading up to that moment. Kayla stole all our hearts that day as she walked down the aisle holding her beautiful bouquet made by New Leaf Floral Design - I’m a huge sucker for real florals and WOW, just WOW the flowers at the ceremony & reception were down right beautiful and so romantic. Barbara Cragg was their officiant and she did such an amazing job, she is so personal when it comes to the couples she marries and it shows so much in her words and her smile, seriously it is so contagious!!!

After the ceremony they were greeted with so many hugs, smiles and words of congratulations. We then snuck away to enjoy the beautiful views of the Okanagan while I captured some of their just married vibes. These two are just so in love I wanna squeeze them all the time, they are just so freakin cute together!!! From Sanctuary Gardens, we headed to Valhalla Helicopters - after getting little lost because my phone is a POS and my GPS didn't want to work, we finally made it to our helicopter. We had a few chuckles on that but we made it! So, this was my first helicopter ride… and Kayla and Dylan’s! Ummmmm, yeah, what an incredible experience that was! Flying over Lake Okanagan was so breathtaking!!! The ride itself was amazing and our pilot was so awesome. Cute to boot ladies!!!

We arrived in style at Fitz Patrick Winery and surprised all of K&D’s guests. They all had their cell phones out, leaning over capturing the arrival of the couple of the hour. The energy was incredible. The reception was done so beautifully, Jenny did a wonderful job as their wedding day planner and really the day went so smoothly. The food, incredible, the speeches were moving, hilarious and brought so many to tears and full on laughter. The flowers, the little touches and the atmosphere of the whole evening was a feeling I will never forget. We stopped through speeches and dinner to admire the double rainbow that graced us. A day fit for a Prince & Princess really - everything was so romantic and something out of a fairytale. The hospitality at Fitzpatrick Winery was top notch, the food by Joy Roads Catering was so good and the little fruit pies they had at the end of dinner were beautiful and so delicious!

This wedding I will hold in my heart forever, along with the couple I am happy to have as friends in my life.

Photographing couples that are so in love is something I will never get tired of. My heart is so full when couples put their trust in me and my creative process to capture who they are, the little in-betweens moments, the messy, the perfectly imperfect and what they feel in the moment. To be in the moment, the capture it is something I can't always put words to but the feeling it makes me feel is really something out of this world and I always feel like I’m on top of the world bursting from the seams. There is nothing else I’d rather do.

To Kayla and Dylan. May you love with a love more than love, enjoy the little things & live in the moment together always. Oh and have some cute babies that I can snuggle! ;)

Vendor Love

Wedding Planner: Jenny McAlpine Weddings
Florals: A New Leaf Floral Design
Decor: Stage Right
Dress/Veil: WBridals
Dress Designer: Essense of Australia
Hair: Dusty from Mod Salon & Style Bar
Makeup: Kayla’s good friend Amara Haywood
Grooms Attire: Nordstrom - Ted Baker Suit
Officiant: Barbara Cragg
Ceremony Venue: Sanctuary Gardens Private Wedding Grounds
Kelowna & Okanagan Helicopter Tours: Valhalla Helicopters
Reception Venue: Fitzpatrick Winery
Caterer: Joy Road Catering
Cake: Sugar Sweet Cake Company