August | 2011 | Simply Rose 2011 August | Vancouver Wedding Photographer

Dan and Amanda // Smithers Wedding Photographer

Weddings | August 31, 2023

It couldn’t have been more perfect. A sunny, warm summer day with a gentle breeze. Family and friends gathering before a panorama of mountain peaks framed against a true blue sky. A beautiful couple celebrating their love amidst it all.

Dan and Amanda were easy-going and up for anything right from their Engagement Session, so I knew that their wedding was going to be an amazing event. The ceremony started off at Driftwood Lodge just outside of Smithers and the lawn was decorated with simple white chairs, hanging white lanterns and cylindrical vases full of white orchids. The ladies at Larkspur Floral Design did a great job with the bouquets and boutonnieres that were brimming with roses, black calla lillies, green button mums and a variety of other beautiful blooms. And since you all know what a sucker I am for flowers, I made sure that they were photographed well!

From there, we didn’t have to go far for the rest of the wedding party photos and the Bride and Groom portraits. The ladies were lovely in strapless pewter dresses and the gentlemen suave in their suits ~ everyone rocked it out! And of course, the best treat of all were two restored vintage cars that belonged to Amanda’s dad. My personal fave was the blue Pontiac Laurentian ~ how could you not love the colour of that? Dan and Amanda spent some time cuddling up in the backseat and I also made sure to take plenty portraits of Amanda in her lovely dress from Anna’s Couture in Prince Rupert.

The reception at Hudson Bay Lodge was a blast and full of fun and laughter. There were shot toasts, heartfelt speeches, a wonderful meal, cake cutting, dancing….need I go on? There was definitely one good party going on.

Thanks so much to my second shooter, Kristie Larsen, for coming out and helping me with the day!

Congratulations Dan and Amanda! Wishing you all the best in your new lives as Mr. and Mrs.!

Ceremony Location: Driftwood Lodge

Officiant: Sarah Deagle

Flowers: Larkspur Floral Design

Hair: LOKKS Salon

Makeup: Cloud Nine Esthetics

Reception and catering: Hudson Bay Lodge

Wedding Cake: Paul’s Bakery

DJ: Darren Fuerst

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Jen: Beautiful! Congrats Dan and Amanda! (September 1, 2023 8:55 am)
momma: they are all great. I got tears again! (September 1, 2023 10:37 am)

All Kinds of Pretty and Macro Fun

Romantic Blooms | August 28, 2023

It’s no secret that I’m completely obsessed with flowers.

Just take a look here.

The textures, the colours, the shapes, the ruffles, the smells. I love it all. But I especially love it when cut flowers come from a local nursery, like these. Smithers has a local flower grower, Bob, that sells fresh, in-season blooms at the farmer’s market in the summer and he’s a favourite with brides seeking out exactly that. I got a number of bouquets yesterday at the market, I just couldn’t help myself. I made a little nosegay of yellow, orange and white strawflowers, globe thistle and a few poppy seed pods. Cute, no? And then of course, there is the larger dinnerplate dahlia bouquet, love these things. It amazes me that the stalks on these even manages to hold up these heavy blooms.

I’ve also been seeing a lot of neat ways to use lenses lately, including one that makes a macro. I found this cute tutorial from Alex Beadon Photography blog. It’s tricky to get everything in focus just right but it’s a fun way to depart from the norm and a good solution if you’re in a pinch for a macro shot.

And while we’re here on the topic of flowers, don’t forget that I have a lovely selection of matted prints in my Etsy shop! I’ll be adding some new ones in the fall but in the meantime, I’ve still got some really pretty ones available.

Enjoy your Sunday!

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lyndsay london: So much fun! Shanna (my second shooter) was trying this yesterday. I like your processing on these :). (August 28, 2023 1:26 pm)
Denise: I love your obsession with flowers....they always make me smile at the sheer delight of them!! Don't stop :) (August 28, 2023 2:53 pm)
erika: these are so pretty! I love fresh cut flowers, those globe thistles are spectacular! (August 28, 2023 4:21 pm)
Natalie: Love the flowers! I'm also obsessed with flowers, I could shoot them all day! Another great way to turn your 50mm or even your 85mm into a macro is to pick up extension tubes to attach to them. I got three (30mm, 20mm, 12mm) set of tubes for about $250. A bit easier than trying to hold your 50mm on your camera backwards and you can stack the tubes as well. (August 29, 2023 11:22 am)

Double Ruffled Goodness

Romantic Blooms | August 27, 2023

Next Saturday’s bride, Anna, gave me this lovely bouquet from her garden on my last visit to her ranch. She warned me that they wouldn’t last long and if I wanted to photograph them, would need to do it right away. No kidding! The petals began to drop the next day so good thing I took my camera out as soon as I got home. Thanks, Anna, for giving me your beloved poppies and the seed pods which will be put to good use next summer!!

Oh, summertime, so many beautiful things that grow in your season.

Happy Saturday!

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jennifer armstrong: LOVE this series. Beautiful shots & your processing is divine. (August 31, 2023 9:18 pm)
karen mouat: They didn't last long enough for me to see them in Anna's garden so thank you for posting the photos of the double ruffle poppies! (September 10, 2023 11:04 am)

Lorimer-Anderson Family // Smithers Family Photographer

Family | August 27, 2023

I’ve worked with Tammy for a few years at my other job and it was a very sad day when it was announced that her family would be relocating to Prince George for other opportunities. Before they moved, Tammy approached me with a request to take some pictures of her family at a friend’s property to commemorate their time in Smithers and I was more than happy to. We had a great afternoon sampling the farm’s beautiful locations from sweeping fields to the vintage barn for a rustic backdrop. And of course, practicing the lost art of grass-whistling.

Thanks so much Tammy, Mike and Taelyn for a great afternoon and cheers to your new life in Prince George!

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jennifer armstrong: sweet session, rose. The shot of her looking through the fence is completely gorgeous. (August 31, 2023 9:19 pm)

James and Melicia // Smithers Wedding Preview

Weddings | August 26, 2023

This amazing couple took me to some of the most amazing places for their pictures on their wedding day.

A barn loft. The prettiest field I’ve ever seen. And here is a little taste of that.

You’ll have to wait for the rest.

More to come…..

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lyndsay london: Just fabulous! I love how cool your brides are about having a lie down in the grass. (August 27, 2023 11:07 am)

Nick and Shannon // Vancouver Wedding Preview

Weddings | August 26, 2023

Yay! Back up and running! Now for some blog postings coming your way….

Now this…..was one fun day.

Cute couple. Backyard wedding. Tears. Laughter. Silly faces. Line dancing.

More to come……

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Onyx Harris: This wedding was so fun to work on and I can't wait to see more pics of the succulent centerpieces! Thanks for your lovely pictures Roses! And thanks to Shannon and Nick for choosing me for their wedding florist. -Onyx (September 12, 2023 11:51 am)

Blog is Broken

Business | August 25, 2023

Hey folks…..Just a little note for you for now.

Even though the blog is currently functioning, there are still issues with it that I’m not quite sure about which are being looked at. I’m not a techie person, so this entire realm of website hacking has been new to me and very scary to say the least. It’s been a week and a half now since my blog began experiencing problems and I realized that it had been hacked. Since then, I’ve had my webmasters working on it, trying to clean it up, change hosting from Go Daddy, and retrieve clean info for it to get back up and running. It’s got a clean bill of health from Google but it’s still not up to snuff and I’m hoping really badly that it gets sorted out soon!

In the meantime until it’s completely ready to go, I’m going to be posting more on my Facebook page because I have such wonderful weddings to show you all! Once the blog is ready, I’ll prepare the postings and publish them as I am able. It’s certainly not ideal but I’m doing my best under the circumstances.

It’s a crazy, mad world out there on the net and I’ve witnessed it firsthand these past few weeks. I now know way more than I ever really cared to about this stuff but still not enough to really know what’s going on exactly. Either way, thanks for your patience while I figure out how to navigate this. Now head on over to the page (and don’t forget to like it!).

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Cullen Family // Smithers Family Photographer

Family | August 9, 2023

In the midst of the wedding business right now, I have a few last family sessions to finish editing, including this one. I worked on these while listening to Rosi Golan and if you haven’t heard of her, well, you had better check her out. My latest musical obsession and perfect working music. And when I mean musical obsession, I mean listening to it for weeks on end. When I find something I really like, I really like it!

I think this family is pretty much the cat’s meow and this is the third time they’ve been debuted in a Simply Rose blog posting! It’s been marvelous to have known these two (and now three) for about three years now, following their wedding vow renewals overlooking the gorge on the Telkwa High Road, the lovely belly in the snow and now the little munchkin in the park. Their little was guy was absolutely adorable, one of the more easy-going babies I have met for sure. So easy-going, he in fact took a wee snooze midway through the session and woke up shortly later in good spirits. *Sigh* If only mine would do that!

Thanks so much again Glen and Robin! I have been loving documenting all your family’s major milestones! Enjoy!

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Leanne: Very Nice Rose!! I like the baby Carhartts, very Smithers style :) (August 14, 2023 11:09 am)

Dan and Amanda // Wedding Preview

Weddings | August 8, 2023

A first real stretch of summer and what better way to celebrate that than the union of two fabulous people.

More to come….

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lyndsay london: Mmmm tall grass. Lovely sneak peek, Rose. Classy stuff. (August 8, 2023 10:40 am)

Lee and Jennifer // Smithers Wedding Photographer

Weddings | August 7, 2023

Overcast with a light cool breeze, Lee and Jennifer’s wedding day could not have been more splendid. You may have noticed by now that I comment on the weather quite a bit and there is very good reason for that. I am always hoping for the perfect wedding day where it’s not too bright and not too soggy. There’s nothing worse than sweating like a pig while shooting a wedding (because then the rest of the day, you just feel really icky) or getting rained out. And this year has been incredibly stressful for me weather-wise, just because of the unpredictability of it (or predictability of rain!). But this Saturday wedding was absolutely perfect.

The whole affair was held at Driftwood Lodge, a gorgeous bed and breakfast property on the outskirts of town overlooking the Hudson Bay Mountain range. The gardens were in full swing ~ the peonies were blooming just for us! The ceremony was held outside, with a mason jar lined walkway full of locally grown, in season flowers. And then Jennifer arrived, looking positively radiant with her dark upswept hair and lace adorned wedding gown.

There was a raspberry grove, strawberry fields, rustic swings, long fence lines, wide open fields, a vintage tandem bike and all things classic country. We had quite a bit of time for photos after the ceremony, which was amazing because the property is large and full of possibilities. Lee and Jennifer had friends with an old Cape Cod tandem bike, it was in rough shape but Lee managed to convince Jennifer to hop on side saddle for a cruise down the driveway. So, so worth it!

The reception was inside the Great Room of the lodge and Live the Moment Event Planning Decor and Rentals helped transform the space so it was warm and inviting. The meal was catered by Ursula and her team from Foxhole Bakery and was delicious, beautifully presented, and made from as many locally produced ingredients as possible. The salmon had “fish-scale” cucumber slices, how creative is that?

The wedding was a small, intimate affair with close family and friends, some arriving from far away places. People mingled with one another, ate and drank well and laughed whenever Jennifer’s young nephew would yell “Congratulations!” into the microphone. It was fun, familial and warm ~ precisely the right recipe for a wonderful wedding day.

Thanks so much to Lee and Jennifer, for making me feel so much a part of the day. I truly feel honored to have been able to witness your commitment to one another through the eye of my lens. Enjoy married life, Mr. and Mrs.!

Click on the “play” button for the slideshow. Enjoy!

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Robyn: You are extremely good with getting the details :) (August 7, 2023 3:57 pm)
Jennifer: Thanks so much Rose, thanks for capturing the day so wonderfully and making us look so good! Worth every penny!! (August 8, 2023 10:19 am)

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