Ethereal dweller, neath southern skies,
With shining, yellow hair
Where gloom awing with wishing flies
And life is fond and fair. -Benjamin Franklin Field

It has been a fast-paced month. We’ve jumped feet-first into wedding season, have been photographing engaged couples and families in the Spring weather, all while putting all the finishing touches on our new website & blog (including creating and writing over 20+ blog entries that we’ve been meaning to share forever but put off until we had our hands on the new website) and coordinating our awesome launch celebration giveaway. When life gets busy, it can be hard to stop long enough to have an adventure, to enjoy a slow walk on the seawall, to just breathe. Things have been so hectic that it feels like we went on our Big Island Hawaiian adventure years ago, but it was only at the beginning of April that we were there!

When I close my eyes and think back on the trip, I smile. Honestly, every adventure Graeme and I go on together feels like another honeymoon. He is the best traveling companion for me and we have so much fun together; we actually have the same travel style and from day to day, so we’ve never fought on a trip. Bliss.

There are so moments that are so clear for me when I think back: The deep red and orange glow of the volcano at night, the sweetness of a shaved ice, snorkeling with the Manta Rays at night and bobbing up and down with the dark waves, the mud speckling my face on our ATV ride through Waipio, the baking sensation over my whole body on the lava fields, and that ache in my chest as we watched the most enormous waves I have ever seen crash near the shore at South Point.

I remember our drive through a mango grove. The dirt road was full of potholes so we took it really slow. We saw a sign that told us we were entering the grove and to ‘Enjoy’. Suddenly the jungle rolled up in front of us. Tangled trees, hanging vines, a canopy of emerald overhead. I felt like we had driven into a dream. One of those catch-your-breath moments.

It was a wild, wonderful, remarkable time together.

And a collection of photographs taken on our iPhones:

Part of what we love doing for our couples is location scouting for their wedding. We ask them if they have any spots in mind for their portraits and then we go forth to find some gems. This takes a load of stress off their shoulders because they don’t need to worry about finding the perfect spot with great light-we take care of that and every time we have, our couples have absolutely loved what we found for them. For Hannah & Aaron, Whytecliffe was the place. Hannah grew up in West Vancouver. The ocean and the little rocky coves scattered throughout her neighbourhood are her happy place.

It was an uncharacteristically awesome March weekend (weather-wise). We wore our sandals and took our camera to re-explore Whytecliffe with Hannah & Aaron in mind.

Sometimes the best adventures can be found close to home.

This past Saturday we woke up to a foggy morning. I was super excited because Graeme told me the night before that he was taking me on a surprise date. Two words I love: surprise and date. Together, even better.

We headed north, through Stanley Park and across the Lion’s Gate Bridge to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. We knew this place was quite the tourist attraction, so our expectations weren’t super high, but honestly, the park is so, so beautiful. We couldn’t help geeking out a bit-the place is a goldmine for photography and as we walked through, we were imagining where we’d place a bride & groom in amongst the trees. We bought sea salt caramel fudge and laughed at ourselves and enjoyed some splendid rays of sunshine.

But seriously, for any outdoorsy couples out there looking for an incredible wedding ceremony & reception spot, you’ve gotta head there. An open air reception at the canyon overlook would be killer. There are trees you can hang lanterns from and one of the most beautiful views. If you decide to do it, call us. 😉

I’m not a big fan of Winter. Give me flip flops and warm sun on the beach any day. But, if I have to endure Winter, I want to enjoy it to the fullest. Graeme & I love to ski-unfortunately, we don’t have our own gear (yet) so it’s super expensive for us to do. We do have snowshoes though, so we’ve used those a lot to get outdoors in the winter and go for small hikes. A few Saturdays ago we headed up to Mt Seymour and hiked into the back country, behind the ski hill. After walking through the undulating trail of the forest, we emerged into the alpine and the view was beyond words. I actually cried behind my sunglasses, moved at the beauty of it all. Ridges of snow-sprinkled blue mountains as far as you could see. The kind of view you don’t get to enjoy every day and you wouldn’t even know was in your backyard if you hadn’t ventured out.