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Some of us just don’t fit it in normal jobs. If not given free reign to chase things as far as our hearts desire, we lose interest. We are driven to be creative, and to make things out of nothing. We ask the question “How far?” instead of asking “Is it possible?” We live for the chase. We are full of passion. And, we just happen to love photography as well. Our names are Arica and Joshua Klassen, and we are entrepreneurs, business owners, photographers, and mentors. These are our stories:
Richard and Jennifer are sweetie pies! Their wedding day was such a reflection of their personalities and relationship. It was intimate, thoughtful, and beautiful. Between Richard and Jennifer, their friends, family, and the stellar design team at Mastronardi, this wedding day was brought together by the ultimate dream team. As you look through this post, you will see so many well thought out details (many done DIY style). Prepare to be inspired!
The couple spent the year prior to their wedding collecting ideas and unique pieces for their decor from antique shops and yard sales. They quickly fell in love with all things burlap and lace, which worked it’s way into much of their design. Lanterns, baby’s breath, mason jars, and pearls were used whenever possible. Some of the smaller mason jars were used to hold the mini peach pie favours – one of Jennifer’s favourite summer treats! They were so cute, and delicious!
One of the details from this wedding that I loved the most, was Jennifer’s veil. In her own words, “…after my husband proposed to me, my mom and I pulled out her wedding dress and veil from 35 years ago. I tried it on, we took pictures, laughed and cried tears of joy thinking ahead to my upcoming wedding day. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the lace trim along her veil, which was still in perfect condition…a special friend redesigned the veil, giving it a more modern flare….It meant a lot to be able to wear this veil on my wedding day, and share this piece with my mom.”
Jennifer and her bridesmaids got ready at her parent’s beautiful property, surrounded by nature. It was there that she and Richard shared their first look of each other before heading to Mastronardi Estate Winery for their Ceremony and Reception. The day stayed overcast, giving the most amazing lighting, and the incredible pink and orange sunset made the little sprinkles of rain worth it. As Jennifer said it was “absolutely magical!”
Richard and Jennifer, we loved being apart of your wedding day. Thanks for including us on your big day and for allowing us to capture such important moments for you! We hope to see you again in 2014 and be apart of many more memories for years to come! God bless you both. xo
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Amazing photos! I am wearing that same dress for my wedding next August. Is there a way I can find out where she got her hair clip? My email is danielle-scaletta@hotmail.com.
Your photos captured the beauty of the dress and the entire day perfectly.ReplyCancel
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Nate and Maggie are kind souls. They treat each other with so much care, love and respect. It’s heartwarming to see! And thank God is was heartwarming, because this shoot was hands down the coldest we’ve ever shot, haha!
Nate and Maggie were brought together by a pretty crazy circumstance! Maggie was visiting with her grandmother when she had a stroke. She called 911, and the paramedics arrived swiftly. One of the paramedics happened to be Nate. They spent awhile chatting and caring for Maggie’s grandmother together on the way to the hospital in the ambulance. Once they got all settled in the hospital, and grandma was doing well, Nate mustered up all the courage he had and asked Maggie out for coffee. That was 2.5 years ago now (and by the way, grandma is doing well!).
This rustic, winter session represents their relationship in so many different ways. Life is filled with different seasons. When the rough and cold times come, we have the ones we love to work through it with, and keep us warm.
Nate and Maggie, we so enjoyed our time together sipping on hot cider, chatting about the deeper parts of life and traipsing through the snow! Thank you for going along with our crazy winter sessions ideas, and having a great attitude the whole time. We hope to spend more time together in 2014! God bless you both. xo
PS If you are wondering, yes this engagement session was done on two different days. :)
Matthew and Stephanie are beautiful people inside and out. Stephanie and her ladies got ready at Caesar’s Windsor Hotel, where I witnessed the most adorable “first look” of Stephanie and her dad. I guarantee you cannot find a dad more proud of his daughter (see below). Matthew and his groomsmen got ready at the Holiday Inn and Suites where Matt discovered he was gifted an Omega watch from Stephanie. And considering he’s a huge James Bond fan, he could not have been more thrilled!
The couple decided to do some of their photos that morning before they saw each other, with their wedding party. I headed out to Willistead with the girls, and Josh took the guys to Jackson Park. They had perfect weather for photos!
The ceremony took place at the immaculate Ambassador Golf Club, where Matt and Steph displayed their union with a sand ceremony. There were so many romantic moments throughout their ceremony. From when Matt kissed Stephanie’s hand after putting the ring on her finger, to when Stephanie grabbed Matt’s collar during their first kiss (too cute).
They made their grand entrance with a James Bond tribute and went right into their first dance. Then Stephanie danced with her dad. Everyone was crying, even me! Do you know how difficult it is to photograph with tears in your eyes?! Stop being so cute, please! They continued the night with a delicious meal and hilarious, heart felt speeches. What a night to remember!
Matt and Steph, we have so many fond memories from your wedding day. It was intimate, personal, and elegant. Your friends and family are so loving, and welcoming. We feel so blessed to have captured such special memories. Thanks for trusting us with your photos. We hope you’ll stay in touch! God bless you both. xo
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Ryan and Tara are happy people. He’s a baseball/sports fanatic, and she’s a fan of literature and music. Together they adopted a beautiful little pup named Zola (who stole the show at the wedding with her pink pearl necklace).
Their wedding day took place at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery, a gorgeous vineyard situated on Lake Erie. The day went absolutely perfectly despite the on again, off again rain. It made for a stunning rainbow, and awe-inspiring clouds and waves (see the end of this post). As photographers, we could not have been happier with what we had to work with!
Ryan and Tara, your wedding day such a great reflection of who you are as individuals and as a couple. It was colourful, sparkly, fun, and welcoming. You both have hearts of gold, and I just know you’re going to live happily ever after. God bless you both on your journey forward as husband and wife. Whenever you’re in Windsor, we’d love to see you, and Zola! xo
Steve and Brittany are amazing parents to their fur child, Charlie. I had the privilege of meeting their handsome dog when he was just a puppy at one of our initial consultations. They had just adopted him a couple of days before, and he was too cute for words. My professionalism went out the window the moment I laid eyes on him. As you can image, I was more than happy when they decided to bring him along to their engagement session, and he showed up in a bow tie!
Steve and Brittany are great people. They are comfortable, confident and loving with one another. They were an absolute joy to photograph.
Steve and Brittany, I love your personalities. Your smiles are genuine and you’re just good people! Thank you for letting me play with your dog, and still accepting me as a professional after I lost my mind over your adorable puppy! Ah – he’s too cute! Josh and I both feel very lucky to be able to get to know you more and photograph your upcoming wedding. We know it’s going to be a great time!
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Congratulations on the new service you are offering. Good luck!
Wow, you two make a great partnership! I love both of your stories. Wish I had a VHS tape of myself in my early creative stage :D If I need any mentoring, I know exactly where to come for some help.
Very cool post and mentoring program!
Loved both your stories, and I think it’s so wonderful and amazing that you can share your photography, business, and life together. Arica, I love that you sold your rocks, lol!! Business woman from the start! ;)
Thumbs up!
[…] to keep up to date on the latest technology, techniques, and trends. This includes participating in mentoring relationships, workshops, online forums, reading, and studying their target […]
Love this I wish you were closer to Kingston
[…] first met Amanda at one our photography workshops at the beginning on 2014. We got chatting and found out about her amazing blog Rose City Style […]
[…] keep up to date on the latest technology, techniques, and trends. This includes participating in mentoring relationships, workshops, online forums, reading, and studying their target […]
[…] welcome to come for a free refresher class, and out-of-towners are welcome to take advantage of our mentoring relationships. Hope you can make […]
WOW… sounds like a wonderful mentoring program….Best of luck….
Awesome program!
love this!! I’m so excited for you guys and this new serivice you are offering!! Congrats!
Great program to help new photographers!
What a gift to so many other photographers. They are in good hands!
You guys are awesome! What a great way to help others out.
Wow, this sounds so cool!!! I would love to hire a mentor in the future!
[…] to come for a free refresher class, and out-of-towners are welcome to take advantage of our mentoring relationships. Hope you can make […]
[…] We are launching our first two DSLR Classes for this winter. Out-of-towners are welcome to take advantage of our mentoring relationships. […]
Great program for budding photographers! Keep up the good work!