Blog | Page 7 of 23 | Olive Photography

The Duggans – Candid Toronto Family Photography

March 14, 2017

Rose e-mailed me because she wanted to take photos with her siblings, nieces and dad – They were all in Toronto and it’s very rare for them to all be in the same place at the same time.
Recently, her sister just moved back to the city and soon, her brother would be leaving for school in Australia.
Of course I was excited to photograph them all being together. I love being able to document people with the people that matter most.

We went to Cedarvale Park, and basically just walked around and spent some time together. There were a few posed portraits, and there was a lot of observing and capturing them as they are.

Goofy faces, accidental falls, slobbery kisses and all.

My heart was really full being present to photograph this for them.
Truthfully, I get a bit teary-eyed thinking about their future selves looking back on this rare day they had together with these photos.

Duggan family, thank you for inviting me to spend the afternoon with you. It was an absolute joy and privilege.

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See more candid family photography here, or get in touch to book your very own <3

And if you’d like to see all the behind the scenes stuff I post regularly in my stories, follow me on Instagram

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Aah, this session makes me so happy.

Toronto Wedding Photo Locations: James Gardens

March 3, 2017

Toronto wedding photo locations: James Gardens

Sometimes it can be difficult figuring out where to take your wedding portraits.
Some venues have really great spots immediately surrounding them, but others maybe not so much.
So, I thought I’d share a really lovely location that Liane and Justin found for their wedding portraits: James Gardens.
The area is filled with gorgeous lush gardens that are a perfect balance of manicured and natural-feeling.
There are interesting architectural features like bridges, gazebos & paths, along with the natural landscape.
It’s located in the West part of Toronto off Royal York Rd, mid-way between Eglinton and Dundas.
Here are a few images that show some of the landscape that you might be interested in for your own wedding portraits!

Toronto wedding photo locations - James Gardens Wedding Photos | Olive Photography

Location: James Gardens
(Requires a photo permit to be purchased)

Bouquets & Boutonnieres: Leaf & Bloom

Loving this lush landscape? You may also enjoy the area surrounding McMichael Art Gallery!

Enjoying what you see? Follow me on Instagram (and also get lots of behind the scenes peeks in my stories!)

Kew Beach Engagement Photos | Melanie & Andrew

February 25, 2017

Kew Beach Engagement Photos: Melanie & Andrew

Aaah, such love.

Melanie and Andrew wanted to do their engagement photos at a place that meant something to them: Kew Beach.
Andrew grew up in the Toronto Beach area, and also taught Summer camp there.
Now, these two are revisiting this location since it is where they hope to one day create their life together.
The sunset on this Summer evening was absolutely gorgeous. What a romantic setting – I can see why they love it so much!

Here’s their love story, from Melanie & Andrew themselves!

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Melanie‘s favourite holiday is Christmas. From the food and decorations to the cheer and holiday spirit – she loves it all. Last year, Melanie and Andrew decided to make advent calendars for each other to celebrate the holidays. What Melanie didn’t know was from that moment Andrew had devised a plan to surprise her. Each day in December, Andrew opened a new craft beer and Melanie would find Christmas goodies. This continued until December 23. Andrew opened another craft beer but after Melanie opened her chocolates, Andrew told her there was one more thing that didn’t quite fit.

Andrew runs off, and tells Melanie to keep her eyes closed. He quickly returns with a book. He tells her to open it and read it aloud. Andrew had written and illustrated a book called “The Story of Us”. It started with little bits of childhood, the day Melanie and Andrew met at University, the beginning of their relationship and their first apartment together. Each page had a drawing Andrew had done and a verse he had written. When she got to the last page it read:

“Its been over six years now and everyone’s waiting.

Their friends are so tired of this anticipating.

So let’s pick out a venue and get you a dress;

Assuming of course that your answer is …”

When Melanie looked up Andrew was down on one knee with the ring hoping that she could finish the rhyme. She of course said yes and the rest is history!

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Get in touch if you’d like to get photos taken of you and your loved one!

If you’d like to explore more Toronto beach engagement sessions, here’s one, here’s another, and this is another 🙂

Downtown Toronto Engagement – Alissa and Jason

February 21, 2017

Good food (thank you Caffino Ristorante!), a cutie pie puppy named Dharma, and a BEAUTIFUL Summer’s eve – Alissa & Jason’s downtown Toronto engagement session at Liberty Village was just all kinds of lovely.
Here are some of my favourite images from our awesome evening together (thanks again for the delish dinner, you two!), and check out their love story at the bottom of the post as well!

Industrial location Toronto - Liberty Village Engagement Photos - Olive Photography

intimate engagement photos - Toronto photographer Olive Photography

Intimate engagement photography - Olive Photography Toronto

Caffino wedding photography - Olive Photography

And here’s their love story!!

Jason and I met in the Spring of 2013 and we immediately had a strong connection. The first time we met was a memorable one, we were at a City and Colour concert and after ordering a few drinks, Jason realized he didn’t have money on him, leaving me to pick up the tab. Luckily, I decided to give him a chance to redeem himself and agreed to a second date. We still joke about it to this day.

While first getting to know each other, Jason was as charming as ever, always coming up with the most thoughtful gestures and planning the most romantic nights out. We have been inseparable ever since and love spending time together, whether it is embarking on new adventures, long walks in the City, travelling to new places, or simply hanging out at home having dinner together, there’s no better place than in each other’s company.

Jason proposed to me in the Fall of 2015, we were in Vancouver, which also ended up being one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to! We spent a few days there climbing mountains, going on hikes, driving around the surrounding area and sightseeing in the City. We were getting ready to go out on one of our last nights in the City, it was a Friday night, and he suggested going for a walk on the beach and then for dinner afterwards. I agreed and when we got there, the beach was SO crowded. Jason was also acting unusual, being uncharacteristically antsy with sweaty hands. I kept asking him if everything was ok. Jason made us walk up and down the boardwalk several times; I realized afterwards, it was because he was trying to find the perfect spot to propose that was away from the crowd. Once he found the perfect spot, or rather, the only spot that wasn’t surrounded by masses of people, he asked me to marry him. That moment was filled with so many emotions, I was so shocked! Looking back now I realize how nerve-wracking it must have been for him! And now, just a few months away until the big day, I can’t picture my life with anyone else but him.

We chose Liberty Village as the location for our engagement session because Jason lived in Liberty when we first met, and it was one of the first areas of the City we got to enjoy together, and also where our relationship first flourished. We had our furbaby Dharma join us for part of the session because she’s such a big part of our lives!

This is our story and a little about us, we hope you enjoyed it!

Alissa and Jason

Gladstone Hotel Winter Wedding | Belinda & Conor

February 8, 2017

Gladstone Hotel Wedding | Olive Photography Toronto

Belinda and Conor had a cozy, intimate Winter wedding at the Gladstone Hotel in downtown Toronto.
They opted to keep their wedding party to just the two of them, and since it was so cold we did all their photos on-premises as well.
Lucky for us The Gladstone Hotel has some super dynamic window light to play with!
The bright sun that day created a super interesting juxtaposition against the shadows of the interior, creating a slightly more ‘moody’ feel to the photographs than I usually take, but I really dig the effect! They had two ceremonies, one being a Jewish Ketubah signing & unveiling with immediate family, and the other being a Western ceremony with the rest of their guests in attendance.

Being winter, the window light had turned to night before their ceremony began, but the rustic brick walls and gorgeous ceremony floral arch by Coriander Girl provided other visually gorgeous elements to their wedding. And their special day was designed and setup beautifully by wedding planner Blush & Bowties.

I adore downtown Toronto wedding venues – there’s a laid back vibe about them that makes those weddings feel unique and cool.

With that said, I’ll let you check out some highlights from Belinda & Conor’s Gladstone Hotel wedding!

Flower Ceremony Arch Toronto Florist | Olive Photography Toronto

From the couple themselves:

Tell us your proposal story:

Conor proposed last June while we were on vacation in France. It was 4 days into our trip and the first day that wasn’t raining in Paris. We took a walk through Luxembourg Garden and he proposed on a park bench.

What is your wedding theme / style? Why did you choose this?
Romantic. We wanted something simple, yet beautiful.

VENDORS

Venue: The Gladstone Hotel
Wedding Planner/Stylist: Blush & Bowties
Flowers: Coriander Girl
Dress: Becker’s Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Hanoch Drori
Bride’s Shoes: Valentino
Suit: Garrison Bespoke
Tie: Harry Rosen
Photographer: Olive Photography

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If you enjoyed this downtown Toronto wedding, you may enjoy Catherine & Alex’s downtown wedding at Canoe!

Cambium Farms Wedding | Caitlin & Jesse

February 6, 2017

Their wedding was at Cambium Farms, a scenic and relaxed environment for their laid back and totally fun wedding.
These two have hearts of gold. So much warmth and happiness on this special day.
But not only that, they also know how to have tonnes of fun.
And by tonnes, I really mean tonnes.
Case in point:

Yup, those are bums.
The pants come off during dancing too. You’ll see if you scroll down.
I don’t know if I’ve laughed quite so much at any other wedding.
In any case, here are some peeks at Caitlin and Josh’s special day!

What. a. day.
But seriously, such a riot!
Thanks for inviting me to your wedding, you guys.
Love love love,
A.

From the couple:

What is your wedding theme / style / colour palette? Why did you choose this? We were just going with a relaxed, rustic feeling. We chose navy and blush colours because we thought they would compliment rather than compete with the natural beauty of the venue

What 3 words best describe your wedding? fun, personal, meaningful

Venue: What made this venue the one for you? It was soooo beautiful. We wanted something with an outdoor aspect that didn’t feel too “stuffy”.

Photographer: How did you know you had found the right photographer? Not only is her work beautiful, but having known her personally as a classmate I knew that we were in good hands and that she would be so kind and easy to work with.

Any words of advice for couples planning their wedding? Get as much as you can done as early as you can and remember it is just one day

Vendors:
Dress: Tara Keely from Kleinfeld
Groom’s Suit & Tie: Indochino
Stationery: Minted
Venue: Cambium Farms
Catering: Cabral Catering
Flowers: Visions Display Inc
Cake: Simply Baked by Sab
Photographer: Olive Photography

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If you like farm weddings, you may also like this one at Earth to Table Farm

Estates of Sunnybrook/McLean House Wedding Open House

January 25, 2017

McLean House Wedding Photos | Olive Photography

Estates of Sunnybrook/McLean House Wedding Open House

Some of you may be aware already of the open houses that venues throw annually for engaged couples planning their wedding, and if you aren’t then let me tell you about them!

Venues across the city open their doors in the winter time – right after ‘engagement season’ (yes, that’s a thing!) – to showcase their space as a potential place to host your nuptials, and also to share some great vendors and wedding planning inspiration.

On Sunday, January 22nd the Estates of Sunnybrook hosted their open house, and I thought I’d take my camera to snap a few photos. I’m glad I did, as the photos were picked up for a feature of the event on Eventsource – fun!

There are actually 3 separate spaces at the Estates of Sunnybrook: The Vaughan Estate, the McLean House (my personal fave!), and the Coach House. Each space is unique and has different capacities (More info on their website).

I took my camera out at the McLean House when I ran into Christina of Cocoa Cakery – her cakes & desserts are works of delicious art!

The space in the McLean House is just lovely with beautiful architectural features, wonderful natural light, and the grounds beyond the walls are also beautiful – a fantastic all-in-one spot to host an intimate wedding or special event.

Here’s a little taste of what I saw there, including flowers from Fun Flower Stand and Berries & Blooms, and candle installations by Helix Candles.

P.S. If you’re planning a wedding at the Estates of Sunnybrook/McLean House and need a photographer, I really enjoyed the property and shooting there – get in touch!

xo,
Anastasia/Olive Photography

Toronto Proposal Photographer | U of T Proposal

January 19, 2017

I always get excited when someone reaches out about photographing a proposal.
Proposal photography is somethin’ else.

It’s getting to snap a moment in a couple’s relationship that is just so full of magic. The romance, anticipation, excitement – it’s all enough to make your heart skip a beat.

Jeremy got in touch with a really sweet proposal idea — He and Samantha met years ago while studying at U of T, and even though they have since graduated he wanted to take her back to the place where it all began.

Here are some highlights from their U of T proposal, which you can read more about at the bottom of the post!

His idea was to create a scavenger hunt for her. He would have a letter for her at each of the spots with clues for the next one (along with super romantic sentiments, I’m sure – those letters were long!). Each spot along the way had some significance to their courtship.

Where I came in: Jeremy wanted a proposal photographer to photograph the whole thing. I was of course so excited!

We met up before the day to go through his proposal plan, including walking through all the spots so I could scope out places to hide. (And so we could plan where they should stand so my lens could see and snap it all.)

On the proposal day I brought my super long lens so I could hide out of sight and snap away.
It was kind of funny – as they walked to the different checkpoints I hid behind cars, trees, walls – and even hot dog stands – to avoid being seen in case she happened to glance back. I hopped from spot to spot, and I have to admit I giggled a bit as I did so, feeling totally like a proposal photography spy.

At one point there was nowhere to hide to get a clear shot so I took a few photos and quickly turned around and photographed in another direction to make it look like I was just a random person snapping the campus scenery. It was pretty hilarious.
And she didn’t notice!

Aaah, then came the big moment.

He led them to a super beautiful building (who are we kidding, U of T is full of gorgeous architecture, but this one was super significant to them), and got down on one knee.

Oh man, my heart leapt.
She started to cry and smile and it was just amazing.

She said yes, and just like that, a new chapter in their life had begun!

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Interested in checking out (or getting your own) proposal photography? Andy had just 24 hours in Toronto to pull his plans off!
If this is an idea you’re into, I’d love to hear from you! Get in touch!

Earth to Table Farm Wedding | Caitlin & Josh

January 4, 2017

Caitlin and Josh had an Earth to Table Farm (by Pearl Events) wedding – it’s a secluded and *stunning* venue. A cool thing about this place is they happen to grow many of the ingredients in their delicious food!
And the grounds are just SO scenic and lovely.

Their wedding day was absolutely beautiful and full of joy. My favourite moment by far is Josh’s emotional reaction when he saw Caitlin during their first look. Guys, it was so touching. I got teary myself. Aaah.

I’ll let you enjoy their photos now, and be sure to check out their own reflections at the bottom of the post!
Your Love Story: How did you meet? Do you have a sweet proposal story?
We both went to high school together but weren’t in the same year (Josh was 2 grades above me). We never actually spoke in high school (although we both knew who each other were), but connected 6 years later after Josh recognized me in the elevator of his building while I was looking for my first apartment in the city. He reached out online after that and the rest is history. 5 ½ years later we couldn’t be more excited to tie the knot.

What is your wedding theme / style / colour palette? Why did you choose this?
Rustic romance. Our colours are blush, white and gold with a lot of greenery. Our venue is set on a stunning farm, so we didn’t want our wedding colours to overpower any of the natural beauty of the space.

What 3 words best describe your wedding? Romantic, dreamy and fun.

Venue: What made this venue the one for you?
We looked at a few venues (which were all beautiful) but they didn’t feel very private. The moment we pulled up to The Farm, we knew it was “the one”. We were so giddy the wedding coordinator that met us there didn’t need to sell us on anything. We immediately asked what dates they had available and booked the only weekend left in the books. The team at Pearle Weddings have been so incredible, and have helped make this such an enjoyable planning experience.

Photographer: How did you know you had found the right photographer?
We LOVE online reviews and do a ton of online research before doing anything. As soon as we came across Anastasia’s glowing 5 star reviews, and saw her work, we knew she was the one. We actually didn’t even meet in person before booking. We just had a feeling and we were right!

Any words of advice for couples planning their wedding?
HAVE FUN! Enjoy every single little moment. It truly goes by SO fast and before you know it your wedding day is 1 month away (AH! We are so excited). Remember that it’s your day but be thankful for the friends and family who will dedicate so much of their time. Work together as a team, ask for help and don’t sweat the small stuff.

Anything else you’d like to share? We have to give a big shout out to all of our wedding vendors. We are truly blown away by how amazing everyone has been. We feel SO lucky that we picked such amazing vendors to help with our special day.

VENDORS

Venue: Pearle Weddings Earth to Table Farm
Wedding Planner/Stylist & Flowers: Jodi Leigh Designs
Dress: Essence of Australia from Felicia Bridal
Veil: Becker’s Bridal (custom)
Bride’s Shoes: Nina Shoes
Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss
Stationery: Minted
Bridesmaid Attire: Nouvelle Amsale
Cake: Patricia’s Cake Creations
DJ: Copeland DJ
Strings: Duo d’Amore String Trio
Photographer: Olive Photography
* This wedding second shot by Olive Photography’s amazing associate photographer Gillian – Ask about having her photograph or second shoot at your wedding! *
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Can’t get enough of this beautiful couple? Revisit their engagement session where he proposed, at the Leslie Street Spit!
Or if you’re loved this country wedding you may enjoy this Kurtz Orchard wedding.
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Interested in getting in touch about your own wedding or engagement photography? Get in touch! Would love to hear from you <3

Park Hyatt Wedding | Tammy & John

January 4, 2017

Park Hyatt Wedding
Tammy and John had an intimate downtown Toronto wedding at the Park Hyatt hotel across the street from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).
They started their day at Tammy’s parents’ house – they have a beautiful large backyard where Tammy’s father lovingly hung lanterns for their backyard wedding photos.
Their ceremony was located at St. Bonaventure Church, a lovely space with soaring ceilings.
We then walked around the streets of Toronto for some city wedding portraits, and then we had to take advantage of the amazing Toronto skyline view on the Hyatt’s rooftop!
Their intimate reception at the Hyatt hotel was full of laughs and love.
Here are a few photos from their sweet, intimate city wedding <3

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Enjoyed this downtown Toronto wedding?
You may like looking through Catherine & Alex‘s, or Amanda & Markus‘ special days, also in downtown Toronto 🙂
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Want to get in touch? Contact me! Would love to hear from you!

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