love Archives | Olive Photography

Family Session! Danielle, Jeremy, Damian, Jada

September 30, 2014

I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family last year and was thrilled when they asked me to do another session with them this year. It’s so neat to see how kids grow and how their personalities evolve over time. Damian is a sweetheart big brother who is so good with setting an example for his little sister, and Jada is so full of life and spunk!

During our session both of them would stop to marvel at the beautiful and cool things they saw, and of course I had to stop and marvel with them – it’s so much fun getting into the imaginative and exciting world of kids! For example we saw paw prints dried in the mud and wondered what animal could have left them, or when I spotted a ladybug at the start of our session Jada insisted on carrying it with us the entire time, which meant I had a ladybug crawling up my arm or finger between shots so she could pose without getting distracted by the cuteness. It surprisingly stayed with us from start to end without flying away!

Danielle and Jeremy have raised such wonderful kids and I had so much fun with their whole family.

Here’s to next year, lovelies! Thanks for the memorable and wonderful afternoon!

Much love,
Anastasia

Tappo Wedding in Distillery District – Ashley & Jay

June 23, 2014

Remember these two from their engagement session? They’re a super fun, super adorable and super in love couple — Ashley and Jalal are married! They had a beautiful Tappo wedding in the Distillery District.
It’s so sweet to see how magnetic their love is. Their attraction is so strong you can feel it just being around them! You can get a little glimpse of how fiery their love is by seeing how Jay looks at Ashley in some of these photos. And Ashley is just so smitten.
Love these two.
I had a fantastic time photographing this wedding – their friends and family were so friendly and man, do they know how to have fun! Music blasting in the limo, jokes and laughs the entire day, and such high energy and full-on happiness!
Ashley got ready at The Ivy at Verity hotel and we then headed to St. Peter’s Catholic Church for the ceremony, followed by The Distillery District for photos and Tappo Wine Bar & Restaurant therein for the reception; it’s a lovely rustic, intimate restaurant with such delicious food and a wonderful outdoor patio space where they set up a few hookahs! Super neat – love when couples incorporate cultural elements into their weddings.
Once we got to the Distillery District Ashley & Jay changed into their comfy Converse shoes – but not just any Converses — Jay wore sleek leather ones that he meticulously polished to look fab, and Ashley wore adorable white ones with a platform incorporated in them so her dress didn’t drag. She said her feet were sooo comfy, which is important when you’re on your feet all day! Even more so when you have to navigate uneven cobblestone streets. Cute idea, guys!
I’ll stop blabbing now and let y’all see some photos from this rad wedding!

** Scroll to the end of the photos to read some insights from our happy couple! **

And now, some words from the newlyweds!

What was your favourite wedding moment?
Bride: I have so many favourite moments, but I think my top faves are when I received a pre-wedding love note from the limo driver upon his arrival to pick the girls up. When I read (or attempted to) and my maid of honour, Faye, finished reading Jay’s love note to me I was literally in happy tears. I thought, wow I am so lucky, I am about to marry the sweetest man! My second favourite moment was when my mom walked me down the aisle. She is the most important person in my life and I love that she had that honour and moment! Not to mention, that was the moment I finally got to see Jay’s smile waiting for me at the end of that long aisle! Finally, my last favourite moment would have to be when “Sweet Carolina” came on during dinner (the Fab 8/Boy’s song on Jay’s side) and I got to see my husband in his prime with his closest and bestest friends; dancing and singing and hugging! They made me so happy to see what wonderful friends he has in his life, who travelled long and far to be with him for his day! He was so happy and that made me so happy!
Groom: Other than the usual… Seeing Ashley that first moment on the aisle, kissing her and calling her my wife, and our first dance, I have quite a few favourite moments as well. If I have to pick I would say that the moments Ashley and I shared at the alter while listening to the priest and guest speakers was so special. We were both so excited and nervous. Each time one of us was about to have a moment of tears or nerves, we would whisper something funny to each other. Everyone wondered what we were saying. No one will ever really know lol Looking at her, and sharing this moment with her was more than I could have ever imagined to be so special. We never realized how truly special signing that piece of paper, having that day and having the “husband” and “wife” title really is!

Any advice for engaged couples planning their wedding?
If you had asked us a few months ago, we would have said “Run away just the two of you and forget the big to-do!” It is so much stress! BUT it is SO WORTH IT! Don’t dwell on the little details, no one will notice. Have fun, and stop to take in the moments happening around you. Do it your way! But most importantly, spend the time, money and energy on finding an amazing photographer. Your photos are all you will have when that amazing day whips by and is over! We are less than two weeks over with it, and so happy we already have our beautiful photos to reminisce with!

Details:
– Dress designer: Moon Light Couture by Val Stefani from Mona Richie Bridal
– Suit: Jack Victor Exclusive Collection www.jackvictor.com
– DJ: Rob Gri AKA DJ Greedo @ Del Vinyl Entertainment www.delvinyl.com
– Centrepieces: DIY
– Cake: Merry Cakes (Merrycakes.ca and merrycakesdotca on instagram)
– Venues: The Ivy at Verity hotel, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Tappo Wine Bar & Restaurant in The Distillery District
– Makeup: Shari at Sutherland Artistry
– Lashes: Jennifer Couto at Lasholiscious
– Hair: Daniel Palacio at Deberardinis Salon and Spa

Congratulations again, you two!! Had a blast, and feel so honoured to be your photographer!

—

Anastasia Giaouris

Photographer, Olive Photography
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Samantha & Darren – Engaged!

June 8, 2014

Samantha Darren Engagement LR WM-2
Samantha and Darren actually met 20 years ago (!!) way back in grade 7, then they went to high school together. Darren apparently had a thing for Samantha but she wasn’t ever ‘available’… Then, years later, they ran into each other and sparks flew. They’ve been inseparable ever since.

What a beautiful day it was when we did this engagement session, totally mirroring the full, open love these two share. I couldn’t help but smile as I witnessed how totally into each other they are – and how much they love their fur-baby Froggy! Froggy was a rescue puppy who was originally often caged and used just for racing, and they love her so much and wanted to include her in the photos. I love that.

Thanks for choosing me to document this time for you, guys. Was such a pleasure and I can’t wait to photograph your wedding on July 26th!
Read about their love story from Sam herself at the bottom of this post!

And now, some words from our bride-to-be!
“Darren and I first met in grade 7, and were part of the same circle of friends in high school, but lost touch afterwards. Over the years we would bump into each other in random places, and would ease into a great conversation. A chance encounter on April Fools, at a local sporting venue I was working at , lead into another a week later with plans to go to dinner soon. There was a lot of emailing and texting in between, but something instantly clicked that first night. Those feelingsintensified by that dinner, which ran seven hours! We talked endlessly and didn’t want the night to come to an end, but neither one of us was willing to risk making a “move” so soon. The following week, while working an event, I watched Darren as he came up the stairs to my area and thought to myself “I can’t just be friends with him!”. Lucky for me, Darren was thinking the same thing. By the end of the month we were a couple, but I guess you could say it was 20 years in the making.”
Samantha Darren Engagement LR WM-15

Kashfia & Arber – Married! 04.19.2014

April 22, 2014

How can I describe to you just how beautiful the love between these two wonderful human beings is?

Let’s start with how sweet they are individually – they are each so kind-hearted, caring, and considerate of others… multiply that by a lot between the two of them and you have an inspiringly supportive and nurturing couple. It’s amazing how they look at each other, and how attentive they are to one another. You can instantly tell these two have a solid bond.

In my initial meeting with the two of them I was so touched to see the care with which they each explained their ideas for their wedding – making sure the other agreed, and supporting the other’s statements, affirming the importance of their loved one’s ideas.
They explained to me that they’d have two separate days for their wedding festivities – one would be a simple home ceremony performed by an Imam in keeping with Kashfia’s Bengali culture, and the other would be a more Western reception with a Bengali twist: shared, family-style food and a stage set up with a backdrop for guests to get photographs with the newlyweds. Impressively, Kashfia and Arber created this stage setup themselves since Arber has a theatre design background and they’re both very artistic. You’d never guess the super cool backdrop was made using gold spray-painted straws!

Another pleasant – and totally amazing – surprise was Arber’s speech to his wife… After Kashfia’s lovely, tear-inducing words to her husband, Arber mentioned he’s not so good with words… so the DJ fired up some music and Arber began to sweetly sing Elvis Presley’s ‘Only You’. The whole crowd started hooting and hollering at how fun it was!

I’m so happy Arber’s sister Borana – an old friend from high school – referred her brother and Kashfia to me. It was such an honour being present to capture their heartwarming love.

Warmest congratulations and best wishes for a happy marriage, lovebirds.

I have no doubt you’ll have a beautiful life together <3

Kashfia Arber Blog Pages 15
And now, some words from the newlyweds!

How did you meet?

We first met at a New Year’s Eve party. Arber had spent the entire night trying to learn the name of every single person who was there and almost burned down our friends’ apartment by passing out sparklers to everyone. To quote a friend of ours, the sparks have been flying ever since!

What was your favourite wedding moment (bride & groom)

Kashfia: My favorite wedding moment was definitely when Arber began singing “Only You” in lieu of a speech. It was such a wonderful surprise, and it captured how sweet (and funny) Arber is as a person.

Arber: My favorite moment was our first dance, to the wonderful singing of our friend Michelle and masterful accompaniment of our friend TJ on guitar

Any advice for engaged couples planning their wedding?

•Whether or not you are doing a DIY wedding (like we did), ask for help and use your support network; our wedding would not have happened without all the friends and family who insisted on making sure our day went well.

•On the day of the wedding, hire a day-of coordinator or make sure that someone you trust is going to take care of any questions or problems that may arise

•Manage your families’ expectations early on in the planning process, especially if you and your partner come from different backgrounds. The hardest part of all of our preparations was trying to figure out how to do right by our families and our cultures.

Details:

– Dress designer: Off-the-rack white wedding dress, altered by Arber’s neighbour Moza who is the most talented seamstress we know; lehenga from Asiyans in Scarborough
– Makeup: Asha Arabia
– Suit: Custom made by Sun & Moon Ltd.

– Centrepieces & Bouquets: We made them ourselves, with the enormous help of our friends!

– Cakes & favours: The favours were local honey that we spent a day pouring into glass jars, that were then hand labelled by our friends. Instead of a cake, Arber’s parents got us a macaroon tree from a local Albanian pastry shop.

– Venue: The Assembly Hall

Any final thoughts about the big day/experience of getting married that you’d like to share?

Try to make the planning process fun for the both of you; some things are going to be a chore and some things you won’t agree on, but it’s really nice to look back on the day and remember how it brought you and your partner closer together.

Elyse & Andrew – Engaged… Finally!

March 21, 2014

After a whopping 12 years together, this super fun pair are getting hitched!

It was a blast photographing this couple’s session – I’m so glad they won the giveaway contest!

They wanted to keep their session light-hearted and even silly at times, which was more than alright with me because the way they are together is gosh darned adorable.

Congrats, you two!

May & Kareem – Engagement Sneak Peak

January 27, 2014

It was a chilly, chilly Saturday last weekend but this sweet pair warmed my soul – so much happiness!
I won’t say much about them just yet, but in the mean time here’s a little sneak peek at their engagement session!

… And the winner is…

January 13, 2014

… And the winner is…

Elyse Bliss!

Congratulations on winning a free couple session!

Looking forward to meeting you!

And, dear blog readers, I’ll be sure to share the photos with you from this fun giveaway.

Yeah, Baby!

December 30, 2013

This holiday I received some beautiful news:

Christa & Jorden, a couple whose wedding I photographed last Summer on July 5th, 2013, are expecting their first little one this July 2nd!

Warmest congratulations, you two! I’m so excited for you, and your child will be absolutely blessed to enter a home filled with so much love.

Shelley & Dave’s Cozy Winter Engagement Session

December 28, 2013

Shelley and Dave are the kind of couple you’d expect to find in a cool magazine or billboard ad – the kind of folks who look so hip and fun you just wanna spend time with them.
Well lucky me, I get to! This stylish duo is so sweet and such a pleasure to hang out with. Our winter engagement session at Toronto’s Amsterdam Brewery and Harbourfront Centre’s skating rink was so cozy and relaxed, and was such a lovely time despite the chill in the air.

We met up for some coffee to get some warmth in our veins before braving the cold, and we talked about their wedding and the classically beautiful watch Shelley gave to Dave as an engagement present after he proposed. Now they both have lasting mementos they get to see daily to remind them of this special time in their lives – I love that idea.

They chose to go skating for their engagement session for a special reason – keep scrolling to the end to learn why, and to read their love story!

Here’s their story:
“Dave and I met on one of the first days of university in September 2003. Despite growing up in Ottawa and going to Carleton University, we had both decided to move into residence rather than living at home. We were on the same floor in Stormont Residence and once we met, we quickly became inseparable… as friends. We were both dating other people when we started university so our relationship was strictly platonic. Months went by and shortly after the Christmas break, we both found ourselves single and pretty much attached at the hip. Dave used the excuse of having cold hands several times just to have an excuse for us to hold hands. Since we were 18, we were “Boyfriend and Girlfriend” before ever really going on a date – unless you count the cafeteria in res, which we do not. Our first “real date” landed on Valentine’s Day and since we had just started dating and were on student budgets, we decided to do something low key (and inexpensive), but still fun and romantic. One of Ottawa’s best features in the winter is the Rideau Canal – it becomes the world’s longest skating rink at nearly 8km long. It starts at the Parliament buildings downtown and ends at Carleton. For our first date, we skated the length of the canal and then went to the ByTowne Cinema (an independent theatre) where they were showing a special screening of Love Actually. We moved to Toronto in 2008 and quickly fell in love with the city. Five and a half years later, we still go skating whenever we can.”

Congratulations again, you guys.
Can’t wait to shoot your wedding on June 21st!

Live, Laugh, Love. And worry less.

December 7, 2013

“I’m feeling too fat to be photographed…”

… Unfortunately, many of us say or think this all too often.

I came across this moving read this morning (link below).
‘I nearly left this earth with no physical evidence of the goofy, wide open and loud love I have for my life, my husband, my family and friends.’ – A sobering reminder that we need to be easier on ourselves and allow ourselves to enjoy this life that we’re so fortunate to have (without worrying so much about how we look while doing it – indeed, you look beautiful to others!).

As a photographer I aim to get the most ‘flattering’ pictures possible for my clients, but one of my great joys is also capturing those *real*, special moments full of feeling. 10+ years from now, those are the ones we’re most likely to smile about as they transport us back to those wonderful moments lived.

Here’s the original article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/teresa-s-porter/so-youre-feeling-too-fat-to-be-photographed_b_4351360.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular