Toronto engagement photographer Archives

Trillium Park Engagement Photos | Chantelle & Roberto

January 10, 2020

Trillium Park Engagement Photos | Chantelle & Roberto

“Roberto and I met on a cold January 14th 2017 night at The Drake. Roberto spotted me immediately and strategically placed himself close enough to eventually strike up a conversation. I noticed the intensity and gentleness in his eyes and of course, his bow tie, while he noticed my smile and “the most beautiful face.” Once we mustered up the courage to start talking, we spent the night talking about music therapy and bonding over a mutual love of The Phantom of the Opera, Beethoven, and Boyz II Men. It took only until the next weekend to know that we wanted to spend our lives together.

Roberto and I are homebodies who enjoy a night in at our Liberty Village condo or visiting with family. Once in a while we will have a date night out for some hearty Italian food. Roberto is a sensitive engineer who loves writing poetry, making folk music, mens fashion, and playing hockey. I am a music therapist, special needs music teacher, and PhD student who enjoys walks around the city, classical music, and a good Americano.”

“…to say the least, I am a huge fan of your photography. I was first drawn to your work because of the beautiful way you capture the light of the sunset. I almost felt as though it was the love between your clients radiating from them. As I began to see more and more of your pictures, regardless of the setting, I could always feel the love radiating. My boyfriend Roberto and I knew that when we decided to marry, we wanted you to be the one to capture our love radiating in engagement and wedding photos. ”

^ Those words were from Chantelle in her initial email to me, and I nearly jumped out of my seat with excitement to meet them!

Before heading over to Trillium Park we spent some time at their condo enjoying espresso and delicious Nutella bombi from Sud Forno. Mmmm. They also shared a moment on the balcony where they had their first kiss. What an honour to witness and document such a nostalgic and momentous part of their love story.

I can’t articulate the sweetness between these two. I could see it immediately. The way they look at each other is just so *full*, and warm. Like being in each other’s presence is peaceful and invigorating at the same time.

After their session we had drinks at the Drake Hotel where they first met. I was brought to tears when Roberto talked about how he feels about Chantelle, and he himself started to tear up. Seriously, the stuff of movies.

Funny story, Chantelle realized after they’d been seeing and enjoying my photos online that we actually went to elementary school together, and even had strings lessons together! What a small world.

I didn’t want to leave that evening, and these two will always have a special place in my heart <3

At Home Engagement Photos | Olive Photography Toronto

Sud Forno Bombi Engagement Photos | Olive Photography Toronto

Trillium Park Engagement Photos | Olive Photography Toronto

Drake Hotel Engagement Photos | Olive Photography Toronto

Riverdale Park Engagement Photos | Frances & JP

July 28, 2018

Riverdale Park Engagement Photos

They waited until the month before their wedding to do their engagement session for a special reason – their braces were coming off! Both of them had braces and they wanted to show off their newly straight (and we joked, slippery-feeling) pearly whites. Gotta hand it to their orthodontist, their smiles were ACE!

There are some areas of the city where the sunset glows extra bright, and Riverdale Park is one of those places. There’s also a skyling view of the city above the park, and a trail tucked away off the vast green grassy field. It’s a rad place in the almost heart of the city to take some nature-y engagement photos.

We explored, goofed around (including throwback to their youth, striking a Power Rangers pose!), and they introduced me to a game I might have to share with other couples!
The game: Stand with feet planted – they can’t move. Hands out, pressed against each other’s. Goal of the game, throw the other person off balance. The results were super fun & adorable.

I had a tonne of fun with you two – can’t wait for your wedding in less than a month!!

And from the couple themselves!

Love Story:

We met almost 7 years ago at a weekend retreat! 7 years seems like a long time when we put it in writing, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. Early in our relationship, we actually found out that we “met” each other years ago in 2003 at a summer camping trip because that was the year of the massive Toronto blackout. We’ve experienced most of our twenties together, so it’s been a wild ride navigating through everything as a couple from travelling, to first jobs, to making new friends and losing loved ones, to moving out and also moving in together, to even getting braces at the same time. (Thankfully, we were able to take off in time for the wedding – thank you, Dr. Cho!).

Engagement Story:

In lieu of a proposal, we threw a surprise party for our immediate family and close friends to announce our engagement. (A big shout out to our siblings and parents for helping us plan and document the majority of it!) To be honest, we don’t know that it was much of a surprise. We both live downtown but made everyone drive out to Richmond Hill (where Frances‘ parents’ home is located) and we also asked everyone to dress in “garden attire” (because, pictures). Suffice it to say that “garden attire” is not a real dress code. We did, however, manage to record some great reactions (with a secret GoPro) of a few unsuspecting friends when they showed up and realized it wasn’t just a regular BBQ!

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Leslieville & Balmy Beach Engagement | Mistyna & Joe

November 23, 2017

Leslieville & Balmy Beach Engagement

“We are two outgoing individuals who enjoy being social but also love our downtime. We love finding hidden gems of coffee shops, going out for delicious meals, enjoying wine, hanging out with family and friends and taking our dog for walks.”

This is an excerpt from Mistyna’s initial email to me. They sounded super lovely and I immediately dug their vibe.

For their Toronto engagement session we touched on all these things with the exception of the dog.
We ate lunch at a way cute Leslieville restaurant called The Green Wood (so delicious – check out the food we got!), shared some wine (helpful to warm us up on the brisk day), and went for a walk at nearby Balmy Beach.

Being late fall, the lighting and temperature were on the darker, cooler side, so I shot and edited their session in a way that embraced that. There’s a slightly more ‘moody’ quality than my more common Summer shoots, but I have to say I really love the cozy, intimate feeling of this approach.

Despite frozen fingers, I’d definitely be open to more grey/cool day shoots.
Have a look at some of the captures from their Balmy Beach engagement session below and I think you’ll see braving the cold was well worth it.

Mistyna and Joe, I had such a nice afternoon with you. I can’t wait for your wedding at The Farm this Summer!

Leslieville Engagement Photos The Green Wood restaurant | Olive Photography Balmy Beach Engagement Photos Toronto | Olive Photography

xo,
Anastasia

See another Leslieville Engagement, or another if ya like!
Get in touch if you’d like to take some photos of your own!

Anastasia Giaouris
Inline image 1
olivephotography.ca
416.520.1093
@OlivePhotoTO
facebook.com/olivephotographyTO

CNE Engagement Photos | Rebekah & Karl

August 24, 2017

CNE Engagement Session

What’s a quintessential Toronto Summer past time? Going to the CNE of course!
Rebekah and Karl go multiple times each Summer (they’re going again on Saturday for the cat show!), so I loved their idea of photographing them on a date night at the Ex!

We tried some of the crazy (and totally awesome) food choices, played some games, rode the sky Ride and had such a fun time.
Here are some shots from their Exhibition engagement session!
(And be sure to read their super sweet love story at the bottom of the post.)

And here is their love story!

I met Karl in high school when we went out for lunch with a mutual friend. He sat across from me with his box of Chinese food and said, “Hey, I’ve never met you before!” I thought he was pretty neat. Soon after we met, the school year ended and I popped my email into his yearbook. We added each other on MSN, then I immediately went to Europe for two months with my Dad. I think he missed me. We spent the summer talking online anytime we could, and by the time I came home we were spending our evenings chatting and sending each other our favourite Whose Line is it Anyway and Kids in the Hall sketches. Shortly after I got back home our senior year of high school started and we were finally able to hang out in person. We couldn’t get enough of each other, and soon (not really, more like six months later) we started dating. We wound up moving to Peterborough together for college, and have been together ever since. Just shy of our ten year anniversary I took Karl to Niagara Falls for his birthday. As we were getting ready to go out for the night, I heard one of our favourite Feist songs start to play and then Karl proposed to me with his Great Grandmother’s ring. I said “YES! OF COURSE! YAY!”

Harbourfront Engagement Photos | Neha & Jeff

August 3, 2017

Harbourfront Engagement Photos
Neha and Jeff originally got in touch when Neha was in Berkeley California for school, and we had our consult from three different places in the world – I thought that was pretty cool.

With the weather threatening rain on the first two dates we scheduled (/pretty much all Summer), we decided to chance doing their engagement photos on this evening, despite the rain drops that sporadically fell.

If you’ve read my thoughts on cloudy/rainy days before you know that they are just wonderful for even lighting! (Nature’s softbox.)

We strolled along Toronto’s Harbourfront for their engagement photos, basically just hanging out and taking some photos wherever it felt right. That’s kind of how I like to do things – No pressure, just enjoying the sights, exploring and having a really lovely evening together.

When it came to getting their photo taken these two made my job easy – they made each other laugh, had the sweetest glances, and you could tell they were absolutely smitten.

Ah, writing about them is making me SO excited for their wedding in less than a month!

For now, here are some selects from our evening together along the Harbourfront!

Warmly,
Anastasia

—
Photos by Toronto photographer Olive Photography
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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

Courtney & Dan’s Ward’s Island Engagement

November 19, 2016

She moved from Nevada to be with him in Toronto.

Her smile is like sunshine and her eyes are possibly the brightest most happy eyes I’ve ever seen to be gazing at her mister.
Courtney and Dan are so sweet together. Here’s a peek at their engagement session – and don’t miss their love story, written by the couple themselves, at the bottom of the post <3

Their wedding will be at Steam Whistle Brewery, so they thought they’d bring some bottles to the session – a fun nod to their nuptuals 🙂

– THEIR LOVE STORY –

From Daniel:
One day five years ago, I was walking into a work meeting, when a colleague of mine stopped to ask me a question. He casually mentioned that the daughter of their neighbor was in town for the summer and was looking to meet people her own age. He wanted to know if I was interested in meeting her.
At this point, the boardroom was filling up with people and my colleague kept going on and on how this girl is really sweet and cute and that I need to meet her. I politely asked if we could continue the conversation after the meeting, but by then several other people had overheard and started egging me on to get her number.
I succumbed to the peer pressure and got her number. Shortly after, we connected and I had invited her to my house for a birthday BBQ. This fearless American woman travelled by public transit on her own from Oakville into a city she barely knew to meet a guy she didn’t know.
Either she was extremely bored; or it was fate, regardless I was hooked. After a few years of long distance, she graduated and decided to move to Toronto for me, that’s when I knew she was the one.

After be together for so long, we both knew it was time to get engaged; however I wasn’t going to give in so easily. When we booked our trip to Italy, I made it perfectly clear that it was NOT going to happen, as I didn’t want her thinking about it the entire trip. At the same time, I knew I was going to propose, but I had to ensure it would be a surprise.
I had it all planned out; as I wanted to propose on the Piazza de Michelangelo, which I read had a great view and sunset. However, I had no idea there would be several hundred people also in the plaza. This was not a spectacle I wanted to share with hundreds of strangers. Sure enough I didn’t have to, as another future bride was proposed to just a few meters away.
Since I wasn’t going to be the second guy to do it that evening, I decided to wait until the following morning. I woke up early and got everything ready. As we did every day, we recapped what we were going to see that day.
As I finished the recap, I quickly said “change of plans!” and got down on one knee and proposed. I would like to say it was a magical speech that completely captured my love for Courtney; however, I am pretty sure I blacked out and forget everything I said and did.
All I remembered was she said YES. We ended up buying matching wedding bands on the Ponte Vecchio (which was my plan from the start). And now we are here… cool story right?

From Courtney:
Dan and I met 5 and a half years ago on somewhat of a blind date. I lived in Nevada, but was home for the summer with my parents who had recently moved to the GTA. My Mom and Dad lived down the street from a colleague of Dan’s, who thought we would hit it off.
After exchanging some emails back and forth, Dan invited me to his house for a birthday barbecue with his friends. I left thinking we might be friends, and that we might hang out again… maybe? I like to think Dan left knowing we would be here someday:). Somehow I couldn’t shake him off after that, and I found myself packing up my life after graduation and moving to Toronto to be with him.

We reached a point where I knew we would be getting engaged someday, I just didn’t know when. So when we booked a trip to Italy in April, I thought… “Maybe?”. Dan was quick to shut me down, he told everyone not to worry, that a vacation proposal was too obvious and there was no way we would be coming home engaged. When we got to Italy, love was all around us.
By our third day we had seen 3 proposals, and assumed I would not be next. I was in shock when Dan got down on one knee early one morning in Florence and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I actually said “is this real life?”. We spent the day walking around the city and bought our wedding bands along the famous Ponte Vecchio. Now we get to come home and start our lives together!

Scarborough Bluffs Engagement – Caitlin & Jesse

June 9, 2016

Caitlin Jesse Engagement LR sneak peek-11

Scarborough Bluffs Engagement Photos | Olive Photography

For Caitlin & Jesse’s engagement session we totally incorporated so many things that were very ‘them’, which is always super nice! When we started out, Jesse said he’d like to take some shots of them playing road hockey together since he’s SUCH a hockey buff (more about this in their love story below). So we had some fun getting *slightly* competitive on the street. We then strolled through some of Caitlin’s childhood neighbourhood – her parents live legitimately right around the corner from that incredible lookout point. Can you believe that is in Toronto? (Safety Note: Anyone who visits here, *please* be careful as the bluffs are known to spontaneously shed. Stay back several feet!)

On our way back from the Bluffs we got to talking a bit more about the two of them & their interests, and I learned that Jesse also loves his pickup truck. The idea struck me to pop some popcorn and hang out in the back of the truck for some shots – and that spontaneous idea led to some of my absolute faves from their shoot! Caitlin’s parents’ cat Diva even joined us for some of the fun!
Here are some of my faves from their engagement session – Can’t wait for their big day at Cambium Farms next month!

Hockey Engagement Photos | Olive Photography

Toronto Engagement Session | Olive Photography

Cat Engagement Photos | Olive Photography

Popcorn Engagement Photos | Olive Photography

And here’s their love story, from the couple themselves!

Jesse’s first love is hockey, so it only made sense that he would propose on skates. He planned a surprise weekend getaway in Ottawa including a morning at the spa for me and an evening together skating on the Rideau Canal.

We braved the -20 degree weather and headed out. Not having been on skates for years I was totally out of my comfort zone. Jesse, on the other hand, was in his element and literally skated circles around me. You would think that after 10 years together I would have had some suspicions of what was about to happen, but I didn’t. So when Jesse bent down on one knee to adjust his skate I was simply proud of myself for not falling on my face without the support of his steady hand. As I slowly and shakily turned around to see what was taking him so long he began to ask the question. Everything from that point on is a blur. I don’t remember what either of us said or did but I do remember the excitement, surprise and overwhelming joy (and the pain of the small tears freezing to my face).