Tanya & Nate were guests at Tanya’s cousin Kaila’s wedding up in Tanya’s (and my own) hometown of Smithers, BC, back in 2015, where I was the photographer. Almost all of the people I get to work with find me in such a way, and it’s always a bonus to have a bit of familiarity with my clients. Sharing a home town is a pretty neat thing too. Tanya was even there when my younger brother Jesse knocked out his front tooth while riding a bike with a bucket of Saskatoon berries on one handle. She was also very enthusiastic about having me be a part of her and Nate’s big day, which made me feel welcome and comfortable, which in itself is good and which also makes it just a little easier to capture those precious moments. My friend Heather of Tulle & Tweed Photography spent the calmer preparation time with Nate while I was with Tanya and her close friends & family, so I didn’t get to properly meet him until ceremony time, when the action gets pretty fast on into the rest of the day and night. But what a good-natured and confident man he was, full of energy and always with a smile. After a very nice ceremony at Tigh-Na-Mara Resort, we did some photos nearby and then in the forest and by the water at Brickyard Park before settling in for the reception at Fairwinds Golf Club. Tanya, Nate, and the wedding party were a joy to work with, very happy and natural and having lots of fun all the while. The speeches were some of the most heartfelt I’ve heard, and I was among the many who teared up just a little when Tanya’s dad Klaus gave his speech, part of which was in the format of a bedtime story he had told her every night for most of her childhood. Nate is maybe the only groom I’ve seen do his first dance (and perhaps all remaining dances) bare-footed, which may have been inspired by his dad who also dropped the shoes and socks as soon as he hit the dance floor. Things got a little wild, as they do, once the dance party started, and even more so once the costumes came out.
Here is a sampling of photos from the day, with many more to come.
