I had a huge wedding yesterday, an amazing romantic wedding (but more of that in a few days,) and then I ran off to play at Music Fest and now, I am going to gear up and do the same.

So a cheater shot, but an informative one.

Yes, that is yesterday's bride Alison with a Surgenor beer. Surgenor is our very new local brewery - it was about time this town had one. Alison and her hubby organized to have Surgenor at their wedding and the brewery was able to set them up with a nice keg table and a staff member to bartend. How fantastically local and awesome is that?

While I was away Christine booked up a few sessions for me, she did a really good job of it, not sure how it happened but they have all been these amazing families - case in point - the Russell Family.

Mom Martha was the yummy baking queen at the farmer's market with Deluxe Bakery for many years - when I see her I think of fresh croissants, so of course that follows with a smile. I used to wonder about her, and her daughters who were helping her at the market, picturing them up late the night before baking as a family, doing, creating, smiling, loving each other (and don't burst my bubble Russell family by telling me it wasn't always like that, in my mind you were even singing together while you baked.)

While she has left the bakery business behind her, she is onto something just as inspiring, she went back to school and is now a nurse.  I think it is such an amazing bold move to go back to school as an adult. (As some of you know my hubby John is currently a student - yay John - you are amazing as well, especially when you make coffee in the morning.)

Flanking Martha are her three gorgeous girls, who I so enjoyed - (they made me want to be a teenager again, and really, I know I don't actually want that,) and her lovely hubby, who drove up just back from work and before even really saying hello to all, jumped right into our photo world - thanks!

They wanted a photo mainly of thier girls, so this one, in my mind, works just perfectly -

A little bit of flare,

While we were walking out to this gorgeous spot Sharon and I realized that we have known each other for eight years, which makes her one of my oldest Comox Valley friends. She is one of those people that I can not see for a bit and we can pick up right where we left off and why we don't see each other  more I just don't know - something is going to have to be done about it!!!

I had the pleasure of photographing her  super cool wedding at the Courtenay Museum, as well as a beautiful beach portrait a few years back - I think I forgot how great her and her hubby Darrell look in front of the camera. Darrell has the warmest smile and Sharon's killer cheekbones kind of take over. Now in addition to their son Cory they have another beauty in the family, Raleigh.

So, we walked around the woods, the woods where Darrell had proposed to Sharon and played in the sun.

It felt right.

some pure beauty:

Love this! A real mama moment, a nose wipe with her scarf: