When Sarah contacted me on Instagram, I thought it was too good to be true… she loved my photography and was planning a destination wedding for next year. My ears immediately perked up as I love to travel and the more we chatted, the more excited I got. I knew immediately I had to put Sarah in touch with Tara Thorp of Forever True Wedding Design, as she is the resident expert in Vancouver for planning a destination wedding! As expected, they clicked as well and the next thing I knew, Sarah and Milad had decided on their destination and St. Lucia was booked for November 2019.

The next step was to meet in person! We found a date that worked and booked their engagement shoot for their favourite spot in Vancouver to take their dog for a walk, the Pitt River area. Although we had to reschedule a few times due to Vancouver’s rainy weather, it was worth the wait as we ended up with a gorgeous evening and the most beautiful sunset for their engagement shoot.

Sarah and Milad, I had the best time with you two taking photos and getting to know you both. I am thrilled that you have chosen me as your wedding photographer and could not be more excited about your wedding next year. There is no doubt in my mind that you two are perfect for each other and your wedding will be an incredible adventure.

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What a year this has been! I am very happy to share with you a few of my favourite images and most importantly, my favourite MOMENTS of 2015. It was a memorable year in many ways and only confirmed for me what I already knew… I am very blessed to be able to do what I love.

Here they are, in no particular order…

Deepak Chopra Sweet Pea Photography Lori Miles

I would have to say, spending 2 days photographing Deepak Chopra was right up there on my top 10 this year. With so many people talking about mindfulness and meditation these days, the timing was perfect. Hearing this man speak with such wisdom and clarity was a gift and really helped me understand the power of being present.

Pink Petal Ballet Sweet Pea Photography Lori Miles

From a great meditation guru to adorable ballerinas in tutus… the Pink Petal Ballet Year end Performance (created by my fabulously talented best friend, Alix Dunham) is always a highlight for me! Photographing these beautiful ballerinas and seeing their pure enthusiasm and sweet nervousness onstage performing for their loved ones is an absolute joy. It never fails to inspire me and remind me what life is all about.

Vancouver Wedding Photographer Lori Miles Sweet Pea Photography

Having wonderful girlfriends is a blessing and having those girls as your bridesmaids to share your wedding day is a beautiful thing! My bride Carly was hands down one of the happiest brides I have had the pleasure of photographing. She and her groom and the entire bridal party had so much fun, my cheeks were sore from laughing all day! This image was just one of many great candid moments from our location shoot in Stanley Park.

When I met with my bride Kimberley and found out she worked with horses, I have to admit, I was a little excited. I guess my enthusiasm was appreciated as Kim and I immediately began collaborating on my idea for a horse-themed bridal shoot prior to the wedding. This was one of my favourite images... Kim with Pepper, a dapple grey Percheron standing 18 hands tall and weighing close to 2,000 lbs. Seeing Kim’s bond with these gorgeous animals and how easy she made it look working with them was crazy fun and definitely one of my favourite moments!

Vancouver Wedding and Portrait Photographer Lori Miles Sweet Pea Photography

I always love keeping in touch with my couples as they go off to enjoy married life and start a family together. Mandy and Karl’s wedding a few years ago was incredible and when she got in touch to book a family shoot this past summer, I was so happy to see them again! Photographing this beautiful young couple together with their adorable new daughter, Stella was so much fun! Karl is a star defenseman with the Washington Capitals and he and Mandy are such awesome parents. I was thrilled to hear they are now expecting their second child already next year!

Every couple I meet is unique and I have never met two the same. Doing an engagement shoot is such a great idea for many reasons, but one of the best parts for me is seeing how my couples interact. Beverly & Cesar are very quiet, yet powerful together and it was beautiful to see how protective and caring he was towards her. The connection they share was very inspiring and the location we chose for our shoot at Whytecliffe Park didn’t hurt either. Something magical happened and the images we got that night are some of my favourites ever. I feel blessed that these couples choose me and I know their wedding next May will be amazing… I cannot wait to spend their day with them.

Blending their two beautiful families into one was a big part of Corinne & Jamie’s intimate backyard wedding in September. Corinne had shared with me how family portraits were important to them, and rather than do the standard posed shots, I really wanted to do something fun. When they came up with the idea of doing one with the family gang sign, it was perfect! We could not stop laughing and I love how this image captures their awesome family vibe.

Another one of my favourite parts of a wedding is the end of the ceremony… all of the anticipation and excitement and nervousness of the wedding day comes together in the recessional when you take that first walk down the aisle as husband and wife. I remember feeling how happy they were when I took this image of Courtenay and Scott as they came out of the church and it just captures the indescribable joy I think every couple feels at that moment.

If I had to choose, I would have to say that shooting bridal portraits on the wedding day has always been one of my favourite things to photograph. Even when I was young, I used to love taking photos of my girlfriends with flowers or perfume bottles and make them look pretty. I believe a woman looks the most beautiful on her wedding day… having your hair and make up done, wearing a beautiful gown, somehow it all comes together and I love being there to document it for her. I took this image of my beautiful bride, Jenny at my last wedding of the year and I love how she sees herself in the reflection of the mirror and is smiling back.

On a personal note, one of my favourite moments came shortly after we added a new puppy to our family. It was just another night, sitting together on the couch with our pups when my daughter Maddi looked outside and said what a pretty sky it was, we should go try and catch the sunset. I couldn’t get in the car fast enough and next thing I knew, we were down at Cates Park and this beautiful scene was right in front of me. Definitely one of my favourite moments of the year and thanks to this little iPhone shot, one I will always treasure.

Thank you to all of my wonderful clients for putting your trust in me, to my fabulous fellow vendors in our industry for helping make this job so much fun, and to my amazing family and friends for your love and support… this year was incredible and I look forward to sharing many more great moments with each and every one of you in 2016!