Kevin & Tori ~ Lethbridge Wedding Photographer
It’s officially wedding season! We kicked off our June with the gorgeous Kevin & Tori, and all of their family and closest friends.
We started at the Lethbridge Coast Hotel so that we could capture the moment where Tori’s bridesmaids saw her wedding dress for the first time. She and her mom were the only ones who had seen it up until that point, and it was a moment worth waiting for! Tori wore a beautiful, sleek gown from Belles and Lace, with a low-cut back and unique lace detail. She paired the dress with her something blue – a glamorous pair of Badgley Mischka gemstone adorned heels – a super stylish and bold addition to her bridal look. Complete with a simple & elegant necklace (“borrowed” from her mom) and a flowing bouquet from Blooms Flowers, Tori’s classic beauty complimented her modern style. The bridesmaids had different floor-length gowns from Durand Bridal, all in the same shade of maroon red, and bouquets of the same variety as Tori.
After that, we arrived at the church and Kevin and his boys were finishing off some final details. When we pulled up, we immediately noticed the antique Lethbridge Fire Department engine parked outside which had been lent out to Kevin for his wedding day.
The ceremony took place at the Jerry Potts Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and they were married by his friend Stan. Both Kevin & Stand work together on the Lethbridge Fire Department and were dressed for the occasion in their formal dress tunics. Following the ceremony, were the family portraits, taken just outside of the chapel. It was so fun to meet members of both Kevin and Tori’s family!
After the family pictures, we excitedly made our way to the old fire engine parked out front of the church. It was so fun to feature this historic fire truck in some of their wedding photos, and everyone had a blast climbing all over the vehicle and sounding the old-fashioned wind up horn (which was great to get laughs out of everyone!). They certainly put on a show for the Whoop-Up Drive commuters driving by behind us! The bridal party were such a blast, and did a great job getting into the poses and picture ideas. Their jokes and laughter kept the energy high and the mood celebratory all through the afternoon and evening.
We then made our way to the Lethbridge Fort Whoop-Up grounds, where there we did some more bridal party pictures with some gorgeous areas for a rustic backdrop.
After that we took some time for couples portraits of Kevin and Tori, just as the late afternoon sun lit up Lethbridge Indian Battle Park, providing stunning backdrops for our photos.
We loved the way the sun shone through the lace at the bottom of Tori’s dress, and even recruited Kevin (who did a fantastic job fluffing the dress) to help us achieve our shot!
FYI – Kevin had to carry Tori to this spot, and literally set her down for the photos and then picked her up and carried her back to the pathway (thanks Kevin!)
We wandered down the path until we reached a small bridge, and loved the secluded feel from the greenery all around.
We still had a few moments to spare before they needed to make their way to the reception, so we quickly pulled up to the coulees behind Galt Museum, hopped out of the car and asked our bride and groom to venture down a little into the coulee. But not before Jackie offered Tori her extra flats (we always come prepared!) The end results were some stunning landscape portraits, with fresh summer blooms in the far background. We lucked out with just enough of that notorious Lethbridge spring breeze to stay cool, but thankfully not enough to blow us over!
The reception was held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 4 on Mayor Magrath Drive. The venue was decorated by Kevin, Tori, and family, with rustic wood features, like the natural wood slices and a large wooden spool that served as a table for the beautiful rustic cake made by Jenn Olsen, and a twinkle-light covered wood backdrop for the head table. At the entrance we found a box of Hershey’s Kisses for the guests, and thought they were the perfect props to get some creative ring shots!
After an emotional speech from the maid-of-honour, a hilarious speech from the best man, and an adorable slideshow of the newlyweds, Kevin and Tori played one of my favourites at weddings – the shoe game. It proved that these two knew each other and themselves incredibly well …until the divisive question of who spends more time in the mirror came up!
The dancing began with Kevin and Tori’s first dance, which ended with their bridal party joining in. After that, in a completely unique fashion, both Kevin and Tori’s mothers joined them as they danced the twist! It was a really fun and special moment, as friends and family looked on at the happy twisters. Then it was a free for all as the DJ (Chris Fakir of Prime Entertainment) did a great job and played all the crowd favourites, keeping the happy couple and their guests dancing all night!
We fell in love with Tori’s grandfather’s blue suit, which he bought and had tailored in the 1970s, but wore for the first time at his granddaughter’s wedding. Amazingly, it fit him perfectly still!
Thanks to Kevin and Tori for bringing us along on their special day, we were so fortunate to get to capture the amazing moments big and small!
