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09-15-10

Sparkling Hill Resort – Classic Crystal

werds by (KimAthomas)

We photographed a wedding at the beautiful location of Sparking Hill Resort.  We have shot at Sparkling Hill a few times before, including the grand opening of the resort, but a wedding at this venue is truly something else.  You have to imagine yourself overlooking all of the Okanagan and then you’ll start to get a better picture of what this wedding was like.

The location is amazing and to top it all of, we had a great couple to work with.  Denise and Ryan really took class to the next level.  The dedication put towards this wedding was obvious and it certainly paid off.  The bride, Denise, happily posed with her man and the wedding party, allowing us to get some great shots of the entire party.  Really, the scenery was just a bonus.

The resort holds next to no shade, but there are so many different vantage points around the resort, there was really no trouble getting the photos we wanted.  And when the heat was almost unbearable, Denise and Ryan went with the flow as we ventured inside to get a different kind of feel.

All in all the wedding was, as expected, beautiful.  The class and elegance this wedding possessed was really like no other.

Posted by admin » kims posts, weddings |
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06-10-10

Amber & Kyle

This post is kinda new, involves bits and bytes from all three of us. Natel, Kim, and the stuff that does not make sense would be me. Kim started the ball and hopefully we built on it a little.
What a wedding it was. When a Bride & Groom say they want their reception to be the best one anyone has ever been to, its a lot to live up to ~ well Amber and Kyle did that and more!
Amber looking striking.
A lot of our morning prep was spent how to work with the downpouring rain that we had all morning, but with a quick call from the bride we had an extra 40 minutes for our start time and thats all we needed for the rain to stop.
Getting ready at Manteo Resort
This gorgeous wedding ceremony took place at Summer Hill Winery, which overlooks much of Kelowna and Lake Okanagan. The ceremony was elegant and beautiful to say the least. The walkway for the wedding party and bride was lined with perfect pink rose petals. The groomsmen hit up some dance moves early in the day (saved the best for the reception!) as they grooved down in their entrance and exit from the ceremony ~ and even the bride was dancing!
The Summerhill Truck
I always like to capture all the guests in at least one shot!
The Crue on the Fence
Summer Hill Winery is not only a tourist & wedding mecca in the Okanagan, it just happens to also be a fantastic place for photos. We had an old heritage house and vintage truck to work with, along with some beautiful fencing and grassy fields.  Next stop was Bertram Park, a beachside, green treed hilly location at the very edge of town, where we took a large majority of the photos. The weather turned out perfect for photos, as the rain saturated all of our ‘scenes’ with intense crazy coloring and a fresh sense that everything had just been cleaned by nature. Although the bridesmaids were a bit chilly in their sassy cocktail dresses, they were still excellent participants in our shoot.
Hanging at Bertram
A kiss and a stroll on the beach – the weather started to break around this point, and finally the sun joined us.
As a matter of fact, the wedding party was an amazing group of people to work with. Each showed their own strong personalities, adding their own element of charisma or quirk, making the time pass quickly with jokes and laughs that kept rolling through shooting. It was evident to us that the friendships in this group of people had strong roots, they were truly all there for one another, making Amber & Kyle’s big day even more memorable for all.
A group pee. Asparagus perhaps?
A late night smoke.
The reception! Now its not very often that you go to a reception that you are not ‘technically’ invited to (and you are only there because you are hired for a job) and you still have a killer time. Darren and I took a few hours of reception photos, and before we knew it, Kyle & Amber’s 84-year-old Opa was given’r on the dance floor. The reception was by far one of the best that I have ever attended, and I didn’t know anyone other than Darren.
Kim shooting the first dance.
Survivor Winner!
While DJ Haymaker kept the music fresh, it was the Bride & Groom and all of their friends and family that kept the party going. By the end of the night, I may have even ended up on the dance floor ~ it was that good!

KimA grooves.

Congratulations Amber & Kyle

Posted by darren hull » kims posts |
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05-28-10

A "June" Wedding in May

a post by Kim A [thomas]

Darren and I showed up to the location (a beautiful, old church located on Benvolin) about an hour and a half too early. We did some wandering around the property to brainstorm some shots and then headed back to the vehicle to stay warm. The weather wasn’t on our side.

The wedding was small; a few close friends and family to the bride and groom, a couple of the bride’s university profs and then Darren and I. You really stand out as a photographer when the crowd and venue are both small, not to mention being the “ugly black ducks” in a crowd full of beautifully dressed men and women. The bride’s porcelain face glowed with excitement, in fact, she didn’t stop smiling or laughing once throughout the entire day.

The ceremony was quick and simple. Darren had the front of the church covered and I had the back, meaning, we shot with about a 7 foot distance between the two of us (like I said, small venue!). Once the ceremony was over we headed outside behind the church where a quick reception of cake and hugs took place. While outside, the bride wanted a photo of everyone who attended her wedding in one large group. Normally, it would be a crazy request except, once again, the crowd was small and so we were able to have everyone squish into a group and all say cheese. It was pretty funny to be honest, everyone cheek to cheek. They were all so energetic and playful that the photos of them turned out incredibly candid and full of life. The bride took a spill during one shot when we asked the entire group to run towards us. Not even here did her blissful expression change.

The location couldn’t have worked better for the photos we were wanting. We had a beautiful landscape to work with (tall, grass field; trees; flowers; white, picket fences; old, rusted bicycles…). It was a bit surreal to be able to get such stunning photos of the couple right outside of the church they were married in. For a lot of the weddings we are doing this summer, we’ll be moving to prettier locations to get the wedding party shots. For this wedding, though, we were able to capture everything on the small property.

It was such an awesome wedding to start the season with. Not only did the bride smile and laugh in delight the entire day, everyone else who was there did, too. The rain held off until the last 10 minutes of shooting, where the bride twirled in a parking lot and smiled for the camera.

Posted by darren hull » kims posts |
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