I spent some time with Corey and his groomsmen before the ceremony:

The guys got ready at Hotel Le Germain in Toronto. It was a relaxed morning filled with the usual, drinks, cigars and endless jokes.

And then it was time to see his beautiful bride.

Corey and Renee chose to do a “first look” before the ceremony and it was the perfect time to capture a few intimate portraits.

I just love this! “Give a wave of good wishes to the new Mr. and Mrs.” The perfect way for your guests to cheer your walk up the aisle as husband and wife:

Steam Whistle Brewery was beautifully decorated and every little detail was just perfect.

Congratulations!!

xo,

Cristina

We’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the industry’s best and are incredibly happy to introduce you to Connie, the creative genius behind the decadent desserts pictured below:

I don’t know how she does it but she consistently creates some of the most beautiful {and delicious} cookies, cakes and cupcakes we’ve ever seen.

This is what you will see as you step into her Yorkville Design and Devour studio:

I’d love to show you more but you’ll have to wait until May… for more photos & gorgeous sweets pick up a copy of Wedding Essential’s Spring edition and turn to the “Edible Arts” feature.

I’ll leave you with a few thoughts from Connie, if you’d like to know more or to book a consultation be sure to stop by her website or get in touch on FB.

What Inspires Your Cake Designer:

YOU!It is all about YOU after all! Most brides choose their cake designer because they love their visual style, and that’s crucial. Most great designers have a signature look. But your cake truly needs to reflect you, your fiancé and the atmosphere you want your wedding to exude. Take the time to meet face to face with your designer. Bring your fiancé, your mom or your best friend but not all three. Cake design is an intricate process and you’ll want your full attention on the details of your appointment. Once you have established a rapport with your designer, he/she will be better able to suggest what suits your personality. Age, nationality even the way you and your fiancé met can have a strong influence on your cake style.

Your Dress, Your Shoes
When brides want to book a consultation with me, I really want to see their dress and yes… their shoes! Brides agonize over these two choices and the look tells me a lot about who she wants to be on her wedding day. Chic and sophisticated? Soft and playful? Traditional and conservative? You can imagine how different each cake would be… Details from the dress are a really personal way to infuse yourself into the cake design.

Your Venue
Its true, if you’re getting married outdoors in the glory of a vineyard, or having a ritzy reception at the ROM, you won’t want the same cake. Like the dress, the location has sway over your nuptial dessert. Make sure your designer knows where the cake will be setup, only a professional will know what precautions to take when it comes to weather, temperature or fragility. A good designer will know how to seamlessly integrate the design of your cake with the venue. No cake deserves to stick out like a sore thumb, venue details matter!

Your Flowers
In the age of sugar paste flowers, most brides will want a bloom or two (or more!) on their cake. Sugar flowers are a stunning addition and bring a cohesion to the room if they reflect the florals chosen in your decor. Sugar flowers can be delicate, bold or graphic. Nothing needs to be realistic anymore! You can opt for flowers made of lace or orchids penned with the words of a love poem.

Your colors…Your invitations
Your colors are a perfect element to inspire a cake. I’m in love with whites or tone on tone cakes ramped up with metallics, but I remember working on a bold purple and orange cake that thrilled me. Think of your color choices – if you have a third color you’re using for accents only, sometimes it’s great to pump more of it into the cake so it really stands out. Monograms, typeface, stationary stock and invitation imagery are great sources of inspiration for the cake. Bring it all in!

Guests!
How many people do you need to serve? The standard wedding cake should feed 60% of your guests so start your budget based on that many servings. Intricate design details will affect the price so if you need a wow-factor cake that’s a bit out of budget, scale it down and order a slab cake for the kitchen. When it’s served it all looks the same but you’ve invested your budget where it has the most visual impact while still ensuring everyone gets their fair share.

TRUST YOUR DESIGNER
If you find you can’t…that’s a major red flag. Find another cake artist. But if you do establish a connection with a designer who does amazing work, trust them to make executive decisions with your design. My very best work always happens when the bride trusts my judgement. The result is the best wedding cake I can make, let your designer color outside the lines a bit. Passion never comes from connecting the dots.

xo,

Cristina

p.s. We also had the pleasure of photographing her grand opening party, and the images were picked up by WedLuxe, you can see the feature here!

She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark… – Barbara Alpert

I don’t have a sister, but if I did I would hope that our relationship would be as close and warm as Alena’s & Olga’s. I can’t count the number of times the joy in Olga’s heart spilled over into tears for her sister.

xo,

Cristina

p.s. Full wedding will be up on the gallery soon! Stay tuned.

Lindsey Thomsen and Christophe Measson were married at Le Select Bistro in Toronto before 50 guests. The groom, a pastry chef, is from France, so they couldn’t resist emphasizing the French theme. An entire team brought the theme together with flowers by Stemz, makeup by Jennifer Gibeau, a Nanette Lepore dress from Holt Renfrew and suit by Strellson. Photography by Cristina and Laszlo Alt of Geminie Photography.

I realized I need to really put our work out there, even though editors may say no, even though rejection stings, I know our couples, their stories and their images are worth the risk.

xo,

Cristina

There’s a certain joy that comes from this knowledge and a feeling of peace. I feel that we’re all individual drops of the same ocean, separate in a way but inexplicably tied to each other. I could go on for days about this.. but this is not what this post is about (unless you’d like me to go on…please post your thoughts in the comment section below!).

It’s about love, a love for people, for human experiences and how I want to impact the lives of those around me in a positive way. Whenever we read stories about people doing random acts of kindness or “paying it forward” we can’t help but smile. Being on the receiving end of unexpected random kindness from strangers can change your entire day or week in a beautiful way.

We all have gifts that we can share with each other, gifts that will bring joy happiness to those around us. The gift of music,dance,humour, or art…. & hundreds more I’m sure. The gift that I can share with you is my photography.

I can take your photo. But not just a snapshot. My goal is to capture something more of you in the images I create. Something that goes beyond just your physical presence in front of my camera. If I succeed in that or not…is another story (I’m trying!)

So with that said, we’d like to introduce a new type of session. The-Pay-What-You-Can Session. It doesn’t matter who you are or what event/type of session you need photographed, a wedding, a new baby, a celebration of family… money shouldn’t stand in the way of having beautiful images to remember a special event by.

Starting this month, today, we’ll take on 1 Pay-What-You-Can booking per month. This won’t be made public in any way, just fill out our contact form and let us know if this is something that you need. Our prices are posted on the Investment Page and if you love our work and want to hire us but don’t have the funds to… now you can, and just pay us whatever you can.

February 14th is a day to celebrate love, and all the way it manifests in our lives. We want to help you celebrate your love, and hope that by doing this we’ll be able to offer the gift of photography to a special client each month.

Happy Valentines Day!

xox

Cristina

p.s. I couldn’t leave you with no photos, here’s some beautiful families we’ve had the pleasure of recently photographing! (full blog posts coming soon)

Sweet Michaela and her doting grandparents:

Little miss Liza and her mommy + daddy:

And we’ve just had the pleasure of photographing Mattea again who’s now a big sister to baby Rafaela:

The Riu Palace in Punta Cana has some gorgeous locations hidden away and I was thrilled when I found this little private jacuzzi. Open windows with ocean views, gorgeous sea shell chandeliers hanging from the tall ceiling and mirrors all around. Can’t wait to post more from this steamy TTD.

xo,

Cristina

Their wedding day was full of laughter, drinks, and many surprises

The moment when a father sees his daughter all dressed up… it’s one of the best moments to be a witness to.

No one could take their eyes off Maria, they all cheered and clapped and it was so much fun walking to the gazebo through the people enjoying the sun pool-side.

Husband + Wife!

Maria and Alex congratulations again! Your wedding was perfect, rain, sun and everything in between it was beautiful just like the two of you. Thank you for including me in your celebration

xo,

Cristina

p.s. There’s so many more photos that I want to share… but those will have to wait for another post…

The was our third time at Prospect Villas and it was like coming back to family!

The morning of the wedding was relaxed with the majority of the group enjoying the sun + beach.

The grounds at the main villa (Frankfort) are beautiful:

Jerome enjoyed some outdoor pampering by his brother John (who along with his wife Christine we had the pleasure of photographing on our first trip to Jamaica)

Seanette spent the morning getting ready in the master bedroom at Frankfort and was visited by all the kiddos throughout the day. (When they could tear themselves away from the beach that is!)

They decided on a first look before the ceremony, and we love it when our couples choose this option! It’s the perfect time to connect before the ceremony and capture some beautiful intimate portraits of just the two of you.

You both looked amazing, and so incredibly happy!

A few more favourites:

The ceremony site overlooking the ocean was perfect, and friends and family were eagerly awaiting the bride and groom.

Exchanging vows:

Their eldest daughter performed a beautiful dance piece right after the first kiss. Shana, it was a pleasure to watch you dance!

Congratulations Seanette & Jerome!!

Time to party!

Thank you to everyone for making us feel like a part of the family, we had an amazing time with you all… and can’t wait to go back again!

p.s. This is how our mini-casper spent the majority of the vacation:

xo,

Cristina

Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head
But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turnin’ red
Cryin’s not for me
‘Cause I’m never gonna stop the rain by complainin’
Because I’m free
Nothin’s worryin’ me

From: Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head by B.J. Thomas

Maria + Alex didn’t let a tropical torrential downpour on their wedding day dampen their spirits! Sneak peek from this beautiful Dominican destination wedding coming soon!

xo

Cristina

We stayed at Prospect Villas (in Ocho Rios) and although the area was hit really hard by Hurricane Sandy, everyone was in high spirits. The ocean was rough and loud and the waves were high the first few days… but things calmed down towards the end of last week and we enjoyed the clear aqua caribbean waters.

I wanted to share a fav from their engagement session:

More coming soon! A Trash The Dress, Family Session.. and of course lots from the wedding!

xo,

Cristina