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Jenna & Dennis’s rural wedding in the Northern prairies of Kinosota, Manitoba, Canada

Summer Recap – A Month in Winnipeg was the Perfect Amount of Time Back Home

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  • October 8, 2015

It’s hard to believe that the summer has already come and gone, although the weather doesn’t help much when you live in a tropical paradise and “every day is summer”. Obviously, this statement isn’t quite the truth, as temperatures do still fluctuate even in warmer, South of Canada climates. The fluctuations are obviously not so extreme, and there’s still no need to have entirely different wardrobes for the changing seasons, no mittens and scarves and parkas either. But, there is still definitely cooler temperatures here in the winter months (December-March). This is unlike the summer heat that has us melting while trying to conserve our electric bill with minimal air conditioning usage, plus an inability to cool the office and kitchen space on the opposite side of the condo as the split air conditioning units are located in the two bedrooms, but I digress. At night, temperatures can still dip down to 16c with a high of only 26c at the peak of the day in January, which is fairly different than July & August where it’s more like a low of 28c at night and a high of 38c during the day. There’s still variation in those temperatures, my friends. Just not -40c winter extremes to feels like +40c with the humidex summer extremes. I was born and raised in Winnipeg, and have spent a total of 6 years of my life (at two very different times in my life) in Montreal. So, when I tell you I know nearly everything there is to know about extreme temperature variations in one set place, I truly mean it. *Please note: this blog post will be sprinkled with teaser photos from our August weddings (Svetlana & Dmytro at Azul Fives Resort and Jenna & Dennis in Kinosota, Manitoba) to help navigate your eyes away from text at times*

 

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This long-winded, silly rant-like one-sided conversation I just had is a conversation that came up several times throughout our month long living arrangements in Winnipeg, Manitoba this summer. We were fortunate enough to travel home to photograph a wedding in rural Manitoba, and since we have our belongings, and essentially still, our lives in Winnipeg, it seemed only fitting to jump on the opportunity to spend as much time visiting with friends and family as we possibly could. There were ups, there were downs, and overall, the month back home went by far faster than I thought it would, or even could for that matter. I really thought 4+ weeks would be long enough that time would actually have a chance to stand still for a bit. But no, it just went as fast as ever. What we anticipated to be infinite time spent with those near and dear to our hearts, wound up (as always) becoming mere hours penciled in on a handmade paper calendar of events for the month. This was truly the only way to properly track our whereabouts, hangouts, and the like. We could communicate via this vital piece of paper when we would be separate and thus discuss access to borrowed vehicles, where we had opportunities to double date or visit friends jointly, and making sure we wrote a list of people to contact and connect with, in hopes of trying to squeeze in as many familiar faces as humanly possible.

 

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And it was exhausting. Rewarding too, but very exhausting. We had some much needed R+R time sporadically throughout the trip, with road trips to my family farm, Matt’s family’s cottage, and the rural wedding we were hired to shoot in the first place (making this whole trip entirely possible). Actually, the drive to and from Kinosota, Manitoba was spectacular. It’s easy to forget the simple pleasures in life sometimes, especially when you’re away from them for an extended period of time. Who knew I would miss driving a vehicle as much as I did? And who knew just how much we missed road trips with flat open prairie fields for kilometers, and those prairie sky clouds and endless horizon, and that unforgiving, relentless urge to be in the process of drinking a Tim Hortons coffee the entire road trip? We couldn’t have asked for a nicer and more exciting reward to photographing a stunning and beautiful Manitoba wedding than to have a month with friends we’ve missed dearly, family we’ve missed more, and common places and reinvented spaces that we had a chance to explore?

 

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In a nutshell, we ate plenty of delicious food, engaged in lovely conversations with all of our favourite people in the world (and those we missed, we obviously regret!). We took some “me” time together, but separate, at Jellyfish Float Spa for a 90 minute relaxation float (our first time and boy was it fun for me!). I treated my parents to a night’s dining experience at Chew, which is certainly a delicious place to grab food. We had a few outings with my brother, Justin and his partner Christine, with everyone enjoying Ethiopian food for the first time at Massawa Restaurant. And more importantly, enjoying a true tapas evening out with the two of them at Enoteca, which had mushrooms that were on another level, and have certainly ruined mushrooms for me in everyday day-to-day living. We were treated to a Chinese food feast at North Garden Restaurant in the city’s South end of town.  We brunched over sandwiches at The Yellow Deli, owned and operated by Common Sense in St Boniface. We took ourselves to brunch on some of the best burritos either of us have ever consumed (seriously, every time, they are the best) at Burrito Del Rio in the heart of the city’s eccentric hangout known as Osborne Village. We treated ourselves to a fancy lunch at Fusion Grill, despite the unfortunate torrential downpour happening all over the city as we paid our bill and were ready to head out. We had a laid back breakfast with Matt’s parents at Perkins Family Restaurant, while I made a second visit there for coffee and breakfast with a previous Winnipeg Humane Society co-worker friend of mine, Judy. We were fortunate to make two stops in at Peasant Cookery twice while home, once for their infamous Buck-a-Shuck oyster night (seriously, $1 per oyster all night?!) as well as to try their entry for Le Burger Week taking place in cities across Canada the first week of September. There were others that we did not even get a chance to check out, as we were often too busy with plans for delicious dinners at other peoples’ places, or just out and about grabbing small things here and there.

 

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And that was our month long stay back home! Lots of visits and lots of food. And it was glorious. As always, it’s great to be getting back into a routine and normal life down South, but I’m already starting to feel my heart strings being twanged just a wee bit to come back again, and soon. In the meantime, it’s back to photo editing and updating the site, while organizing business-related things and the new place that we moved to back at the beginning of July. And now, for the last of our teaser photos, and keep your eyes out for these weddings, and others, going up on the site in the months to come!

 

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  • Under : Photography, Teasers, Uncategorized, Updates, Weddings

Natalie & Chad’s Silly yet Glamourous Garden Wedding at Hotel Riu Yucatan

Coming Soon: Tips & Advice for Planning your Dream Destination Wedding

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  • August 11, 2015

Hola friends, followers and all around amazing people. Over the coming months we will be putting together a collection of first hand tips and advice for planning your perfect destination wedding. We’ll be writing about, and interviewing travel agents, wedding planners, florists and even other photographers so that we can help anyone who is looking for advice when it comes to planning their dream destination wedding.

If you have any thoughts or ideas for topics or interviews please do let us know. Leave us a comment on here or via email at [email protected]. We absolutely love engaging with our past couples, potential couples and friends.

Cheers!

  • Under : Updates

Melissa & Chris’s Lively Wedding & Beach Bash at Grand Palladium Riviera Maya

Making Friends, Saying Goodbyes, and Teasers!

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  • April 29, 2015

We are pleased to say that work has been coming in steady, and we’ve been busy busy busy, to say the least. The months seem to fly by, and sometimes it’s hard to even catch a spare breath. That being said, we are having an absolute blast with it all. There have been new friendships formed with couples we have had the pleasure to photograph, and there has been some sad goodbyes with friends living in the Mayan Riviera for the winter months, who have since moved back home. This also means no more dogsitting for one of the couples, which was also a nice change of pace, and a refreshing change, mainly because their girl was such a sweetheart. Just look at those eyes!

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We knew the time was coming, but that still didn’t make it any easier. We are sad to say that Jeremy and Brittany have moved back to their home, in Edmonton, followed by Jenn and Glen who have since moved back to Vancouver with their incredible viszla Scarlett (Check out this great list of famous dogs). But, that also means we have excuses to travel to various provinces in Canada to reacquaint ourselves with old friends. We are fortunate to have plenty of friends in Winnipeg and Montreal, having lived in both cities for numerous years during our adulthood, so it’s nice to have a sprinkling of friends in the Western portion of Canada.

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Making friends here can sometimes be difficult, and I know that may sound a bit strange, but it’s true for a variety of reasons. A lot of people don’t move to Playa del Carmen and it’s surrounding areas as a permanent move, in that there are plenty of snowbirds (young and old) that come down to escape the winter months from up North, but head back when the temperatures start rising here, or more importantly, the humidity. There’s a reason the hotels and resorts offer lower prices during months like May & June, and September-November. January starts off with a bang, and stays fairly busy and congested for the first three months of the year. But it is hard not to notice the dwindling amount of tourists come the end of March and leading into April. That, followed closely by Snowbirds deciding to head back home to enjoy the tail end of Spring, the beauty of Summer, and the first half of their crisp Autumn months at their homes in the United States and Canada. So that means there’s a lot of transience going on in our part of the world. And that can make forging friendships difficult and trying, or at least ones where we are guaranteed to see them continuously throughout an entire year, difficult. But, that’s just part of relocating to an area you know is full of tourists, travelers, backpackers, snowbirds, expats, and the like. The plus side is making friends with all these transient individuals, and thus the possibility of establishing friendships worldwide. And that, to put it plain and simple, is pretty cool.

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And now, on a completely different note, we have posted the January weddings of 2015 that we photographed, with Krista & Dennis at Azul Sensatori, as well as Kyleigh & Cody at Grand Palladium Riviera Resorts. Furthermore, here’s some teasers from the February weddings, when we had the pleasure of photographing Melissa & Chris at Grand Palladium Riviera Resort, and Lisa & Tyson at Villa Luna y Sol

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  • Under : Photography, Teasers, Updates, Weddings

Krista & Dennis’ Simply Elegant Wedding at Azul Sensatori Hotel

Love Is In The Air

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  • February 15, 2015

It’s that time of year that 1/3 of the population love, 1/3 of the population despise, and the remaining 1/3 just ignores completely. That’s right, Valentine’s Day is here! Or was here, rather! It’s Valentine’s night now, and today has been a day filled with tender moments and many a shared laugh with my significant other. So here’s hoping our past clients and lovers, and future couples are all able to say they’ve been able to enjoy the same. And if not today, than yesterday, or perhaps tomorrow. The day truly is irrelevant, and it’s taking the time to express your love for one another and really relish in those moments that matter most. And now, on to our fabulous Saturday.

We had a chance to sleep in a bit, of course with cats disturbing that by wandering about on our pillows and meowing for breakfast in our faces. The day started with delicious coffee and a walk to the corner store for eggs and milk, reminiscing about our past, and having all sorts of lovely nostalgic moments. Talking about how we met, how long we’ve known each other, and how much we have grown together as a couple, as a working partnership, and with ourselves. The sun was out, the day was young, and we haphazardly decided to get it started right with a bike ride for some random groceries, and some clothing shopping. We let ourselves take detours, and an alternative route, because why not really? The day was gorgeous and we were in good spirits, with no need to rush for anything. Just enjoying the day for what it was. At home, we decided to clean house a bit, minor tasks like floor mopping and laundry, followed by more work on photos from the recent weddings we photographed end of January.

We made our first attempt ever at making our own egg salad for sandwiches, as it is a favourite of both of ours, but somehow we have not made it ourselves in the 6 years we’ve known each other. Madness! So, swap the mayo with some fresh avocado, mashed with perfectly boiled eggs, finely chopped onion & celery, a tablespoon of mustard and sprinkled with salt, pepper and paprika and voilà! Our delicious dinner for two for Valentine’s day! And, to follow that all up, we are going to watch a movie and pinch some gourmet perogies à la potato/cheese/pesto! Yum! So, with that, we will at least post a few of the teasers from the first wedding we photographed January 21st, with Krista & Dennis at Azul Sensatori in Puerto Morelos.

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  • Under : Photography, Teasers, Uncategorized, Updates

Kara & Vince Hill’s 1st Anniversary in Ottawa Canada

Another Year Passed, Another Happy Anniversary to Kara & Vince Hill

  • 2 comments/
  • January 24, 2015

It’s hard to believe that yet another year has passed since Kara and Vince Hill’s destination wedding here in the Mayan Riviera. The wedding that started it all for us. The wedding that gave us a taste of what it truly is like being on the beach, photographing in the sand, and in the water. The wedding that was my first official visit to Mexico, and the Yucatan Peninsula. My first time in Playa del Carmen. Our first time staying at Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya. It was an eye opening experience, and one that really had us taking a moment to think about our future, and what we wanted to do with ourselves. Granted, it wasn’t an immediate decision to pack up and move down, but definitely got the wheels turning in our minds. And wondering about the possibilities that could lie ahead, if we followed our hearts and our passions, rather than succumb to what was expected of a couple in their mid to late 20s living in Montreal. The expectation was to settle down ourselves, secure a job that would guarantee a steady paycheque, look into mortgages, owning a home, buying a car, etc.. but where’s the fun in that? My heart is always seeking out adventure. And there was no looking back after that first taste of salty crisp beach air, that unforgettable feeling of tiny broken shells, mixed with dried seaweed and sand, between my toes. There was no looking back after knowing what it’s like to wake up daily to the sunshine kissing my cheeks, and warming me to the core.

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So, cheers to Kara and Vince for the experience. And we are wishing them the warmest of Happy Anniversaries from down South. We had the pleasure of visiting them in their then-home of Gatineau, Quebec and taking some time to tour around Parliament Hill with them and their dog Charlie. It was a crisp and cool January, with plenty of dangerous icy patches that had to be cautiously avoided. But it was a splendid time nonetheless, photographing their anniversary in Canada. It’s wild to think that was already a year ago! Seriously, time has really just flown by. And now, here we are having relocated to the Riviera Maya, and meanwhile, Kara and Vince have since moved back home to Winnipeg too. Along with Charlie. Bigger, better job opportunities were on the horizon, and so they packed up and headed home. A visit was in order during our return to our hometown for Paula & Scott’s Wedding this past September, and it was great to talk about our individual experiences living in Quebec versus Manitoba, and about our own respective new journeys and paths in life.

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Turns out this year, for their anniversary, Kara and Vince opted to travel to Punta Cana to celebrate, and escape the snow and cold that Winnipeg winters have to offer for half the year. Having just returned from their trip a few days ago, we haven’t had the chance to really get many of the details of how everything went, BUT, looking through the photo album Kara has posted on Facebook makes it seem like they had a blast. We are very much looking forward to hearing more about the trip, perhaps through a Skype meeting, in the near future. Until then, though, we are sending our love and our well wishes to the gorgeous couple that first gave us that inkling to want to take the dive and move down South to 12 months of summer a year. Cheers to my lovely cousin, and her charming husband! May you have many more anniversary celebrations, and looking forward to one day being a part of one again!

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  • Under : Anniversary, Photography, Updates

Shari & Catherine Teasers

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  • November 26, 2014

Just a quick post to show some of the teasers from Shari & Catherine’s beautiful destination wedding at The Bluebay Grand Esmeralda.  We’re hard at work editing photos and we really hope to have everything up and posted within the next couple weeks. We’re also hard at work editing photos from Susan & Mike’s wedding at Now Sapphire. We’ll be posting teasers from that within the next week or so as well.

 

Cheers!

 

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  • Under : Photography, Teasers, Weddings

Jennifer Adams & Lee James Wedding Today!

  • 2 comments/
  • August 15, 2014

Hola everyone!

Just a quick update, Jasmin & I are currently getting ready and will be heading out in about 45 minutes to the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya to photograph Jennifer Adams & Lee James’ destination wedding. We are so excited and can’t wait to spend the day with these two, their family and friends.

We had the opportunity to Skype with Jennifer & Lee a few weeks ago before they flew down. They are a really amazing, down to earth couple from the United States and we can’t wait to take some beautiful photos of them.

We should have some teasers up within the next few weeks so keep your eyes pealed until then.

Cheers!

  • Under : Updates, Weddings

So We Have Finally Arrived!

  • 2 comments/
  • July 18, 2014

So we have finally arrived! Playa del Carmen is now called home. It has been an exceptionally busy few days. Lots of changes and lots to learn. After arriving Sunday, we were met with the misfortune of having our luggage lost in transit at the airport in Toronto. We had the exceptionally fortunate experience of having an exceptionally kind gentleman by the name of Miguel, help take down our information and keep in contact with us until it was found Tuesday and delivered Wednesday. That being said, the first few days with no change of clothes, or anything else, was challenging. We’ve learned that we are approximately 5km from the outskirts of town, but nearly 8km away from Walmart, which is where we needed to go to get simple replacement items. Needless to say, in this heat and humidity, it can feel like quite the trek. We were so relieved when we received notice that our luggage was found Tuesday evening, and would be delivered sometime Wednesday.
 
Luggage situation aside, we are quickly learning that being completely foreign, and lacking Spanish speaking skills, proves to be very difficult. We are trying to pick up on words here and there, but that is going to continue to be a work in progress for quite some time still. Things are done very differently here, and we are learning new things not only daily, but nearly every hour, or so it seems. But, it’s all a learning experience, and we’ve remained positive and excited the whole way through. Bring on the challenges of living in Mexico!
 
We love our new place, and it turns out this condo is HUGE! The two rooms are basically the exact same size, never mind the vast openness of the living room/dining area. We have adjusted to the gas stove top, and just learned today that our washer/dryer system will likely also run on gas rather than electricity. We’re not certain, but this is the norm here, so it’s exceptionally likely to be the case for us too. There’s still a number of items needed to make this place feel a bit more like home, but that will come over time. Patience truly is a virtue.
 
We are excited to continue onward with obtaining our immigration cards and being fully entitled to work here. It has been proceeding rather steadily, with a day trip to Toronto July 11th to sign for our Mexican Visa and now, meeting with our lawyer here in Playa del Carmen to continue filling out applications for the card proceed to be complete. One slow and steady step at a time.
 
The beach is just over half an hour away from the entrance to our complex, and likely just shy of one kilometre away from our front steps. Needless to say, this is heavenly and we’ve enjoyed our splashes and milling about in the ocean nearly every day. The sun is hot, the air is humid, and the water is warm yet still refreshing. It feels great to finally be here, and despite always having things to do, we still take time to sit back and remember where we are, what we have accomplished thus far to get here, and give each other random high fives for doing it. If you couldn’t tell from this post that we’re ecstatic to be here, the photo should sum that up nicely.

La vida es bella!

  • Under : Updates

Great news everyone!

  • 0 comments/
  • October 10, 2013

If you haven’t already seen the front page of our newly designed website then here is the big surprise. As of the Summer of 2014 we will be packing up our lives and moving down to Playa del Carmen Mexico. We will be doing destination weddings in the Mayan Riviera so if you are planning a destination wedding next year please contact us

We are still booking weddings for the fall/winter of 2013 here in Montreal as well as the spring/early summer of 2014 so please don’t hesitate to contact us about your Quebec wedding.

We are both extremely excited for this big change in our lives & we will be keeping everyone posted on news in regards to the move so keep checking back.

  • Under : Updates

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Riviera Maya & Cancun wedding photography by Canadian Photographers Jasmin & Matt. Photographing once in a lifetime moments is our passion. Intimate & breathtaking photography throughout the Yucatan Peninsula including Isla Mujeres, Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal & Tulum

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Riviera Maya & Cancun Wedding Photography by Canadian Photographers Jasmin & Matt. We are Wedding Photographers based out of Playa del Carmen & working throughout the Yucatan Peninsula including Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Cozumel, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal & Tulum.

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