I am completely infatuated with the idea of a winter picnic being used as a part of the “first look” shots before a wedding. How intimate would it feel to be cozied up before the wedding having one last special moment together before you are married?

This could also be amazing for engagement pictures.

If you are inspired to have your own winter picnic,  I’ll break down a little supply list for you. As you can see a cozy blanket is necessary. Then bring whatever special treats you like best  and some hot cocoa or hot toddy ingredients to keep warm.

Winter picnics make for stunning images and they add an unexpected tone to first looks, engagements or even a wedding reception alternative! So grab your favorite warm blanket, a thermos of warm drinks and your most tasty treats and cozy up with your love and enjoy an unseasonal picnic.

Image One: Naturally Chic; Image Two: greenweddingshoes.com; Image Three: greenweddingshoes.com; Image Four: thesweetestoccasion.com; Image Five: shannongrantweddingsblog.com; Image Six: chicagoillinoisweddingphotography.com; Image Seven: chezwedd.com; Image Eight: Carla Ten Eyck; Image Nine: franciskasvakreverden.blogspot.com; Image Ten: designsponge.com; Image Eleven: s3r3ndipity.tumblr.com; Image Twelve: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com

Rebekah is a wedding stylist and designer. She owns the company A & B Creative, read her blog.

… a dreamy table setting in the woods.

An old-fashioned swing calling your name.

Dinner in an orange grove.

A picnic for two (complete with rubber boots for sea glassing!)

Lanterns in a sheltered nook; the scent of wood smoke.

A book, a basket, a blanket and a water view.

Laughter.

Beautiful.

Photo: Shooting Hip

By Jennifer Cox

My parents were married in Montreal at Loyola Chapel, which now sits on the campus of Concordia University, in 1979. Decades later, when I started studying Journalism at Concordia, I loved walking by the chapel and looking at the front steps where all of my family, including grandparents who were no longer with us, had walked, stopping to pose for pictures in front of the big wooden doors. I was never the little girl who dreamed about her wedding, but when I saw the chapel in person, I knew that that was the one thing I wanted for my own special day: to get married at the same chapel as my parents.

And we did. Just two weeks after they celebrated their thirty-year anniversary, my husband and I got married in front of the same altar, with our guests lined in the same pews, surrounded by many of the people who had witnessed my own parents tie the knot.

To really remember the significance of getting married at the chapel, I met with our photographers (the incredible davina + daniel) months before and gave them some of the pictures from my parent’s wedding. They were clever enough to photograph them so, on our wedding day, they were able to refer to the pics and then “recreate” the same photos. It worked beautifully – we had about a dozen shots that looked like mirror images from my own parent’s wedding. I later put them in side-by-side frames for my mom and dad.

Jennifer Cox is a Montreal based freelance journalist who loves everything from weddings to foodie news, photography & candy!

Photos of Jennifer’s wedding: Davina + Daniel

I love unusual things – and that applies to weddings too. Which is why I thought these pre-wedding photos shot at the bride’s father’s carpentry shop were really neat! What a great setting! Meaningful, unique and tad edgy. Photos by Indonesian photographer, Ian Photography.

I love these photos taken by This is Photography at Bay Breeze Stables, in Summerside, Prince Edward Island (PEI happens to be one of my favourite places on earth.)

Julia grew up riding horses. She is a country girl at heart and wanted to do a shoot that incorporated horses and the feel of  hat day at the derby. Growing up she loved watching the hat day at the races where all of the ladies would get dressed up and wear fancy headpieces, so her love for horses and memories of the fancy hats are what inspired the shoot (and the fancy headpiece).

Thanks Heather, for the photos! See the full shoot over here.

Love this shot by Agnes Lopez Photography.

]]> http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/t-g-i-f/feed/ 0 http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/wedding-trend-train-tracks/ http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/wedding-trend-train-tracks/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:55:48 +0000 Christina http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/?p=5442 I find trends fascinating. Oftentimes they defy logic. Take fake moustaches at weddings. They’re were hugely popular in 2009. Why? And who would have predicted that? Then there’s the striped sock phenomenon. And Converse All-Stars. And typewriters. And clotheslines. And mason jars. And birds.

I’ve been spotting another trend recently: train tracks. They’re all over the place. Not that that’s a bad thing. I happen to love trains. They really are a metaphor for life’s journey. And honestly, if you ever feel down about the human race, drive on over to the nearest train station and park your rear end down on a bench. You will witness the most profound emotions on this earth: love and longing. I bet you’ll have to stifle a few tear drops as you watch people reunite with loved ones, and say farewell to others. And then there’s the haunting whoosh of the train fading away.

I think it is the symbolism of train tracks that makes them a great backdrop for wedding photos. But there’s also something aesthetically beautiful about them. The symmetry. The way they wind through the landscape. And the fact that there is something timeless about them.

Here are a few of my favourite railroad track shots:

Caution: Do not attempt this after cocktails. Photo: 6:8 Photography

Photo: Clayton Austin via WedShare Daily

Photo: Snorri Gunnarson

Look out you two… there’s a train coming down the pike! Photo: Steller Photography

Love that kilt mister! Photo: KD Photography

Elegant. Photo: Unique Images Photography

How uplifting! Photo by Steph Goralnick.

By

Photography is an integral part of my life, and Nathan’s. I can’t tell you how many cameras we own… dozens! Okay, so maybe they don’t all work but they all did at some point. I love thinking about who once owned this camera, and what might have been captured with that one. Did they wait with anticipation for the image to develop before their eyes. Maybe she was in a dark room, or maybe it was 1986 at a family reunion when instant film was both affordable and available (oh, Polaroid)!

You might even say photography is what brought Nathan and I together. He was a boy who took photos, and encouraged photos through the collaborative art project The Head Project. And, I was a girl interested in photography (mind you with the cheapest, yet dearly loved hp from 1999!!) who found the boy’s work through random online searching. My interest and appreciation for photography inclined Nathan to buy and send me a Polaroid camera years before we met.

So it is shocking that we would (or rather could) not consider spending thousands of dollars on wedding photography. I understand it is a priceless art form, but our budget allowed us to pick one – location or photography. We chose location. Luckily we know a fine young man with a camera – my brother, Drew Kirk.

My brother got in to photography much later than I did, and really not all that recently. And, I must admit he has surpassed his big sis. I am impressed daily by what he is able to capture, and the light in which he does so. Drew sees so many beautiful things most people never notice, and his composition is fantastic! We are so lucky that he will be capturing our big day!

Drew also took our engagement photos in February which could not have been easy for him. Nathan was slightly self conscious the entire time, and I couldn’t believe he was getting any of the GOOD moments. But the pictures were beyond my imagination! This is when I realized you really have to trust your photographer, and they will get it right.

I know not everyone will have a talented brother or friend to take their wedding photos, but it is never a bad idea to reach out to your guests to see what they would like to contribute! Talent is everywhere these days, and in my case my brother was really honored to be our photographer.

We are also setting up a flickr account for our guests to upload photos of the wedding from their cameras. Candid snapshots can be some of the best moments! And, of course we will be using polaroid film! I actually bought quite a bit today in support of The Impossible Project.

Photos: Drew Kirk