Crystal and Kalem are having a rainbow-themed wedding, so when they wanted to use the colorful holi powder for their engagement session, it only made sense! Holi powder originates in South Asia (India), being primarily a festival that is also known as the festival of colors, or the festival of love. A fun modern take on holi powder is the infamous Color Me Rad run that is now popular in many countries around the world. Of course, as a photographer, I was both thrilled and anxious to take on this challenge (upon hearing horror stories of cameras being completely destroyed by this fine and colorful holi powder) however with some precaution, I’m happy to say that my gear was completely fine and the photos came out awesome!
Big thanks to Amber of Amber Roy Weddings for her assistance and help during this fantastic engagement session!
I asked Crystal and Kalem to give us some insight on their relationship and how it all started.
Crystal: “We’ve known each other most of our lives. We mostly avoided each other early on. Particularly in Junior High School where we were in very different friend groups (Kalem was a slacker who was even *gasp* suspended for a week, and I was hanging with a more academically inclined crowd). Then, in Grade 12, one of my best friends invited Kalem to my birthday party… and I discovered he wasn’t such a slacker after all, but had interests that existed outside the school structure and complimented his creative nature. We started spending more time together and a couple of months later, we were officially dating.”
Kalem: “We first met when we were nine years old, and we hated each other. Crystal was (still is) a bit of a keener; a high achiever who prefers rules to give her a structure within which to climb (If she were a sheep, she’d be white at the head of the pack). I was/am more of the rebel type; always looking for places /outside/ the lines to color, and I’d be damned to just bow down when someone else tried to tell me what to do (If I were a sheep I’d be black, standing on a root protruding off the side of a cliff). I think Crystal started growing beyond that first impression of keener in high school when she used to hang around the art room with her best friend. This was where I lived, more or less, so we wound up talking a fair bit (after all, the keeners don’t hang out in the art room, they’d get their geek cards revoked, right?). It was then I realized there was more to this beautiful lady than text books and early nights. Who knew?”
What are some of your common interests?
Crystal: “We’ve been together nearly fourteen years, so the activities we enjoy together have changed. We’re generally quiet people who enjoy spending time at home with our cats, but every so often I like to throw a ridiculously overdone theme party to shake things up. Then, there’s the Roughnecks games, where we aren’t very quiet at all. The man with tickets next to Kalem’s seat now brings an earplug to every game (just one, for the ear on Kalem’s side). There’s no one specific thing that brings us together, but we are bound by a lifetime of experience and over a decade of growing together.”
Kalem: “As I mentioned earlier, in some ways we are polar opposites, but we have many core values that are the same; we want to try and improve the world for those who aren’t as lucky as we are, for example. This duality of opposites and similitudes produces a sort of yin-yang effect where I push Crystal beyond her comfort zone, while still keeping her safe and she helps to focus my scattered abstract mind, giving it direction. Crystal is being modest when she says we sit quietly at home. We do, but we’re also often finding ways to improve the world around us – even if it’s just a donation to the food bank or a local charity.”
Share a memory with us!
Crystal: “Kalem started his proposal by saying “I’m not very romantic, so I needed some help” and then described a convoluted scheme involving multiple people and years (I’m not kidding, years) of planning. It was so obvious that he had thought of every little detail and wanted the entire day to be so special. It made me realize just how amazing he is and how much thought he puts into how to bring joy to the way I experience life.”
Kalem: “Crystal has always been super encouraging and supportive – providing shelter and support for me when things are tough, or that rebellious, abstract mind of mine chooses to land me in less than ideal situations. She puts up with my plants (that are slowly taking over the kitchen) and always encourages me to better myself. I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for her. It’s not one specific memory, but looking back over all the time we’ve spent together always affirms Crystal is the person I should spend the rest of my life with.”
Crystal: “Kalem is so nurturing. He loves our cats so much! They follow him around the house meowing, and he talks to them so they know he is listening. He’s also the official green thumb of the household, caring for all the plants (and acquiring a new one whenever the opportunity arises). He talks to the plants too, but don’t tell him I told you that.”
Kalem: “Nurturing. pththththt. Crystal bakes. Have you seen her baking? Frigging amaze-balls. If I tried winging my own recipes and combining flavours the way she does I’d just have nasty hockey pucks. The patience, creativity and care that go into her baking shows what she puts into all her projects. The cupcakes just taste better than the other endeavors.”
I can’t wait to photograph Crystal and Kalem’s big day just a short month away!
