Lysha and Shaun’s big day, finally on the blog! I knew I was in for a treat, photographing at two really cool venues (the Shawnessy Barn and Heritage Park) with two really cool people – plus their fantastic bridal party. Lysha is probably one of the most fantastically loud and hilarious brides I’ve had the pleasure of knowing, and I’m thankful to have known her as a friend before she became a bride. I knew from even before we had our engagement session together, that everyone was in for a heck of a fun wedding day.
I absolutely *loved* Lysha’s amazing dress – it was a beautiful slightly pink color, and it suited her like it was made for her!
I’ll never forget the emphasis the couple put on having special family moments captured, particularly Lysha’s grandmother, who is pictured below in a pink jacket at the ceremony. She was smiling from ear to ear, and stayed with the couple until the wee hours of the following morning. Life is completely uncanny, and as fate would have it, Lysha’s grandmother passed away 3 days after the wedding. It really solidifies the importance of family portraits in situations like these, which I’ve encountered more than I can say in the last 7.5 years of photographing weddings. I’m honored to have been there to provide Lysha and her family with these precious mementos.
A big thank you to Stefan of Stefan H. Makwana Photography for his assistance during their special day! Also a huge thank you to Shannon of Shannon Valente Weddings for making the day go as smooth as possible and for this feature on her blog!
Describe your planning process:
Lysha: “Heritage was always at the top of my list. I love anything historic, and knew I wanted a more vintage-style wedding. Between Heritage park and the Shawnessy Barn, they had it all. And the best part is both those locations have their own built in décor, I needed to do very little!”
What was your favorite part?
Lysha: “Not to sound cliché, but to sound cliché, I was amazed at how fast it went by. I know everyone says this, and I swore I wouldn’t, but wow! It sure did zoom by! One minute I was getting my hair done and next think I knew it was time to go home! Where did the day go!”
What is your best advice to future brides and grooms?
Lysha: “Stop listening to other people. Do what YOU want. And remember, something will likely go wrong, don’t sweat it! Oh, and a wedding planner, that was the best thing I ever did! I did do the whole planning processes myself, but I had Shannon Valente for the day-of business, and it was the best decision I ever made. Seriously. I didn’t worry about a single thing that day! I even at the end of it all thought “oh, I didn’t even notice I wasn’t thinking about everything that needed to be done. It was just done. Thank you Shannon!!””
Lysha adds this experience from her day, “We couldn’t have asked for a better day. The rain? Who cares?! We had our family and friends with us, and we celebrated! We would do it all over again, a million times! Even with the blur that was that day! Thank goodness we had Anna and Stefan to help us remember that day! Looking back at the wedding I am filled with a range of emotions. With my grandmother suddenly passing away only 3 days later, some memories of that day have become bittersweet. BUT, she was there, she had fun, she was happy. That’s all that matters in the end. We even had to drag her out of there at the end of the night. It was time to go (the wedding was over! It was 2am!) and she was not ready to head home just yet. I am grateful she was there, and knowing she had one helluva good time, puts a smile on my face!”
Ceremony venue: Shawnessy Barn / Reception venue: Heritage Park – Wainwright Hotel / Officiant: Soleiha of Sol Sourced Weddings / Bride’s dress: The Bridal Centre / Groom’s attire: Moores / Transportation: Blue Sky Limos / DJ: Revolution Entertainment / Hair and Makeup Artist: Lavish Salon / Florals: Splurge Flowers / Cake/cakepops: Whippt Desserts and Catering / Event planner: Shannon Valente Weddings / Stationary: Wedding Bling
