Rowell Photography - Wedding » Engagements

Toronto Rooftop Engagement Session

Ryan & Erika — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:50:20 +0000

A few weeks ago, when the weather was hot, we photographed a rooftop engagement session in Toronto. Its not too often you can find a Toronto rooftop that you can shoot on. When Shauna & Jordan mentioned they had a great view of the city from their condo, we couldn’t wait to start shooting. Since the weather was so nice everyone in their building was on the rooftop having bbq’s, so we found a few open spots and took some great shots showing off the Toronto skyline. But it never fails, the shots we least expect to be our favorites usually seem to end up that way. Our favorite shots were actually taken inside Shauna and Jordan’s condo in their kitchen. It is a super nice kitchen by the way, but they were the last shots I would have thought to make the top of my favorites list from this shoot. We really love how candid Shauna & Jordan are together, they are not afraid to laugh, and that makes for some truly fun shots.

Shaun & Jordan will be back on our blog very soon as their wedding is this weekend at one of our favorite locations, Taboo Resort in Muskoka. We can’t wait to capture the love between them and the magic of their BIG day, this weekend.

Thanks again for having us over to your beautifully artistic home. We are so stoked for your wedding!

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

Definitely a nice view of the skyline from this Toronto rooftop.

Toronto Rooftop Engagement Session - © Rowell Photography - Wedding

Muskoka Engagement Session – Katie & Brad

Ryan & Erika — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:11:34 +0000

Last week Luca & Ryan set out to Muskoka to photograph Katie & Brad for their romantic Muskoka engagement session. They wanted to trek back to where it all began, where they met, at a little summer camp just a 30 minute boat ride from MacTier, Ontario. Katie & Brad will be getting married at RockyCrest Resort in Port Carling, Muskoka next month with Luca as their photographer.

How dreamy are these photos? What a perfect day for an engagement photo shoot. Even with the cold snap in weather the last few days, during this session it was a scorcher. Katie & Brad you both look amazing in these photos, so much in love, just like the two kid who met at camp not so long ago. We are so excited for your wedding!

Thanks again to Luca for this gorgeous set of images, and without further adieu… Katie & Brad’s Muskoka Engagement Session.

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

Luca in action! Photo by: Ryan.

Finally getting some use out of my mini chalkboard for this super cute BRAD & KATIE pic.

Muskoka Engagement Session – Katie & Brad - © Rowell Photography - Wedding

Chris & Anne Marie’s Killer Engagement Session

Erika & Ryan — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:40:36 +0000

Relationships and marriage are about give and take, forgiving and forgetting and finding the good in one another and then letting that person shine. In the words of Wilfred A. Peterson “It is not only marrying the right partner, it’s being the right partner.”

Chris & Anne Marie fell in love as kids, and then again just a few years ago. When they asked us to do something creative for their Toronto engagement photo shoot, we of course were game for anything they had in mind, but this idea they came up with was not the first thing that came to our minds. Actually Anne Marie and Chris knew all along what they wanted to do, and what they didn’t want for their engagement session. Couples who have known one another as long as Chris and Anne Marie, tend to have a unique outlook on relationships.

For their engagement photos they wanted to showcase the opposite of their real life relationship, and really stage scenes that would shock their friends and family. So the 4 of us came up with a storyline for a series of photos where Anne Marie and Chris would repeatedly try to kill one another in freak household accidents,and sneaky revenge plots. Only a couple who possesses a great deal of love and respect for one another could ‘execute’ such a shoot. You have to have a twisted sense of humour to enjoy these photos. For us, this shoot was so much fun, I am still laughing as I remember us all squeezing into the bathroom with Ryan hugging the toilet to get one of the shots below. Well worth it!

To our nearly dead and nearly wed clients, thank you for such a fun shoot. Your wedding will be to die for!

Erika & Ryan

Disclaimer: All situations appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real situations or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No one was harmed in the making of these images. These images were made as a satire on marriage and may not be suitable for sensitive viewers.

Chris & Anne Marie’s Killer Engagement Session - © Rowell Photography - Wedding

Winter Engagement Session Rhododendron-Gardens

Erika & Ryan — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:56:30 +0000

We are so excited to share with you Luca’s first engagement session of the year as a member of the Rowell Photography team. Last week Luca photographed Kristen & Taylor’s romantic winter engagement session in Mississauga at the Rhododendron Gardens. It was a perfect day, fresh white snow, and sunny skies, awesome couple who was game for any idea and anything we threw at them, including snow. Now that I think of it, Kristen and Taylor must have been freezing because we had them sitting in the snow, lying in the snow and throwing snow for the majority of their winter engagement session. But it was so worth it to see these awesome images Luca was able to capture. Luca will be photographing their wedding at the Glen Erin Inn Mississauga in May which is just a stones throw from Kristen and Taylor’s home as well as the Rhododendron Gardens, its so nice that every time they walk around their neighbourhood they will be constantly reminded of these very special places, and events. The Rowell Photography team will once again get to work with one of our favorite wedding vendors Rachel A. Clingen. We can’t wait to see what beautiful floral design and decor she comes up with!

So now without further adieu; Kristen & Taylor’s winter engagement! Congratulations guys! We can’t wait to see your wedding photos!

Cheers & Happy Valentine’s Day

Erika & Ryan

Here’s a pic of Luca in action!

Winter Engagement Session Rhododendron-Gardens - © Rowell Photography - Wedding

Muskoka Engagement of Sophia & Evan

Erika & Ryan — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:25:26 +0000

Sophia & Evan contacted us to photograph their Muskoka engagement session in Gravenhurst for the late fall. The month of October is the best time to see autumn leaves in Ontario, and one of the reasons for doing their engagement shoot in Muskoka. During our shoot we saw many bus tours of tourists taking photos of the vibrantly coloured trees.

For this Muskoka engagement photo session we walked along the harbour near Grace and Speed heritage museum. We hiked up to the top of the rocky cliffs just across from the pedestrian boardwalk, and then wandered the winding paths, inlets, and lane ways throughout cottage country. Gravenhurst was definitely a great choice for these fall engagement photos.

Sophia & Evan brought along a couple of props, and just little things that would make their engagement photos more personalized. Sophia brought along a toy camera she brought just before they came up to Muskoka. This way they could capture a few fun photos of their first visit to our neck of the woods. They brought along their wedding bands to be photographed, and 3 different outfits, one casual, one dressy and one just for fun.

Planning details and props ahead of time with your photographer is a great idea. It makes for more personalized and meaningful images and gives everyone a chance to collaborate on ideas for photos. The collaboration is what makes the engagement session so much fun.

Thank you Sophia & Evan for choosing us to capture your engagement photos, and also for the super cute camera pen gift. We are going to sign all our important photography documents with it from now on Haha.

Congratulations!

Erika & Ryan

One of our favorite shots fromt he rocky cliffs in Gravehurst, Ontario.

Wedding bands from Tiffany’s in a perfect blue box.

Sophia is a chef, and brought a long these super cute Ms. & Mr. Delicious t-shirts. We love it when couples bring fun props that show off their personalities.

Our couples are so awesome! Sophia & Evan love Japanese anime (as do Ryan and I). Ryan had this sweet iPhone app. called Manga Camera. It allows you to take photos and then give you a selection of super awesome options to take your regular iPhone snap shots and turn them into Manga style (Japanese comic book themed.) Check out a few we shot of Sophia & Evan.

Muskoka Engagement of Sophia & Evan - © Rowell Photography - Wedding

Rosseau Muskoka Engagement – Shandie-Lyn & Jon

Erika & Ryan — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:11:44 +0000

When we meet with couples, we are often surprised that some do not want to have an engagement session. Sometimes its for cultural and religious reasons but most of the time it is because the couple just doesn’t know what to do with the photos. Engagement photos seem like a dated tradition, where once upon a time, in yester-year families would post wedding announcements in the local paper. In the advent of online newspapers and the wave of wedding related website that publish real weddings online of real couples nuptials its not wonder engagement photos have fallen by the wayside in the young, chic, couples minds. But this might come as a shock, engagement photos are hotter than ever with new couples, and for a whole slew of new reasons. Couples are no longer asking why should we get engagement photos taken? they are now eager to know what they can do with them.

We have created a Top 5 list of creative ways to use and showcase your engagement photos, incorporate them into your wedding celebration and your life.

1. Use a photo or two to illustrate your Save the Date card: If you are looking to send out Save the Date cards but don’t have the whole style and color scheme planned out for your wedding yet, why not use a photo from your engagement ? Your invitation should encompass the style and color scheme of your wedding day, but your Save the Date card should be all about you!

2. Infuse your engagement photos into your wedding decor: One couple had mini canvas prints from their engagement made for each table at their reception as part of the centrepieces, then they took them home afterwards and made a collage wall in their house with them. But our favorite is probably the guest signing book with images from the engagement. This is a great alternative to that old tradition of the white guest book guests write their name and a simple “Congrats!” in. That little book you will never look at again. The engagement guest signing book is a great way to get your guests involved, and gives them so much more room to say the words they really want to say to you, plus they get to look at all your beautiful happy faces in the photos too!

3. Your wedding website: Some couples create a wedding website so their guests can easily click through information about the wedding day from their computers. This is especially great for guests you are traveling a long way to spend the day with you and who haven’t seen you in a while. Spruce up your site with your engagement photos. Some of your guests might not have seen you since you were a kid or might not have met your new partner, so give them the chance to get to know you as a couple online through photos.

4. Your wedding slideshow: Similar to the website idea above, it is a very popular trend to create a personal slideshow to play during your reception for your guests to watch. Usually theses slideshows are made up of songs that mean something to you (the couple), and are meant to evoke emotions in your guests as they watch photos of your life floats on to the sounds of familiar tunes. Mix up your personal photos with your professional photos to give your slideshow variety. Not every photo of the two of you should have your arms stretched out infront holding the camera! lol.

5. Keep them, archive them and look at them often: Finally don’t purchase the images just so you can hide them away on a hard drive, get them printed, get an album you can have on your coffee table for years and just flip open when you want to be taken back to this time. If you choose to get the image archive of all your engagement photos, please be sure to back them up on to a hard drive and then store it in a safe place, or better yet in multiple places. When technology storage solutions change, change with them and update your photos storage method.

Photos are for sharing, and we are so excited to share Shandie-Lyn & Jon’s Rosseau Muskoka engagement session with you! Last month we had the pleasure of visiting an absolutely gorgeous location in Rosseau, Ontario. Jon & Shandie are getting married in 2014 at the Stockey Centre in Parry Sound, Ontario and we will be there!! We are so thrilled to be back at Stockey Centre, it is such a unique Muskoka venue.

Thanks Shandie & Jon for choosing us to photograph your Muskoka engagement and your upcoming wedding.

Enjoy!

Erika & Ryan

For more information on Rowell Photography engagement guest books, save the date cards, prints, canvas gallery wraps, and engagement session, please visit our Contact page and leave us a message.

Rosseau Muskoka Engagement – Shandie-Lyn & Jon - © Rowell Photography - Wedding

Tara & Ryan – Barrie, Ontario Engagement

Ryan & Erika — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:37:58 +0000

We are very excited to show off the photos from our most recent engagement session. Its not too often that we get the chance to photograph couples in our hometown with popular summer destinations like Muskoka just a stones throw from us. But when Tara and Ryan contacted us to photograph their Barrie wedding which will be at Southshore Centre on the Lakeshore of Kempenfelt Bay, we were beyond thrilled. After a long summer of photographing weddings, Tara & Ryan’s wedding will be a 5 minute drive from our home. For their engagement session Tara wanted something rustic, luckily Barrie & area are surrounded by picturesque farms and fields, so we took them to one of our favorite places.

Lessons in marketing.

Ryan and I are attached to our iphones pretty much 24/7, so when Pepper (the world’s most adorable puppy) came into our lives we invested the $5.00 towards a mini personal name plate for her collar that has her full name, (Pepper Potts Rowell) our business phone numbers, and company website. We are not typically the type of people that put our company logo on everything, but since we are always attached to our phones we figured if she ever got lost, she’d have a better chance of being reconnected to us if she carried our contact details with her. Never in a million years did we ever think that the tiny 1 inch name plate on Pepper’s collar would lead us to a potential bride. Tara is most likely the only person who would ever see Pepper’s collar close enough to read it. Tara is Pepper’s dog groomer at Pawfection. When she emailed us and said she found out about us through Pepper, we laughed.

I promised Pepper that if we booked Tara & Ryan’s wedding that she would never have to pay for her dog food again (or would no longer have to rummage through the couch cushions for spare change, to pay for her dog food ever again).

Thank you Tara & Ryan for choosing us as your photographers, we are so excited to shoot your Barrie wedding.

Cheers

Erika, Ryan & Pepper.

Tara & Ryan – Barrie, Ontario Engagement - © Rowell Photography - Wedding

Keegan & Mandy – Romantic Muskoka Engagement

Erika & Ryan — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 18:32:42 +0000

Every spot in Muskoka, especially in and around Bala, Ontario reminds me of a scene from summer romance flick. A wooded trail that leads to someones house, a local ice cream shop, a boat dock. Its all so picturesque. Add in a a cute couple who are high school sweethearts and you have the perfect romantic summer movie. Why hasn’t anyone made this movie in Muskoka yet? Well until then, for your viewing pleasure, the still frames from Mandy and Keegan’s romantic Muskoka engagement session.

I’ve actually known Mandy for years, and didn’t recognize her until we met with them for their wedding consult with us a few months back. Mandy and I used to skate together at Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ontario, way back when.

Keegan and Mandy are getting married at the JW Marriott in Muskoka next year, and for decor they are using the very awesome Muskoka decor team at Mode Function. We are pretty excited about this wedding, I know Mandy traveled to NYC to the very famous Kleinfeld’s (home of the television show Say Yes to the Dress) to buy her her wedding gown. Its so stunning and I only saw iphone photos of it! The wedding is going to be quite the event.

Thanks Keegan & Mandy for being so easy to photograph, and for choosing us to be your photographers for your very romantic Muskoka engagement shoot and your upcoming wedding.

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

This photos on the right is my new favorite spot to shoot in Bala, Ontario. Just along the river on your way towards Don’s Bakery. I love the little boat dock in the background.

Mandy & Keegan’s romantic Muskoka moment

Just a few cute polaroids we took during this fun Muskoka engagement shoot using our Fuji Instamax!

Keegan & Mandy – Romantic Muskoka Engagement - © Rowell Photography - Wedding

Laura & Heather – Bancroft Cottage Engagement

Erika & Ryan — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 14:19:36 +0000

A long time ago, we realized that if we wanted to be the type of company that will last a long time, and be creatively relevant, that we needed to offer a service and product line that is as unique as our couples are. So over the years we have tried out lots of different product lines to find what we feel to be the best of the best in albums, digital storage of your images, website design and accessibility to images, easy to use shopping cart systems for purchasing prints among other products. But what we really love, is finding fun ways to serve our couples. One of our favorite things we like to do for each couple that books their wedding with us is make a date to visit the venue together and look for great photo locations. Since we photograph weddings all over the province, and the world it is hard to do this for most couples, but for local weddings its a really fun experience. Heather and Laura are getting married next week at Horseshoe Resort, just 15 mins from our house. So last week we made a date and the 4 of us went on a tour of the resort looking for great indoor and outdoor photo locations. When we look for “photo locations” the only criteria is; that the couple likes it, and that we are allowed to shoot there. The staff at Horseshoe even gave us a tour guide and a golf cart to wander around the property with. We created a plan of attack for photo locations so on the wedding day all Heather and Laura have to do is look beautiful and get married.

Last month we went on a road trip up to Bancroft, ON to Laura & Heather’s cottage for their lakeside engagement session. Check out the photos below.

Thanks Heather & Laura for choosing us to photograph your engagement, we can’t wait for the wedding day!

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

Laura & Heather – Bancroft Cottage Engagement - © Rowell Photography - Wedding

French River – Ryan & Tracy – Engagement Session

Erika & Ryan — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:43:42 +0000

A few weeks ago we set off on a little road trip up north to historic French River, ON for Tracy and Ryan’s cottage engagement session. It was our first time hanging out in French River, and I have to say it is stunning. Ryan and Tracy took us to their favorite spot on the river just a short boat ride from their cottage. The area looks like a mini fjord that open up into the vista you see int he first photo below. Choosing a locations, a look, a theme or an activity for your engagement photos can be a daunting task. Most likely you are already planning a wedding, and the extra added task of coming up with complicated, detailed engagement shoot themes is time consuming. But the best advice we can give you as photographers is to just be yourselves. You can’t go wrong with places you know and love, activities and clothes that you feel like yourselves in, it will only make for better photography.

Tracy and Ryan wanted to capture a glimpse of “their” cottage life. I love these photos! and I love Tracy’s shoes. The day after the shoot I went to Rama Mocassin Shop near Orillia, ON and bought myself a similar pair.

Thanks Ryan & Tracy for having s over to meet all your friends and enjoy an evening at your cottage. We are looking forward to your wedding next month!

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

Engagement in the City – Montreal

Erika & Ryan — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:02:56 +0000

Whether you choose to walk the cobblestone street of Vieux Montreal, or hike to the top of Mount Royal for your destination engagement session, we will be there, cameras in hand ready to capture this once in a lifetime trip infront of Montreal’s beautiful vistas.

Join Ryan and I in Montreal July 6th-8th 2012 and have your engagement photos taken in on of Canada’s most beautiful, and historic cities. Contact us to reserve your spot. We are so excited to plan out an amazing shoot for you.

See you this summer in Montreal!!

Erika & Ryan

License to Wed

Erika & Ryan — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:00:54 +0000

With just 23 dys left before our big day, Ryan and I ventured out to the little town of Baxter, ON to get our marriage license. Why? do you ask would we drive 20 mins out of the way to buy what we can buy just 5 mins from our house? Our amazing efficient Tom Cooke (Please contact me for his contact details, if you are getting married you need to consider using Tom Cooke.) told us that we would get a better rate on our marriage license if we went to the little tiny town of Baxter. He was right, we saved $40, and only had to wait 15 mins for them to process the license. In Barrie, it takes longer and costs more. When it comes to wedding planning you really have to save your money for the things you really, really value. Now don’t get us wrong, we value the legality of having a marriage license, but the truth is that Barrie doesn’t offer anything different for $40 more. So why waste the money?

For Ryan this was a truly momentous day, he gained yet another license haha! If you know Ryan he is a collector of licenses. Mostly for things he doesn’t do but is just interested in. His list of licenses now include a license to wed.

A few weeks ago we traveled to Ottawa to photograph Melissa & Adam’s Ottawa engagement session. They had this super cool baby blue classic Ford pickup and this sweet rustic barn for us to shoot in and of course it poured rain the whole time and was freezing cold for the entire shoot. Melissa & Adam were amazing to work with, they even braved the rain for a few shots next to the pick up! Check out some of their barn themed Ottawa engagement shoot.

Thanks Adam & Melissa for an awesome engagement shoot, we are so excited for the wedding. Fingers crossed for no rain.

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

Iceland Engagement – Seltun & Keldur

Erika & Ryan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:01:11 +0000

How inspiring is it that out of 9 planets, 204 countries, 809 islands, and 7 seas – Chris and Ann met online, and ended up living only minutes away from one another just a few years ago? Some say that true love happens when you least expect it, but we believe true love happens when you are open enough to recognize it’s happening to you, and great relationships happen when you work for them. It might be by chance that this couple found each other so easily; but the strength of their relationship and the relationships they have built with their friends and family is not by chance, it’s the product of hard work and real love.

It has been our absolute pleasure to travel with Ann & Chris, and meet their friends and family for their destination wedding and engagement in Iceland this past week. I have said it before that Iceland is a truly unique place, and its because of the people we have met and the ones we have had the opportunity to experience new adventures with that makes each moment, and image we take there so special to us.

For their romantic Iceland engagement session we visited the rustic terrain of Krýsuvík Seltun Iceland, which is a bright orange land of boiling mud pots and steam constantly rising up from the ground. But the first images you will see below were taken just a short drive from Hotel Ranga at Keldur. Keldur is the home of the oldest Icelandic turf houses, and we just love the contrasts of landscapes for each engagement photo shoot. So we hope you all enjoy these captures from our adventurous Iceland engagement. For Ann & Chris, we hope these images will always take you back to this amazing time in your lives. For our readers, we hope that they fill you with the sense of wonder and inspire you all to recognize the magic that surrounds you. Because you don’t need Iceland to feel the magic, but it sure does help.

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

…And above all watch with glittering eyes the world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.
-Roald Dahl

If your thinking of going to Iceland for your Honeymoon, Wedding, or Engagement we are definitely in, and would love to photograph you, just contact us!

Put a ring on it

Erika & Ryan — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:52:02 +0000

We are down to the last 50 days until our wedding! The planning definitely gets easier as the day gets closer and closer. This past weekend Ryan and I finally decided on our wedding bands. Next to our photos, our rings will be the only other thing we take away from our wedding day, that we get to keep forever. So with that in mind we wanted our wedding bands to be unique and personalized. The final custom design ended up being two rose gold rounded bands which are very plain looking when they are on our ring fingers but when you lay them flat you can see a little diamond with our names etched on each side of it. We are so excited to see the finished products.

Speaking of rings, we have noticed an awful lot of ladies and gents sporting engagement rings lately, so to all you newly engaged out there reading this, come and check out our engagement giveaway. We have 2 engagement session left to give out to the first two lucky couples who book their weddings with us.

This past weekend we also photographed an engagement session. Devin & Megan are getting married later on this year in Muskoka, and as a contrast to that cottagey, outdoorsy, on the lake setting, they wanted to have their engagement photography in the city of Toronto. And to top off an already romantic setting, it rained during the shoot. There is something so beautiful about Toronto in the rain. We loved the neighbourhood Devin and Megan chose as the backdrop for their engagement, we walked the streets near the Flatiron building and of course stopped for a few shots at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

Be sure to check out the shots below, and leave a nice comment for the happy couple. Thanks Devin & Megan for braving the rain and for being so awesome to shoot and hang out with. We can’t wait for your wedding!

Happy Spring Everyone!

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

High Tea

Ryan & Erika — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:07:13 +0000

With just 3.5 months until our wedding day we have been busy finalizing details from the dress to the guest signing book. But yesterday was probably my favourite planning day yet, our meal tasting. We arrived at the Royal York hotel in Toronto ready to experience what our guests will get to experience with us on the wedding day. It wouldn’t be like us to have a buffet dinner, or a plated 5 course meal at our wedding. We were looking for more than just food on a plate for our families. We want to have them experience amazing service and creative foods. So our families on our wedding day will be joining us for high tea. That’s right, little sandwiches, beutiful mini cakes, scones, pancakes and a variety of teas. At first we thought it wouldn’t be enough and that everyone would be complaining they were still hungry afterwards. So we had to try it out ourselves. The Fairmont Royal York catering staff prepared the most beautiful table in the same room we will have our reception in, we had our own personal waiter who would pour my tea anytime it got too low, and we had more food than we could handle! You wouldn’t believe how filling mini sandwiches and cakes are. It was beyond delicious and filling. I think our families will have so much fun, because it was more than just fancy food on a plate, it was an experience. More than anything we want to give our families and guests a memorable experience.

So when you are planning your wedding, and trying to come up with ways to make your wedding unique and entertaining, don’t forget something as simple as the food and drinks. We’ve been to weddings where the bride and groom made signature cocktails, another adding had a mashed potato bar, and another had marble slab ice cream service for their guests after dinner. There are so many fun foodie ways to make your wedding reception unique. So go ahead and try one.

On new years we photographed a super fun, and adventurous couples for a destination engagement session in Quebec City at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac. There is no place in canada quite like Quebec City in any season. We love the first image, it reminds us of a scene out of a movie, it was taken just in front of the hotel, its actually the driveway entrance, but it sure is stunning! Contact us if you are looking to plan a mini destination for your engagement photos shoot.

Cheers

Erika & Ryan