I recently photographed Kim and Jamil’s North Vancouver Pipe Shop Wedding. It was such a lovely celebration that was very well-planned by Devon Dunn from Smitten Events. It was great to work with Devon and I look forward to more opportunities to collaborate! I am also so excited to share Kim and Jamil’s love story and all the special details of their big day:

So, research shows that proximity and familiarity are big predictors for forming relationships. Basically, you must be in the right place at the right time to meet the right person. When you meet that right person at the right time, you will connect more if you share similarities, that will help you to feel familiar with one another. This is exactly what happened for Jamil and Kim. The two actually grew up five minutes away from each other, but just never really crossed paths.

Then, the two were both working at Park Royal Mall when on one fateful day, they were both closing their respective shops and noticed each other across the way. Apparently, it was difficult not to notice Jamil as he was sporting a colorful blue and green Canucks beard at the time. Their similar backgrounds (what Kim calls the “North Van magic”) and shared sense of humor helped them to quickly connect with one another. Kim says, “there is a feeling of comfort as if we are home when we are together.”

Reflecting on their relationship, Kim describes it as “easy going and loving, with a whole lot of laughing.” Kim admits that she tends to be serious and says her aunt always advised her to find something (or someone) that would give more “Hakuna Matata” to her life. Lovingly, Kim believes that Jamil is that special someone, as his easy-going personality gives her the balance to be more relaxed.

Meanwhile, Jamil says that meeting Kim “started the beginning of the best chapter of my life.” He believes the two of them work together as “an amazing team.” He describes Kim as “the type of partner that is on your side 100% of the time.” Like Kim, Jamil also believes the two balance each other well with complementary strengths and weaknesses. As he looked forward to the wedding, Jamil admitted that he was particularly excited about seeing Kim in her wedding dress for the first time.

The morning of the wedding I was able to capture many candid snaps while the bride, groom, and wedding party got ready. Everyone started the day in great spirits as they toasted to the celebration. By the end of the getting ready process, the bride was dressed beautifully. Her wedding dress had a lovely lace overlay with details that nicely matched her Mehndi designs.

The ceremony space was set up so well and Devon and her team’s skills really shined here. Natural, muted colors were featured, and no detail was overlooked. Everything was picture perfect, which certainly made my job easy. The bridesmaids dressed in unique dresses with a similarly muted common color.

When Kim arrived for her walk down the aisle, I was sure to get some great images of Jamil (it was after all the moment he had been looking so forward to and I wanted to capture his reaction). His joy in that moment was clear and eventually, they were both shedding a few ‘happy tears’ (as were some family members, it seemed, as many were affected by the strong happy emotions of the moment).

After a fun portrait session with the bridal party and family, everyone relocated to the reception venue. The vibe was similar to the ceremony décor. The cake brought a major pop of color with beautiful blue patterns on each of the four tiers. Kim and Jamil elected to have a same day slideshow during their reception. I am always happy to put these together for my clients so that guests can get a peek behind the scenes at the getting ready moments and also relive the highlights of the ceremony.

During the reception, Kim and Jamil changed into more traditional garb. It was amazing to see them come together and share their cultural traditions. With some of the more formal moments of the day over, the couple obviously had a real blast during their choreographed first dance. All the guests seemed to have a great time watching and soon everyone was kicking it up on the dance floor.
This wedding was a joy and an honor to photograph. It was wonderful seeing this couple start their next chapter together and I definitely wish them Hakuna Matata for the rest of their days!

FULL VENDOR LIST BELOW

This wedding would not have been the same without the INCREDIBLE vendor team!!!

Venue: The Pipe Shop Venue
Second Shooter: Jon Thorpe
Wedding Coordinator: Devon Dunn from Smitten Events
Florist: Karim Jutha
Make-Up: Denise Elliott
Hair: Josie at Denise Elliot
Music: DJ Deerawkskee
Cake: The Cake & The Giraffe
Caterer: Truffles Fine Foods Catering
Dress: Isabelle’s Bridal
Rentals: A&B Party Time Rentals
Ceremony Arbour: Larissa from Bridal Beginnings & Greenery by Sandra Jung
Photobooth: Goldfish Media
Curtains: Elizabeth Stanley Designs
Decor Rentals: Bespoke Decor
Modern Celebrant: Janis Horne


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