Before I was a part of the wedding industry, I assumed that there were two options for getting married- someone who was religious (like a priest), or someone who wasn't and was allowed by the government to marry people. That's kind of correct, but also kind of not. In BC, we currently have two common types of people that marry couples outside of the church- celebrants and commissioners. There are a few key differences between these two types of people that I want to share w

Sometimes, you make a rad friend and she shows you a really awesome spot that you have never seen before, even though you grew up 10 minutes away. And sometimes, before she shows you the spot, you convince her to wear a pretty dress so you can take beautiful contrast-y fall photos of her looking amazing on the tracks. Thanks so much for modelling Lucia, and thank you Natalie for being an awesome assistant and location scout! P.s. this trestle is no longer operational but is v

Three continents. Six countries. One old growth forest in Western Canada. Rae and Kris met while doing conservation work in Africa (Mozambique and Zimbabwe). Kris is Canadian and Rae is from the UK. Their family came from three continents and six countries to celebrate their love with them amongst the old growth trees of Vancouver Island. The day was full of sunshine, great company and amazing food. Venue: Goldstream Provincial Park Catering: Food For Thought Victoria Dress:

Does anyone get mad about puppies? No? I didn't think so. And, in that case, I present to you Artie the Labradoodle. And Artie's his parents <3 Pretty soon they will be getting married and Artie will be there with them, enjoying them showing each other how much they love one another. #adventureengagementsession #vancouverislandweddingphotographer #vancouverislandelopementphotographer #vancouverislandengagement #comoxvalleyweddingphotographer #comoxelopementphotographer #comox

There is something about the forest that always calls. Something, that no matter how dark the trees may be, or what whispers are heard of the danger, The steps into the darkness always seem worth the risk. The silence of the woods overtakes us and brings peace where once there was unrest. The dampness creeps into our bones, but instead of chilling us, it enlivens us, breathing into us a life much deeper and fuller than our existence knew before. Within the confines of the bra

​I have to start this post by admitting that I'm a little bit biased. I intentionally surround myself with nature and try to get my couples out with me to enjoy my two favourite things at once- taking photos and the beautiful outdoors. Engagement photos are included with each of my wedding packages and I encourage each of my couples to take advantage of that bonus somewhere with beautiful scenery and great wilderness. The west coast of Canada also offers endless possibilitie

When I think back over the past year and all the wonderful weddings, all of which were beyond beautiful, my mind always comes back to this day on Gabriola Island. Not only are Tom and Hailey fantastic people to be around, but all of their family and friends are equally as amazing. Their awesomeness was mirrored by perfect weather throughout the day- just the right amount of overcast until sunset when we were gifted with perfect colors and an almost cloudless sky- and the in

So as many of you know, I had planned on being in Ireland full time for most of 2019. When I made that plan, I also said no to quite a few wedding inquiries in Canada, because I didn't plan on being here. One of those weddings was Brenda and Darcy's. Obviously, I ended up coming back to Canada earlier than expected and I was blessed to be invited to their wedding as a guest instead of as a photographer. As a gift to them, I shot a wedding video, but I also managed to sneak

I love every wedding I photograph, but I especially love the ones that have a great story behind how they found me (haha)! A couple of months ago I made a post in a travel group about buying a sailboat. Alex ended up creeping my Facebook page because of that post and finding this website! So long story short, that is how I ended up in Courtney on Star Wars Day, photographing their beautiful back yard wedding. Both the ceremony and reception were held and homes on the street

I'm sure everyone who has been following my photography knows by now that I am a sucker for nature. But, did you know that I'm also a sucker for classic style, old home and english-ish style gardens? No? Well now that you know, it won't be hard to understand why I loved photographing this wedding so much (on top of, of course, how lovely Andrew- king of sarcasm- and Brianna are to be around). First look and getting ready photos were done at Brianna's mom's home/ her neighbou

Three ferries, four islands. One intimate ceremony. Amongst the smoke, we celebrated love. Lisa and Kaelin held their wedding ceremony and reception at Lisa's mom's house on Pender Island. It was my first visit to Pender Island, and amongst the forest fire smoke, the islands we crossed had an eerie yet beautiful feeling. Their ceremony was perfect and intimate, held in her mother's garden, just surrounded by flowers and immediate family. Natalie and I both had an awesome tim

I don't think it is any secret that Ucluelet is an incredible place. It's a mix of physical comforts and closeness to nature and adventure. Ucluelet/ Tofino area is also one of the most popular destinations for weddings in Western Canada. Rachael and Alex and their families travelled from Northern Alberta to Ukee for their big day. The day was filled with emotion and love, not only between Alex and Rachael, but amongst their loving and gracious family members as well. I fe

Can you imagine, you take a trip to Ireland from the US with your love. He convinces you that you need to drive across the country just to go to some cliffs... and then, out of nowhere, he drops down to one knee and pops out a ring! AND THEN A PHOTOGRAPHER IS IN YOUR FACE TAKING A BUNCH OF PICTURES! But that somehow makes it all the more magical, because you have said yes at the Cliffs of Moher! Congrats you two! Gus, you did well! #vancouverislandelopementphotographer #vanc

This styled elopement was originally posted on Rocky Mountain Bride. If you want to read more about this styled session. please check out their blog feature! All I will say here is nature + wedding dress + river rock= a happy Taryn :D haha. And the story behind this session is cool, so I recommend clicking the link above and reading it there! Vendors Photographer: Innocent Thunder Photography Style & Planning: Heartwood Weddings Floral Design: Vertgen Farms Hair Stylist: She

There are so many cool places in this world to explore that I could spend every day hiking and still not touch half of the places I want to see. And then, on top of it, every place looks different during the summer than it does during the winter. I had been up this mountain many times during the winter for snowboarding, but had yet to visit it during the summer. Clayton and Katie wanted to visit the mountains for their engagement session and I thought it was the perfect op

I have been trying to convince these two to let me take photos of them together for quite some time now. When they finally agreed to hike up a mountain with me, I was beyond excited. Then the day came- the only day in the next 3 months that Ked was going to have time to do the session- and it was pouring rain. Not the light drizzle type rain either; the dark, looks like the sun has set when it's mid- afternoon kind of rain. BUT we are badass West Coast babes, so instead of

It took me a while to blog this session because it was so incredible that I had to figure out the best way to do it justice. I feel beyond blessed to get paid to take adventures like this, and sessions like these are the exact reason that I love being a wedding photographer so much. Not only did this session happen in a unbelievably beautiful location, but Goli & Amin were ridiculously fun to hang out with and I left this session even more excited to photograph their wedding

First of all, I just need to start by mentioning how incredibly grateful I am every time I have the opportunity to be involved in a First Nations event. I am forever in awe of the incredible beauty, underlying calmness and deep traditions that exist within the people of the west coast, and every time I bear witness to these traditions I am deeply thankful. Because of how some of these traditions work, I promised not to share any of the more cultural photos on social media,

One of my favourite parks on this beautiful island is Jack Point Park. Right next to the Duke Point Ferry, it is a great place to stop if you are on your way back to the mainland, or if you wanna do an engagement session! It took us about two hours to hike to and from the point (I use hike lightly... it's a mostly flat walk), and that was with quite a few photo stops along the way. These two were great models and lovely to take a two hour walk-hike with as well! #vancouveri

So I'm really not a fan of the cold. Like, at all. So, when Aly and Kurtis told me they were going to get married up at Mt Washington in the snow, I knew the day was going to be both amazing and a challenge for me... cuz snow= cold (I dunno if you knew that or not haha). BUT the day was fabulous. These two families and all of their friends were incredibly lovely to be around, the day was beautiful (and not actually that cold), and there were whiskey jacks! Pure winter mag