We did catch a few sunsets as I like to do. Even though it is a bit of a pain to bring along a tripod, I am always glad I to have it for those long exposure sunset shots. The last sunset of our stay was especially colourful and as long as I pack a cooler with snacks and beer, I have a happy partner!

Peter and I like recommend Hawaii to our wedding couples for a romantic (and adventurous as you want) get-away! It is so nice to spend some time together after the busy days of planning and the wedding day itself. In fact, this was Peter and my fourth honeymoon and we plan to keep having them!

Peter and I took an amazing trip to Portugal where we stayed in the Pousadas of Portugal, chain of historical and luxury hotels. Included in our trip was a rental car (our little Fiat was great but the GPS left a lot to be desired!) for five days and you could stay in one to five pousadas depending how much travelling you would like to do. This was our ‘third honeymoon’, and would definitely recommend this tour package for a first, third or tenth honeymoon!

Our first stay was in the small city of Viana do Castelo at the Pousada de Monte de Santa Luiza. After leaving the airport and getting to the pousada in the dark of night, we woke to the most stunning view of the Basilica de Santa Luiza. It is designed in the shape of a greek cross with granite and marble construction and gorgeous stained glass windows. We booked two days here and we enjoyed the sights and the beach in the northern part of Portugal.

Our second stay was in Guimarães, the ‘birthplace of the Portuguese nationality’. It was not a far drive… only about two hours, so we thought. We made a pit stop in Amares for lunch and we didn’t think it would take us too far off the beaten track. Oops…  we had issues with the GPS again and had a round-about mountain drive for an hour. It was beautiful but I only took one photo, I thought we might be lost forever! Some of the roads we were on were only as wide as our tiny little Fiat. We were relieved when we reached our next stop, the Pousada de Santa Marinha, an ancient 12th century Augustinian Monastery. We found a quiet place to chill on the grounds… where monks once walked, we had a beer.

Poudasa number three was the Pousada de Rainha de Santa Isabel in Estremoz, a castle from the 12th century. Because of the previous day’s misadventure we decide to stay on the main road as we had a four hour drive ahead of us. The castle was a absolutely ‘marble-ous’ in fact Estremoz is well known for it’s marble, even the cobble stones and white wash on the buildings were made from it.

Our final pousada was a short drive to Alcacer do Sal where we stayed in the Pousada D. Afonso II. This one was a mix of original structure of the 5000 year old castle with ultra modern updates. After a little pool time we walked beside the Sado River and had dinner under a strikingly clouded sky.

Our pousada tour was now over but we still had two days in Portugal. We drove to Lisbon and said goodbye to our trusty little car. We were now in the heart of the city and able to use the metro, buses and even a ferry to get around. One of the highlights was visiting Cristo Rei, the Christ Statue of Lisbon. Our hotel was passable but centrally located and we didn’t spend much time there. In fact we messed up on the reservation and arrived a day late. Since our flight home was early we decided not to book another day there. So our final day in Portugal we walked and saw every sight (and Peter managed to get a Euro Cup game watched) until midnight, then went and crashed at the airport… always an adventure.

Portugal you have my heart!

The idea behind these lifestyle shoots is to capture a couple in the relaxed environment of their home in the ‘art of the everyday’. In the years to come it will a great memory of how things were in the early stages of marriage. I will give a few suggestions to get the ball rolling, but it is up to the couple to decide what they want to do while I shoot. I will mix in a few portraits but mainly my goal is to have a more relaxed non-posed shoot.

When I arrived at Shaun and Lisa’s condo, it smelled like heaven! Shaun was on his second batch of cookies and Lisa was relaxing. That is a recipe for an ideal Sunday afternoon, in my book. There was some discussion about Shaun using a cookie mix, but there is no shame in the Betty Crocker game! While cookies were baking we did a family portrait complete with their children, Monkey and the small one… sorry his name escapes me.

Shaun and Lisa, how fun are the two of you! I can’t think of a better way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon than with a board game and a huuuge stack of cookies! Before leaving, I decided to try something new. I asked the couple to chill on the couch while I enacted my plan. Because their condo is on the first floor, I wanted to try with using a light outside of the window… a little faux sunshine on a rainy day. I think I may just enter the resulting photo into next year’s Shoot & Share Contest!

Pat and Anne just celebrated their first anniversary, so what better way to celebrate than with me and my camera! This was the third shoot with this sweet couple, we had a chilly winter engagement shoot at SFU and I shot their winter Wedding at Swaneset Bay Golf Course.  I asked them to think of something they could do in their home to give us a jumping off point. Both of them being coffee lovers, they decided that simply making a coffee and sharing some time together fit them as a couple.

Once inside Pat and Anne’s lovely condo, the thing that struck me was that Anne collects crowns. I thought it was fitting for a newlywed as Anne is certainly the queen of Pat’s heart but I found out that Anne competed with her quartet, Frenzy, at the Sweet Adelines International quartet competition last October, and won! They were named the International Quartet Champions (the best in the world!) and as a result, they are now considered ‘Queens of Harmony’. Each year, crowns are presented to the winners by the Coronet Club. After I asked, Anne showed me her official crown and happily donned it for a few photos (I think she looks adorable in it!). The shoot was super relaxed and I tried to use as much of their lovely condo as possible, even fur-baby Sophie had her moment in the spotlight.

Pat and Anne, it has been a pleasure to work with the two of you over the last two years and wish you both (and Miss Sophie) all the very best in your future!

You can read my WeddingWire reviews here…  https://www.weddingwire.ca/wedding-photography/marla-jenkins-photography–e2678/reviews

A great time was had by all! After the group had mingled and toasted the newly engaged couple, I managed to sneak them away for a few romantic photos. Congratulations Craig & Chris, I can’t wait to see you both again for your wedding this summer!

We couldn’t be happier that Michelle chose us as well. We look forward to revisiting Deer Lake Park as Michael and Michelle loved the gardens so much they decided that it would be the perfect place for their wedding photos as well.  It is also one of our favorite locations and we can’t wait to see what the gardens have in store for this weekend.

We are happy to say we have received a WeddingWire Couples Choice award for the 3rd year in a row.  Of course awards are very nice indeed, but because this one comes from the hearts of our brides and grooms it means everything to us. Here are some of the lovely things they had to say;

“So many of our friends and family have been in awe of the photos – you’d make the right decision in booking Marla and Peter. They were part of our family for the day!”

“Do not even give this another thought, book Marla today. You will not be disappointed with Marla and Peter. At the end of it all, we felt so comfortable with them that we told them if we didn’t live in Calgary that we would have loved to just hang out with them and get coffee as friends, because that’s exactly what you end up with after having Marla and Peter enter your life… they are now your good friends!”

“They made us feel comfortable from our initial meeting up to and including our big day. We felt as if we’d known them for awhile. They always had us smiling, laughing, and having fun.”

“Marla and Peter are an amazing pair of photographers and were an absolute joy to ‘work’ with. My husband and I highly recommend Marla Jenkins Photography and will definitely be contacting them again in the future for baby/family photos once the time come!”

If you would like to read these reviews in entirety plus many more click on the link below.

https://www.weddingwire.ca/wedding-photography/marla-jenkins-photography–e2678/reviews

So reflecting back on the year, I have just put a Louie Armstrong record on…

Give me a kiss to build a dream on
And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss
Sweetheart, I ask no more than this
A kiss to build a dream on…

Danica’s irrepressible smile and warm personality had Grant smitten and they didn’t seem to notice the chill in the weather. We stayed under cover but managed to get a variety of adorable photos in a small space. It was fun to just hang out and document the love that is Grant & Danica.

We look forward to spending the day with the two of you tomorrow as you start your journey as husband and wife! It is going to be a great day!

I have always wanted to go to Hawaii and Maui didn’t disappoint! Most of these photos were taken with my little Fugifilm x100s, it is small but mighty .  When I take this camera along it lets me be more present in the moment, rather than lugging gear around.

We spent a lot of time driving around the island, doing what we love, exploring!  We crossed a few things off our bucket list that I didn’t even know were on it!

• Riding in a helicopter which was fun and a little scary, but the view was breathtaking.
• Driving the winding road to Hana and the narrow road around the west side of Maui, which is so narrow that it is recommended that you drive it clockwise.  We only met a few cars coming the other direction (those daredevils) and fortunately no one fell off the edge!
• Getting up in the middle of the night to drive up to the top of the Halakeleah Crater to watch the sunrise in the bitter cold.
• Snorkelling while holding hands with my husband (so not to lose each other) was lovely and made me feel like we were the only two.
• Drinking mai tais, watching a luau and the setting sun. The sunsets… I can never get enough!

Peter and I have the pleasure of working with a lot of couples as they marry and I wish them all the happiness we have found over the last 25 years.  If we can give a little advice… love each other madly, have adventures always and stay young at heart!