Christina's Engagement Shoot

Wow...not gonna lie I'm a little embarrassed to realize I haven't written a blog post in 2 mths!  Just goes to show how busy you can get sometimes w/ work!  It is wedding season after all and June/July have been pretty crazy for me...which I'm definitely not going to complain about b/c we all know there are those slow Winter mths when there is too much time!  Actually on an exciting note June was my highest grossing mth on record yet! The wedding business is definitely moving on the right track and I've almost doubled the number of staff wedding bookings this year!

Anyway, back to what this post is actually suppose to be about ;)  I met Christina back in January when she hired me to makeup and hair for her engagement party.  Right away I thought she was really awesome and I was hoping she'd hire me for her big day - which funny enough happens to be on my BIRTHDAY - Oct 15 2016.  You know if I'm going to work my birthday it means it has to be a bride I actually like lol!  This obviously shows what a planner Christina is as well b/c she's taking almost 2 years to plan the wedding of her dreams lol!  Even her engagement party at Wvrst had all sorts of special and thoughtful details to make it a bit different and unique.

Christina did hire me for her wedding - Yeah :)  And a couple of mths ago she hired me to do the makeup and hair for her engagement session - Double Yeah :)  When I say this girl is a planner you have no idea!  Originally she had a whole other engagement shoot session planned but literally the day before the shoot when she realized the weather wasn't going to co-operate she didn't reschedule the shoot like a lot of brides - no she went with it and literally planned a whole new shoot w/ new locations inside...and it was pretty friggin' awesome!  The girl had like 3 or 4 locations w/ look changes and everything lol!  This also shows that on her wedding day she'll be able to roll with the inevitable changes and switches that always seem to happen no matter what you do.

One of my fav things about Christina is that even though day to day she isn't necessarily a huge makeup person she loves to experiment for events.  For her engagement party we did a really vampy burgundy lip and for the engagement shoot we had fun w/ a teal green liner look and waved beachy hair which looked amazing w/ the flower crown she got from Coriander Girl!

Here's some of my fav pics from the shoot.  The location was Kitten and the Bear and even though I've never been there before I definitely want to try it now it looks so cute!  They also did some really cool stuff at Future Food Studio and comic book store too I think.  Really it was just the perfect locations to show off their mutual interests and loves!

Photos courtesy of All This Happiness

Can I just say they are the cutest together!  I met Daniele when I was getting her ready for the engagement party and just the way they look at each other and talk about one another...it's so cute!

What a gorgeous flower crown!

Yorkville Engagement Shoot

About a mth ago I did a trial w/ my one upcoming bride Katherine for her May wedding.  She had decided to schedule her engagement shoot the same day as the trial which I find can be a good thing as long as you don't mind having the same look for your shoot as your wedding.

Katherine wanted a grey black smokey eye and a fancy Kate Middleton inspired updo so I wanted to make sure it was okay for the shoot but she explained she was doing a fancy shoot in Yorkville so it actually all complimented itself perfectly.

Engagement shoots are the perfect time for couple's to get comfortable and practice in front of the camera as well as get to know their photographer.  It's also a great chance to see how makeup reads differently on camera than it does in real life.  The look you might have thought was super dramatic in person actually reads fairly natural on camera.

That's actually what Katherine decided after the shoot,  She realized she wanted the eye more intense and the lips brighter which I'm more than happy to accommodate on the day.  At the trial Katherine wasn't even sure she wanted to wear the fancy blue dress she had picked out for the shoot b/c she thought it might be a bit too much but I said you have fancy hair and makeup you have to have a fancy outfit...plus it's Yorkville!

I'm so glad she went w/ the dress b/c the pics are just gorgeous thanks to the awesome photography of Jessilynn Wong!  Very excited to work w/ her on Katherine's wedding in May b/c if these pics are any indication of things I know the wedding pics will be amazing!

Perfect "Canadian" Engagement Shoot

I've mentioned before I think engagement shoots are a really important part of the whole wedding process.  I know a lot of couples don't see the value or importance of the added cost but I often explain it as a "practice run" before the wedding day.

Most ppl aren't comfortable or "naturals" in front of the camera so it allows them to practice and get a feel for what it's going to be like on the wedding day...and it's typically a lot more intimate and less chaotic than the wedding day so that can be good too!

Plus it allows the couple to get to know the photographer and vice versa.  You guys get to feel comfortable w/ each others styles/personalities and you (as the couple) get to see what works for you in posing and what you might what to talk to your photographer about or change up for the wedding day.

I also think it's really important when planning an engagement shoot to try to capture the essence of you as a couple.  If you like the outdoors incorporate that into the shoot, if you're big on city life and that sort of thing do a cityscape shoot...whatever it is it should try to capture your personalities.

Hair and makeup are of course an important element of the shoot too.  Now that doesn't mean every bride should get their hair and makeup done for the shoot but if it's within their budget I'd definitely recommend it as I find it really worth it.

For my one bride Kim who did her engagement shoot in the Fall she was able to do her makeup trial before her engagement shoot.  Now this doesn't always work out b/c of scheduling but it did on this day.  I'm really glad it did too b/c she really got to put the trial to good use and I in turn got some gorgeous engagement shoot pics to show you guys!

Just like getting use to the photographer and how you look in front of the camera seeing the makeup in person and seeing the makeup on camera can often take some getting use to.  Kim was a NO MAKEUP person so any makeup pretty much felt like a lot to her.  She actually thought the makeup in her engagement photos was too much...I'm pretty sure you'll disagree but this often happens with brides who aren't use to makeup.  I think brides that don't normally wear makeup will find it even more useful to hire a makeup artist for their engagement shoots than brides that do wear makeup b/c they'll make sure they look fresh and polished for their pics at a level they probably wouldn't be able to do on their own since they don't know how to do makeup at all lol...let alone for professional pictures!

As mentioned before Kim is a very "natural" girl so it only made sense for her and her (now husband) Kyle to get back to nature for the engagement shoot.  They did their shoot in the woods and on a lake in a canoe and the pictures by Caitlin Free are just gorgeous!

As mentioned before for Kim's makeup I kept it super natural and soft w/ a very natural brown/cream shadow combination, a flushed cheek and a soft nude lip.  I used airbrush foundation which was great for evening out Kim's naturally reddish complexion but still keeping it looking flawless and lightweight!

I think you'll agree with me kind of impossible to say this is "too much makeup" lol...I love these pics and I think they look natural and gorgeous and really capture the couple beautifully!

Love this shot!

Beautiful Bluffs Engagement Shoot

Back in the Summer I had the honour of not only doing the wedding makeup and hair for one of my oldest and dearest friends Penny but I also got to work w/ her on her engagement shoot!  While I haven't seen any of the wedding pics yet if they are anything like the engagement shoot pics I know they will be nothing less than breathtaking!

I actually suggested a few of my fav. wedding photographers to Penny but strongly suggested Zach Hertzman who I've previously worked w/ on multiple editorial and fashion projects but never a wedding yet. Although I've always loved his wedding work too!  This past year he officially branched out on his own w/ the launch of  Times and Paper.  I absolutely LOVE Zach's style and he's so amazing w/ natural light and catching real authentic moments in both fashion and w/ his "real life" wedding couples.

The shoot couldn't have come together more beautifully - gorgeous weather...and the day after that insane storm we had back in the Summer so boy were we lucky there.  Penny wanted to look very natural and relaxed to go w/ the style and setting of the shoot - the Scarborough Bluffs which happen to be right near where she and her now husband Robert live.

I think these may be my fav engagement photos yet (and not just b/c it's one of my best friends in them ;) )!  I can't wait to add a few of these babies to my site!

Summer Love - Dinithi & Steve

A few wks ago I had the pleasure to meet and work w/ a fabulous couple Dinithi & Steve on their engagement shoot.  This was actually an interesting booking b/c I didn't actually do Dinithi's wedding makeup and hair on her wedding day.  I was hired to go back for touch ups on hair for her wedding b/c her hair artist was very pregnant and couldn't do the return visit but that was it..plus I had 2 other weddings that day so to say it was a full day would be an understatement lol. Therefor getting hired to do makeup and hair for the engagement shoot was actually a bit of a surprise...but a pleasant one!

It was interesting b/c I got to meet the groom when they came to my studio to do the makeup and hair.  They were shooting right over at the UofT campus which is walking distance from my place and being that Steve is actually from England (they both live over there now but Dinithi is originally from Toronto hence the wedding here) it only made sense for him to come to my studio w/ Dinithi!

Although the weather could have been better they still ended up getting some great indoor and outdoor shots thanks to the skill of their awesome photographer Chris Luk.  Like a lot of my clients Dinithi is a super natural girl so I wanted to keep her look fresh and clean w/ just a bit extra pizazz.  For the hair again I kept it natural but I did blow it out, add a soft curl and a nice side bride to assure her bangs would stay out of her face during the shoot being that I wouldn't actually be on location to fix them constantly.

Thanks again Dinithi (and Chris) for sharing these pics w/ me!  They are great!  And congrats on the wedding you're a super cute couple!

Engagement Season - Here's Some More Of My Past Brides!

So it's THAT time of year again!  The time when EVERYONE seems to get engaged!  And therefore EVERYONE starts planning their wedding!  If this year is anything like last year then I'm going to start to get booked up VERY quickly...and I think it will be b/c I'll be honest I'm already starting to heavily book into next year..some Saturdays I already have TWO weddings booked on the SAME day!

So Toronto/GTA brides...if you're reading this and you're thinking "Man, I'd LOVE to have Jessica do my hair and makeup for MY wedding" then you better get on it!  I'm always shocked how many brides try to book an artist last minute!  If you really want someone it's NEVER too early to book them trust me!

So as to be expected for this time of year it is definitely quieter for weddings but that isn't to say there aren't ANY weddings.  In fact even during the "off-season" I usually book 3-4 weddings a mth.  This is also the time of year when I get to do a lot of  "catch up" work like collect pics from brides, update my site, organize my receipts for tax time :S etc.

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about how to get pics from brides and let me tell you - I have been following my own advice and it's DEFINITELY paying off!  In the past few weeks I've received pics from 6 brides!  Plus, a lot of them have even been kind enough to write me a review...always good for business!

So without further adieu I thought I'd share w/ you my latest collection of beautiful brides!

Some more beautiful work from Mango Studios.  Mariam's wedding was extra special b/c I had worked w/ her from the beginning on everything from her engagement photos, to her trial and then her wedding day!

I did all the bridesmaid's makeup...Candace French-Goodman did the hair!

Final touches on the bride's makeup!  Photos courtesy of Just Klik

It's a wedding day miracle...I'm actually smiling during a picture...I normally look so serious lol!

I really loved the way Mary's hair turned out on her wedding day.  We did it a bit more undone and textured than the trial and it was gorgeous!

I did ALL the bridesmaid's hair on this one...they did their own makeup.

Hair & Makeup - Photos courtesy of MKG Photography

So pretty and so sweet!  I love her smile!

One of the few weddings where I ONLY did Makeup - photos courtesy of Jamieson Dean Photography

Love pics like this when I can see how clean and tight my eyeliner was ;)

Stacey was VERY particular about her brows..I'm actually really proud that she allowed me to do them and I got them the way SHE likes (as a picky eyebrow girl I understand how hard this can be)!

Another wedding where I did Makeup Only - Photos courtesy of  Heaven Meets Earth Photography

Monique was such a stunning bride!  Monique told me after the wedding even her Hair & Makeup artist cousin asked who did the makeup b/c she was so impressed ;)

Monique and her Sisters!

I did both Jaclyn's Hair & Makeup - Sometimes I swear I have the MOST Beautiful Brides! Photos courtesy of Courtney and Graham @ Precious Photography

I did the bridemaid's makeup - Blake Arsenault did their hair

So as you can see I've DEFINITELY been keeping myself busy ;)