I arrived in Chilliwack in late September, the day before Nicole and Brad’s wedding, to scout out the venue, Shelby’s Pond , which is a gorgeous hobby farm acreage with–you guessed it–a huge pond, so many willow trees (my favourite!!) a big barn for dinner and dancing and lots of fun areas for taking photos. The weather that day was cold, grey and because it’s Chilliwack, rainy. Our fingers and toes were all crossed for sun the next day. Lo and behold, the sun rose with us and stuck around for the whole weekend!
Nicole and Brad are good friends of mine–we met through horses and 3 day event riding (which Nicole and her horse Mucho compete in)– so of course we had to include horses in their wedding day photos! After the ceremony with the pond providing a beautiful backdrop, we jumped in my car and zipped off to the barn where Mucho lives. Nicole’s friend had kindly slipped away after the ceremony to groom Mucho and braid his mane so he was sparkling and ready to go when we arrived. Mucho was the perfect gentleman–and after a few attempts at eating Nicole’s colourful bouquet (put together by the talented Sarah of Fresh View Events ) he continued to be on his best behaviour and pricked his ears as if on cue whenever I was about to click the shutter. With Mount Cheam in the background, we managed to snap several shots without getting Nicole’s dress too muddy in the field. Then it was off to the river! Brad is an avid fishermen so his groomsmen met us at the river, fishing rods at the ready. My favourite moment was when Brad scooped Nicole up to lift her onto the back of his truck and she completely disappeared from view–all you could see was her dress!
The evening was filled with country music and lots of good dancing. The final shot you’ll see here is of our friend’s epic attempt to catch the bouquet in the bouquet toss!
Enjoy!
–Cassidy