What an amazing day jam packed full of sentimental details, tradition, love, love of family, mountains, sacred vows, and onesies.
#Enverganaparty.
To say this day was your basic sentimental wedding day would be a disservice to the story that is Elena and Joseph. From the childhood jewelry box, the paternal ancestral clothing, the bride’s father playing the bagpipes as a surprise, the bond between sisters and best friends, and the private reading of love letters to each other halfway through the festivities, it all really showed the care and love that was put into their wedding day by them and their families. Joseph and Elena beautifully incorporated the Filipino traditions of the veil and cord, lighting of the unity candle with sponsors, and hilarious money dance at the end of the evening, among other traditions.
A couple of of my personal favorite and profound details was learning that Joseph and Elena had exchanged love letters weekly throughout their entire relationship, so it was absolutely a priority for their wedding day to take the time to read each other their letters.
Then the remarkable journey that Elena’s father had been on to be able to walk her down the aisle. Elena’s father had a biking accident 2 months prior to the wedding, which resulted in a broken femur. He was determined to walk Elena down the aisle with a cane instead of a wheelchair or in crutches. So to witness his success and determination and to capture her proudly looking up at her dad walking her down the aisle brought tears to my eyes.
On a more humorous note, Joseph has been known to don a lamb onesie, which was an inside joke amongst friends at their own weddings. Many of those weddings I’ve photographed and witnessed the full-sized lamb walk around in haha, which made for awesome party reception shots. So the crowd went wild for the grand entrance to their reception with Joseph wearing the famous lamb onesie.
I hope you enjoy looking through these images, it was such a blast to photograph.
I’d love to take the opportunity for those reading, to highlight and explain the significance of the Filipino traditions mentioned above. Most of this I already knew, but I did learn a couple of new things when researching it.
Veil and cord: The Godparents drape ceremonial lace veil over the bride and grooms head to symbolize being clothed as one. The Ceremonial cord (a yuygal) is wrapped around the couple in a figure 8 pattern, which symbolizes an eternal bond of fidelity.
Money Dance: A tradition within many cultures, at Filipino weddings, the couple’s first dance is usually the money dance. Guests will typically attach money to the newlyweds’ clothes using tape, pins, or little purses. This is considered a way to help the newlyweds get started financially.
|Vendors|
Photography – Elena Evelyn
Second Shooter – Jasmine Jones
Venue – Cornerstone Weddings
Videographer – Springtide Media – Liam Hawryluk
Florist – Curio and Co: Amy Solomon
Cake Artist and Bakery – Bake my Day (Calgary) Tamara Rutschmann
Hair Stylist – Els Carter
Bridal dress – David’s Bridal Edmonton
Grooms Suit Provider – SUITS by Curtis Eliot LTD
*If you were a vendor and do not see your name on the list, reach out and I can add you*
