Christmas Garland Tutorial

As the season of holiday parties and gift-giving descends upon me, I try evermore to ensure that I slow my pace down, sing lots of carols, and find peace in the true meaning of Christmas. Creating from nature enables me to do all of these things, and points me back to the beauty of creation itself. Majestic, brimming with delights, and wholly able to rejuvenate the soul, nature beckons us to discover its beauty. I love that Christmas more than any other season invites us to bring the most wild parts of nature indoors, tantalizing our senses with cedar, pine, and berries.

DIY + TutorialsJaime FenwickDecember 18, 2014DIY, Winter, Christmas, Holiday, Tutorial, Green, Design, Interiors, Outside-In, Florals, Greenery, Foraging, Forest Comment

Canadian Countryside Wedding at Pineridge Hollow

I'm celebrating my birthday today at Vale + Vine with a wedding that took place on the outskirts of the rural Manitoba town where I lived throughout my childhood. I attended school and church in the little town of Oakbank, but my family's home was in the countryside just a few minutes' drive from Pineridge Hollow, where Julianne + Tjaden's bespoke countryside wedding took place. Pineridge Hollow is an event venue, restaurant, and boutique where a number of my friends and family have worked and even gotten married. Every time I visit Manitoba and stay with relatives just down the road, we dine here and wander the grounds. I return to my roots with orders of Ukrainian perogies (we Mennonites call them verenki), Manitoba farmer sausage, and bison burgers making my mouth water. Pineridge Hollow is only about a 30-minute drive from Winnipeg, but it's a cozy neck of the woods that allows you to leave the busy city scene for a time. It's an ideal spot for a country wedding in the Canadian prairies, especially one photographed by fine art film photographer Brittany Mahood of Winnipeg.

Real WeddingsJaime FenwickDecember 17, 2014Manitoba, Purple, Red, Plum, Green, Woodland, Fields, Pineridge Hollow, CountrysideComment

Bride's Anticipation in the Mountains of North Carolina

This collaborative feature photographed by Heather Payne for the Team Flower Workshop, embodies the very essence I long to see more of in wedding inspiration - a reliance on natural elements and elegant materials as well as strong design, styling and photographic skills. The Team Flower Workshop which took place in the Grandfather Mountains of North Carolina, saw a host of floral designers working together on this shoot, including Canada's own Lauren Wiebe of Stonehouse Creative based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lauren and a team of florists collaborated to put together a rich, dramatic feature, conceptualized by Kelly Perry of Philosophy Flowers, the host of the Team Flower Workshop. I wanted to include both her description of the concept for this shoot as well as Lauren's personal thoughts on designing a vision for one's wedding day. Below are words from both Kelly and Lauren...

Citrus Inspiration for the Holidays

Growing up in Canada, mandarin oranges, or Christmas oranges as they are affectionately called, were very much a part of my childhood memories. The pint-sized orbs fit snugly in my little hands the way no massive naval orange ever could. They came in those small cardboard boxes, (which now house my Christmas ornaments and look positively vintage after all these years!) individually wrapped in pale green tissue paper. Each orange was like a miniature gift, a treat to be treasured, but only for a moment before it was juicily devoured. Now as an adult living in California, oranges in a bewildering array of varieties are as common as can be, and yet never fail to bring me delight every Christmas season. Each year I seek out the perfect mandarin (this year they are California-grown Satsuma Mandarins from Trader Joe's) eating several a day relishing in the memories of my childhood and also boosting the immune system during this time of tidings, great joy, and germs.

Wedding InspirationJaime FenwickDecember 15, 2014Citrus, Orange, Green, Winter, Coastal, West Coast, FilmComment

Sumptuous Winter Wedding Inspiration

Everything about this styled shoot by Nadia Hung Photography is sumptuous. The cake, the gowns, the floral arrangements...there is nothing stuffy or aloof about what's on display here. Like a velvet chaise or an exquisite down duvet that beckon one to enjoy their luxurious charms, these elements - gowns, florals, cake, and even the nuanced details - are to be enjoyed. What bride wouldn't want to run her finger along the cake's creamy edge to taste the luscious swirl on her fingertip, or twirl endlessly on the dance floor in one of Truvelle's magnificent gowns. If I was in need of winter wedding (better yet, New Year's wedding) inspiration, this is where I would start. With the cremé de la cremé.

Wedding InspirationJaime FenwickDecember 12, 2014Blush, Grey, Sequins, Snow, Cake, Winter, Film Comments

Holiday Wedding in the Alabama Countryside

The vibrant colours, the bride's radiant smile, and Jennifer Blair's warm, emotive images, are singing out to me of all that is merry and bright in the wedding world this Christmas season. I'm always so impressed when elegance and warmth are blended well, and Nicole and Jonathan's celebration really makes that marriage of characteristics appear seamless.

Okanagan Sunset Shoot

There are plenty of reasons why British Columbia's Okanagan Valley attracts brides from all across Canada -- with a temperate climate, relaxed atmosphere, breathtaking scenery, and wine country appeal, it's easy to tempt almost anyone to select the Okanagan for their in-country wedding destination. But I find the light in the Okanagan to be the intangible quality that makes all its other characteristics appear as if wrapped in a gauze of rosé. The Okanagan doesn't mind showing off either, with her blush hues of dusk coming out to soften the landscape's edges most summer evenings. Sometimes summer lingers a while, and in this case, early September saw a fantastic parade of pastels transform the shoreline of Okanagan Lake. This team of vendors knew instinctively how to pick a palette that echoed the landscape and light of the Okanagan at summer's end, and I'm so very pleased to see their work celebrated here on Vale + Vine.

Wedding InspirationJaime FenwickDecember 10, 2014Okanagan, Summer, Lakeside, British Columbia, Sunset, Blush, Lavender, PinkComment

Contemplative Coastal Inspiration

As a photographer myself, the process of publishing work by other photographers has been fascinating. I'm learning so much through the process of assessing, laying out, and writing about imagery created by other creatives, and I feel like my own work can only be enriched as a result. Today I have the opportunity to feature photography and florals by Vancouver Island vendors Red Leaf Boutique and Clare Day Flowers, the former whom I've followed for years, and the latter whom I've recently discovered. Together they have created a contemplative, sculptural shoot, layered with earthen tones and textures, that seem to speak of the last vestiges of autumn and the onset of a season for introspection.

Wedding InspirationJaime FenwickDecember 9, 2014West Coast, Coastal, Fall, Autumn, Orange, Grey, MoodyComment

Sweet Sasamat Camp-Themed Wedding

Pat + Silvie's camp-themed wedding at the Sasamat Outdoor Centre near Vancouver, was, for me, a really refreshing take on DIY details. Sometimes with DIY elements it's really easy to go overboard and flood a wedding day with so many details that both the quality of the pieces, and the effect they are supposed to have, are compromised. As of late, many of the weddings I've gravitated towards have been lighter on the details emphasizing instead, a few exceptional focal points or key pieces. However, I really applaud Silvie, Pat, and their team of professional vendors and personal friends for bringing together camp-themed, natural elements without leaving the day feeling too...well, campy.

Real WeddingsJaime FenwickDecember 8, 2014Vancouver, West Coast, Summer, Spring, Camp, Forest, Green, Blush Comment

for the fine art canadian bride