The day that we got confirmation from Dubai that our photography would be featured in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, I swear my heart almost skipped a beat. Not only was it a yearly goal of mine to be published in an international publication for a wedding, but this was one of my idols…..Martha!

Yes folks, I’ve been a die-hard fan of hers for as long as I can remember so this is a major accomplishment for our Studio. I hope you like it, along with a post-wedding interview taken from a Nancy Ajram fan magazine.

And the press below was taken from the Nancy Ajram fan magazine

Two days after Leila+Wadih’s wedding at Sursock Palace, Elizabeth and I were driven down to the southern Tyr beachside for an adventurous fashion/editorial shoot with our couple in their wedding attire. The bride wore her custom-made Ellie Saab dress and cascading cathedral veil, while the groom wore a dashing Tom Ford suit. Elizabeth and I couldn’t have been happier with our adventure!

When a friend of mine who works in the music video industry raved about our portfolio to famed Lebanese film+video director Leila Kanaan, we were crossing our fingers patiently that she would grant us approval to fly across the world to Beirut to shoot her upcoming wedding to Wadih, a film producer, in our signature style.

Elizabeth and I researched Leila’s work online and we were truly impressed by her iconic music videos that were tailor-made visual delicacies for Lebanon’s top Pop stars such as Haifa and Nancy Ajram. It was within the month that we heard back, and all was a go to Lebanon!

Not only was the Victorian-themed wedding a lavish affair, with dazzling decor set within the grounds of the gorgeous Sursock Palace- the reception boasted all of Lebanon’s top pop stars and celebrities, featured a famed Parisian opera singer during the cake cutting and generally was the most exciting event Elizabeth and I have ever seen. After over a week of traveling around Beirut, Byblos, Bouj Hammoud, and Tyr with our hosts, my friend Riad+Hratch, Elizabeth and I were absolutely amazed by the generosity+hospitality of the Lebanese people.

Everywhere we went, we were welcomed with open arms… Even in the streets, where drivers would shout out the window: “WELCOME TO LEBANON!”…By the end of our journey, our bride was featured on RAGMAG’s cover, so I’m including it in our story, and will subsequently post our photos which were featured in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine (Middle East), as soon as I receive my copies that are being shipped today from Dubai. Cannot wait to share Leila+Wadih’s feature from the Real Weddings section, which was a perfect ending to our dreamy Lebanese experience.

Melissa and David are whisking Elizabeth and I away to Mexico next April for their wedding, and we can’t wait! After our long drive up to the outskirts of Knowlton,  I thought it would be customary to ask permission for the use of a farm that M+D had location-scouted weeks before. Only thing was, that the owner lived on top of a steep mountain and owned about 50+ wolves for sledding in the winter. Basically, my absolute nightmare is to traipse onto unknown territory and be attacked by rabid dogs, and there they were, barking madly and scattered everywhere so it was quite the scene from a horror movie!

Katherine and Martin’s lovefest at Espace Reunion was one of the most crazy parties we’ve been to this year, and about 50% of the crowd were children! Neel and I were sure that it we’d be packing it in early when we first saw how many kids were in attendance but were we ever wrong! The kids were well occupied by dancing, candy stations, the photobooth and cookies+milk at midnight, while the parents were inside, dancing to Greek party tunes and having a blast. A perfect wedding, indeed!

• Reception: Espace Reunion /
• DJ: Charlie K /
• Catering: Olive Orange

We’ve been insanely busy this summer (which is a good thing!) and have been working on the new website, so when it came time to shoot our bio pics, I called upon Roberto Ugarte (my longtime friend and BBS collaborator), who managed to execute our ‘Empire State of Mind‘ video-inspired vision perfectly. It was fun to get all gussied up in fashions but we’re definitely meant to be BEHIND the camera. Thanks again to our team of friends for collaborating to make this shoot come together with just a few days of planning!

NEEL. (AKA LAY-Z)

CHELSEA.

makeup: Kim Billing@M.A.C./ hair: Bernardo Fernandez@Salon Sweet William/ dress: Tres Chic Styling

DANIEL.

ELIZABETH.

makeup: Dominique Hasbani/ hair: Bernardo Fernandez@Salon Sweet William/ dress: Tres Chic Styling

On Elizabeth: Tres Chic Styling/ On Chelsea: Citizen Vintage

July was gorgeous in Montreal so Ceilidth and Marc took me out to Mount Royal’s Beaver Lake for some picnic shots one Sunday, followed by a pint at the site of their first date: Hurley’s. The photographic highlight of the day for me was spotting the giant smoke billowing from a family’s BBQ, and the sunlight that shone right through it in beams. Gorgeous!

After shooting Parmal+Karn’s 17 hour wedding celebrations on Sunday, I awoke on Monday and headed to meet our groom Samy, and his boys for a few getting ready pics before we flew off to meet the gals in a cortege of convertibles. Now THAT woke me up! Haven’t had that much fun driving in a long time…(thanks guys!) When we met Kathy, she introduced us to her secret basement “disco room” and we took off in the party bus to the Westmount Park for some shots while Marrone created their video masterpiece. I was quite proud of myself to have stumbled across the perfect location for our ballroom dancing bride on a terribly humid day: an empty ballroom with A/C!

While Elizabeth and Daniel were reveling in the sun with Rachelle+Mitch, Neel and I were suited up in our headscarves for Parm and Karn’s full day of traditional Sikh ceremonies. The start of the day was with the Barat (the groom’s family dancing together while the groom arrives on a horse to be received by the bride’s family) followed by the Anand Karaj which was held inside a beautifully decorated tent on the grounds of the John Abbott campus and was followed by lunch nearby. While most guests were dining, our bride and groom made their way to their childhood homes for the official “Departure of Doli“, when the bride formally departs from her home to enter into her new family, with the groom. It was a very touching moment, with many tears, so brace yourself for some emotional shots below. By the time the bride and groom had changed into their second outfits, their guests were mingling in the warm breeze at the Old Port’s beautiful terrace of the Belvedere,  as sitar players strummed and blue cocktails were passed to everyone. I can speak for both Neel and I that we truly felt like family by the end of the day. Thank you so much, Parm+Karn!

• Event coordinator: Tania at BLANC Events /
• Furniture: LUXE rentals /
• DJ: JIVA productions /

July 3rd 2011 called for rain… BIG rain, and thunderstorms, but the skies opened up miraculously by the morning and we were treated to one of the most beautiful warm, sunny Saturdays of the month ! Rachelle and Jean-Michel (aka Mitch) wed quietly, surrounded by family and friends under the swaying willows of Ile-Sainte-Helene, followed by a cocktail hour and reception hosted by Montreal’s infallible AVOCADO caterers at the Toundra (former Canadian Pavilion at Expo ’67).  The site brought out an incredibly sentimental moment for Rachelle’s father, whom 44 years ago, on the exact same day was discovering the Pavilion for the first time at Expo ’67. During his speech he expressed his utmost joy that never had he imagined he would be celebrating not only his birthday, but the wedding of his daughter at  the same site he adored as a child…