Jan 18, 20237 min read

The barn at winds edge- Lovestruck Portraits

Erica & Brett's wedding was out of this world. If you know me... I'm a HUGE nerd...... and so are they!!!!! I can not tell you the level of excitement I had for this wedding because it was D& D themed!!!! I also get to see their lovey faces all the time, they live next door to my MIL.

They are such a fun couple, their morning started out sooo relaxed and their photos stunning!! The barn has some of the best getting ready rooms in Saskatoon. Their ceremony was held in the outdoor garden. They are champs, it was probably one of the hottest days of the year and no wind. I was honestly worried my cameras were going to overheat as I have never felt them sooo hot!! Their ceremony was fantastic, they had to do a quest to open a chest and roll D20's in order to see who will say their vows first. I LOVE how they incorporated this into their ceremony. And of course I cried because Brett started to tear up... it's always the grooms that get me. After there ceremony we found every bit of shade we could to take photos and even headed to the uofs for a few.

I loved capturing their reception details, it was soooo nerdy and I was alll over it!!! In order to get them to kiss.... you had to roll a D20!!!! Their first dance was pure magic!!!! We snuck out to take some photos at sunset and omg they were my favourite from the whole day! Lol mosquitoes and all... lol good old sk. The dance was a blast with bubbles and a Great light show.

One of the weirdest but coolest things for me was since Erica and Brett live next door to my mother in law, she was invited... and so was my daughter Chloe. It was sooo weird to have my kiddo at a wedding that I was shooting... and other then our own wedding this is the first one she has attended. I'm not gonna lie it was nice to sneak in a little hug here and there. She is a flower girl in one of my best friends wedding I'm Shooting in a few months too, so I guess this will be a thing... lol

But I know you want to hear from the super cool couple!!!!

We met about 10 years back when we worked at a restaurant together. We were friends for a while before we actually started going out. I ended up falling for him during a back country camping trip we went on with a couple friends, but never wanted to say anything to Brett.

Couple years passed after that and a friend noticed that I would always try and sit closer to Brett when we played tabletop games together, so he eventually decided to tell Brett that I liked him... Well it took Brett nearly 2 months and a couple bottles of mead for him to get the courage to ask me out. We were hanging out at his place, playing video games and he had made me supper. We went outside for some fresh air and after a couple minutes, finally asked me if I liked him. Honestly felt like I was in highschool again. I turned bright red and couldn't talk for a couple seconds there, my heart was pounding. I told him I did, he asked me if I wanted to go on a date and the rest is history!

How long have you been together?

Three years now and married for seven months!

Where is your favorite place to go on a date night?

Oh this is a hard one, we're both pretty big introverts. Yip Hong's Dim Sum if we're going out because our first kiss/impromptu date was there, but honestly I think my favorite date night thing is staying home and running a Dungeons and Dragons session for just him or playing board games together.

What is your favorite thing about each other?

His humour and support. He's always able to make me smile and has been so supportive of my goals. I'm in school as a fulltime student to get my degree and Brett has been so patient and amazing about it. If I'm having a rough day he's always there for me.

Can't speak on Brett's behalf though, he's on night shifts for work right now and probably won't be able to answer the questions.

How did your Fiancé pop the question?

He planned a whole day of it. I kind of knew he was proposing before he did it though... He ended up going out one day and told me he was going to the local board game store to pick up some stuff. Well he always ends up bringing something home when he goes there, this time nothing. So that was clue number one. Second clue was when I went to his place (he was living out in North Battleford for work at the time) for the weekend, I was making him supper and I went to put some of the garbage in the can and right on top of the garbage was the bag from the ring store... It was funny. I had to keep that in for a while there that I knew, I definitely teased him about it though.

I did end up telling my sisters about it and we had a good laugh about it and then they informed me that they overheard him letting my parents know he was proposing (he definitely did not want my sisters to know, because they can't keep a secret at all). He is an amazing man, but rolls a natural one when it comes to stealth.

When he actually proposed, he planned a whole day of it. We went out to all our favorite places. We went out to Las Palapas, then went axe throwing together, Smash Therapy, and finally we went back home and he cooked me supper. After supper he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes and then I think if I remember right he asked me if I was surprised right after and I started laughing and told him about the bag and my sisters ratting on him.

Any other fun details about your love story?

We're both super big nerds and that's one of the things we really connect and bond over. We love playing tabletop games and video games together. It's a great hobby to have together, because there's so much to talk about and do together!

There was one night where we were outside talking and it was snowing out. Brett had suddenly decided to put on the song, 'Blinding Lights' on his phone and started dancing to it. It was the first time I saw him dance, and I was impressed. He was so adorable and happy dancing to that song in the snow, it made my heart flutter.

So I was so against doing a 'first dance' at our wedding. I hated dancing and had two left feet. Brett really really wanted a first dance, so I caved and he told me he knew someone who taught dance. So he dragged me out to dance classes. At first, I hated it, but after the 3rd or 4th class, I actually started to fall in love with it. I ended up having so much fun and was always so excited to go to dance classes!

What was your favorite part of your wedding day?

Oh god, ummm this one is hard. All of it to be honest, it was perfect, but if I did have to pick only one thing (other than marrying my best friend and love of my life), I think it was seeing all of our friends and family together, having a good time. I got to see my mom stay up later than I've ever seen her before because she was enjoying herself and catching up with friends and family. We also had a kid's room set up and the kids really seemed to have a good time. That part was important to me because I was an Early Childhood Educator for years and I know how hard it can be as parents to go out and have fun when you have kids, plus kids always end up bored at weddings and the more entertained they are the smoother things go haha.

Oh! Also my aunt got a bunch of friends and family members together (apparently people were volunteering for this one and SPECIFICALLY seeking her out to help out) and decided to fill my husband's truck with balloons, and they filled that thing up! There was no way anyone was sitting in that thing without popping some of them. We ended up finding balloon pieces in his truck for WEEKS after.

Did you go on a honeymoon?

Not yet, hopefully this summer/fall though! My husband just started as a paramedic in the city here before we got married and I was back in school full time so we haven't been able to yet. We did manage to go on a mini one though! We went out to Jan Lake for a few days and rented a cabin and boat and fished every day. It was great and we definitely got a bit competitive with it, I 110% caught the biggest and most fish.

How did you feel on your wedding day?

So happy and excited! I had so much fun the whole day and had some amazing friends and family helping out.

Any advice for fellow brides out there?

Don't stress about things going wrong. You can plan from here to kingdom come, but something will always go wrong. It's life, just let it happen and go with the flow. The less you worry about your big day the more fun you will have!

Just remember, this day is about you and your partner joining together, that's the most important thing. The flowers not showing up on time, the drama that sometimes comes with weddings, or anything else that might go wrong, that stuff doesn't matter. If you and your partner have fun, that's the important thing that you and everyone else will remember. Don't let people steamroll you on what you and your partner want. There is a balance to it because it is important to also consider your guests, but if your mother is trying to push what she wants on to you and it's not what you and your partner want, don't do it. The only opinion that really matters is yours and your partners.