Melissa Johnston Photography

Come see me at the Bridal Show that will take place September 12-13th at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. It’s free and you can view my sample wedding books and just chat about your big day! I will also have brochures worth 10% off  booked weddings!

That means if you decide to visit my booth and book your wedding with me, you will get 10% off the base package price! Hurry though, because dates are going fast and I already have a dozen weddings booked for 2010!.Yay! Oh, and I only have a limited amount of brochures

I grew up in Ottawa and lived here all my life. I love it, and I seriously couldn’t ask to live in a better city. Many of the weddings I book are in Ottawa and it’s surrounding regions but I’ve never really photographed one ‘downtown Ottawa’.  When Leah first mentioned that her wedding was going to take place at the SUBLIME St.Patrick’s Basillica and reception at E18teen restaurant, I almost died and went to heaven. I was so excited to finally capture a lovely couple in the heart of our wonderful city.

Well, lovely doesn’t even cut it. Leah and Jon were STUNNING! Just as I had expected everything about their special day was magical. When I first met Leah and she talked about how she wanted her day to turn out, she was shining. Her smile was just radiant. I loved all of her ideas and we definitely hit it off right from the start which made me look forward to their wedding even more!

Leah was driven around in a 1937 Chevy.

Before the ceremony we met up at the Botanical Gardens (part of Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm) for some family and artistic portraits.

After a beautiful Catholic service, I managed to sneak the newlyweds away for a few photos at Majors Hill Park with the Parliament Hill as our backdrop…

And lastly, one of my favorite shots of the day. While at restaurant E18teen, I discovered this little hallway and couldn’t resist grabbing the newly wed couple for a few shots under the chandeliers.

I thought I would share with everyone what my guest albums are like. Guest albums are very unique and let you show off your awesome engagement images. Instead of using those boring lined paper guest books that always look the same on your wedding day, why not spice it up!?

My books are hard covered, coffee table style albums. Once opened they lay flat and I leave lots of white spaces for messages and guest signatures. These books are beginning to be very popular so why not get one for yourself!? Check them out:

I used Jenna & Nizar’s engagement photos for my sample book:

Allison and Jeff’s wedding took place at the beautiful and rustic ‘Stanley’s Maple Farm’ near Metcalfe, Ontario. The location was perfect for their casual and wonderfully intimate day. The ceremony was unique and very moving with Allison and Jeff reading each other long and touching vows about their time together leading up to when Jeff finally popped the question!

Once the newlyweds returned from a romantic horse drawn buggy ride, we started shooting! Here are a few highlights from our session. I’ve only included photos of the happy couple here as many of the shots from the day were candids of the guests and family as requested by the bride and groom.

I’m going to be dumping many blog posts on you all very shortly so make sure to check back in often!

You know when you meet someone and you feel like you’ve known them for years and years? That’s how I felt the moment I stepped out of my car and was greeted by Tarah and Chris.

I got an email from Tarah a couple months ago explaining to me that her and Chris were getting married in Lunenburg, Novia Scotia in September. She had seen my work and decided to book an engagement session since I wouldn’t be there to capture their big day. I have to say though, that going to their cottage in the Gatineau Hills to capture their love on camera was just as nice as going down East for me.

Not only did I fall in love with this couple right off the bat, but I fell in love with the location too! Frequently, clients rely on me for suggestions on locations but I was thrilled when Tarah had hers picked out because this was the very place where Chris had proposed!

Tarah and Chris – thank you for sharing your story with me (and thank you for sharing your flip flops since mine broke mid-shoot hehe). I have no doubt in my mind that your wedding day will be perfect and I wish you all the best in the years to come…

 Tarah insisted on getting some ice-cream shots. What an awesome idea! But I’m but pretty sure she was really just in on it for the yummy cones…haha!!

Later on the next day, I received an email from Tarah thanking me for photographing them. She mentioned how much fun they both had and how I made them feel at ease right away! She also included this picture that she took of the sunset right after I left:

I was glad to find out that I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed myself at the shoot! Ha! It’s always great to hear such positive feedback from my clients…my friends

On another note, I am SOOOOO behind on blogging. I have many sessions to post, so keep checking in.