Tony & Caitlin's Wedding - September 29th, 2012

(Tony and Caitlin as the sun sets on their wedding day. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Long before I'd set foot on their ceremony site, we'd all already bonded over beer at Central City Brew Pub. Tony and Caitlin were friends with my intern Lauren and she recommended me since she wouldn't be able to play photographer and bridesmaid at the same time. We hit it off great. In that meeting, we realized our respective personalities were the perfect match and moved right on to prep for the big day.

(Tony and Caitlin's wedding party. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

The wedding was in Gibsons, BC. I'd always remembered Gibsons fondly, having gone on numerous high school camping trips there with my best friends. My assistant Jason booked the ferry and I booked the hotel. We'd stay one night, then wake up fresh to shoot without having to worry about arriving late. We even brought props, some of which we had to wrestle into cooperation. I was striving for a top-end commercial look to Tony and Caitlin's wedding portraits. Thanks to our on-the-go Profoto AcuteB 600, our lighting was exceptional.

(Caitlin and the groomsmen. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

It was a four-hour shoot; getting ready, portraits, ceremony and family shots. Through our extensive prep work, we stayed on schedule and had a great time doing it. Even though this was a shorter shoot than most, it didn't feel like it. We came back with loads of material and I look forward to updating my portfolio with some of our best wedding party shots yet. I deliver the photos this Friday. In the meantime, see even more from this wedding on our WedOverHeels.

(Wandering hands lead to genuine smiles. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.

Check us out on WedOverHeels!

(WedOverHeels is a new social network for engaged couples and wedding professionals. © WedOverHeels.)

As we look to find even better footing in Vancouver's booming wedding industry, we hope to connect with every vendor in the area capable of meeting our high standards. Luckily, local Bean Benson saw the need for an engaging online community specifically for us and started up WedOverHeels, a place for us wedding pros to exchange ideas and even share them with our clients in a design-savvy space. Click here to see my WOH profile and leave some feedback. Whether you're a fellow pro, newly engaged, a past client or simply a fan, you'll find yourself at home. I look forward to watching the site grow and can't wait to see what new ideas are just around the corner.

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.

Andrea & Rob's Wedding - August 11th, 2012

(Andrea getting ready for the ceremony. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Andrea and I first met to talk about her wedding at a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of Greater Vancouver. We'd had numerous mutual friends, but didn't know each other well on a personal level. However, she trusted my vision and knew I'd be the perfect fit for her wedding. When the day came, I couldn't have felt more at home. Her and her now-husband Rob were more traditional folk with a more traditional wedding mindset, but we were able to put a more contemporary spin on some of their images. To see more from this wedding, give us a call and book us for a personal consultation.

(Andrea and Rob relaxing as newlyweds. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.

James & Tory's Wedding - June 9th, 2012

(James and Tory got married in Santorini on June 9th, 2012. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Sometimes I get assignments that seem too good to be true. Most of these involve travel. And though I've technically shot in Hong Kong and San Francisco, this opportunity to travel to Greece and stay there for a week getting to know the couple I'd be photographing on their wedding day was far too good to pass up. So flights were booked, hotels called and bags packed. I set off on May 31st for the adventure of a lifetime.

(One of our locations was Atlantis Books, located in the small Greek town of Oia. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

After a short engagement session at the Acropolis and numerous days of drunken misadventures (where we learned exactly what the best man's alcohol tolerance was and why you shouldn't be standing on a national treasure during a hangover), we took a ferry over to the majestic island of Santorini. It was picture perfect. Beautiful blue skies, crystal clear water and cold craft beer awaited us. Moussaka and gyros greeted us at every turn. And my camera practically never left my side.

(One of the many beautiful doorways and alcoves in Santorini. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Then the wedding day came. Since our budget couldn't accommodate an assistant, it was up to me to wrangle the 22 pounds of gear I bring to every shoot. Rushing from the hostel we were all staying at in Kamari up to the peak of Oia, I had my first encounter with every destination photographer's worst nightmare: heat stroke. With the ceremony only minutes away and fighting back waves of nausea, I hydrated as quickly as I could and carried on. This first kiss photo is proof I survived and stayed at the top of my game.

(The best 'first kiss' photo I've ever shot. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

I stayed for dinner and the post-wedding party at Dom (where I snapped many an inappropriate first dance photo), but took off the next day for a flight back into Athens where I stayed for two more nights. Not ready to end my adventuring yet, I found my way to Paris before heading back home to edit. These five photos you see here are only the tiniest percentage of gorgeous shots I got while in Greece. For the real deal, you'll want to book a private appointment with me to see more and talk to me about your upcoming wedding.

(Sunset on Santorini. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.