Calgary Wedding Photographer: Intimate Backyard Wedding - Heather & Joey

Heather and Joey got married yesterday! We got rained on during the group photo session at Riley Park, but thankfully the sun came back shortly after!

Heather and Joey, thank you for trusting me to document your big day and I wish you both all the very best!

About the Couple

Joey and Heather are both casual, fun-loving people. They enjoy being outdoors, camping, hiking and traveling. Joey loves to garden and Heather loves to practice yoga. They both work at Modular Construction companies; Joey, Innovations Manager at ATCO Structures and Heather, HR Manager at Ladacor Advanced Modular Systems. On the weekends, they spend our time in our Hillhurst / Kensington area enjoying the neighbourhood. Heather grew up in this area, they met in this area, Joey proposed at the same place they had our first date in this area, and it holds a lot of very fond memories. Heather's parents' house - where they got married at is the house that Heather grew up in. This wedding ceremony and reception was an intimate celebration with lots of love.

How It All Started

H&J:

Heather is the kind of person who likes to reflect on a specific day exactly one year ago or so and see what has changed and what hasn't. With getting engaged and our 5th year anniversary in the same month, we have been extra reflective on our time getting to know each other and falling in love. Above is the first couple-y pictures that we could find and below is a caption of how we first met!

Heather:

It was a busy Saturday in September at Vendome Cafe where I worked. A refreshingly handsome man approached the till and said something smart and funny and made me laugh. He introduced himself as Joey and I guess I must have told him my name but I remember being a little speechless. He said he comes in all the time. That evening, I called my friend Katy and told her I had met a really hot guy named Joey who I was keeping my eyes out for.

Joey:

I remember she was cute. And nice. I introduced myself. I left to go on a vacation in Texas the next day.

Heather:

It was three weeks until I saw him again. He was in line a few people back. I was thinking that I had to put my game face on but once again, he was cool and said something funny and natural. He asked me for a pen and paper and he gave me his number. I almost died!

Joey:

She was giving me the eyes. You know-THE-eyes! I thought, this is great customer service!

Heather:

He actually came back a few hours later and asked if I wanted to go out right after work that day. I was thinking this guy really likes me, this is great! I had plans that evening to go to a stagette so I said I would call him. I went out that evening and left my car at a friends house. The next day, I called Joey. I wasn't expecting him to ask me out that night, but he did. I said yes and in the excitement, completely forgot that I had left my car elsewhere. I had to call Joey back and tell him I would be late and why.

Joey:

She actually called me. Usually you get a text or something a few days later but she called and so I asked if she wanted to go for dinner. She said yes. We went to Pulcinella in Kensington. It was great!

Heather:

We went for dinner and it was so nice. We talked about alot of similar things. It wasn't awkward. After dinner, Joey offered to walk me home since I didn't have my car. It is about a 20 minute walk to my home and 20 minutes back to his. That first date, he was so kind and caring. I knew I wanted to spend more of my time with him.

Joey:

I just walked her home. I didn't try any funny business. I am not that kind of guy. It was a nice walk that I did frequently after that day moving forward. We had a great connection!

H&J:

A lot has happened since we first met but the last five years really has flown by. Looking back, this feels like the beginning of a great adventure together :) Also looking at the now and then pictures above, have we gown up a bit??? Maybe it is just the fresh air making us look so young five years ago?!!

How He Proposed

Joey and I had been talking about him proposing for a while. He would probably say that I was doing most of the talking, but I won't admit to that. He was asking about rings that I liked and sizes. Regardless, I was not expecting it when it happened, such a great surprise!

It was a Wednesday in October. We had both came home from work and were sitting on the couch chatting about our days, just a regular old day. Joey asked if I wanted to go to Pulcinella restaurant for dinner, the same place we went for our first date! It is a fancier restaurant and I didn't really feel like putting on nice clothes and going out, but I thought that was not a valid complaint to such a nice request. I fixed myself up a bit and we were about to leave when Joey comes up behind and wraps his arms around me. He opens a ring box and asks if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I was in complete shock and the ring was so beautiful. I cried and cried and cried. And said yes!

And then we went to Pulcinella for dinner and we were seated at the same spot as our first date. It was absolutely perfect <3

Check out their wedding blog here.