Jack and Ruby Photography by Kara Wieler and Becky Radtke

Here’s the 3rd and final post in our “Best of 2011″ series.  WEDDINGS!!!!  Obviously, we’re pretty passionate about weddings.  It is, after all, the basis of our business.  We just can’t help it, we love people in love.  We also love their friends and families and the many special moments that are shared between them all on a wedding day.  We are definitely the luckiest of any wedding vendor, as we are with our couples all day long.  We are there when our brides open up very special gifts from their grooms first thing in the morning.  We are there as our brides step into their dresses, and we oooh and aaahhh right along with the rest of the gals!!!   We are there for our absolutely favorite moment as the bride and groom see each other for the first time, be it during a first look before the wedding, or at the end of the aisle.  From the “I do’s” to the first dance, we are there.  Like I said, we’re pretty lucky.

So, here they are, some of our absolute favorite wedding shots of 2011.  We love looking back at our amazing first year as Jack and Ruby Photography and we are so thankful to all of our amazing clients for joining us in this journey.  We are also so very excited to look forward to 2012 and all it has to offer.  From our awesome new clients, to a new house for Becky and a new baby for Kara, we just know it’s going to be a great year!!!

Julie & Kyle

Kara’s Picks

Becky’s Picks

Jason & Audrey

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Joe & Kristin

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Ike & Kristen

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Joel & Deanna

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Lee & Jill

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Miguel & Allie

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Anthony & Jenievah

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Nadav & Pam

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Elliot & Ranae

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

David & Danielle

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Well 2011 has come and gone…Kara ushered in the new year with sweet little Sarah and in typical Becky fashion, she didn’t even make it to midnight before she was snugly tucked in bed.  2011 was an amazing year for Jack and Ruby Photography, it was our first full wedding season working together on each and every shoot and we loved every minute of it!  Looking back on everything we shot in 2011 only one thing comes to mind “wow, are we lucky”.  Lucky to work with such amazing clients who trust our photographic vision enough to hire us for their most important day!

Over the next week we will take a look back at some of our faves from our 2011 shoots, starting with our special “anytime” shoots!  It was torturous trying to only pick one favourite from each shoot…but we forced ourselves to stick with one!

C’est L’amour – Cole and Des

Our first shoot of 2011 was probably one of our favorites and definitely the most anticipated!

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Dove Tree

We were so excited to work with the lovely and talented Kari of Dove Tree Designs and the fellows of Paperback Films for this shoot….the results were breathtaking!  This goody hasn’t make it to the blog yet, but expect it early in 2012!

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Up, Up and away – Krysten and Luke

What a work of heart this shoot was! Kara’s sister helped with our DIY hot air balloon, Krysten planned out the wardrobe so carefully and Kara and I slaved over getting that hot air balloon up a hill on one of the hottest days of the summer!  The results?  A favorite shoot from the summer of 2011.

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

A Family Affair – James, Kim & Co.

While we are normally not family photographers Kara’s sisters’s 10 year anniversary called for something VERY special!  We hit the road to Grand Beach and had a grand ole time with the Driedger family!

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Back to School in Style!

Another shoot that came from lots of dreaming, scheming and hauling a whole truck load of pretty props out to the field!  We loved this back to school themed shoot with three very lovely girls!

Kara’s Pick

Becky’s Pick

Stay tuned for more of our favorites from 2011 coming soon!

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One of the biggest decisions couples have to make when planning their schedule for their wedding day is whether or not they should see each other before the ceremony.  Couples weigh out the pros and cons, and decide what works best for them.  Things they may consider are how important it is to them to wait to see each other at the end of the aisle, or how important it is for them that their guests not have to wait around for hours between the ceremony and the reception.  Everyone has a different opinion on this matter, and we’re here to tell you ours.

We planned our own weddings both as brides and as photographers, so we feel like we can give you the inside scoop from both perspectives.  It just so happens that we both chose to do a ‘first look’ and see our soon to be husbands before the wedding.  By doing this we were able to take our time with photos, enjoy the experience, and not worry about how long we were taking while our guests (especially the ones that traveled from out of town) tried to find something to do.  A first look can be just as special, if not MORE special, as seeing each other from down the aisle.  If you are more private people, a first look gives you the chance to enjoy that big moment without 150 sets of eyes on you.  Sometimes the first look is the only moment the couple has completely alone on their whole wedding day.  When you see each other you can hug, you can tell your new spouse how awesome they look, you can tell them how excited you are for the day, you can tell them how much you love them.

Kristen and Ike chose to do a first look on their beautiful wedding day in June and these sweet photos give you a glimpse into their special moment.  Ike waiting for Kristen in the middle of the street, Kristen got out of the limo, walking up behind him and gently tapped him on the shoulder to let him know she was ready.  The moments to follow were so sweet and tender we almost had to reach for some Kleenex.  There was hugging, kissing, laughing and so many “I love you’s”.  Ike and Kristen had a moment to find out how each other’s mornings went, how they were feeling and all those nerves floated away when they comfortably hand in hand in the middle of that street.  Such a sweet and special moment they were able to share privately while we quietly worked our magic around them.  Once they had filled each other in on their respective mornings we took the chance to snap a few more formal pictures and then off we went, with just the two of them to a few photo locations that would be for just the two of them.

As you can see here with Ike and Kristen, choosing to see the bride/groom before the ceremony or choosing to do a “first look” as we call it, is an incredibly special way to start the day.   We encourage our couples to consider this, and then once they say “I do” they are free to relax, visit with their guests, and enjoy being married!

More from Ike and Kristen’s gorgeous June wedding coming soon!