We first had the opportunity to meet Heather a few months ago at a Starbucks in Ottawa for an initial consultation. She had had a long day interviewing vendors for their wedding, but despite us being the one of the last meetings of the day, that “connection” we all hope for with clients was evident from the get-go. She told us about her chance first meeting with her fiance Tom, and even while regaling us with the hilarious details, her genuine love and adoration for him shone through.

Last night we had the honour of attending the grand opening of Ashton Station Bridal which is located a short drive west of Ottawa in Carleton Place. As you may know there is another prominent bridal shop located in the quaint town, however Ashton Station Bridal is much different. They are the only Rivini exclusive boutique in the world.

They are located at 17A Albert St, Carleton Place, in a historic church. They have done an amazing job of renovating their space to create the most relaxing wedding gown shopping experience! From the antique doors that were formerly part of Luigi’s childhood home, to the charming architectural touches,  it’s an amazing space.

The concept at Ashton Station Bridal is also different from most bridal shops. They are open by appointment only. During the two hour appointment, the bride and her entourage are the only ones in the boutique, receiving the utmost care and attention from the shop owners. We love this concept, because it’s based on personal service, much like our philosophy.

Penny and Aaron are a great, down to earth couple and we are looking forward to their wedding in Cobden this June. For a change, with Penny and Aaron we simply ventured around the neighbourhood that they live in to capture images that were meaningful to them. Here are a couple photos from the day:

Last Saturday we got together with Sylvain and Caroline of Reno Video Productions to put together a little clip to show how we work. We love Sylvain’s style and creativity. Most of all, we love how in 2 minutes you get the chance to get to know us before visiting our studio.

As some of you may remember, approximately a month ago we posted an ad looking for a couple to photograph as part of our profile video; as creating a video of how we work is very complex and time consuming, we didn’t want to take time away from one of our actual weddings, and we figured why not help somebody out in the process? So we ran a contest asking people to tell us why they would like to have their wedding photos retaken. We were expecting a few applications, however in the first week, with a simple post on Facebook, we had over 10 couples apply. We were initially surprised at the number of people who weren’t totally happy with their photos, and it was a hard decision because many of the stories were compelling. In the end we chose Heidi and Travis, who were married in September 2009. With the excitement of the day, the photographer captured some nice images, but Heidi and Travis didn’t have any photos of them alone that they liked. We hired Leslie Ann Hook to re-create Heidi’s hair and makeup, and the video was shot and edited by Sylvain and Caroline of Reno Video Productions. We posted the video earlier this week, and would like to give you a chance to see some of the photos we captured for them.