love sweet love. The kind of love that says “yes” on Christmas Eve, when Jonathan asked in the quiet comforts of their home. The kind of love that takes a chance on Republic, WA and albeit the plea“Jonathan. dont. stop. keep driving its a beater..!” she to purchase an old Chev truck that eventually became the perfect set of wheels for many a weekend adventure.

Sarah’s family loves to camp. So does Jonathan’s. Both grew up living in the lower mainland. Sarah’s family basks in the long hot summers of the Okanagan, especially those of Osoyoos. Jonathan family would agree. Both Jonathan + Sarah’s families spent many summers enjoying all that Osoyoos has to offer, and both families loved to camp at Shady Lagoon (and still do!). Jonathan’s family preferred July, while Sarah’s were faithful to August. While Jonathan’s family had been back to Shady Lagoon every summer for as long as he could remember. Sarah’s family only started going to Shady Lagoon when she was a young teen. Summer’s came and went, and finally as luck would have it in 2006 they crossed paths at Shady Lagoon and haven’t looked back since!

Sarah + Jonathan will tie the knot in Osoyoos this summer. Their family and friends will gather to celebrate S + J and their commitment to each other in a sweet location that reflects their own love story.

and I cant wait.

On Saturday Liza and I had the joy of meeting and spending a few hours getting to know Sarah + Jonathan! And we love pretty much everything about them. Impeccable style, laid back attitudes and up for anything. We wandered around Horizon’s restaurant on Burnaby Mountain chatting about their wedding plans and sharing stories of summer life in Osoyoos.  I was reminded why I love this job so much and how great it feels when clients become friends.

Thanks for the wonderful afternoon you two and we look forward to seeing you again, soon! 3 and a half months is it?

(full post coming soon)

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Caitlin + Sean are sweet as can be and are planning their wedding for this July in Osoyoos, BC at the beautiful Spirit Ridge Vineyard and Spa.

enjoy the photos!

leave some love for Caitlin + Sean below, yo!

You may recall element photography’s most famous couple…M + M! Gracing the element photography blog with their stunningly good looks in a spontaneous love session in 2009 (technically not engaged at this point), their lovely June 2011 wedding, and many just for fun snaps of life, with me, with Mitch and of just Michelle in between!  At 8 months pregnant Michelle made the trip to Victoria to catch up with her sister Nat and myself for a much needed break before baby arrives in May. She is ever-so-fabulous and showing off her baby bump with such great style. As we walked and shopped the inner Harbour it was so fun for me to see all the people who would smile at her in passing, ask her “when are you due” – May, “do you know what you are having” – girl (!!).

3 final outfits – 3 great locations – shopping – ice cream – healthy meals – triplet baby lambs – Coombs Market – Cowichan Bay – ice cream – s’mores on the beach – getting dolled up – laughs – quality conversation – instagram – great girls weekend

She’s cute, I love her and can’t wait to meet the wee babe in just a few weeks!

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now look at those baby blues!

say hello!

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we’re a tad bit excited about April!

join us in our first styled shoot by sending us a photo of you and your sweetheart and a few sentences that tell us about you! Our final couple will be chosen by random selection on April 1 2012. Have fun!!

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i’ve been told about a bazillion times as a business owner and manager that the “purple cow” by Seth Godin is a must read. I must say, they were right. The front cover reads “transform your business by being remarkable”. I like that. I like being remarkable. I find that the more of myself I put into my business – as a unique, and quirky as I am the more successful I am and the better I feel about everything. From what I blog about, to the types of clients I attract it’s a better fit from the get go when Im true to myself.

What the heck is a purple cow? Purple cow’s are something remarkable. Something worth talking about. Worth noticing. Exceptional. New. Something you want to update your facebook status and tweet about, at the same time.

The concepts I learned from this book can be applied in so many different aspects of my life. weird. Maybe? but true!

I’ve learned that only I can be the best me. No one else can be the best Erika Walter. It’s true isn’t it? So I try to pour myself into my business being the best that I can be. ‘Cause no one else can. And that’s one small way I try to keep element photography – remarkable.

my take home ideas are:

-”the purple cow is so rare because people are afraid. if you are remarkable, it’s likely that some people won’t like you. That’s part of the definition of remarkable. Nobody gets unanimous praise — ever. The best the timid can hope for is to be unnoticed. Criticism comes to those who stand out.” so don’t take it personally!

-”Doing nothing is not as good as doing something (great). But marketing just to keep busy is worse than nothing at all.”

-”if you weren’t afraid of failing, what’s the most audacious thing you would try?”

-”Remarkable isn’t always about changing the biggest machine in your factory. It can be the way you answer the phone”

-”ideas that spread, win.”

-”copy. not from your own industry, but from any other industry. find a industry more dull than yours, discover who’s remarkable (it won’t take long), and do what they did.” only better!

-”what’s missing isn’t the remarkable ideas within your business, its the will to execute them”

-”Ask yourself, why not?”

There’s so much to learn on this topic but I felt that the “purple cow” really got the gears turning for me.

Did you read it??? Did you apply any of the purple cow concepts to your business??

Pink Velvet Cupcake Recipe
Makes approx 24 cupcakes
Adapted from Taste Of Home

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

1 cup of butter softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
Pink food coloring
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.   Once light and fluffy add your pink food coloring.  Start with a small amount and increase to reach your desired shade of pink.  Blend well with butter and sugar.

Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add in vanilla and beat well.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.   Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the batter and beat until well combined.  Add in 1/2 of the butter milk, beat until combined, followed by another 1/3 of the dry, then the remaining buttermilk and finally the remaining dry ingredients.    The batter may look a bit lumpy after buttermilk is first added, but beat well and it will combine nicely.

Fill paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full and bake at 350 degrees for approx 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Watch the cupcakes closely in the last few minutes of baking so that they do not over brown.    Allow to cool for ten minutes before removing from pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

My Favorite Buttercream Recipe

1 stick of butter softened
2 tablespoons of Crisco
1 two pound bag of powdered confectioners sugar – (I used about 2/3 of the bag)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of salt – (optional)
Whipping cream

Blend your butter, Crisco and vanilla together, adding in the powdered sugar and salt.   The mixture will be very dry.  Slow start adding your whipping cream, about one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.   I find that I prefer my frosting firmer for some recipes and softer for others, so I do not have a standard amount of whipping cream that I use.    Once you have reached the desired consistency, beat for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Click here for your own download printable copy of this reciepe!

My dad mowed our Manitoba back 40 on Christmas Eve. Just because he could. An out-of-the-blue decision turned out to be a family affair and so much fun! Fired up the old Cockshutt 20, with his family cheering him on and not a speck of snow to be seen –  he was happier than seagull with a french fry!

Look at that grin!! I love my dad, he’s the best : )