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We’re engaged!

Sawatdee!

We are still in Thailand but thought we owed you a short post to deliver some news… obviously the title of this post has given it away, but here it is again: WE’RE ENGAGED! Also, we sort of got married… let me go into a little more detail!

Daniel and I have had more than enough opportunities to discuss what we’d like to do when it was our turn to get hitched, and we thought we’d like to do things a little differently since we make a living going to weddings. I had shared with him that my dream proposal would consist of a ring and a pair of tickets to Vegas. Well, much to my surprise, on Christmas eve, Daniel presented me with a small box under the tree and proposed in the presence of my parents and sister. I have to admit to being a little disappointed as this was not what I had imagined… at least not for us! He surprised me further a few hours later by telling me that we were leaving for Vegas a week and a half later and that Ben Chrisman, our favorite photographer, was going to meet us there.

So on January 4th, at 3pm, Daniel and I got legally married at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas in the presence of Ben Chrisman, our one and only witness. As tacky as we had imagined that it would be (and it was!) it was also extremely romantic as it felt like there was no one else in the world but the two of us.

We have been traveling since then, first to L.A., then to Bangkok, northern Thailand, and now we are “beaching” it in the south. We are also planning our “real” wedding which will take place in about 2 years, likely in Mexico. You didn’t think we’d let ourselves miss out on planning a wedding, did you? So although we are married on paper, we still see ourselves as engaged. We haven’t exchanged rings or said vows in front of friends and family yet, and we believe that this is what it’ll take for us to REALLY be married! After all, if there’s one thing we’ve learned from what we do, it’s that a wedding and a marriage mean different things to different people.

Enjoy the photos, courtesy of our idol, Ben Chrisman (and check out his blog, we’re on it!).

We’re on vacation!

We wanted to put up this post to let readers know that we are currently on vacation in Thailand. We are taking 5 weeks off and will be back on the week of February 9th.
To those of you who are emailing or calling us to inquire about our services, we will try to return the emails during the trip, and if you’ve called, please send us an email for a faster response.

We can take up to 3 weddings on the same day, so there’s at least 1 availability for most dates for 09. However, the following dates are completely booked:

- July 25th
- August 8th
- August 22nd
- September 12th
- September 19th

Hopefully this will help couples plan their wedding. We appreciate everyone’s patience. Check back often as we’ll put up photos of the trip!
Daniel & Davina

WPJA Winning Images – Part 2!

Hello All!
I’m happy to announce that 2 of our studio’s images have won in the WPJA (http://www.wpja.com) quarterly contest. The first photograph ranked 18th in the “details” category, while the other ranked 7th in the “transportation” category. Hooray!

Home is where the work is

We’re baaaack!

After a wonderful but exhausting trip to Dubai and Egypt, Daniel and I are happy to be home and back to work. We of course missed all of you! Our trip was truly amazing, everything and more that we had hoped for. We had adventures unlike any we had ever experienced; from riding camels around the Great Pyramids to riding dune buggies and sandboarding in the desert outside Dubai, we are both so grateful to have had the opportunity to do all of this so early in our lives. And of course, we took hundreds of photos to document it all. Here are a few of us (for once!):

So we’ve gotten right back into the swing of things since we returned, shooting a wedding the day after we arrived. We’re busy catching up on emails and phone calls we missed, and all the editing that piled up. Which reminds me, I want to take this opportunity to make a public announcement: If you are the bride who contacted us about your wedding in 2010 to Noah, please contact us again! I am so ashamed to make all my potential clients aware of this, but we lost your email! I swear this has never happened before, and thankfully I have an excellent memory! I remember your fiances name as I met him a few years ago (we both graduated from Concordia Journalism). I tried contacting him but I’m not sure I have the right number… I’m so sorry!

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. We make mistakes. Shocking, I know. We hope you’ll let this one slide!

I leave you with that, and hope that we might inspire some of you to have your own adventure, big or small!

A very busy September

Wow. I have to say, it has been embarrassingly long since my last post! I do apologize to all our dedicated readers, but in our defense, things have been crazier than usual at the At First Sight headquarters. Daniel was away on business (for his commercial work) so while he was flying around to New York, Toronto, Vancouver and then Dubai, I was left to fend for myself! I did quite well in his absence though – booking every client I met for one straight week! I’ve come a long way from being called his assistant, don’t you agree?! I think I’m ready for a little change in the business: “At First Sight Studio: Weddings by DAVINA PALIK and Daniel Kudish”. All in favor?

All kidding aside, there has been some serious business going on here. Following the article on Bridal Network, we’ve had a few more shout outs from a few bridal magazines wishing to feature us. We were in this month’s Wedding Bells and are set to be featured in a few more coming up soon, so I’ve been busy answering many questions (but as I’m sure you already know, I have no problem talking; especially when it’s to brag about us!) I was also interviewed by a Dawson student who wished to feature us for a school project on a “significant” photography studio in Montreal. We were very flattered to have him choose us out of all the great talent in this city.

Now for the visual portion of this program, I’m afraid I’m going to have to be lazy and refer you to our featured weddings page. Check out the photos of Catherine and Charles (shot by Daniel and I), Eve and Wes (again Daniel and I) as well as Marie-Helene and Ashraf (shot by Frances and I). All these couples gave us tremendous creative freedom with their photos and never once questioned us. As I’ve mentioned before, this gives us the best environment possible to work in, giving the couples the best possible results. Daniel and I joked many times that Eve was our biggest fan from the moment she signed with us, especially after her engagement shots, and we sure hope we lived up to her expectations! Marie-Helene and Ashraf you may remember from a few posts ago when Daniel shot their engagement session. They were as willing for anything on their wedding day with Frances and I; evening taking off their shoes and getting into the fountain across from the Palais des Congres! They were also so sweet and gave us as well as Francois the videographer the cutest place cards ever! Details like this make us feel so wonderfully valued and we can’t thank them enough for their hospitality. Check out the place cards below… These couples were all so great to work with and we truly appreciate their confidence in us!

One last announcement before I go… Daniel and I are going to be away in New York the week of October 20th for a photography show where we will meet with various vendors in hopes of continuing to offer better service and products to our beloved clients… (how’s that for a good PR sentence, huh?!) The following week, we will be away for two weeks in Dubai and Cairo. I write this so casually, but you should know that I beam stupidly at my computer screen as I type this as I am SO excited! We plan on visiting a few of Egypt’s highlights and the best of Dubai in the short time that we’ll be there including visiting the pyramids and riding a camel as these are both of my life to-do list! You can be sure that we’ll have plenty to blog about when we get back! In the meantime, try not to miss us too much…!

Shout out from Bridal Network

Hi everyone!

Just a quick post to let you know that we’re being featured on Bridal Network as of, let’s see, about 5 minutes ago! Behold my print journalism experience at work – at last – (I wrote the article) and of course, our photos!

Check it out: http://bride.ca/wedding-ideas/index.cfm/2008/9/10/Montreal-Wedding-A-Tale-of-Two-Travelers#more

As always, your comments are welcome, here and on Bridal Network.

AFS Wedding Tips 101

Following the excellent response we’ve received since our booth at the Marions-Nous show, we’ve met with dozens of couples who all seem to have similar questions that I thought we’d address here today. Interestingly enough, the questions are not about our photography or about us at all for that matter (we’ve been told that everything is very clear, so that’s good to hear!). Instead, I’m going to provide you with the first edition of At First Sight’s Wedding Tips 101. The following is a list of concerns and questions had by many of our clients and the suggestions we provided them with.

NOTE: We can handle anything that comes our way when it comes to taking pictures; these are simply recommendations we make based on all the weddings we’ve attended.

Q: We are having the reception in a generic hall that doesn’t really reflect our taste.

A: Invest in extra lighting. Companies like ShowDesign (http://showdesign.ca) can put up drapery and reflect lights of different colors onto it to create great ambient light. If you have a smaller budget, even placing spotlights every few feet around the room can make a big difference.

Q: We have a huge guest list. How can we make sure there are pictures of everybody?

A: Consider reserving our photobooth for 200$. Guests always absolutely love it, it creates additional entertainment for them, and it ensures that you’ll have a picture of everyone who takes the time to pass by it. While we do our best to take photos of the guests (usually during cocktail hour when guests are relaxed and enjoying themselves), taking individual pictures of every guest at large weddings takes us away from capturing the day itself so this is a good option to consider.

Q: We don’t have a clear theme and the colors we’d like to use don’t necessarily all match.

A: To give the wedding a cohesive feel, considering using your wedding colors and the colors of the ceremony or reception location in a pattern. Wedding planner Elyna Kudish of Unity Weddings (http://unity-weddings.com) did this for Pascale and JF by using a pattern for the invitations and table cards; bringing together the pinks in the bride’s bouquet, reds in the reception hall, and the blue of the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Q: What should the guys wear? Should they all match? Should the groom be different?

A: From a photography perspective, the groom need not match his groomsmen or vice versa. Personally, we like the look of tailored suits instead of the rented tuxes that don’t always fit right and come with limited options for vests and ties. For one wedding, the groomsmen all wore suits to work so for the wedding, they each wore one of their gray suits with matching, solid pink ties. The effect of the different shades of gray was quite lovely and the matching ties provided unity and differentiated them from the other guests. As for the groom, whether or not he should match his groomsmen is entirely up to you. Many couples will opt for more elaborate or simply different boutonniere for the groom which often does the trick. We love the work of Flore (http://flore.qc.ca) who also make amazing centerpieces (they made our flower arrangement at the show).

Hope this is helpful! Feel free to ask more questions and we’ll be happy to give you our advice.

WPJA winning images

Great news from our (brand new) At First Sight headquarters!

First of all, we are just about moved into our new home and it’s looking great. We’ve got a great little office to meet clients (i.e. you) and we can’t wait to start using it! As promised, we will post some photos as soon as we’re all settled in.

Secondly, the Wedding Photojournalist Association (http://wpja.com) selected two of our photos in their quarterly contest. We are thrilled to be honored with these awards as so many great photographers from around the world compete in these contests. We’re so glad to be considered among them! The first picture won 13th place in the Ceremony category and the one on the bottom was awarded 12th place in the Emotion category:

Finally, Daniel and I will be representing At First Sight at the Marions-Nous show in Montreal on Sunday and Monday. We’ve got our booth all “bling”ed out and ready to go! It was a very last minute decision, but we hope that our presence there will allow many of you to meet us face to face. Daniel will be manning the booth solo on Sunday while I shoot a wedding (third one in 4 days – sheesh!) but we will both be there on Monday. Hope to see you there

Some work, but mostly play

Hello all, I’m back!

Daniel took over my job as official blogger for the last few posts, but I’m happy to announce that I’m re-taking my position. A round of applause for Daniel though… he did a decent job, didn’t he?

So I must say that I certainly can’t complain about life these days. Although we’re as busy as always, and as Daniel mentioned, our upcoming move isn’t making that any easier, I have been enjoying myself tremendously!

But before I get ahead of myself, let’s rewind to last Saturday, shall we? That day, Daniel and I had the honor of shooting the wedding of Mike and Joe, two lawyers from New York City. They tied the knot in the penthouse suite of the St-James hotel in the Old Port of Montreal in a beautiful ceremony that had all the guests, including myself, shedding tears. If you’ll allow me to be political for a moment, I’d like to address the fact that these two amazing individuals had to come up here to make their union official as it is illegal where they live. As I’m sure I’ve already proved, I love my job and witnessing the commitment made by two people – ANY two people – is an absolutely amazing thing. And, might I add (and I apologize to all of my past brides and grooms for the following statement), I have never enjoyed myself so much at a wedding! I stayed well past Daniel decided to call it a night (and many of the guests!) having an amazing time with the grooms’ friends. (Royd, Ben, Scott, Carlos, Derek: I had such a good time that I remember all your names!) Oh yeah, I almost forgot… we also took pictures! Here are a few of our favorites from their wedding:

Equally exciting was my 22nd birthday celebration which Daniel threw for me the next day. He surprised me with a backyard party at my apartment, complete with a personal chef, Chinese lanterns, and the At First Sight photobooth. Some of my friends drove up from Sherbrooke for the occasion and made the trek back that same night in honor of moi! Having all these people that I care so much about made me so excited for our wedding (no, we aren’t getting married yet, and no, we aren’t engaged yet!). Here are a few pictures from my party (note the family portrait of Daniel, myself, and our precious little dog Coco and the one of my cousin Magi holding up my new business card. My family members are my number one fans!).

That’s all for now folks. On Wednesday we move into our new condo! As Daniel mentioned, we might lay low for a while, but we’ll be sure to post pictures of the place as soon as we’re settled in. As a final note, my personal work is online on my brand new website: davinapalik.com (a little shameless promotion never hurt anyone, right?). Check it out and let me know what you think… I know people are reading this, so don’t be shy, leave us a comment!

Ciao!

Marie & Ashraf’s engagement shoot

Written by Daniel

While Davina relaxes at the cottage – okay, it is her birthday this week – I took some engagement photos with Marie & Ashraf who are getting married at the end of September. The highlight from this session came at the very end, when we came across an abandoned lounger in the middle of street. Without hesitation, no matter how dirty it was, they practically threw themselves into it…

We are also adding a new wedding to our featured gallery, so if you haven’t, go have a look at Kathy & David’s wedding photos.

On a personal note, we are moving next week, so we might lay low for a week or two, but we’ll be back with photos of the new place, pictures from Davina’s birthday party (to take place this Sunday), and lots of new weddings to talk about!

Eve & Wes’ engagement shoot

Written by Daniel

Eve & Wes, who are good friends with our photographer Frances, decided to give us “carte blanche” for their engagement shoot. So we took them to several locations we’ve been anxious to shoot at. What we discovered at some of these spots, was almost like something from a movie set. Here are some highlights.

Home sweet home

Written by Daniel, with a little help from the talented (and pretty) Davina.

This past week has been nothing short of crazy. Despite our best attempt at taking a few days off, the stress of traveling caught up with us. From missing a flight, to lost luggage, everything that can go wrong at an airport, well, it all happened to us.

On the bright side, we got to photograph two amazing weddings. First, last weekend, with Pascale & Jean-Francois in the old port. Their wedding was one of the only two that we decided to shoot video as well – stay tuned for our samples coming soon. We also took the opportunity to offer something new: a photobooth-like setup which allows the guests to take photos of themselves throughout the night. And the results were better than what we expected. We will now be offering this service at every wedding at a cost of 200$.

(you can click on the images to make them bigger)

And a couple more from their wedding:

A couple days later, Davina and I headed to the Florida Keys for a few days off and a wedding on the 25th. After being delayed at customs, we missed our flight and had to find a new route down to Florida. We got onto a flight to Orlando and decided to drive the rest of the way down to the keys. We got to enjoy the very hot weather and the freshest seafood we’ve ever had.

Patty & Tom’s wedding was our very first one on the beach (although not our first destination one). Despite the intense heat, we managed to capture some great shots.

On the way back, we were delayed by our GPS which couldn’t find the car rental drop-off center, and thought we were going to miss our flight, yet again. Luckily, it was delayed, and we managed to get on. Amidst the chaos, we both forgot our sunglasses aboard the airplane – Davina had just purchased hers in Key West!
And well our luggage got lost, but that was to be expected seeing how things were going for us.

We are definitely glad to be home, and plan to stay far from airports for a little while!

First dates

Hello again!

Daniel and I have been given a short break from shooting weddings, allowing him to do some of his very in-demand commercial work and allowing both of us to meet with many couples for next year (by the way, a little housekeeping announcement: dates are going fast so make sure to contact us if you’re considering us!).

I can’t help but share with you the odd similarity the first meeting process has to a blind date: There are those who we meet who have been referred to by others, so they already know a little bit about us, already like the idea of us, and they’re a little influenced by the idea that someone close to them thinks we’d be very happy together. Then there are those who met us online so they know our profile well, but want to meet us in person to see if the chemistry’s right. But as we know, sometimes the people you find online aren’t how you had imagined them – and we’ve had a few of those too. These are the couples who expect us to be at least 10 years older than we are and question our experience. They judge our age and not our wisdom (or in this case, our portfolio) and at the end of the date, there’s that “good luck” handshake – an indication that there won’t be a second date! For the most part though, we do quite well on these first dates. Many of our suiters see the advantages of our age: we aren’t set in our ways, we have a new, fresh view on things, and we aren’t jaded by our jobs! You just might say that it’s love “at first sight”! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun…)

With this little two week break from taking pictures, I took some time to, well, take more pictures! My gorgeous little sister and I headed out for a fashion shoot where I let my imagination go a little. It was very different from shooting weddings candidly; there was more “do this, do that,” more edginess, and more pouting on the part of my subject! We had a great time though, and the results were fantastic. I posted a few of my favorites so you can see for yourselves.

Well, that’s all I have time for today. Daniel and I are heading to Florida first thing in the morning for a few days of rest followed by a beach wedding on Friday. I’ve never been to the Keys and I have yet to shoot a wedding on the beach so I am very excited (I’m also anxious to work on my tan, I have to admit)! We’ll be sure to catch you up – and show you some pics – when we get back! Until then!

Why we do what we do

After receiving this very nice email from a bride this morning, I decided it was time for my (Daniel’s) first blog entry. When it comes to photography, any feedback is good – but getting this type of review on our photos is what keeps us going. I have never been as good with words as Davina, so I will let this message do the talking. Shonelle & Delon got married in NY on July 3rd:

The pictures are sooooooooo perfect!!!! You guys did a superb job!!! You guys are the BEST IN THE WORLD!!!!!! We couldnt have asked for more!!! You captured so many moments that we did’nt even know existed and so many moments we want to treasure forever!! We will be needing you again!!! Thanks Again!!!

A few of my favorites from their wedding:

Beginnings & Endings

Greetings! It is with feeble fingers and exhausted brain that I write to you this evening! Just for credibility’s sake (and to legitimize my whining), I must mention that we have shot 17 weddings over the last two months and we are completely and utterly spent.

We have celebrated some major endings lately, both in our life and those of people close to us: my father’s retirement after 35 years, my little sister’s high school graduation, and my very last day as a unit coordinator at the Royal Victoria hospital (my student job for the last two and a half years). My sister’s prom marked the end of her high school years, but also had special significance for me as I had slaved away for the last month designing and making her oh-so-important dress. She wanted a look that was reminiscent of old Hollywood, and I think that I (along with some much needed help from my designer friend Carl Thompson) gave her just that. Oh, and see how patient Daniel (with our little dog Coco) passed the time while my sister was getting ready? No comment necessary, I think!

But of course, we also celebrated some important beginnings with the union of 9 couples since my last post. I could write for hours about all the amazing couples we had the honor of photographing, but alas, I must stick to just a few. There was Melanie who was probably the least stressed-out bride I’ve ever seen. She spent her pre-wedding time making egg-salad sandwiches for her family – in her veil, might I add!

Meanwhile, Joanna, whose wedding Daniel was shooting, was having a much more stressful time when she arrived at her outdoor reception site and discovered that it consisted mostly of wet mud. Guests got their shoes stuck in it throughout the night, but that didn’t stop them from having a great time.

Daniel and I headed to New York city for a not-so-relaxing week, meeting clients and shooting yet another wedding. Shonelle and Dellon got married in the evening – when the lighting was perfect! – in a very emotional ceremony. We got some truly amazing shots from this wedding (if I do say so myself!) that we’ll be posting on the website shortly. We’re currently Photoshopping machines, but as always, we’ll never take more than a week to deliver their photos!

Finally, I must mention the blast I had at the wedding of Donald and Elena just yesterday. While Daniel and Marlon shot another wedding, Frances and I felt more like guests than hired photographers! The fellow guests were so much fun and insisted that we dance and have drinks with them – which we eventually did! Being the professionals that we are, however, this didn’t stop us from taking some great photos. Most of all, I appreciated the trust and faith they had in us and our creativity. I must say, I do my best work when a couple does not question me or my fellow photographers, just enjoys themselves and lets us capture the day as it unfolds. After all, isn’t this the very reason you hire us and not a traditional, portrait-type wedding photographer?

Until next time!

4 weddings and a birthday

The wedding season is in full swing and Daniel and I are as busy as ever!

Our last few weddings have been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for me, from receiving a rave review for the first (shot with one of our photographers, Frances) and being called (brace yourselves…) Daniel’s assistant throughout the last! Although I did introduce myself as his partner, I was continuously referred to as the assistant, but didn’t want to say anything because it seemed so trivial… but it was a bit of a blow, I must admit! And the shoe certainly does NOT fit, thank you very much!

Daniel also shot the rainy wedding of Veronica and Andrew with his good friend and one of our photographers, Jeremy. For most brides and grooms, rain is often feared on the big day, but if we can let you in on a little secret… we love rain for photos! The lighting is great when it’s overcast and the rain makes for photos reminiscent of the closing scene in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (my all-time favourite!).

Earlier in the month, Frances, Daniel and I drove down to New York City for the amazing wedding of Leena and Rahul which took place at the Tribeca Rooftop (tribec.com), an absolutely gorgeous venue. As its name suggests, Tribeca Rooftop performs ceremonies on the roof with great views of the city. Daniel shot video with a 25 pound camera (which, if you’ve ever met him, you know is a large percentage of his own body-weight!) and he’s working on the editing right now as I write this. Stay tuned for the trailer under the “video” section of the website.

In other news, Daniel turned 23 last weekend. To celebrate his birthday, we made reservations at our favourite spa and had a couples’ manicure and massage; you know, for an extra-manly day! To top it off, at Daniel’s request, we went to see the Sex and the City movie (the second time for me) where he further asserted his masculinity by shedding a few tears. Poor Daniel, I must stop emasculating him in this way! I do love his sensitivity, but sometimes my love for teasing him about it wins out…

We’ll be in touch again soon!

Something new

Welcome to the new and improved At First Sight! We’ve got so much going on right now, what with the new website, invitations, a portfolio that keeps growing every week, and, of course… me! I am At First Sight owner Daniel Kudish’s girlfriend and just recently, Daniel asked me to become his business partner as well. It’s not a proposal, but it’s a start, right?
I’m thrilled to be a part of this company as a photographer, invitation designer, and official blogger (I have a journalism degree so my dear parents will be glad to see that my writing background isn’t going to waste!).
But enough about me, this is about you and one of the most important days of your life. If you’re here, reading this, you are either considering us or have already chosen us to capture your wedding day. You’ll be inviting us into a personal, intimate ritual that we know is sacred to you, so in return, I offer you a glimpse into our lives through this blog.
Here I shall keep you up to speed on our weddings, professional and personal endeavors, and I’m sure to find myself venting to you about my boyfriend/business partner!
It’s going to be an interesting summer; we have about fifty weddings including a few that are out of town… Stay tuned!