This session I have been holding hostage for way too long. It’s one of my MOST favourite sessions to date, and I’ve been keeping it to myself. Perhaps for too long, but I was nervous not everyone would love it as much as me. I was worried it wouldn’t be as special anymore.

You see, Manning Park is my most favourite place in the entire world. I’ve been camping there every single summer since I was 8 years old, I grew up there. I know that park better than I know my own backyard (seriously, it’s pathetic, my backyard isn’t that big), and it’s one of those places when I see other people say they’re going there, some irrational part of my brain goes, “ahem, that’s MY spot.” I am naturally a VERY sentimental person, but when it comes to Manning I get even more sentimental. I get goosebumps when I talk about it with others, and my Dad on MANY occasions has been known to say at family dinners, “hey….in 6 months we will be sitting around the picnic table at Manning…..”

When I suggested Manning for a location to Mike and Allison and they got so excited, I knew it was going to be a good day!

My husband and I met Mike and Allison almost two years ago at Dan and Emily’s wedding in Cancun! We hit it off with them right away and loved seeing them at parties Em and Dan held! When I saw the photos of Mike proposing at Centre Ice at ROGERS ARENA (best idea ever!! They’re HUGE Canucks fans!) I was over the moon happy for them!! When Allison first booked, she mentioned how much she LOVED sunset photos, so we stalked the weather network and were so excited to see sun in the forecast for Manning!

We drove up and it was solid cloud. Not even blue sky peeking through. Straight grey, dreary, blah cloud. Not even nice bright cloud. Not gonna lie we were both bummed. But the trees were a gorgeous vibrant yellow so we decided to make the most of it!! We explored all my favourite spots! We walked along Lightning Lake, we went out to Rainbow Bridge, and pulled over for some photos along the river!

We decided to end their shoot up at the Alpine Meadows. From down at the lake, the alpine was buried in clouds, but in the back of our minds we were hopeful it might be above the clouds, and if not foggy photos were pretty epic too! The drive up was SOOO foggy….until about 3/4 of the way up. It started to break, and then the sun poured through an opening and it lit up the forest like it was covered in sparkles. I hadn’t thought about the fact that the alpine would have frost! It hadn’t even crossed my mind! The trees were COVERED! By the time we got up to the top it was a crazy mix of sunset and fog and I’ve never been so excited! The fog lit up like it was on fire!

The drive down I am sure I drove Marco nuts (he was my chauffeur for the day!) I don’t know how many times I got him to pull over! Poor Mike and Allison, I had told them we were done, but every corner had a more epic view of the sunset!! haha I am SO glad we did it cause they turned out to be some of my favourites!

Mike and Allison, I had the ABSOLUTE best day!!! Thanks for driving up to Manning with me and braving the crazy weather and my constant pulling over haha! I can’t WAIT for your wedding this June!! :)

Love you guys :)

Jus

 

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