Gastown Engagement Photos | Stella and Leon’s Tips for Brides

I absolutely loved shooting these engagement photos in Gastown. I had the honor of being the professional third-wheel on this little date in historic downtown Vancouver. Stella and Leon and I met at a quaint coffee shop for breakfast. Here I witnessed some of those small everyday moments spent with your lover that are worth remembering. After that, we went for a stroll around the neighborhood. Together, with much-needed patience, we waited for the tourists to finish taking their photos at the iconic steam clock so that we can have a few of our own. And chatting, we moved on to other parts of the city, getting to know each other a little better while I had the honor to capture sweeter and sweeter moments for them.

When I first talked to Stella over the phone, I knew immediately that not only is she a sweetheart, she’s also very articulate and insightful. So for this blog post, I decided to ask her a few questions regarding her current experience as a bride-to-be that may hopefully be helpful.

So here are some great tips from one of my brides to you, my future, engaged couples ;)!

1. Why did you choose to have engagement photos in Downtown Vancouver’s Gastown?

We wanted to choose a location that felt authentic to us. Gastown is a place we frequent a lot, as a couple and with friends. We love the architectural qualities and the delicious food that this neighborhood has to offer. As beautiful as nature-focused engagement shoots are, Leon and I are pretty much exclusively city folk. We always opt for concrete jungle over greenery and mountains. The two of us also really appreciate the more vintage aesthetic so we felt like Gastown was a great place to capture that blend of bustling downtown and historical charm. This was also more on the theme for our wedding in general. We really wanted to stray away from any aesthetics that are too modern and focus on vintage glam and romance. Think Gatsby meets old Shanghai!

2. Why do you want to get engagement photos done?

I love engagement photos that are candid and casual. I think they do a better job of capturing the organic chemistry of emotions and love between a couple. The glitz and glam of the wedding photos are so romantic and I can’t wait to put on my custom dress and take a ton of them! However, I’ve always envisioned my engagement photos to reflect who my partner and I are on a daily basis. It allows us to showcase the things we enjoy in our everyday lives. The seemingly mundane or pedestrian activities captured in our engagement photos remind me of how we fell in love and how we continue to love each other beyond the glamour.

3. What are some things in general that you have found to have enhanced your relationship?

Space together and apart. Leon and I both value the time we spend together. We try to make an effort to really be present for each other when we are physically together. However, I think the reason why we value this time so much is that we also give each other our own personal spaces and time. We both work full-time on very different schedules so we don’t have many days where our days off align. We also both have our respective hobbies, interests, and friend groups that we see independently.

I think we have grown so much together but we also value the importance of keeping the various parts of our lives to ourselves. It keeps our time together fresh and exciting. Also, it’s great to know that we trust each other to grow in contexts outside of our relationship. It allows us to be our best selves both as individuals and as a couple.

4. What are some advice you have for newly engaged couples planning their wedding so far?

Stay organized. My wedding planning binder has been my anchor in keeping everything in the right place. I’ve also created a folder in my email so I can catalog and keep track of all the emails regarding the wedding because there will be tons!

I would also suggest having multiple options and keeping an open-mind about decisions. There will be venues and decor options that may look great online but those sparks may not fly when you see it in person so do make an absolute effort to see everything in person before you book anything! There will be tons of decisions to make and sometimes you will be asked to make them quickly. I would definitely suggest hiring a wedding planner, even if it is part-time. They will be able to help you create checklists and timelines of things you need to do before and during your wedding. I am quite an organized person but I could never imagine having to do this without my wedding planner!

Stella and Leon, I loved capturing your engagement photos in Gastown! I absolutely cannot wait to see you two tie the knot on your wedding day at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver next year! I already have your forecast: it’s going to be extremely awesome!

See the design of their engagement album from this session!

Gastown Engagement Photos

The clock was pretty steamy that day! We waited for quite a while just to get a shot. Some behind-the-scenes that are hidden from view: crowds of tourists, moving vehicles, a man sitting on a bench with his backpack, and other bags on the ground (blocked him out with Stella and Leon haha). I think other than having patience, some magic indeed happened where all of these… disappeared. Disclaimer: can’t guarantee it every time ;).