Manuela Stefan Toronto Wedding Photographer | Manuela Stefan Toronto Baby Photographer » Trash the dress

Trash the dress with Mona in Punta Cana

Manuela Stefan — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:55:43 +0000

The very first person who knew about the potential chosen spot for Mona and Emon’s post wedding photo adventure was my dad. This past December I was back home in Romania. One relaxed evening we were sitting beside each other, him doing his Sudoku and myself researching cool spots in the Punta Cana area. This is how I discovered Altos de Chavon. I showed my dad photos of it and he said to me: I really hope you make it there, it looks breathtaking! I brought the idea up with Mona and Emon while being a bit nervous about it. Because I knew it would take time and effort to get there especially the day after their wedding. I can’t say how excited I was when they decided to go for it! I knew this was going to be a memorable journey. Altos de Chavon is a replica of a Mediterranean village, built on a cliff and looking down to the Chavon river. To those interested, this is a private property and one has to pay quite a lot to get to take photos. We did not know how much until we got to the gate! The journey to this dreamy place was also rich in surprises as we got to stop in a sugar cane field, by typical Dominican homes and last but not least, we caught an unbelievable sunset which Mona and Emon got to enjoy while stepping into the ocean.
The images below are a colourful record of our adventures that day. One thing I love about editing the photos I take is that, while looking at each one of them, I get transported back and relive each single second.

Mona and Emon, I know how tired you were that morning when we started our journey, therefore thank you for being willing to go for it!
I trust you will look at these images and smile to yourselves while recalling many of those great moments we had together. Hugs, Manuela

Trash the dress in Los Cabos, Mexico

Manuela Stefan — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:00:59 +0000

After a splendid wedding day at the Riu Palace, Reyhaneh and Will decided to continue their adventures with a ‘trash the dress’ photo shoot. But the photo taking was just a part of the journey the three of us have embarked on that day. We made a first stop in Cabo San Lucas, the little town just 10 minutes away from the resort. What I recall as a dominant feeling throughout the day was our willingness to live through things as they came. Not a lot of planning ahead, with just a general time frame guiding us, welcoming each moment as it presented itself, we soon found ourselves floating away in a little boat taking us to the Lovers’ Beach, our next stop. I guess our Mexican friend somehow managed to tap into the way we were that day, so he decided to give us a little ‘tour’ before dropping us off on the beach. We drove around on choppy waters, getting extremely close to birds and sea lions, smelling the ocean, feeling slightly frightened at times but being immediately comforted by the calm on our Mexican friend’s face. Once on the beach, I felt it was really hard to take all that unusual beauty in. We needed a while to get over the initial amazement which literally left us speechless. The images below are just glimpses into the wild pure beauty of the place. Even though the surroundings were absolutely stunning, I am certain the photos would have not turned out the same if it wasn’t for the way Reyhaneh and Will are. Simply put, a dream to be around and photograph.

After a couple of hours spent on the beach, our friend came to pick us up and offered to drive us back to the resort in his boat. The tide was really high though and I recall one moment when, still in the boat and literally on top of a massive wave, I looked down at the shore and thought: we are stranded. We had to find another more calm spot and rush out of the little water taxi the moment it was pushed close to the beach for one fraction of a second. Once all safe on the shore, we watched the boat driving away and I still recall Reyhaneh’s words: ‘this feels like a movie: the boat vanishing into the sunset’…

Indeed, it all seems like a dream now. Yet, there are clear proofs of the fact that we have been there. Every time I look at the photos we took my heart fills up with joy and gratitude. Thank you again dear friends!

A cool ‘trash the dress’ shoot in Mexico, Grand Sunset Princess

Manuela Stefan — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:24:24 +0000

It took me a bit too long to post these beautiful photos of Annie and Daryl taken after their wedding celebrations at the amazing Grand Sunset Princess resort, Mexico (to see their wedding blog please click here). I had such a blast with the two of them, walking around the wonderful resort and stopping whenever we stumbled upon interesting corners. Needless to say we ended up by the ocean’s shore and of course, we had to go into the water. The two of them were so good putting up with the splashing waves and getting salty water into their eyes. Not only I got sand in my camera, but Annie left the beach with her dress in a heavy bundle of water and sand. Good news is the dress survived the experience, so did we. The result of our amazing time together is the great collection of images below. Don’t they look like super models?

Dear friends, thank you again for offering me such an incredible, fun loaded week!

A creative photo shoot on frozen lake Rosseau, Muskoka

Manuela Stefan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:24:35 +0000

I love going on mini trips! Winter can sometimes get grey and dry in the city and it only takes a couple of hours of driving for the scenery to change completely, for the snow to be abundant, for the spirit to get comforted at the sight of hills and forests all covered in white. My friend Cheryl and I went up North to Muskoka for a weekend. Almost jokingly and because I really wanted to do a creative winter shoot, I asked her if she would bring her wedding dress along. I was thrilled when she agreed, so all of a sudden my mind started spinning with detailed visions. I wanted to incorporate some colour against the white and of course, red came first (I am sure this is already not very surprising!!). In spite of the super low temperatures (lake Rosseau was snowboarders’ playground!!), Cheryl was amazingly cool and such a good sport, sometimes shivering badly but still being super brave for almost 45 minutes (I am not sure I could have done this!). I hope she will find the images below rewarding enough for her patience with this one demanding friend she has

Thank you Cheryl for such a super fun and inspiring weekend!

Trash the dress with Heather

Manuela Stefan — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:19:41 +0000

Heather and Christian got married last year in August. I have thoroughly enjoyed being there on their day.

It was to my nice surprise that almost one year later Christian contacted me thinking to surprise Heather for their first anniversary by offering her a ‘trash the dress’ session with me. He knew his wife would be absolutely thrilled to wear her gorgeous dress again.

So here I went to Barrie on an amazingly beautiful September day. We had, again, a lot of fun together. Heather looked stunning, she was so playful and daring, she ended up going into the water all the way! I feel blessed for this great opportunity that allowed me to fully express my creative vision while getting to work again with this very special couple!

I have to say a big Thank You to Christian who has organized it all and even brought a canoe. He was so very patient and helpful throughout the shoot, making sure his wife was comfy and having a lot of fun!

In case you are wondering, the dress is doing just fine, it did not suffer any injuries in the process and I am very happy about this part. I am all for ‘mild’ such sessions, following which the bride gets to still enjoy the intact beauty of her cherished gown.

Big hug to you guys and we shall see you soon!