Monika Dechene

Seductive Lady A

Monika — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:08:03 +0000

This is all you get of the amazingly seductive Lady A.

Vanessa & Marwan: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (PT 3)

Monika — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:39:14 +0000

The final installment of photographs from Nessa’s and Marwan’s magnificent wedding highlights their great reception! There was dining. There was dancing (I think someone caught me stealing a few steps with the bride no less!). And, heavens, was there smiling! It was a pure celebration of love, of family, and of friends.

Congratulations Nessa and Marwan. It was an honour to have been a part of your day.

Here is to your forever and a day!

Vanessa & Marwan: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Pt 2)

Monika — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:21:22 +0000

Part 2 of Nessa’s and Marwan’s wedding highlights their ceremony and the wonderful time we had visiting several different sights around Milwaukee. The ceremony itself was touching and perfect. Nessa’s grandfather participated in the ceremony, leading Marwan and Nessa through their vows and their ring exchange. Marwan was absolutely adorable and relit Nessa’s candle during the unity candle lighting. Nessa planned several hours for portraits, which was great as it gave us a chance to catch up while we had some fun. As if that wasn’t enough, we were even able to visit our old college campus, Marquette University, and take a few shots in front of the Joan of Arc Chapel.

What fun! The bonus? The fun just explodes during the reception, so be sure to check back for final installment of photographs from Nessa’s and Marwan’s wedding.

Vanessa & Marwan: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Pt 1)

Monika — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:08:49 +0000

Do you know those cute old couples who sit, hand in hand, on a park bench as they people watch and smile as if they’re sharing a secret between them? Whenever I see them, I always imagine they’re reliving their life together – all the laughter, tears, hugs and kisses, smiles. All of it, contained in this absolutely perfect moment in their lives when their memories culminates to quietly sitting on this park bench, hand in hand. As I spent the day with Nessa and Marwan, that was all I could see – these two wonderful people with such a warm passion and love between them. There were knowing glances, quirky smiles, and passionate embraces. I love photographing couples so much in love because the world brightens in their presence, and such was the case with Nessa and Marwan.

Because I was able to spend the entire day with Nessa and Marwan, I’ll be sharing their event in several posts. We start with the pre-ceremony fun!

Teaser: Vanessa & Marwan

Monika — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:15:50 +0000

I adore what I do. I love being there to capture one of the most magnificently memorable moments (woo for alliteration!) in people’s lives. Every wedding I photograph means a lot to me, but this wedding touched my heart a little differently. I met Vanessa when I was a young little freshman at university. She became one of my good friends, and her friendship is something I very much cherish. So, when she asked me to photograph her wedding, I’m pretty sure someone had to hold me down from jumping up and down with pure excitement. On Saturday, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing Vanessa and Marwan on their special day. They are such a great couple, and there was no limit to the fun we had. It was a full day, complete with witty conversations, funny faces, and amazing dances. I think I spent a good two hours looking at the photographs from their wedding, trying desperately to pick only a few of my favourites for this teaser. Every couple of photographs, I would just burst out laughing as I remembered what caused a particular expression. I simply cannot wait to share Vanessa’s and Marwan’s wedding day photographs.

Shine-y!

Monika — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:34:18 +0000

I swear it’s not product placement. I’m just incredibly in love with this photograph. And! It just happened to be an Apple laptop. You can’t blame a photographer for loving the sleek and stylish look of Apple laptops. I mean, seriously. You just can’t. So in honour of my other Apple loving friends (Applenites? Someone help me out here!), here’s one of my favourite shots from Jessica’s and Rick’s wedding. Dj Mark’s, of Joe Bunn DJ Company, Apple loptop. Cannot wait until I get one of these bad boys.

DJ Mark's Apple

Micah & Brian: Mary’s Hope at Church Cove (Pt 2)

Monika — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 03:30:29 +0000

As there were way too many photographs to share in one sitting, here’s part 2 of their beautifully joyful and meaningful day. I had such an amazing time with Micah and Brian and their families. Congratulations Micah and Brian! It was an absolute joy photographing your wedding and meeting everyone who means so much to you. Here’s to your forever and a day!

Micah & Brian: Mary’s Hope at Church Cove (Pt 1)

Monika — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:13:53 +0000

It was an absolute delight photographing Micah and Brian on their special day. I was first approached by Jessica, Micah’s older sister, to be Micah’s photographer. Jessica, being the amazingly loving and sneaky older sibling, played wedding planner without Micah’s knowing. In fact, Jessica had created a business name by combining her middle name, her husband’s middle name, and their last name. Despite all these little subtle clues, Micah never figured it out! Whenever I sent correspondences to Micah via Jessica, I would address it to the wedding planner. Yes, I was in on the little white lie, and heavens was it fun to play along! When Micah recounted the story to me, she had the biggest smile on her face and Jessica beamed. You know you’re just going to have a ton of fun when a family showers each other with this much love.

From the moment I walked into the salon to start my day with Micah and her family, I knew it was going to be an amazing day. Instantly there were smiles and laughter and funny faces. There was quirky dancing and random hugs. Micah and Brian are so in love, and every single photograph between them just glowed with that affection. It was a great honour to be part of their day. There are just way too many photographs to share in one sitting, so here’s part 1 of their day!

Teaser: Jessica & Rick

Monika — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 01:44:49 +0000

Saturday was a great day, and despite the threat of rain, the sun decided to make an appearance for Jessica’s and Rick’s wedding. It was a great time photographing Jessica and Rick and their loving family and friends. There was an endless supply of laughter. Everything was beautiful – from an outdoor wedding to an intimate barn-setting reception. The details and personal touches were amazing! Congratulations to you Jessica and Rick, and I can’t wait to share the rest of your amazing day!

Teaser: Micah and Brian

Monika — Sun, 23 May 2010 05:13:02 +0000

I had a wonderful time in Maryland today! Photographing Micah and Brian was a great way to start my summer, and I can’t wait to share their day with all of you! Their wedding was absolutely perfect, complete with beautiful skies and loving family and friends. Micah and Brian have so much spunk! My camera absolutely adored them. Whenever they looked at each other, they gushed over with love and passion. It was an inspiration and a gift to watch them interact with each other. Seriously guys, I am just having way too much fun going through their photographs right now!