Kate Paterson Photography

If you cannot find me during your ceremony, that is completely on purpose.

I am usually at the back, or off to one side, or crouched somewhere slightly undignified. Not hiding exactly. Just trying very hard to stop being a person in the room.

Because the second people remember there is a photographer, something changes. Shoulders go back, someone checks their face, and the moment you actually wanted goes half a step formal.

So I go quiet. I read the room, I watch for the one who is about to cry, and I stay out of it. The photos you will love most are the ones nobody performed for.

What are you most nervous about on your day?

Abbotsford wedding photographer · candid wedding photography · Fraser Valley weddings

Your future self is begging you not to skip this.

I’ve had couples get swept up in speeches, lose track of time, or simply decide in the moment that they just did not feel like stepping away for sunset photos.

I understand that the day has been big and you just want to relax in the moment you’re in but I will always, gently, remind you that this is a moment you will love from your day and here’s why…

Sunset on your wedding day is not just a photo opportunity. It is fifteen minutes of stillness in the middle of the most overwhelming day of your life. The noise quiets down, the light is magical, and suddenly it is just the two of you, newly married, with nowhere to be and nothing to do except be completely present with each other and get lost in the romance.

The couples who do it never regret it. The ones who skip it almost always do.
Protect this part of your day. You will thank yourself for it.

Did you get your sunset photos or is this something you wish you’d done?

There’s moments on your day that doesn’t come from any kind of planing. Moments that allow you to soak up the moment because it was spontaneous. This is one of those moments.

The blinds were drawn all morning until this moment when we needed more natural light and Melissa had a quiet, first glimpse of her fiance. It was so special but as a photographer, the light was challenging.
She was indoors and underexposed and he was outdoors in the sun, over exposed. Exposing for both and working my editing magic in my cave was worth every moment.

The best kind of moments on a wedding day are the unplanned ones and the ones that most couples don’t even see 🤍

Do you have one of these moments?

By the time the sun start dropping beyond the horizon, you’ll have been married for a few hours and you’ll want to soak up the magic of the day. The last 20 minutes of light is the most magical of the day. The light is soft and dreamy and spending this time with your partner, so one watching just getting lost in the romance of the day is the most special of your day.

This is one of the most incredible parts to an intimate elopement, you get this magical moment without the pressures of a big wedding day. Protecting the magnitude of these moments together will be something you’ll forever reflect on.

How much do you love golden hour?

Fraser Valley elopement photographer
golden hour elopement
BC elopement photographer

Hair & Makeup SYDNIE | BRIDAL MAKEUP ARTIST
Florals Sophia - Floral Art | Events | Education
Location Fairmont Hotel Vancouver ARC | Sachin Khona - Experiences & Education for Photographers
Jewelry Liz Cameron

The small moments I’m always watching for on your wedding day that will be the cherished moments of your photo gallery

His mom watching his reaction as he watches you walking down the isle
Your groom watching you with adoration during your vows
The joy on your guests faces
The emotions of your bridal party
The quiet, shared look when you realize that your now “officially” husband and wife
His impromptu spin on the dance floor
Your moms joy
The happiness of the wedding day
The emotional speeches, especially when your Dad gets all choked up during his
The big and little celebrations
And even your boys... being boys

These small in between moments are not the planned ones. These are the little, easily missed moments, that truly shape the entire experience of re-living your day. These are the moments that you can share one day with your future children who you will one day watch saying their own vows.

Which moment would you want captured the most?

Abbotsford wedding photographer
Fraser Valley wedding photographer
Abbotsford elopement photographer
Fraser Valley elopement photographer
candid wedding photography

🌺 Melissa 🌺  Parker Halliwell
Private venue
Day of Coordinator: Amy
Officiant: The Rev Collective
Catering: Casalinga Food & Catering Company
Florals: DancingFlorista Wedding and Event Florist
Makeup: Emilie Dunn | Vancouver Makeup Artist
Hair: Tousled Hair & co | Blondes + Extensions
DJ: We Know Music DJ Services
Dress Designer: MWL Bride
Dress Boutique: Everly Bridal
Mens Attire: Moores Clothing
Rings: Spence Diamonds | Engagement Rings

Nobody warned me that doing what you love would look like this.

It really is though.

I get to spend my days chasing golden light, watching people fall even more in love in front of my lens, and holding onto moments that would otherwise just disappear.

The nervous energy before the ceremony. The way a couple softens the second they stop thinking about the camera. The first time a family sees their gallery and it hits them that their kids really were that little.

I did not get into this work for the aesthetic. I got into it because moments matter and someone has to care enough to hold onto them properly.

If you love what you do even half as much as this, you already know there is nothing quite like it.

And if you are looking for a photographer who is genuinely this obsessed with her work, the link is in my bio.

That is the whole magic of it.

The moment you whispered something that made them laugh. The way you reached for each other without thinking. The look you gave when you thought nobody was watching.

Those are the images that make you stop scrolling through your gallery and just sit with it for a minute.

Not because they are perfectly posed. Because they are perfectly real.
That is what I am always chasing. The moments you lived, not the ones you performed.

If a couples session has been on your mind, the link is in my bio. Let’s make something that feels like you. 🤍

If you are worried about not knowing what to do in front of the camera, I need you to watch this.

I will guide you through every single moment. Sometimes with gentle direction. Sometimes with hand gestures. And apparently sometimes with full clapping and audible cheering when you can’t physically get any closer together haha.

Whatever it takes.

The couples who come in the most nervous always leave saying it was the most fun they have had. Because it genuinely is.

There is no stiff posing, no awkward standing around waiting to be told what to do. Just me, slightly unhinged, very enthusiastic, and completely committed to making you look and feel incredible.

Nervous in front of cameras? Same honestly. But we will figure it out together. 🤍

Are you a natural in front of the camera or does the idea make you want to hide behind your partner?

Thirty minutes at the start of your wedding day will change your entire gallery
Before the morning gets moving, before everyone arrives, before the emotion of it all takes over, there is a quiet window that most couples do not know to protect. And it is the one I always ask for.

Your vow books. Your rings side by side. The earrings you searched for longer than you would like to admit. The invitation you agonized over. The perfume bottle your mom gave you. Your shoes. Every single detail that represents a decision you made with intention.

These things deserve unhurried, beautiful light and the time to be photographed properly. Not grabbed between moments but laid out and given the attention they earned.

Thirty minutes. That is all it takes. And the images you get back from that window are some of the most treasured in the entire gallery.

If you are currently planning your day and building your timeline, add this in at the very beginning before getting ready kicks off. You will not regret it.

Save this for planning and send me a message through the link in bio if you are still looking for your photographer. 2026 has limited availability and 2027 is open. 🤍🌿

What detail from your wedding day, or your planning process right now, are you most excited to have captured?