Christina Stirpe Photography

Happy anniversary to these two amazing people! Last year on this day it was quite rainy! Brittany’s curls fell, we were all wet and cold.....but look at how HAPPY THEY ARE.... I loved every minute of this day, and I know they did too. It wasn’t a snowy winter day that most winter brides hope for, but holy crap was it beautiful . Bravo to Britt & Mike to being two of the coolest humans. You sure know how to light up a room.

Wanna know what I’m thankful for? I’m thankful that talking about mental health is a much easier conversation than it’s been in the past. Not only do my family and friends talk to me when they need help, but I talk to them too. ... There is absolutely nothing taboo about mental health in my opinion, and I’m grateful that society has come a long way. We still have leaps and bounds to go....but it’s a great start. Mental illness can feel extremely isolating, and I want to help make sure people realize they are not alone. If mental illness has touched your lifewhether it be you, or someone you know....drop an emoji below . Let’s show everyone that we are in this together. We are never alone

Right after this special elopement, J went to give hugs to her family, and I saw this moment of grandma checking out her new ring

Chantelle & Colin were preparing for a snowy wedding day. Little did we know that we were going to be blessed with a crazy warm November day! Sometimes not postponing your wedding has its perks .... Which do you prefer? Colour or black & white!

I feel so guilty to say this.... But 2020 was a good for me . Don’t get me wrong...it was filled with disappointment, anxiety, sadness, and confusion.....but overall, it was a year with a lot of mental growth and happiness.... Honestly, it was 2019 that was a hard year for me. I struggled HARD with burnout and declining mental health. The worst I had experienced. So many bad things happened to people in 2020, which is why I’m often hesitant to say that it was a year of contentment for me. Here is a of photo from one of my favourite moments of 2020....buying our first home. tell me your favourite memory of 2020

Perks of a winter wedding: Lots of cuddles and smooches to keep warm Here are some black & white images of S & K’s winter elopement just a few weeks ago.... It was very chilly, but these two enjoyed cuddling up and keeping warm. To be honest, it’s hard to get couples to cuddle like this on VERY hot days everyone’s sweating and no one wants to be touched haha. Winter weddings are becoming more popular, and I love it Would you consider a winter wedding? or

Before & After I spend a lot of time on my images. I like when I am able to be creative when I edit....and when the creativity isn’t there, I walk away from my computer. Backstory:... While we were waiting for Colin to join us for portraits, I decided to take some photos of Chantelle. I didn’t pose her, I was just doing some tests to see if I could create something cool. When I looked at the back of my camera and saw this photo, I was like ya, no lol. Fast forward to today. I’m finishing up C & C’s beautiful gallery, and I decided to take some time to play with this image. I wanted to see if my weird experiment paid off. I can’t tell you how many adjustments I made on this photo, or how long I spent but I’m sure glad I put some love into it. If you swipe to see the before photo, you can see that it’s pretty much useless lol. But I was determined to make it into something because I could SEE it’s potential. It was there, I just had to CREATE it. If this was busy season, I wouldn’t have had the time to give this image the love it deserved. If I was being rushed by this couple, I wouldn’t have been able to bring my vision to life. Moral of the story: Art takes time. The other moral of the story: Play around with photos if you feel like it has potential. The third moral of the story: This is why photographers don’t give you RAW photos

*how to include your family in your elopement* Part One. Even though Ally & Gabe wanted to have a private elopement, they still wanted their family to be apart of their wedding day. They couldn’t have a dinner celebration any time soon because their families live internationally (and traveling is not in the cards right now ).... As a surprise to her new husband, Ally got their family and friends to write letters for them to read on their elopement day Ally & Gabe sat in nature and read all the well wishes. There were quite a few tears, and it was one of the most beautiful moments I’ve witnessed on an elopement day. So if you are wondering how to include your family without having them be present....I very much recommend this . That way everyone can be included, and you can keep the beautiful letters forever. Do you have any ideas on how to include family on your elopement day?

Two posts in a row with champagne I am obsessed with these newlyweds. I’m pretty sure they changed their date 4 times lol, and they decided to say fck it and get married at home before Christmas Give them some love.

Tomorrow is the first Monday of 2021....and you know what that means?! My 3rd annual engagement session giveaway The details are coming tomorrow, but if you know someone who was recently engaged.....be sure to let them know

Well, my 2020 wedding season has officially wrapped up....and we can all agree that it was a year no one was ready for. I put together some stats for you lol. At the beginning of the year, I had 33 weddings on my calendar. ... 15 of those were rescheduled to next year. However, I am incredibly lucky and grateful to say that I somehow still managed to shoot 28 weddings this year...even though most were shorter days without a reception. I can’t believe how well all my couples handled this horrible situation they were put in you deserve a round of applause. Some couples postponed, some went ahead with 5 guests, some went ahead with no guests. Some couples got married in their parents backyard, some couples had their venue cancel on them 6 days before their wedding (even though their wedding fit within the guidelines....). Some couples weren’t really affected because they planned to elope all along. Some couples changed venues/dates 3 or 4 times. Some couples had an intimate ceremony this year, and are having a big reception next year. Some lucky couples got married in January or February . What I’m saying is HOLY CRAP. You all were dealt a hand, and you made the most of it. I don’t think I’ve ever been so behind on emails in my entire career because I was constantly having to change details, send new contracts, have multiple phone meetings....and well, I worked hard this year (not to mention the 100+ family/portrait sessions I did....lol) So to all the couples that got married during the pandemic: I am SO happy for you. Your desire to be married mattered more than anything else, and you overcame so many obstacles. Thank YOU for trusting me to document one of the most important days of your life. I don’t take that task lightly. This year was especially important for us photographers. It was our job to document your wedding so you could show those who weren’t able to witness it themselves . We took up a space at your wedding that could’ve been used for a family member....and I am so grateful. The 2020 wedding season was HARD, but it was so so good. I got to witness many tears of happiness

Ob-f*cking-sessed with this photo. I’m not sure if others will love it as much as I do, but that’s art for ya! Drop me a comment if you approve of this image

First. Dance. Goals. Surrounded by candlelight & their closest family, Chantelle & Colin shared their first dance in their living room. It’s not what they originally imagined, but I’d like to think it was even more special. You don’t need a fancy venue or space to make this moment perfect. Now every time they walk into their living room, they are going to be reminded of this emotional moment.... Drop a if you agree that this first dance is one for the books!

*Watch with Sound* I’m embarrassed to tell you how long I worked on this video haha Enjoy some before & after of some of my fav photos using my current editing style .... https://www.instagram.com/p/CHnzfqelUW-/

Some serious elopement table goals . Now that the weather is getting cooler, eating outside is less of an option. A & PJ hosted a beautiful dinner for their family on the day they eloped....and I am obsessed with the details.... Candles are a great way to create a cozy vibe, and I am seriously obsessed with gold details right now Save this post as inspo for your next dinner party

Elopements aren’t for everybody...and neither is a traditional wedding! The way you cringe at the thought of an elopement, is the way we cringe at the thought of a wedding production. People get so judgemental when you say that you want to elope....but what about your family, don’t you care about them at all? You’re going to miss out you’ll regret it that’s selfish....but don’t worry, I have answers for you!... -you can care deeply about your family and not want them at your wedding. Your wedding is about you and your partner, and has nothing to do with your relationship with anyone else. -miss out on what? Debt? Showing off? -I promise you won’t regret getting married in a way that feels RIGHT to you...without all the extra impersonal fluff -the people who think they have a right to tell you how to get married is selfish . I am baffled when people tell me eloping is selfish. Literally how. Because someone’s going to miss out on an open bar? Lol. You are NOT selfish for wanting to get married in a way that’s most meaningful to you. Period. If you want a big wedding....hell yes, go for it! You do you. I’m here to advocate for the people who feel like they HAVE to go traditional. The people who I’m speaking to are the people who have been told the right way to get married for years...even if it’s not what they want. The people that I’m speaking to can totally relate to this post and feel it in their soul that eloping is for them. We just don’t care about having to deal with seating charts and having the biggest and best wedding. We care about freedom, authenticity, and intimacy. Drop me an AMEN if you agree

There will be a flash sale tomorrow morning at 10am for the remaining holiday session time slots Drop me a comment below if you want the deets!

I finally sent Melissa & Alex some sneak peeks from their anniversary session. It has been a BUSY couple of weeks and I wasn’t able to send them a proper teaser, and they have been SO patient (God bless them...seriously!). I couldn’t wait to get my hands on their photos because we created so much magic. I have been dying to shoot at this location for months, and I was finally able to bring my visions to life (thank you for trusting me!).... If you swipe to the last photo, you can see the reaction text I got from Melissa...and it makes me so happy. Seriously....messages like that make me feel so grateful. My fav part of her message: You have such an amazing ability at seeing every couple’s unique connection and documenting it in the most perfect and authentic way! . Literally what I strive for in one sentence. I want to document YOU. It’s important to me to capture your relationship authentically....and that’s different for each couple . Which image is your favourite out of this set?

Since adult Christina doesn’t have any costumes this year, I figured I’d post some throw backs of baby Christina A cow, a bunny (standing beside a chicken ), and Esmeralda . Now for the serious question.....what was the BEST candy to get in your bag at Halloween? I used to love Crunchie bars....not sure why they aren’t in the variety boxes anymore?!?