Posts Tagged: Blowing Rock Engagement
Ashley & Oscar engagement photos | 2 backgrounds, 1 God
There were years (in the many hundreds) when people married young. Maybe your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents did. No one thought anything about it and I’m not prepared to give a history lesson about why it worked or didn’t. Young brides and grooms, older brides and grooms…. we ALWAYS cheer for a strong marriage that lasts until Al Roker is talking about it on the Today Show.
These 2 below, Violet and Floyd, were married for 67 years. They were married young, were 21 and 22 in this photo, and in 2015, they passed away holding hands with their hospice beds pushed together. 67 years and together right until the last moment.
Who knows why some young marriages work and last, producing thriving families, smartypants kids, and reels and reels of memories? But they do. When we hear, “but they’re SO YOUNG,” as we have in our tenure as wedding photographers, we think, “but what if what they have is the big “IT?” We believe Ashley & Oscar have it. They are young, yes, but they have the depth, gravitas, self-awareness and sense of longevity – and they displayed it during our photo session.
They have “it” and IT is a shared belief in Christ and each other.
Ashley and Oscar met when her church took a trip to Mexico. When Oscar returned to school in the states, they started spending more time together and realized their similar dreams and feelings. Ryan and I have known them for a while. Oscar and Ashley’s brother Daniel were models for us during a prom shoot a few years ago. The Caudill’s have supported Pixels On Paper Photography and we’ve always appreciated their love and care for us. Now we get to return the favor as documentarians and friends.
I’ve never been around a couple, even twice their age, who were more grounded in faith, family and tradition. Ashley will finish the last of both her high school and college courses in December and then they will be married in NC. A honeymoon in Mexico is planned and Ashley will finally be able to meet all of Oscar’s family. We’re excited about the stories to come of how these families will blend into one and write their own new story with Him at the center. We couldn’t be more hopeful or proud or happy for them.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or NC high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio as well as the surrounding areas. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms. Contact us to schedule your portrait or wedding photography.
Jessica & Jason’s Linville NC Engagement Portraits
Robert Frost wrote that “anything more than the truth would be too much.” So how do you describe what you hope for when you tie your life to someone else’s? When we asked couple Jessica Reinhardt and Jason Clinton about what they were looking forward to on their wedding day, they told us, “That everything will change and nothing will change. We just want to be married. As long as we both are there, that is all that matters.”
These two were so much fun to work with because that “truth” of who they are elbowed to the front of the line no matter what we were talking about or doing during their engagement photo shoot in late spring of this year. While they love to hike regularly in Newland, NC, we wanted to capture their portraits in a spot that is as expansive and honest in its beauty as they are in their own skins. Speaking of hiking, Jessica can rock a pair of 3″ heels while he’s just fine in Wranglers and boots. A little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll??? Check! They told us that they didn’t want to look back at their photos and think, “this ISN’T who WE are.” 
The views in this special spot went for miles, with a gorge beneath, rock outcroppings scattered here and there and a lush forest with stone paths and stairs to climb. We had so much fun watching them together. When they get married this month in Rock Hill, we know that their wedding is going to be amazing and a showcase of that simple authenticity and cool that they brought with them during our day capturing them in the mountains.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden.Pixels on Paper photographs babies and kids, engagements and weddings, brides and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
a blowing rock engagement portrait session ……. with Dr. Who
“There’s a lot of things you need to get across this universe.
Warp drive… wormhole refractors…
You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold.”
— The Doctor, Season 6, Episode 6 of Dr. Who
These two are die hard fans of Dr. Who. “Who? Precisely.” No kidding, their wedding color is Dr. Who blue.
Meet Kyle and Elizabeth. They are gamers and voracious readers. They love Disney and are easily one of the most interesting couples we’ve ever photographed. And interesting isn’t a euphemism for “we don’t understand them.” We do understand them. They are singular and share the same interests, goals and loves and they are…..in love. What’s fun, as an “old married couple” who still adore each other, is knowing that what’s ahead for them is going to be the ride of their lives, starting with their March 2016 wedding and WE. CANNOT. WAIT.
“You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world!” — The Doctor, Season 2, Episode 2
But let’s set the stage. They met while both were employed at Gamestop in Boone, NC and after realizing how much fun they had working together, they also realized how much they had in common….. which led to wanting to be together all the time …. which led to the biggest epiphany: “We are an US.” It was only a matter of time. They both love games, as I mentioned, they have favorite books and authors they’re devoted to. [To wit: Elizabeth has multiple copies of Black Beauty and couldn’t decide which edition to use for our photo session.] In fact, while shooting the photos of them with their favorite books, we feel confident that they weren’t posing for us – they were actually reading. Each wedding party member was asked to name their favorite book of all time and pages of those books will create the bouquets and boutonnieres for the wedding day. How incredibly cool is that? We got a sneak peek of a bouquet during Elizabeth’s bridal portrait session and let’s just say, it’s amazing!
“I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams.” — The Doctor, Season 6, Episode 6
The details for their March wedding don’t just encompass the things they share as a couple with their friends, but also include family heirlooms and traditions. Elizabeth will be carrying a small silver purse and locket when she walks down the aisle and will wear pearls just as her mother did at her wedding. Kyle’s family has a tradition of dancing as married couples from oldest to youngest and then sharing wisdom during the reception. It’s a nice mix of old and new that is going to make this wedding – and marriage – work.
“Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It’s not the time that matters, it’s the person.” — The Doctor, Season 3, Episode 6
Harry Potter and Dr. Who scarves made an appearance in photos and these two were naturally candid in front of the camera and totally into one another. Kyle loves photography and not until the end of the day did we know that he came to the session with lots of photo-related concerns and thoughts in mind. At the end of our session he told us that we had taken care of everything and fulfilled all his ideas even better than he had envisioned. It’s a great feeling to know that we’re intuiting before we set up the first shot and it’s why we spend so much time getting to know our clients. We always ask tons of non-photography related questions for this very reason, and the answers allow us to create images that are personal and truly reflect our subjects.
“We’re all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?” — The Doctor, Season 5, Episode 13
Like the good Doctor, we too are hopers of far-flung hopes, but before we get too far down the road, let’s celebrate the now. We’re excited about the wedding and reception of Elizabeth and Kyle, with the bouquets of sonnets, board and electronic games at the reception, emblems of their beloved interests and family mementos – it should be a wild and beautiful ride.
“When you’re a kid, they tell you it’s all… Grow up, get a job, get married, get a house, have a kid, and that’s it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It’s so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better.”
— Elton Pope, Dr. Who, Season 2, Episode 10.
engagement photos …. outdoors, after the wedding (not kidding) and utterly magical
Elisabeth and Isaac, so far at least, enjoy taking a timeline and then completely turning it on its ear if not hitting the Jettison Button altogether. Let’s recap. They moved their wedding up by more than a year because they wanted to buy a house. None of this first apartment, “ramen noodle days” stuff for them. No time for bridal portraits, engagement photos or anything before their June wedding, which was a stunner, by the way. It was at Tanglewood Park, and the bride was gorgeous, the groom handsome and they were surrounded by joyous friends and family. (Oh! And killer shoes/booties on the bride…..). So, we took the engagement and bridal portraits after the wedding. We’re starting with the engagement photos!
We ended their wedding blog with “your wedding was magic” and honestly, so was the engagement portrait session. We met up with them on a trail in Blowing Rock. Isaac is outdoorsy and Elisabeth went to Appalachian State University, so this was a perfect spot. It was a cold but clear day when we got there, I turned to Ryan and said, “I have a vision, but it’s going to take more light.” He said, “lead the way.” When the couple arrived (and I should say, they feel like old friends now, having bonded with them while shooting their wedding), I said “I know it looks dead, but trust me,” and they said “we already do.” And just like that it was magical. I actually posted about this on Facebook because I was so completely jazzed.
The fact that I can describe what I see as the final product to Ryan and together we can make it happen is still the most amazing feeling. We’re a team in so many ways and without the other this just wouldn’t be possible. PLUS, we have clients like Elisabeth and Isaac who will happily step into the middle of a bunch of dead trees that look drab and dull without any hesitation. WOW!
There was another incredibly tender and magic moment during this shoot that we didn’t anticipate at all. Elisabeth and Isaac told us that they had hoped to write their own wedding vows, but with the wedding sped up it just didn’t happen. All the other planning and details of the wedding ate up their time, so they ended up going with traditional vows. In preparing for their after engagement session, they decided to write their wedding vows and asked us to photograph them as they read them to each other for the first time. This was an enormous “whoa!” How beautiful to think of doing this and what a blessing for us to be there not only to take pictures but to bear witness! We found a picturesque setting that was private and romantic, set up a light, put on a zoom lens and then stepped way back, even out of ear shot. As they had their private moment we snapped away. I teared up during those minutes realizing how incredibly special this time was to them and honestly, I’m tearing up again thinking about it. Because of this and so many other reasons we can’t help but feel a special connection with this couple.
blowing rock nc engagement by pixels on paper photography
We want to get to know our clients and the best way to do that is during an engagement portrait session. Lucky for us we already knew Chris and Jess who are getting married in Charlotte NC in May. But getting to spend the day with them in a place like Blowing Rock NC, a place that holds a lot of fond memories for Chris as a graduate of Appalachian State University, is the icing on the cake. Listening to Chris tell stories of his college adventures and share his love of the mountains which is already becoming a love for Jess too is precious time that will only make our job that much easier and fun on their wedding day. We think these photos from their engagement session gives you a sneak peek into their personalities. Take a look.
Interested in learning more about Pixels On Paper wedding photography? View our website at www.pixelsonpaper.net or call to schedule a visit to our portrait studio in the NC Yadkin Valley in Wilkesboro.