Posts Tagged: Boone Wedding Photographers
blowing rock outdoor wedding includes a mustang, a singing pastor and NO RAIN!
Rain is the bane of anyone planning, attending, photographing or getting married at an outdoor venue. But the sun shined for the Clampett’s wedding day. After 11 years of commitment and love (and frankly being too busy), these two turned to each other said, it’s time! So we were called in and then…… rain. Several portrait sessions with the bride were rescheduled due to rain and the engagement portraits ended up being shot after the bridal portraits, but we prayed that Sarah and Danny would have a rain free wedding day and, sure enough, they sealed the deal at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock NC on May 31st in perfect weather.
Most of us have heard of the union candle ceremony, where the bride and groom each light their separate candles and the pair then lights a candle that represents their union. Well it has been updated in the form of the sand box ceremony. The bride adds her sand, the husband his and it’s grounded with a third portion of sand that signifies the presence and their trust in God. This was Sarah and Danny’s choice and it was truly beautiful. The officiant is not only a friend of theirs and a pastor, but he also sang and read a poem that he wrote.
Sarah and Danny embraced many of traditional elements for their photos: the bride with her bridesmaids, groom and groomsmen, their rings, Sarah’s first dance with her dad and the send off. All were just perfect and after being together for 11 years and not worried about planning so much, these two weathered the storms (yuk, yuk) and had a gorgeous wedding and reception.
Danny collects Mustangs and told us that choosing which one to bring to the wedding was harder than choosing his wedding wardrobe. He chose the right vest (we’re pretty sure Sarah played a hand), the right get-away car and the right girl.
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
– Langston Hughes
Like with all the other sessions we had with them, Sarah of course worried about rain on the wedding day, but it held out until just after the guests left the reception.
And then …. wait for it ……..it started to pour! <insert big smile here>
engagement photos for a couple heading into their second (destined) marriage
What once was lost, now is found.
Andy wasn’t lost, but finding Amber was akin to finding his other half. We know – it’s a cliché, but it’s true. People who belong together become family almost immediately and family is like that. We drag each other to the center, we raise each other’s game and we find ourselves wanting to be our best selves when we’re with the loves of our lives.
Their story is very near and dear to us, as Andy is actually a member of our family (first cousin). We photographed them in a casual mountain setting just down the road from where we cousins played growing up. Talk about a labor of pure love.
This is a second marriage for these two. After their first marriages ended, they were introduced and found that they were perfect for each other, ready for a new chapter and wanted to head into it arm and arm….. and arm! Andy has a daughter, Ashlyn, who loves her step-mom-to-be and Amber treats her soon-to-be stepdaughter like her own child. It’s beautiful to see and important to celebrate, we think. Sometimes first marriages don’t end the way that we want, but second marriages are a rebirth and a sign that hope not only exists, it triumphs. These two are proof of that. We loved that Ashlyn wanted to be a part of the photo session and is such an important piece, and focus, of their newly joined lives. She’s already benefitting from their union.
We photographed Andy and Amber’s wedding on August 1st and it was beautiful. You’ll see the results soon! Meanwhile, are you getting REmarried or know someone who is? Contact us! Love prevails, people, in all of its forms!
outside bridal portraits in blowing rock, nc on a rainy day and #wemadeithappen
We never know what we’re going to be up against when a portrait session is scheduled outside – whether it’s on a location or at our own outdoor studio in Wilkesboro, NC. After Sarah and her fiancé Danny’s engagement photos were rained out and rescheduled TWICE, we moved up the bridal shoot so it ended up happening before their engagement session. Not our usual order, but we will not be defeated by weather! We took the postal service pledge when we got into this business, so it takes a lot to make us say no.
Thank goodness, Sarah is as spunky and nimble as we are.
Sarah had her hair styled near her home in Bessemer City, NC and then made the drive to Blowing Rock, NC for the session. It is a beautiful spot and where the couple got married a month later, but on this day – wait for it – it rained. Again. In between showers, we carried the dress and veil and ran to the cars, waited for it to stop and then jumped out and did it all over again. It was memorable to say the least and honestly more fun than we expected. And Sarah is so beautiful. Her gown, her flowing locks, she was part princess, part mermaid, part woodland fairy and all bride.
One of the other reasons this session was memorable and fun was that her father, a retired military officer of 30+ years, and sister came with her to the property in Blowing Rock. They were a perfect addition to the day. Dad decided to come when he heard that 2 of his 4 daughters were driving that distance for the shoot and he wanted to follow them home to make sure they made it. Don’t you love this guy? Big and mighty, but a tender father of 4 girls who are all “Daddy’s Girl.” He carried the veil, the bouquet and even held our lights against the wind.
It takes a village sometimes to create a bridal shoot, but this one had the right crew and a happy ending. Stay tuned to see the engagement and wedding photos for Sarah and Daniel. We cannot wait to share.
engagement photos from a first date …… sorta
Last October, Pixels participated in the Pumpkin Patch (I’ll pause here so you can wipe the spittle off of your face). The Pumpkin Patch was designed and hosted by the Midtown Garden Market in North Wilkesboro, NC and we loved being a part of its inaugural year. At our photo booth, we were able to see former and current clients and met new ones. Jamie Goforth and Daniel Harrison were two new people we met and we took a pic of them that included Daniel’s young son. We loved them immediately! 5 months later, we saw them again at the Wilkes Wedding Expo and after chatting, it sealed our desire to work with them and them with us to capture their engagement photos.
Jamie and Daniel met in middle school, but found each other again many years later. Their first date was fueled by nerves that led to Jamie spilling a drink (a story they now tell through laughter) and they reminded us of us. [QUICK DIGRESSION: When Ryan and I first started dating, we went to The Landmark – still our favorite diner in Charlotte, NC – and the ketchup bottle exploded as I was doctoring my fries and I basically baptized myself with ketchup. You never know when a moment of mortification is going to be a story for your grandkids. Take that to heart, gang!]
Anyway, …. after that first date, there was a time of chasing and distance and then their paths crossed and they decided to go out again. What truly cemented it though was a trip to Asheville, NC and where they stayed at the famous Grove Park Inn.
At Grove Park, it was Daniel’s turn to spill a drink all over himself, Jamie, the waiter and the people next to them. Just kidding.
This is where they fell in looooove.
They sat out on that awesome porch, nay, veranda and Jamie played songs from her phone and they talked well into the night. At one point, they started dancing and it began to pour rain. Jamie said, “it was my kind of perfect.”
Shooting their engagement portraits where they had their first date – The Cody Creek Depot – was a blast.
When we asked them what they were looking forward to most on their wedding day (in Roaring Gap, NC in October of this year) they – these two are seriously cute – both said first seeing each other when Jamie comes down the aisle.
Grounded by their faith, their supportive families and each other, the pair has way more than a good shot at a golden anniversary someday.
In the meantime, they are dreaming about their next trip to the Grove Park Inn.
renewal wedding photography ~ it’s about “again” and “more” and “us” ~ photographing the next chapter of a marriage
20 years ago, Kelly and Chris Shumate became a couple. They eventually created a new life as husband and wife: Kelly started a new business – Bridal Traditions – and they lived happily ever after.
And scene.
Actually, there’s more. 20 years more and they did live happily, but as their wedding anniversary approached, Kelly decided that she wanted the photos that they never had when they first tied the knot. She contacted us to take them, since she now wanted the more artistic style that wasn’t an option on their wedding day. We were happy to help them commemorate and really celebrate. And Kelly – who’s in the bridal business – had a very specific vision.
Part of what made this shoot fun for us, other than the fact that they were celebrating a momentous wedding anniversary, was the theme. Kelly loves gothic architecture, the antebellum era (think: Gone With the Wind), bare landscapes and an era gone by. We chose a cemetery near the River Arts District in Asheville, NC, during winter. The results were just what she wanted: sparse, real, gothic and graphic. And we loved the juxtaposition of new and old. A renewal of their marriage and an opportunity to capture them in themed clothes and as a couple who were invested in each other for better, worse and the whole nine yards.
Ok – so some notes. How do you like the dress? This is the gown that Kelly was married in originally. It still fits.
IT. STILL. FITS. In fact it was actually too big and had to be altered smaller. (no jealousy……… well maybe some)
Another fun fact: this gown is the first one she bought for her bridal shop, which is pretty auspicious.
Kelly was also specific about setting, which is why this cemetery worked so well for the shoot. In the bareness of winter in the cemetery, she and Chris stand out like a couple of players from a Civil War play or Ken Burns’ mini series. She – Scarlett O’Hara or Melanie Wilkes – and he Captain Rhett Butler or Ashley Wilkes.
They truly look their parts. He comes home from war (brother against brother, people!!! lest we forget) and there she is, after waiting, praying and keeping the farm afloat despite major setbacks. You can almost see the letters from Corinth, MS:
“My dearest Kelly Emeline,
The war does not go well. I can scarcely remember the curves of your lovely visage….”
Pardon the digression, but seriously – look at them and watch this slideshow of their portraits.
This photo shoot was literally a year in the making. It took a little time to plan, but it mostly took will and faith and perseverance. As all marriages do, the Shumate’s union was ebbing when Kelly contacted us. They were struggling as a couple, wondering about the future, trying to understand what to keep in their relationship and what to jettison and whether or not the “us” in them was still alive. Digging deeply, they moved forward, but 99.9% of the success in their marriage was their faith in God. They knew marriage was hard, but giving up was not something either of them was interested in. So this photo shoot was about WAY more than grabbing pictures of great clothes in a cool setting. It was an actual celebration of making it for 20 years and looking forward, with renewed hearts, to the next 20.
And the 20 after that.
Not only were we thrilled to be a part of capturing this day, Pixels created a wall of photos for Kelly’s shop office. Something she could point to that says, “we did it and we’re still here.”