Posts Tagged: country wedding pictures
a late summer wedding that captures the setting, the details and the romance
Any wedding planner, wedding photographer, wedding magazine editor or veteran wedding attendee has a list of elements they feel make a wedding sublime. The invitations, the setting, the music, the food, the personal touches and now the many ways to share the day via social media. We love the details as far as the ceremony and reception go (we love seeing how each couple “brands” themselves on their big day), but way more importantly, it’s the couple. It’s always the couple and everyone who loves them and surrounds them with that love. The Bare-Rash wedding was one of those perfect weddings and we do not say that lightly. From the personal to the paid-for, everything was just right from beginning to end.
Pre-ceremony hugs and prayers.
Micala Bare and Tyler Rash got married this August at Bethany Church in Todd, NC and held their reception at Doughton Hall Bed & Breakfast in Laurel Springs, NC. The setting was simply amazing, complete with an historic stone church, quaint red barn and miles of green in a landscape of rolling hills and mountains.
(YAY, North Carolina landscapes. For the millionth time – you ROCK!!)
I spoke of “the elements” that make a wedding successful…. we photographers cherish light and the weather was the headliner, just behind the bride, groom and setting. From first thing in the morning until late in the evening, the lighting was our friend. Both inside and out, everyone shined.
Men who wear argyle together, stick together.
These two shared what is now being called a “First Touch” before the ceremony. We do everything we can to orchestrate these moments so that they’re private, unobtrusive and romantic. The couple don’t lay eyes on each other during this time, but can touch, speak to each other, exchange letters and just be near each other before really meeting when the bride first walks down the aisle.
“We cried when the wedding was about to begin and we knew we were about to see each other for the first time.”
The best moment of their wedding ceremony?
“When we were finally able to kiss each other and when we were pronounced as Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Rash!”
We took Micala and Tyler’s engagement photos in June and this pair continues to get more and more romantic. [Check out how they got engaged…. particularly romantic. The groom-to-be played the guitar. Just saying….]
Three favorite things they want to remember about the day:
“The moment we exchanged our letters with each other and what each of our letters said.”
“The moment when we realized that the groom’s wedding band had been forgotten and a member of our wedding party had to crawl on her hands and knees for a replacement, which happened to be the bride’s great grandpa’s ring.”
“When everyone left the reception and we finally got to go up to our room for the first time, where we had a bottle of champagne and a cheese and fruit tray waiting for us.”
The reception was a blast. Even with a little bit of rain, everyone danced, played games, and partied! Micala: “When asked about the reception, we almost always mention when the DJ asked everyone to form the huge line and all of the guests joined in to dance around the reception area.”
Micala & Tyler wanted their wedding reception under the stars. And this again called for perfect lighting and it was there. Receptions with tents are elegant, but being out of cover was more festive and more beautiful than we could have hoped for.
“I Do.” “Me, too.” Forever.
a bridal portrait session in the greens of mother nature
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken….*
Bride-to-be, Kendall Shephard, reminds of us a swan a little bit. Dressed in white, gorgeous but not overdone, long, lean, elegant. She stands out, but just so, in all that green. Her fiancé, now husband Nathan Williams, works for the North Carolina Wildlife Commission and the couple spend an enviably high percentage of their time outdoors hiking, playing and exploring. We chose the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, NC for her bridal portrait session and it made perfect sense. She was happy and completely in her element, even in a wedding gown.
Kendall shined, surrounded by shades of summer green, rippling water, moss, stone, rocks and branches. She was this perfect column of light. A classic beauty in the middle of natural beauty.
These portraits were taken in June of this year and the couple were married in August. She was just as, if not more, beautiful on that day with Nathan by her side and surrounded by her nearest and dearest, so stay tuned for the blog about the Shepherd-Williams wedding. But this day was Kendall’s and she could not have been more clear and pure and alive wandering in the woods and musing with us about her upcoming wedding.
*Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
– Mary Oliver, nature poet
a mountain top wedding – filled with color, light and perfect outdoor views
Meghann and Josh know how to do it up right. Their August 2015 wedding goes down in our book of faves. Meghann told us several times that she didn’t realize everything that was going on at once or recall all of the details until she saw all of the photos we shot. That, to us, says mission accomplished. Brides and grooms plan for everything, but can’t be a part of Every Single Thing.
That’s why they hire photographers.
We loved the color palette of this wedding, we loved their families and friends and we loved the property – On The Windfall in Lansing, NC. This wedding, sports fans, was literally at the top of a mountain and guests were delivered to the site via designated 4 wheel drive vehicles. There were no other buildings around. The views in every direction were spectacular.
And we loved the million little thoughtful details. (Their wedding coordinator was Sammie Roberts of Something Perfect Wedding & Events and the attention to detail was unerring. Nice job!) When we meet with engaged couples, we advise them to put as many personal and significant details in their wedding ceremony as they can and these two went above and beyond. One example…. Meghann had small portraits of her late grandparents sewn into her bouquet.
Josh’s job centers around being outdoors and he and Meghann spend their free time outside and in the woods as much as possible. So, one of Josh’s personal touches/contributions was that he built the arbor/altar where they said their vows. The mountain-top setting took everyone’s breath away and then, topping it off, was this hand-made gift Josh made for his bride. I mean, C’MON!!!
Meghann countered his personal touch by choosing to walk/dance/strut down the aisle to Bruno Mars’ “Marry You.” Josh LOVED it, and so did everyone else. The mood was already electric and this just goosed it that much more.
Part of their ceremony included a beautiful representation of them joining their lives and they did it in form of something that will live on and grow. The couple planted a tree together using soil that they brought from each family homestead. Like the Unity Candle or the Sand Ceremony, the blending of families in this way was beautiful and touching and incredibly apt in that setting. These two are just so cool!
The reception……. oooooooooh my. The sun started to fade as the toasts were made and food was served and then the karaoke got started. It was a PAR-TAY!! So much joy, so much dancing and storytelling and singing and silliness. Meghann told us that she’d cried several times while planning the ceremony and reception (the Good Cry; the “I love him and can’t wait to be his wife” cry) and was certain she would “be a mess.” But she said afterwards, “I can honestly say that no tears were shed that day…which is surprising. When we look at our pictures, we are laughing in so many of them – and not just with each other – it’s during every phase of the day. Mostly, I remember laughing when we read our vows. Some of it could have been nerves, but for the most part, it was hearing that we had chosen some of the very same things to say to each other without even knowing.”
We want to end this blog with quotes directly from the bride and groom about their day and their feelings about life ahead. We asked them the 3 things they want to remember about their wedding day and here’s what they said:
1 – The biggest thing I want to remember is a lesson: Above all else, we have each other and everything is okay.
2 – Life is easier and you can relax when you put things “in your garden”. Minor details never matter! Smile, breathe, and LAUGH!
3 – Everybody around us worked SO hard to pull this off … doing things behind the scenes that I didn’t even know about. Always remember to love and appreciate everything that everyone has done for you. It may not look like a lot, but for every little bit you see, there is a lot of deep rooted effort.
mountaintop bridal portraits ~ family participation, heirlooms and views of the family farm ~ a beautiful day
The photos of Meghann Roberts we took this July weren’t necessarily inspired by Keira Knightley’s famous shot as Elizabeth Bennet from the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice, but this one in particular pulls it into perspective. When viewed next to each other there is more than just flowing fabric and a gorgeous, panoramic setting. It’s an air of freedom, hope, grace, contemplation and courageousness in both women. 
The character Elizabeth Bennet loved the outdoors. She walked, read, thought, day-dreamed, escaped and generally lived a big part of her life wandering the small working farm owned by her family.
We photographed Meghann Roberts in Warrensville, NC – in, around and above her family farm. Their land is stunning, sprawling and has been owned and worked by her family for 6 generations. It was the perfect setting for her bridal portraits.
When we arrived for the shoot, we were greeted, of course, by ready members of her warm family (mom, grandmother, brother, uncle, cousin and a friend) and we all piled into 2 enormous 4×4 trucks and took off. This turned out to be a blessing, because we had lots of gear, lots of options and lots of terrain to cover.
A beautiful bride-to-be and almost too many places to photograph her, created a perfect day! (dramatic aside: this number of family members made for great chatter, but there was also the practical need to have a couple of people hold up Meghann’s gown so that it didn’t touch cow or goose poop on the land. If you’ve seen Pride and Prejudice, you know that Elizabeth’s boots and hemline were always caked in mud and …… dung!)
A week before our scheduled date, Meghann’s brother cleared a trail for us so that we could get to the most desired spots. One of these was the swimming hole (behind her just above and below) where Meghann spent summers splashing around, fishing, sunning and day-dreaming.
When we met Meghann at a bridal show 2 years ago, we immediately connected with her. Her values are our values and many of her experiences resonated with ours. When she called us to photograph her wedding, we learned that she hadn’t bonded with other photographers she’d spoken with and we certainly understand that. No one is necessarily at fault when this happens, but for us, fit and a strong comfort level and “getting” each other makes an enormous difference; at least that’s our feeling. The whole experience is more fun and the outcome produced tends to exceed client expectations.
A final note: The Roberts family prepared the property for us – not a small task. They fetched us and our equipment in their vehicles and hauled us around to get the best shots of their girl. These are family-oriented, do it right or don’t bother kind of people. So in keeping with that ethic, the bouquet they had for Meghann’s session was not prepared by a florist. It was Meghann’s mom’s preserved bouquet from HER wedding. Nice, huh?
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!