Posts Tagged: Engagement Photography
the blend ~ engagement photos made up of sand, family, Christ, dreams, Facebook and gratitude
“One word, that’s all you said
Something in your voice called me, turned my head
Your smile, just captured me
You were in my future as far as I could see
And I dont know how it happens, but it happens still…” – Kenny Chesney
The Sand Ceremony. Heard of it? At weddings, it is very much like the lighting of a unity candle. Some of her. Some of him. But for Kendall Shepherd and Nathan Williams, this ceremony includes Christ. They believe that He should be a part of their ceremony and lives in every way. Kendall told us, “We will be using a picture shadow box to hold the sand instead of a vase. Also, instead of using two colors representing one another, we will be using three. An ivory color will be placed at the base of the shadow box representing Christ as the foundation of our relationship and home. Then we will have a color representing each of us to be poured in to symbolize that we are becoming one. We hope to pass this tradition down to our children one day.”
But back to Facebook. (You didn’t think you’d get away from it, did you?) That’s how these 2 connected in the first place. They started chatting after Nathan spotted a picture of Kendall at their local gym where her family works out. They “friended” and decided to go on a date. This led to a second date. And, the rest is …….. we’re not even going to say it, because you know already. History. Ok, we went ahead and said it.
2 dates quickly became love and commitment – and the first commitment was Nathan staying with Kendall when she had emergency surgery. How’s that for showing “for better or worse?” He gave up his hospital blanket for her to stay extra warm and once home waiting on her every need, nursing her back to health. We’re pretty sure that sealed it. Even Kendall said, “the love, care and commitment we showed one another is what formed us into An US!”
Their wedding in August of this year will be largely traditional, elegant and classic, and they have devised a way to include a very special member of Nathan’s family – his late grandmother, Mary, “who will be watching from Heaven.” A pearl pendant of Mary’s will be placed on Kendall’s bouquet for the ceremony. The pendant was a gift from Mary’s husband Ernest to Kendall and is a treasured possession. Since Kendall never met Mary, this gesture is a way for the couple to honor her.
We feel pretty confident that these two are an “US” that will last. They told us that they laugh together, love to listen to tunes together (Kenny Chesney’s “You Had Me From Hello” is a personal fave that reminds them of each other – see the quote at the top!), love to be outside together and are clearly inseparable. Their plans for the future are to start a family, but first with a Labrador puppy.
Learn more about Pixels on Paper’s portraits.
When Whitney Met Preston
There’s a great moment in the movie “When Harry Met Sally” – no not THAT ONE – when Harry introduces Sally to his friend hoping Sally will like him and Sally introduces Harry to her friend in the hopes that she and Harry will hit it off. They do NOT. Their friends, however, fall in love with each other instead and pretty quickly know that they are perfect for each other. This leaves Harry with Sally,… as it was meant to be and let’s all raise a glass to the late, great Nora Ephron for being a genius of insight, humor and writing.
But I digress. Our story is about Whitney and Preston, who met through friends in a similar situation and found out that in fact they were the ones who were supposed to be together. They too fell in love, dated for 5 years and will be married in just under 3 months. These engagement portraits were the first real photos they have of themselves as a couple outside of cell phone photos.
Their love for each other is evident in their body language, laughter and ability to listen to and really see one another. Always a good sign and so fun to watch. The lyrics from one of “their songs” – My Best Friend by Tim McGraw – describe them perfectly.
“Oh we just get closer – I fall in love all over – Every time I look at you…
And I don’t know where I’d be – Without you here with me – Life with you makes perfect sense – You’re my best friend.”
These two are serious about the foundation of their relationship – a combination of friendship, lots of laughter, commitment and a very strong faith in God. They’ve made plans to incorporate traditional vows into their late summer ceremony and have also added braiding the God’s Knot into the day. For the uninitiated, the God’s Knot is made up of 3 strands of cord: one for God, one for the bride, and one for the groom. During the ceremony, holding the cords as a couple, Whitney and Preston we will braid them and as they are being braided the pastor will read a piece of scripture that describes each strand. They told us that, “God is the biggest factor in both of our lives and we know that as long as we have our faith in God, He will make our marriage and lives together as success and full of love as He sees fit.”
As we prepare to capture their wedding, we asked them for some thoughts about anticipating both the day and their future. “Our wedding day will be the one day in our lives that all the people we love, both family and friends, will be there to help us celebrate such a special time. We are also very excited about all the photos that will be taken! Pictures serve as memories and this is one moment we never want to forget!”
[A quick interjection/aside here]: People talk about the importance of making memories through photos all the time. It really does take an occasion – like a wedding – to show you how fleeting those moments and those days are and how grateful you are that someone documented your joy, your youth, your hope and your character in that particular moment in time.]
Pixels: What do you want to tell your families?
Whitney and Preston: “We want our families to know that without them our relationship wouldn’t be as strong and successful as it is. Both sets of our parents have shown us what lasting relationships need and how they should be.”
We have every confidence that these two will work to make their relationship last, surrounded by the support of family and friends (it matters, folks!! you need your tribe around you) and grounded in a strong relationship with God. They are looking forward to the next chapter in their adventure and to starting a family in the next few years.
We LOVE you guys, Whitney and Preston and wish you only more fun, more cracking each other up, more quiet time at home listening to tunes and watching favorite movies and only the best as you build a full – a TRULY full – life together.
man’s man & his sweet lady hit the Little Sugar Creek Greenway in Charlotte ~ Sharae & David’s engagement portraits
“You only need one man to love you. But him to love you free like a wildfire, crazy like the moon, always like tomorrow, sudden like an inhale and overcoming like the tides.
Only one man and all of this.” – C. Joybell C.
So when Sherae Jones met David Johnson, we feel confident that she didn’t require him to read the above quote printed out and then sign it in front of a notary. Well, we’re pretty sure … she is a rather organized woman. But we feel equally confident that if she’d asked him, he would have. The guy clearly loves this girl.
Here’s how we know: Sherae booked Pixels well over a year before their wedding to capture their engagement photos. We told you she was organized. David, who is a high school teacher and head football coach, had recently been to a friend’s wedding and found the aggressive wedding photographer to be ……….. a bit much. Suffice it to say, when it was time to meet us on a hot, humid day in June of 2014, he didn’t leap from the car (cue the symphonic romantic music) and run in slow-motion toward us with his arms thrown open. It meant a lot to Sherae though, so of course, he did what real men do – he showed up.
Some of our clients are incredibly effusive and physical. Sherae and David were more contained, but their love for each other was apparent.
By the end of the shoot, David was looking around the greenway location for other possible spots and making specific requests. Sherae was excited that David ended up having fun and being engaged in the process and WE were thrilled that they were happy with the results from the shoot. We grabbed some nice pics of them in the shade, where we would stop to cool off and confab about other locations. Working with Sherae, we used some of the photos to design their Save the Date bookmarks.
These two get married in June of 2015 and we wish them only love, and that it be free like a wildfire, crazy like the moon, always like tomorrow, sudden like an inhale and overcoming like the tides for many, many years.
megan & jeff charlotte nc engagement photos | pixels on paper engagement photographers
When we first met Megan and Jeff for their wedding consult, there was just something that seemed to click and the feeling that we really wanted to photograph their wedding. When the call came in to let us know they wanted to hire us for their Charlotte wedding photography at the Mint Museum on Randolph, we were seriously excited.
Since all of our wedding packages now come with a complimentary engagement session, the next thing to do was plan out where they wanted to go. They both loved the idea of uptown Charlotte and doing their engagement session in and around the Fourth Ward park area. The park is nice, but the surrounding areas offer up so much in the lines of scenery, texture and opportunity to have a little fun. We literally set out and walked the area, stopping at a few spots we knew we wanted to capture and at several places in between that seemed to just catch our eye. And they completely rocked it from start to finish!
The only other preference that Megan had for their session, was a night shot of the Charlotte skyline behind them. We knew just the spot! What we did not expect was the level of silliness that could be reached at the end of an engagement session as the evening cooled off after a hot day. As Megan and Jeff posed for the shot, Megan said to Jeff that he looked a little like Clark Kent. It just happened to come up that Ryan had a Superman t-shirt in the car (necessary equipment for proper photographers by the way) and Jeff agreed to do a few extra poses with Megan to round out the session. The words crazy fun come to mind.
It was an awesome afternoon/evening and we had so much fun getting to know Megan and Jeff during the session, that the day of the wedding was much smoother. Not only because we had connected on a fun level, but they learned how to pose just right and were now more comfortable with us behind the cameras. Those are the best benefits to come out of doing an engagement session with us, lots of fun and connecting to make the day of wedding photography that much better.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2013 Pixels On Paper. Pixels On Paper Photography Charlotte Wedding and Portrait Photographers, Charlotte NC Engagement Photographers, Engagement Photos, NC Engagement Photography, Charlotte Engagement Session Photographer, Charlotte Wedding Photography, Charlotte Wedding Photographers, Charlotte Wedding Pictures, Charlotte Wedding Photos, High Country Wedding Photographers, NC Wedding Photographers. Husband and wife team providing creative photography for weddings and portraits in NC, specializing in the NC High Country, Charlotte, and NC Mountain Destination Weddings.
kathren & nathan’s nc mountain engagement session | pixels on paper engagement photography
Kathren & Nathan wanted and engagement session close to home in North Wilkesboro near the NC mountains and Boone NC. The farm where Kathren’s mother grew up made the perfect backdrop. We luckily had an evening with no rain and a gorgeous sunset which we took full advantage of.
Their engagement photography is best described as candid and sweet. Even their dogs got in on the action! Most couples want candid engagement and wedding photos but many have a hard time knowing how to be candid in front of a photographer with the camera aimed at them. That was definitely not the case with these two, they were all about each other! We are certainly looking forward to photographing their wedding day in May of 2014!
Want to learn more about our husband and wife team providing engagement photography, wedding photography packages and portrait photography in the NC Mountains, Boone, North Wilkesboro NC and the NC High Country and packages for NC Mountain destination weddings? Call 336-990-0080, visit our website www.pixelsonpaper.net or send us and email at mail@pixelsonpaper.net for more information.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2013 Pixels On Paper. Pixels On Paper Engagement Photographers, Boone NC Engagement Photography, NC Mountain Engagement, NC Engagement Photography, NC Mountain Weddings, NC Mountain Destination Wedding Photography, NC Mountain Wedding Photographer, Boone Wedding and Portrait Photographers, Boone Wedding Photography, Boone Wedding Photographers, High Country Wedding Photographers, NC Wedding Photographers, Charlotte Wedding Photographers. Husband and wife team providing creative photography for weddings and portraits in NC, specializing in the NC High Country, Charlotte, and NC Mountain Destination Weddings.