Posts Tagged: High Country Wedding Photography
Merry Christmas ~ with our deepest gratitude and love
We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and give you our heartfelt thanks.
2015 has been an amazing year for Pixels On Paper and it wouldn’t have been that way were it not for our awesome clients, supportive friends, partners and families. Thank you to those who put your faith in us and invested in our talents. An additional & HUGE THANK YOU to those who have referred us to friends and family. We hope and pray that you will continue to do the same, as ultimately this is what keeps us in the business of fulfilling our crazy dream.
This year, we served new clients, for whom we fell in love – new babies, newly engaged couples, brides & grooms, parents who adopted and families who wanted to create memories and heirlooms. And there were recurring clients (many have become our lifelong friends) who we loved to plan with and serve for those milestones that are worthy of more than pics taken by a smart phone. In August, Pixels celebrated its 10 year anniversary with a big party surrounded by many of you and believe us, our hearts were full – and still are.
It’s also been our busiest year ever for graphic design. A special thanks to those business owners who have trusted us to help them build their brand identities and design marketing materials that will help their businesses grow. We hope for continued success in all of your endeavors.
As we enter into the season of proposals and engagements, if you or somebody you know is getting engaged, please keep us in mind for engagement and wedding photography. We are currently booking 2016 and 2017 dates!
To all of you out there, THANK YOU. Our wish for everyone in 2016 is health, happiness, peace, love and big dreams!
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.
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!
50 years of marriage and finally a wedding reception
1965, like any year in the US, was filled with tragedies that made you shake your head and moments that made you cheer and filled you with hope.
The Beatles were touring and fans were spilling out of every continent.
Muhammed Ali dropped Sonny Liston like a sack of dirt in the boxing ring.
Tear gas filled the air in Selma, Alabama as demonstrators stood up for equal voting rights on “Bloody Sunday.”
Lew Alcindor, New York City’s basketball wonder hit the scene. We knew him later as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The U.S. was active in Vietnam and struggling to determine our role, our commitment and our potential losses.
Ed White became the first American to conduct a spacewalk for Gemini 4.
And the earth turned on its axis. People met and fell in love and got married.
And this is exactly what Lucille and Frank Vannoy did.
On March 20, 1965, along with two of Lucille’s friends as their witnesses, they “ran away” to South Carolina to get married by a justice of the peace.
No big ceremony, no pictures, no party.
So for their 50th, Lucille wanted a wedding reception and that’s what their children gave them.
Like all great wedding receptions, the Vannoy’s included a beautiful cake, a fabulous spread of food and drink, family, friends, stories and laughter.
Frank was upfront with us that he wasn’t a “take my picture” kinda guy, so we took the list of photos one wants at a wedding reception and before we knew it, Frank was coming to find either Ryan or myself to photograph him with friends and neighbors!
Any couple who can make it work for 50 years deserves a party this great!
So that they could remember the day and enjoy the memories, Pixels created a custom formal wedding album for Lucille and Frank. Cheers to them and to the next 50 years!
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.”