Posts Tagged: NC Destination Wedding Photographer
the party of a lifetime ~ your wedding
When was the last time you threw a party?
How many people were there? What was the occasion?
Unless you are a rock star party thrower or professional event planner (and we know plenty of both), the biggest party of your life is probably going to be your wedding.
When in your life do so many people who love you gather to celebrate you? Seriously. Think about it. And they don’t all know each other. YOU ARE THE REASON they’re there: relatives, coworkers, college buddies, favorite teachers, high school teammates, childhood besties, neighbors, your parents’ friends and new friends you’re inheriting because you’re getting married all show up to celebrate you ………… and party.
We notice unexpected meetings and connections at every single wedding we photograph. It never fails. Two or more people are seated together at the ceremony or the reception and the only context they have to connect them is you. And then stories are swapped, jokes are told and there are moments of “oh, so you are THAT Jennifer!” or “you’re the gramma who sent the box of banana bread during exams.” Your childhood babysitter sits next to your college roommate and sparks fly! Just kidding. Well,…. maybe… But the point is, this is not a rally with a cast of thousands and it’s not your retirement party 40 years from now. It’s a blow-out love fest for you and your beloved.
We’re not going to throw shade at amateurs. Your friends and family are going to take their own photos anyway. But we’ve heard the stories of regret from those who’ve let their friends “take pictures” and there’s no do-over. For the party of your life you need photographers who are experienced; who know what to look for when people cluster and when they separate; photographers who can tell which moment is going to be epic; who understand lighting regardless of location or setting; who’ve done this long enough to anticipate every single photo that you’re going to share on social media, frame and return to 25 years later.
Couples who hire us have spent time with us and we’ve focused on them, understand the vibe and theme of the wedding, know what to capture and are ready. We are getting the photos you want from your wedding, but we’re also eagle-eyed during the reception because we know what to look for and what will matter to you when you view the photos later.
There are all sorts of parties, but those with a purpose have a unique magic. Your wedding celebrates the beginning of your lives together and those who love you want to be there. Get ready, start your list and give us a call. We’d love to capture the party of a lifetime.
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, 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.
Bonnie & Amanda | Married… On The Windfall | Lansing NC
Have you ever procrastinated because you’re afraid you’ll never do justice to WHATEVER IT IS? You’re sort of paralyzed by a yearning for perfection? Well, join us won’t you as we attempt to describe this couple, this wedding, this day and everything it symbolized. We feel confident in this: it meant something not just to Amanda and Bonnie – the newlyweds – but to everyone who witnessed their marriage and saw their journey culminate in the official, legal “I Dos.” 
Bonnie Hostetler & Amanda Walling were married on October 14, 2016 at On the Windfall in Lansing, NC. Fall outdoor weddings bring life and birth during a time when the earth rests from blooming and we all turn our thoughts to warmth, fires and the holidays. This couple wanted their celebration to be that: the beginning, the birth of their union as a sanctioned and sacred thing. And it was from the first note to the last hug.
Watching Bonnie and Amanda’s nerves and anticipation of seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony was incredibly sweet and then seeing them each walk down the aisle as individuals, and then later back up the aisle as a couple is something I’ll never forget. Because we had two brides, it was special to see twice the amount of emotion, excitement and attention to detail that what we normally witness and photograph. Grooms typically tend to be laid back and go with the flow. They told us that finally being face-to-face was the best moment of the day.
The vows are by their very nature the most tender and moving part of any wedding ceremony and these were no exception. The extraordinary display of emotion from not only Bonnie & Amanda but also every single guest that was there was, I believe, what seemed to make this wedding so unbelievably affecting. It was a group realization of how much harder it is for a same sex couples to marry each other. It’s as if they’ve already defied so many odds and barriers and now could demonstrate their love and commitment to each other surrounded by their friends, family and biggest fans. We could all see how much they love each other and what they would go through for each other. When it was finally possible to say, “this is us. we did it!,” there was even more reason to celebrate. 
So, this couple… where to begin? Amanda is incredibly attentive to the needs of everyone around her, most especially Bonnie’s. She’s driven and competitive, but in the good ways, you know? She’s positive and she’s organized and you want her on your team.
Bonnie brings the wattage. She’s full of light, laughter and smiles. She cares deeply for people, is the girlie girl with a tom boy’s heart and she looked amazing in her gown. Bonnie dreams big and pulls others into that spirit. Together, these two love the outdoors as much as they enjoy being with others. If you read their engagement blog, you know they have a camper and love to travel and camp in it – just the two of them. 
Fun Fact: The officiant accidentally said “wing” instead of “ring” during the ceremony. It was hilarious and the brides especially thought so. If you’ve seen “The Princess Bride,” you get it.
On the Windfall is a magical spot. We’ve shot many a wedding there and Bonnie and Amanda chose well. They told us that they’d been hyping it to guests for months as this gorgeous venue and perfect spot for their wedding. Sure enough, people kept telling them during the reception how amazed they were once they got to be there in person and see it, enjoy walking the grounds and taking in the autumn views. 
The reception and meeting all of their friends…. we loved it. We were welcomed like family, which felt wonderful. Professionally, we’d looked forward to the wedding day for such a long time and had high expectations about what we were going to be able to do with the couple and at this location. When we walked away that night, all of our expectations were exceeded. These two are so completely in love and they really took the time to make their day as special, beautiful, fun and interesting as they are.
Great receptions mean great guests and so many different types of people were brought together for this wedding. Regardless of color, sex, age, religion, education, etc., there we all were celebrating. It speaks volumes to the type of people that Amanda and Bonnie are and how many people love them.
If I wrote down every detail and used all the adjectives that come to mind in this blog, you’d be finished reading it around Easter, so I will just say this:
We love these two.
Amanda and Bonnie are wonderful people and they matter so much to those who are able to be in their lives and world. What we witnessed on October 14th was a shared dream that came true. It was a celebration in the truest sense. It was history making for them, but it was also about a single wish to be together forever. We saw joy, community, families and a family being forged, fairness and justice in manners of the heart played out, and we saw what love can be if you let it.
For those of you planning, here’s the Vendor Roundup! Each of these did an amazing job to make Amanda and Bonnie’s day gorgeous and memorable.
Location: On The Windfall
Planner/Coordinator: Megan Drake of The Elegant Event
Hair/Makeup: Canvas Beauty Bar Boone
Flowers: Fuschia Moss
Cake: Ugga Mugga
Music: Mountain Peak Sound
Specialty Rentals: A Bushel & A Peck Vintage Rentals
Caterers: Stacey Pierce & Julie Weldon of Charleston SC
We are now booking engagement sessions and wedding dates for 2017. Contact us to schedule yours.
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, 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.
angela & andrew’s wedding | alpen inn beech mountain nc | pixels on paper wedding photographers
I knew I adored Angela from the moment we met. She loves the mountains, photography, caring for people, and has a special fondness for large and small four-legged fur babies (to name just a few of her fantastic qualities). When we first met at our studio to discuss her and Andrew’s wedding, we spent hours talking about plans for their big day and everything else involving life in general. Over the course of the next year and a half we spent much more time together with her and Andrew, talking, photographing and connecting. Watching what began as ideas and a concept take shape and being there to photograph them over such a period of time leading up to their wedding day was priceless. The wedding at Alpen Inn atop Beech Mountain in North Carolina was beautiful. When deer are grazing on the lawn while you say your vows, you know it’s picture perfect. As we’ve said dozens of times before, for us, it’s about more than taking pretty pictures. It’s about being witness to one of the most intimate days of a couple’s lives. It’s about building lasting relationships and from that being able to anticipate even the smallest significant moments before they occur. I believe that we did just that and I also believe that we’ve added to our list of people that we not only call clients but also call friends.
In case you missed it, be sure to view Andrew and Angela’s engagement photos that were taken in Blowing Rock and were featured in Carolina Bride magazine by clicking here.
Learn more about our wedding photography packages in the NC Mountains, Asheville, Blowing Rock NC, Boone NC, and the NC High Country and packages for NC Mountain destination weddings by calling our studio at 336-990-0080, visit our website www.pixelsonpaper.net or send us and email at mail@pixelsonpaper.net.