Posts Tagged: outdoor wedding pictures
Jackie & Kevin’s Crest Center and Pavilion Wedding Photos
This wedding was one we’d been looking forward to, and even with the COVID delay, it was worth the wait. What a party for a pretty fabulous couple. Jackie is our niece, and her wedding was scheduled for last fall, but the pandemic caused them to shift their plans. Her beloved now husband Kevin has family in South Africa and they wanted them in attendance. We had as many as could travel and the rest of the clan showed up to support them both. We were the photographers and our son Finley was the ring-bearer and center of the dance party during the reception. More on that in a bit.
Jackie’s sister Krystin was by her side for the duration, and occasionally ours, helping. God Bless the helpers, and Krystin has stars in her crown. WE LOVE YOU, KRYSTIN! Not only was she ever present and effervescent, her toast during the reception brought the house down. All the disparate parts of each family came together for the day, and it was so tear-jerkingly beautiful.
A First Look
The couple had a first look prior to the ceremony that was so sweet. Not all couples want to do a first look, but I’m glad that Jackie and Kevin chose to. The Crest Center and Pavilion holds lots of spots for capturing great images and with the weather and views, we took full advantage.
The Fairy Flower girl and her happy companion….
One of the special moments during the wedding ceremony was a planting to connect older generations of family with new beginnings. Jackie’s grandmother’s Christmas cactus was sectioned and given out to her grandchildren. Jackie and Kevin replanted theirs as part of their ceremony.
Yes, I Do!
There were several hilarious and memorable moments for the couple during the reception. One was the cutting of the cake, when Kevin spilled part of a slice down Jackie’s dress. Another was when father and son-in-law danced together. Jackie referred to it as the Daddy-Kevin dance. It was hysterical. Our own son, Finley danced all night until finally a member of our team scooped him up and put his “ride or die” little body down for the night.
The rest of the reception and evening was a PAR-TAY. Guests spilled out from the dance floor to enjoy the sunset and celebrate. As tired as everyone was, Ryan and I were thrilled to be tapped to photograph this wedding.
We love Jackie and Kevin and wish them 10 decades of marital bliss.
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 newborns and families, 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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License All photos are ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Joanne and Doug’s Elkin Creek Vineyard Elopement Photos
Everything about this story, this couple, and this day makes me happy. Joanne and Doug Morris found each other again after decades apart and eloped to Elkin Creek Vineyard to say their I Dos. I’ll say more about the reconnection in a moment, but first I need to express how honored we were to be their photographers. And those who want a private wedding, especially spur of the moment, to begin their lives together, go for it. Joanne and Doug made a wonderful choice in Elkin Creek Vineyard, and this is a favorite venue of ours as photographers and as a couple.
Joanne only saw the place on their wedding day – April 23rd – and she just wanted portraits after she and Doug said their vows. After they finished their ceremony near the property’s windmill, we photographed them in various spots around the venue. Their natural affection for each other was evident. They were so sweet together.
We fell in love with these two, and their sweet dog Bailee. Their story is a lovely one: dramatic and dreamy. Joanne and Doug met in St. Louis while in college and, along with their brothers, made their way through chiropractor school. They dated and the tribe remained close, but after graduation, they all parted ways, and both Joanne and Doug married others, had children and began separate lives.
Flash forward many years and Joann was having a recurring dream that Doug’s brother would come to her and ask her to contact Doug. She brushed it off as a weird blast from her subconscious mind, but the dream was relentless. Finally after 4 nights in a row of this dream of Doug’s brother insisting that she find Doug, she got on social media and they reconnected. The timing was perfect as each was single. A few months later, they started dating again and got engaged.
During this afternoon in April, we loved watching them together as we asked them to pose.
Days later, when Joanne called to ask if we’d gotten “just one good one” I laughed, because so many of them were fantastic. Their love jumped through the lens.
I’m so excited for these two to start their lives together near Durham with their sweet dog. Love can happen at any age and through lots of life’s ups and downs. We’re so incredibly happy for them!
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 newborns and families, 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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License All photos are ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
best of 2016 wedding day photos
HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! As we ease into 2017, we thought we’d share some of the best of our wedding images from 2016. Looking back at these, it really was a great year to get married and we loved being a part of these and many other important occasions in your lives. CHEERS to all and for those of you tying the knot in 2017, we cannot wait!
What’s a little rain and snow with the right lighting?
Gorgeous views and gorgeous couples.
A pirate-themed wedding for a couple who’ve been together long enough to really celebrate.
Autumn weddings outdoors!
A church wedding in Fort Mill SC and fabulous reception (above).
Bonnie & Amanda Walling
Our first but hopefully not last same-sex wedding. Truly beautiful. (above)
Outdoor wedding with a cigar bar at the reception (above).
Ashley & Oscar Orozco
Our last wedding of 2016 with this couple who met on a youth activity trip.
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.
Jenn & Joey’s Intimate Wedding | The Inn at Little Pond Farm
When Jennifer Davis & Joey Stout asked us to photograph their wedding at The Inn at Little Pond Farm in Vilas and Valle Crucis this September, we said ‘absolutely.’ The details, the setting, the small group, the couple and the location made our decision easy.
The wedding party was beautiful, small and YOUNG! It consisted of Joey’s two daughters and Jennifer’s two nieces.
The innkeepers at Little Pond Farm, Gaye and Frank Luaces, have created a perfect venue for weddings and gatherings and they’re among our absolute favorite people to work with. The small, intimate and magical setting makes it a pleasure for us to photograph and in late September, the place still shined and the weather was perfect.
Like other weddings we’ve photographed at the Inn, Jennifer and Joey’s was beautifully simple, elegant, small, centered on family, and focused on marriage. Less than 30 people attended, including us and all the venue staff. I LOVE getting to see every guest gathered around one table sharing a meal together! All that in addition to the picturesque French provincial details at every turn make for great images and memories for the bride and groom and their families.
Cake, flowers, and a private chef are all coordinated and arranged by Gaye and she accomplished her customary perfection. Between the venue and the details, this day and wedding were Martha Stewart Magazine worthy, if not better.
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.
wedding redux #4: nice and simple
This wedding, between Jamie Goforth and Daniel Harrison, was windy and gorgeous. The two can coexist, and if you check out their portraits from the day, you’ll see. As part of our series where we ask the bride and groom for feedback to share for future nuptials, here are some insights from Jamie.
“I wish that I had used more flowers in my ceremony and reception, but both locations had lots of natural beauty.
We were married at an outside chapel in Glade Valley, NC. It was windy and cold on the day of the wedding. My bridesmaids wore leggings under their dresses (LOL). I would tell those planning a wedding to remember to think about how the weather will be on the day of your wedding.”
Number in the wedding party and number of guests — any thoughts or changes? “We had 6 bridesmaids, 6 groomsmen, 1 flower girl and 1 ring bearer. This was a large party but I knew that I wanted and needed them all by my side the day of the wedding. We had around 150 guests and I think that was a nice number, but more than we really wanted. I personally think the smaller the better with the amount of guests.” [As a couple who’ve photographed more weddings than we care to count, we loved the honesty in that answer. It’s important to know who you want and need with you on your wedding day. It will matter later more than you can imagine. Just saying…]
Time of year? Time of day? “We had a fall wedding in the mountains, 4PM and the leaves were beautiful on the trees that time of day. It was a little chilly, as I mentioned, though.”
DJ vs. a band? “I preferred a live band, but they were much more expensive, so I went with a DJ and the reception was great… a LOT of participation on the dance floor!”
Wedding planner or “family-and-friends-all-hands-on-deck” approach to planning? “I think that having a wedding planner is better than all hands on deck. This is so there is only one person to go to for everything. That one person will know what you want in your wedding and if others want to assist they can. Just have the wedding planner approve it.”
Name 3 things you would do differently, if, by some strange wrinkle in the universe, you could do it all again (to the same person of course). “I would have had a cocktail hour while taking our pictures after the ceremony. I feel like the whole day was a blur, I would try to slow down and take it all in. I would have eaten, instead of just taking a few bites, but of course I wanted to talk with all of our guests.”
Most important piece of advice: “Tailor the ceremony to who you are as a couple. Daniel and I love camp fires and s’mores so we had a fire in the fireplace at the reception with a s’mores bar for our guests.
Make the day about what you envision and not what other people want or think it should be. It was honestly the best day of my life and I got to enjoy it with all my family and friends.”
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 babies and kids, 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.