thomas and jennifer’s charlotte wedding | st. mary’s chapel

On June 28, 2012 by admin With 1 Comments - Weddings

Who knew something as simple as knowing and being fluent in another language could lead to love and ultimately a fabulous wedding?

Both Jennifer and Thomas were born in Germany to US military parents stationed overseas, but never met until after they moved back stateside. It was a chance meeting in a bar one night where Thomas overheard Jennifer claiming to know German and tested her on it. Just over three years later in the intimate Saint Mary’s Chapel in Charlotte NC, they said their vows in front of family and friends from near and far. As the ceremony concluded, a bag piper was on hand to lead the couple out of the Chapel and into their married life.

The ceremony and reception were filled with details that Jennifer and Thomas spent a lot of time making themselves. We love when couples put their own touches on everything from the programs, to the chapel door decorations and an homage to their German heritage with the Jeep they drove to the reception in being decorated on the front and back with flowers.

The day was personal to the two of them all the way down to the entrance into the reception. Since Thomas is such a HUGE Star Wars fan, the entrance into the Maggiano’s ball room was through a Marine’s style crossed light sabers tunnel created by their bridal party. The Star wars theme carried over to the cake topper as well with the figures of Han Solo and Princess Leia representing them.

It was amazing to see two families that had not had much time spent together having such a good time. It was as if they had known each other for a long time. From our perspective, seeing how seamlessly the conversations could go from English to German depending on who was speaking, was wonderful. That only helped the party get going and the dance floor stay active all night.

One final detail that we loved being a part of, was the last dance of the night with just Jennifer and Thomas alone, not only alone on the dance floor, but in the entire room with the exception of us photographers and the DJ. It was such a great moment to be a witness to, and something that helped top off the night in a special way. After the last dance it was off to happily ever after through the sparkler lines of family and friends.

Congrats to Jennifer and Thomas on a wonderful day and marriage!

Engagement Portraits and Wedding Photography: Pixels On Paper

Ceremony location: St. Mary’s Chapel, Charlotte NC

Flowers: Nectar

Gown: Anjolique Bridal

Shoes: Etsy.com

Bridesmaids’ dresses: David’s Bridal

Tuxedos: Men’s Warehouse

Make-up for wedding: Anjolique Bridal

Reception location: Maggiano’s Little Italy

Music: Anything Music of NC

Cake: Sunflour Baking Co.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

betsy + scott {married at st. mary’s chapel} wedding photography images

On December 16, 2011 by admin With 1 Comments - Weddings

It is always a great thing for us when we get a referral from a couple we have already photographed to friends of theirs who are getting married. Scott and Betsy were just that couple. They followed up on the tip and gave us a call and quickly booked us to capture their wedding photography images. Their wedding was an intimate affair at Saint Mary’s Chapel in Charlotte, with lots of friends and family coming from all over the country (and some from other countries) to celebrate.

We loved that Betsy was organized to the point of knowing exactly who needed to be in what photos. With such a rare opportunity to have all their family together in the same place at the same time, their top priority was for us to capture traditional family photos that both they and their friends and family would treasure long after the wedding day was over. Betsy and Scott took full advantage of having everyone together and even had us capture more casual family photos an hour after the wedding rehearsal at the Chapel the night before the big day.

We love it when a couple decides to do a “first sight” before the wedding ceremony. We get to help organize and photograph that intimate moment before the wedding ceremony when the Bride and Groom privately see each other in their wedding attire. Not only are those few moments ones that the couple will remember forever, but it helps in situations where there is no daylight after the ceremony and also allows the Bride and Groom to arrive at the reception much sooner than they otherwise would.

Fitness and the outdoors are an integral part of Scott and Betsy’s life. We of course had to get photos of the Bride and Groom with their road bikes as well as with medals they earned the morning of the wedding by running in the Thunder Road half marathon! Taking most of the posed wedding pictures at their home before going to the Chapel made it possible to take the bike photos and pics with their dogs, images that truly represent their character and a part of their every day environment.

This wedding was not about tradition, it was about their relationship, marriage, and about all the friends and family that will play an important role in their marriage. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen but there were 5 adorable children that walked down the aisle in front of Betsy and Scott as they walked down the aisle together. Family and friends played a prominent role in the ceremony with Betsy and Scott’s parents standing at the altar with them. A reading by a close friend and a poem by Scott’s brother left few eyes dry, simply touching moments.

The reception was at King’s Kitchen in Charlotte and featured some of the most candid and expression filled reception wedding images we’ve photographed this year. Every detail was thought of from the fingerprint tree signature art, the bike centerpieces, a magician for entertainment all the way to the ice cream cake. Water bottles and home made granola trail mix were created for guests to take home as wedding favors.

Congratulations to Scott and Betsy! Please leave them and us some love, our blog loves comments!