Posts Tagged: stone church weddings
Happy Wedding Anniversary to our November couples
“Love is the answer”… and there are at least 2 comic endings to that sentence, but you’ll have to look ’em up.
I love a good sonnet as much as the next person, but this month – as I highlight the anniversaries of the couples we’ve photographed – I’m returning to humor. I don’t think we can ever get enough, do you? Just sayin.
Rachel & Jeremy – 4 years on November 3rd
“Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet service to see who they really are.” – Will Ferrell
Amy & Rex – 5 years on November 5th
“Honesty is the key to a relationship. If you can fake that, you’re in.” – Richard Jeni
Jesse & Bobby – 6 years on November 6th
“Being a good husband is like being a stand-up comic. You need 10 years before you can call yourself a beginner.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Katy & Josh – 4 years on November 10th
“My best birth control now is just to leave the lights on.” – Joan Rivers
Betsy & Scott – 5 years on November 12th
“Obviously, if I was serious about having a relationship with someone long-term, the last people I would introduce him to would be my family.”- Chelsea Handler
Lindsay & Scott – 6 years on November 20th
“Love is a lot like a backache, it doesn’t show up on X-rays, but you know it’s there.” – George Burns
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.
Scottish wedding with rain, bagpipes, celtic tunes, a rose and her beloved
O my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O my Luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.*
*Robert Burns is perhaps Scotland’s most famous poet. He loved, and believed in, luve. And that poem is particularly sweet because it’s about waiting for the one you luve, no matter how long it takes. More on that later. First – you should meet our red rose, bride Rebekah Bolick (nee McDonald). She was radiant and one of the most serene brides we’ve photographed in a long time… porcelain skin, raven hair, rose-red lips and a gorgeous dress. In other words, worthy of poetry.
Both Rebekah and her groom, Josh wanted to incorporate as many personal details into their wedding and reception as possible. There was nothing but live music for the entire day, starting with a bagpiper who provided the processional. The bride’s father wore a kilt and a celtic band played the reception. Josh’s deceased brother was honored and remembered with photos and music provided by his best friend, the decorations were handmade by family members, the flower arrangements were made and coordinated by the bride’s mother, the cake was created by her aunt, and her amazing headpiece was made by one of her best friends. There was no wedding planner and they clearly didn’t need one since they had a vision they were all thrilled to execute together. It was simply perfect – every element!
While the sands o’ life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my luve,
Though it were ten thousand mile.
St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church, Blowing Rock, NC
So a little note on that last stanza of the poem (above). Rebekah and Josh actually met (and even “dated” for 2 weeks) in the 6th grade when they were only 11. So it wasn’t “10 thousand mile” but it was 8 years or so, when they reconnected while both were attending Appalachian State University. Rebekah was nursing a broken foot and basically laid up for the summer. Josh heard she was immobile, remembered that they lived only a few miles apart and went to visit her and keep her company one afternoon.
Rebekah: “I had no idea at the time that such a pleasantly unexpected visit would bring about the deepest love and friendship I ever could have dreamed for. We proceeded to spend almost every day of that summer together. I couldn’t do much because of my injury, but he made doing the most simple things so enjoyable. We share a mutual love for baking and while we waited for cookies, scones and cakes to rise we built jigsaw puzzles at the kitchen table and talked about any and everything.”
While the wedding day was less sunny than that summer memory, the weather did not beat us.
It didn’t just rain the entire day of their wedding, it poured. We might as well have been IN the highlands of Scotland. After assuring Rebekah and Josh that we would use the rain to our advantage and make the most of this once in a lifetime moment, we captured some of our absolute most favorite images in the rain. With umbrellas in tow, they were cheerful and beautifully romantic while trusting our direction for the only outdoor photos that we would capture that day.
Their reception was lively and fun and filled with all of those thoughtful and beautiful details and care provided by family and friends.
Rebekah: “The best thing about our wedding day was how stress free we were. We were just so happy to be getting married and to have all of our dearest people with us to celebrate. We had so much carefree joy that day. Wedding nerves were a non-issue. I just remember my face hurting at times because I could not stop smiling and laughing.”
Celtic tunes for the reception at The Green Park Inn, Blowing Rock NC
One takeaway as a photography team from this rainy day adventure is that if we cast away our own fears and doubts, our worry about equipment getting wet, dresses getting dirty, hair falling, etc. then our clients will also have no fear or doubt in our capabilities and the amazing images will be worth whatever adversity they face. A second takeaway is that no matter the place, the day, the weather, the couple or the circumstances, we love, luve, LOVE what we do!
a late summer wedding that captures the setting, the details and the romance
Any wedding planner, wedding photographer, wedding magazine editor or veteran wedding attendee has a list of elements they feel make a wedding sublime. The invitations, the setting, the music, the food, the personal touches and now the many ways to share the day via social media. We love the details as far as the ceremony and reception go (we love seeing how each couple “brands” themselves on their big day), but way more importantly, it’s the couple. It’s always the couple and everyone who loves them and surrounds them with that love. The Bare-Rash wedding was one of those perfect weddings and we do not say that lightly. From the personal to the paid-for, everything was just right from beginning to end.
Pre-ceremony hugs and prayers.
Micala Bare and Tyler Rash got married this August at Bethany Church in Todd, NC and held their reception at Doughton Hall Bed & Breakfast in Laurel Springs, NC. The setting was simply amazing, complete with an historic stone church, quaint red barn and miles of green in a landscape of rolling hills and mountains.
(YAY, North Carolina landscapes. For the millionth time – you ROCK!!)
I spoke of “the elements” that make a wedding successful…. we photographers cherish light and the weather was the headliner, just behind the bride, groom and setting. From first thing in the morning until late in the evening, the lighting was our friend. Both inside and out, everyone shined.
Men who wear argyle together, stick together.
These two shared what is now being called a “First Touch” before the ceremony. We do everything we can to orchestrate these moments so that they’re private, unobtrusive and romantic. The couple don’t lay eyes on each other during this time, but can touch, speak to each other, exchange letters and just be near each other before really meeting when the bride first walks down the aisle.
“We cried when the wedding was about to begin and we knew we were about to see each other for the first time.”
The best moment of their wedding ceremony?
“When we were finally able to kiss each other and when we were pronounced as Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Rash!”
We took Micala and Tyler’s engagement photos in June and this pair continues to get more and more romantic. [Check out how they got engaged…. particularly romantic. The groom-to-be played the guitar. Just saying….]
Three favorite things they want to remember about the day:
“The moment we exchanged our letters with each other and what each of our letters said.”
“The moment when we realized that the groom’s wedding band had been forgotten and a member of our wedding party had to crawl on her hands and knees for a replacement, which happened to be the bride’s great grandpa’s ring.”
“When everyone left the reception and we finally got to go up to our room for the first time, where we had a bottle of champagne and a cheese and fruit tray waiting for us.”
The reception was a blast. Even with a little bit of rain, everyone danced, played games, and partied! Micala: “When asked about the reception, we almost always mention when the DJ asked everyone to form the huge line and all of the guests joined in to dance around the reception area.”
Micala & Tyler wanted their wedding reception under the stars. And this again called for perfect lighting and it was there. Receptions with tents are elegant, but being out of cover was more festive and more beautiful than we could have hoped for.
“I Do.” “Me, too.” Forever.