Alex & Berklee’s Biltmore Wedding in Asheville, NC 2011-12-08

Biltmore Estates and Asheville, NC is a great way to close out the 2011 wedding season. Closing it out with Alex & Berklee makes it perfect.

I started with a great bridal shoot with Berklee earlier in the year, and followed it with a fantastic engagement shoot. Totally in love and happy to show it, this great couple was the center of an awesome group of friends and family.

We started the day at the First Baptist Church of Asheville. You can see from the first few photos there were some really rich colors inside. The fourth photo of the flower girl is especially nice because we get the morning light to reflect off of the walls and her dress. What makes this even better is that she isn’t aware of the camera taking her photo.

An unexpected weather condition was that it snowed this morning in Asheville. Being too cold for Berklee to go around to the front of the church outside, they brought her up through the balcony area with her bridesmaids surrounding her to hide her from the guests which were arriving. In this photo here, there was just enough breakup to fix the dress, we are able to catch a glimpse her, along with the expansiveness of the church. Again, some fantastic light and workmanship set a beautiful stage for this photo.

We follow with two of my favorite photos. The first being the prayer session before the ceremony. These are always nice because they’re so intimate, and lead to very powerful photos. Note Berklee’s sister and father leaning in behind her, the way the light is catching Berklee’s face, the way she is leaning forward just a bit and the way she is holding her hands.

We follow that with a great image of a dad and his daughters. Totally happy, excited – an image which just makes you smile. The winding wood from the staircase also does a nice job of accenting the lines of motion.

After the ceremony we moved to the Lioncrest for lunch. Like everything at Biltmore, first class and amazing to look at. Take note of the prayer before lunch. There was a moment which Berklee’s sister reaches over to hold Berklee’s hand. It makes the moment and makes the photo.

After lunch, we moved to the covered patio for cake and dancing. The wind breakers actually create the best backdrop for the cake photo. The black lines and clear diffusing plastic provided an awesome background while the tables provided the perfect foreground to the beautiful cake.

A testament to the amazing group of family and friends was that so many of them sang and played instruments for all the first dances and throughout the day. An amazingly talented group of people, including Alex and Berklee themselves. They’re all part of the Anne Moses Band, which is currently on it’s Christmas tour throughout the US and Canada.

Thank you so much for an awesome series of photo shoots all leading up to your amazing wedding. It was a pleasure! Cheers, Alex & Berklee. Let’s take a look at the photos:
Vendors of Note:

Flowers: Roy Gill
Band: Javier Santiago, Mario DaSilva, James DaSilva
String Quartet: The Jolly Children
Singers: Alex Sasser, Jordan Sasser, Kaley Lunsford, Josh Carswell, FBCA Treble Choir
Pianist: Bill Wolaver
Catering: Biltmore Catering

Amanda’s Bridal Shoot at Berry Hill Estate in South Boston, VA 2011-12-02

Even though Amanda’s bridal shoot was the same weekend as her wedding, she had so many great photos, I needed to break the blog post up between her bridal shoot and her wedding. We decided to do a bridal shoot somewhat last minute, and we scheduled to do it on Friday, before the rehearsal dinner, at Berry Hill. A fantastic location for a bridal shoot – and even better with Amanda, who is keenly aware of her body, and really is a fantastic model, who should consider doing modeling, at least part time :) Enjoy.

Brent & Amanda’s Wedding at Berry Hill Resort in South Boston, VA 2011-12-02

I believe this was my 3rd or 4th Berry Hill wedding this year, and honestly, they’re always unique, always gorgeous and always really, really fun. This was also my first time doing a bridal shoot and a rehearsal dinner here, which both went very well.

I had spent time with Brent & Amanda at Colonial Williamsburg for their engagement shoot, and was really looking forward to their wedding. It paid off, and was a lot of fun. I’d like to give special shout outs to Brent’s mom’s Mother (see, I didn’t use the “G” word) and of course both the dad’s were great fun and also a special shout out to my main man, Amanda’s dad’s Dad. My friend, we still need to close on the real estate deal and you owe me a scotch, and some of your tips for chatting up the ladies ;)  Let’s take a look at some photos …

The first photo is from the after ceremony session. This is in the horse drawn carriage which brought Amanda to the ceremony. Here they are being driven down to our shoot location still in the carriage. I wanted to show this one because Amanda & Brent have great looks about them, and also the very cool reflection curves and lines breaking up an overexposed sky with the fields on the left. There is a lot of movement here, which is nice.

I always like to bring up that the Berry Hill house has the best natural indoor light of anywhere I’ve been. It’s soooo soft, and brings out such fantastic colors; everything looks amazing. Starting out with some great details, we see light draping itself over a gorgeous, gorgeous dress; the tiara, which nicely reflected by the conference table and softened by the wall; and the flowers, balanced nicely with some books over the mantel.

Take note of the two photos with Amanda’s mom. I was taking photos of the dress when I noticed her ironing some clothes. I shot it from that room, through the hall and into her room. It works for several reasons – she never saw me, the shadows of the hall and door frame it nicely and the light along the bed-drapes draws you in to her as the subject. We see a similar effect happening with her helping put Amanda’s dress on. The bed-drape on the left of the frame is critical in bringing our eye in to Amanda and her mom, and framing the photo, while offsetting the the darkness on the right. What really makes it work though, is that Amanda is gorgeous, her dress is equally fantastic, and her arms, hands and head were caught all at the right moment.

I am also a big fan of the final two getting ready images. The first, with the bridesmaids all around Amanda is great as we catch only glimpses of them, as light hits the edge of their faces, and dresses. There is a great glow to it, and it’s general darkness actually brings about a nice peace to what is otherwise a somewhat hectic moment.

The second, with Amanda holding up her dress, is just a very nice moment. Seeing all the underworkings of such a great dress, held up, as bridesmaids work to make all the preparations. Balanced with the great wallpaper behind them, the soft light and the vertical lines in the photo, everything works out nicely.

I was really happy with the first dance series of photos. I could have posted so many more, but kept it with these three. With the first, note how the Bridal Party’s line frames Brent and Amanda nicely into the right side of the frame. The line from the feet of the bridal party is extended by Brent & Amanda’s arms, extending our eye nicely out of the top right corner.

The next two in B&W are some of my favorites. Just a spectacular moment, begging to be in B&W, and takes us back to an older time – very classy, very regal. Again, Amanda has a spectacular use of her body, the lines from her elevated arm to her low arm fading into black frames the expression on her face perfectly. Brent’s smile and stillness is all that is needed to allow Amanda to be the rightful center of attention.

I like the second B&W one just as much because all we need is that bit of light on Amanda’s eye to show how much she loves the man she just married. Nothing else is needed.

We end with some great reception photos to cap off the night. It was a fantastic wedding, and my good friends Rhonda & Staff at Berry Hill did another fantastic job coordinating this perfect wedding. It’s been fantastic hanging out with Brent & Amanda over the past year, and we wish them the best going into their first year together as a married couple. Cheers! Let’s enjoy the photos:

Vendors of note:

Cake: Sally Plautz from Cake Dreams by Sally

Hair/Makeup: Roni Conners

DJ: Calvin Nash

Flowers: Sonya Gregory from Gregory Florist

Ceremony Music: Brenda Finch and group and her string quartet

Invitations: Laura

Coordinator at Berry Hill: Rhonda van der Schagt

Charlie & Rebecca’s Southern Pines, NC wedding at Weymouth Center 2011-11-20

It was so good to be back in Southern Pines / Pinehurst in October. And even better to be with Rebecca & Charlie’s super cool family and friends. I’ve known Rebecca’s side of the family since 2009 when I photographed Rebecca’s sister Katie’s wedding to Patrick, and I knew it was going to be a great weekend.

We started Friday night with a rehearsal dinner at the very impressive Fair Barn. Tons of great food, an ice cream bar and an exceptionally funny speech by Patrick set the tone for the good times we had on Saturday. I want to point out that it was so good to see Patrick’s parents at the wedding. Last time we were together they were more the center of attention (as parents of the groom), so this time we were able to talk more (I’ve got 4:44 saved in Netflix).  Of course it was fun spending time with Rebecca’s family again, as well as getting to know Charlie’s side of the family.

Saturday had me back at the great Weymouth Center for the wedding ceremony and the reception. You can see from the first photo, it’s just a perfect location. The sun sets over the grand house on the right, with some awesome hedge lines breaking up the ceremony garden from the reception tent.

Moving back to the start of the day, we spent some time at the salon in downtown Southern Pines before heading to Weymouth Center where everyone would get dressed. Weymouth has some great light throughout the house. The photo of Rebecca’s dress is so soft, and plays well with the soft blue on the walls. With the photos of the Ketubah and the bouquet we have the exact opposite, where we can use light and shadow to make some nice dramatic detail photos.

This year I’ve seen an increase in brides not doing bridal shoots and instead doing mini portrait sessions the day of the wedding. The image of Rebecca against the door is part of that. I really like this photo (and the next one of her holding the bouquet) because it shows her great smile, her great happiness, and she does it so effortlessly.

Note the wide photo of the wedding party and parents getting ready to start the processional. The groomsmen carried the Chuppah in with them and set it up on the wedding platform. It really was so cool, so dramatic – an awesome part of the wedding which I had never seen before.

I also really enjoy the vertical photo of Rebecca and her dad walking toward the ceremony garden. The backlight through her veil, as she smiles at her dad – perfect. You couldn’t ask for more.

Post ceremony we have some great photos including an emotion hug between Charlie and his new father-in-law, as well as some beautiful photos of Charlie and Rebecca in the garden, before we joined the cocktail hour.

In the reception, take note of the photo with Rebecca and her dad – one of my new favorite father/daughter dance photos. Perfect pose, perfect lighting – it all came together for a great image.

The rest of the night was a giant party. Jeff Simpson of Simpson DJ & Lighting did an awesome job keeping the music pumped (note he also set up the awesome lighting under the tent). It was perfect for the Hora Dance which saw not only Charlie and Rebecca on chairs, but also both sets of parents.

I would like to point out that Katie Dunn of LaFete Events did an amazing job of pulling together the entire weekend. She was always in sight and smiling, and made this wedding go perfectly. Hats off to all the other great vendors who put this on.

Rebecca, Charlie – thank you guys so much for having me part of your awesome weekend! It was really such a great time, and we all wish you the best going into your first year!

Vendors of Note:

Cupcakes: Georgetown Cupcakes
Hair: Michelle Jordan
Makeup: michelle Yowell
DJ: Jeff Simpson, Simpsound
Flowers: Susan Wilson
Catering: Elliotts
Ceremony Musicians: Katie Wyatt’s string quartet
Invitations: Julia Ames of Spoolia
Wedding Planner: Katie Dunn of Events by La Fete
Decorations: DeeAnn

Tim & Betsy’s Rehoboth Beach Wedding 2011-11-13

Smiles – big, genuine, heartfelt smiles. It’s what you’ll notice throughout the photos. Tim & Betsy are completely in love, completely happy. It was obvious at our engagement shoot at Biltmore Estates earlier this year (Which will be blogged soon) and it was obvious on their wedding day.

In addition to the expected moments of the wedding day itself, we had a fantastic sunrise session on the sands of Rehoboth Beach, DE. We had planned this out ahead of time, with the idea of what would it be like if your wedding continued on well into the wee hours of the morning, and you found yourself at the sands of the beach, as the sun is rising.

If I recall, we met around 5:30am, still dark, and still very tired. Oddly enough, I saw multiple people with cameras and tripods. One of them asked me “So, are you here for the photo shoot?” – “Ummm..yeah, and how did you know about it? And who are you??” Turns out it was something like “international take a photo day” or something – funny :). Tim & Betsy impressed after the shoot by doing  the coolest thing ever – they got back in the car, drove home to Baltimore, and went to a Ravens game – in their tux & wedding dress. Seriously – rock on, that’s just hardcore cool.

In the getting ready portion of the photos, take note of the sexy shoes and the ring photos. You never know where good locations will be, and in this case, the bathroom. The shoes are sitting on the shower ledge, which, when combined with the backlight and window panes, makes for a great shot. The ring photo, which I don’t usually do, was also interesting, primarily because of the cool light circles which are raining down on the ring. In this case, the ring is on the tub and the light circles are water droplets on the clear shower door behind the ring. I’m also very fond of the B&W photo of Betsy getting ready where you see her framed by a bridesmaid holding up a mirror to look at herself. That framing, along with the angle and the chair do a nice job of compressing Betsy into the corner of the frame, without feeling like she’s boxed in.

I am also very fond of the shot of the second shot of Tim getting ready. Shot from the end of the hallway, the different layers of light, combined with the angles and the reflection on the left, create a very nice portrait of him preparing for the big day.

First looks are becoming quite popular and they’re always a lot of fun. In this case, Betsy has a long walk from the clubhouse and Tim has a great long moment of anticipation. The huge smiles are just such an awesome indication of how good first looks can be. Take note of the photo with the chairs. It’s my favorite of this first look series, as it really sets the scene. The angle of the shot is balanced nicely by the slight curve of the row of chairs, which lead the eye directly to Tim & Betsy in a beautiful embrace. Everything is accentuated perfectly with the clouds and color of the sky.

I would like to draw attention to the photo of Betsy and her dad walking to the ceremony. Perhaps my new favorite shot of a bride and her father walking in. It was a conscious decision to abandon the so called “safe” shot of staying low on the ground to get the close up of their faces as they walk in; but rather to run up the balcony to get this grand shot. In my opinion, it’s the only choice.

Moving to the reception we have a fantastic set of shots with some great first dance photos and so much energy in the reception photos. Tim & Betsy also had a first for me at a reception – dueling pianos. Wow, it was SO good. These guys really brought down the house, and were SO popular. If you want something different, this is definitely the way to go. Check out the shot of Betsy behind the pianoman – he had her holding the harmonica for him during a song. Awesome stuff!

We close it all out with 8 photos from the Sunrise Session. For me, it’s all about the second one. That’s the dream. Who doesn’t look at that, pause, and think, “Wow, can you imagine that’s how you start the first morning together with your new husband/wife?” (Tim, Betsy, this is begging to be printed & framed large, and hung in your bedroom – email me!).

What a wedding weekend. Fantastic. Great new friends (I had a good time talking smack with Tim’s brothers), I was able to spend some time with former awesome couple Jenny & Terry (congrats again guys on the yet to arrive new member of the family), Tim & Betsy were kind enough to have my wife Debbie join them as a guest of the wedding, and I  worked with the super cool Brad & Kent of Artifice Films. Check out the movie trailer of their wedding here

Thank you guys, and cheers!