Posts Tagged: engagement photos

outside bridal portraits in blowing rock, nc on a rainy day and #wemadeithappen

We never know what we’re going to be up against when a portrait session is scheduled outside – whether it’s on a location or at our own outdoor studio in Wilkesboro, NC. After Sarah and her fiancé Danny’s engagement photos were rained out and rescheduled TWICE, we moved up the bridal shoot so it ended up happening before their engagement session. Not our usual order, but we will not be defeated by weather! We took the postal service pledge when we got into this business, so it takes a lot to make us say no.
Thank goodness, Sarah is as spunky and nimble as we are.

Clampett Wedding, Sarah Crisp Bridal Portrait Photo Clampett Wedding, Sarah Crisp Bridal Portrait PhotoSarah had her hair styled near her home in Bessemer City, NC and then made the drive to Blowing Rock, NC for the session. It is a beautiful spot and where the couple got married a month later, but on this day – wait for it – it rained. Again. In between showers, we carried the dress and veil and ran to the cars, waited for it to stop and then jumped out and did it all over again. It was memorable to say the least and honestly more fun than we expected. And Sarah is so beautiful. Her gown, her flowing locks, she was part princess, part mermaid, part woodland fairy and all bride.
Clampett Wedding, Sarah Crisp Bridal Portrait PhotoOne of the other reasons this session was memorable and fun was that her father, a retired military officer of 30+ years, and sister came with her to the property in Blowing Rock. They were a perfect addition to the day. Dad decided to come when he heard that 2 of his 4 daughters were driving that distance for the shoot and he wanted to follow them home to make sure they made it. Don’t you love this guy? Big and mighty, but a tender father of 4 girls who are all “Daddy’s Girl.” He carried the veil, the bouquet and even held our lights against the wind.
Clampett Wedding, Sarah Crisp Bridal Portrait PhotoIt takes a village sometimes to create a bridal shoot, but this one had the right crew and a happy ending. Stay tuned to see the engagement and wedding photos for Sarah and Daniel. We cannot wait to share.
Clampett Wedding, Sarah Crisp Bridal Portrait Photo

engagement photos from a first date …… sorta

Last October, Pixels participated in the Pumpkin Patch (I’ll pause here so you can wipe the spittle off of your face). The Pumpkin Patch was designed and hosted by the Midtown Garden Market in North Wilkesboro, NC and we loved being a part of its inaugural year. At our photo booth, we were able to see former and current clients and met new ones. Jamie Goforth and Daniel Harrison were two new people we met and we took a pic of them that included Daniel’s young son. We loved them immediately! 5 months later, we saw them again at the Wilkes Wedding Expo and after chatting, it sealed our desire to work with them and them with us to capture their engagement photos.
Pixels on Paper's Pumpkin Patch sessions reveal a new couple photo

Jamie and Daniel met in middle school, but found each other again many years later. Their first date was fueled by nerves that led to Jamie spilling a drink (a story they now tell through laughter) and they reminded us of us. [QUICK DIGRESSION: When Ryan and I first started dating, we went to The Landmark – still our favorite diner in Charlotte, NC –  and the ketchup bottle exploded as I was doctoring my fries and I basically baptized myself with ketchup. You never know when a moment of mortification is going to be a story for your grandkids. Take that to heart, gang!]
Anyway, …. after that first date, there was a time of chasing and distance and then their paths crossed and they decided to go out again. What truly cemented it though was a trip to Asheville, NC and where they stayed at the famous Grove Park Inn.
At Grove Park, it was Daniel’s turn to spill a drink all over himself, Jamie, the waiter and the people next to them. Just kidding.
This is where they fell in looooove.
They sat out on that awesome porch, nay, veranda and Jamie played songs from her phone and they talked well into the night. At one point, they started dancing and it began to pour rain. Jamie said, “it was my kind of perfect.”
Shooting their engagement portraits where they had their first date – The Cody Creek Depot – was a blast.
Goforth/Harrison Pixels On Paper Photography Engagement portrait photography photoGoforth/Harrison Pixels On Paper Photography Engagement portrait photography photoGoforth/Harrison Pixels On Paper Photography Engagement portrait photography photoWhen we asked them what they were looking forward to most on their wedding day (in Roaring Gap, NC in October of this year) they – these two are seriously cute – both said first seeing each other when Jamie comes down the aisle.

Goforth/Harrison Pixels On Paper Photography Engagement portrait photography photoGoforth/Harrison Pixels On Paper Photography Engagement portrait photography photoGrounded by their faith, their supportive families and each other, the pair has way more than a good shot at a golden anniversary someday.
In the meantime, they are dreaming about their next trip to the Grove Park Inn.

engagement photos + guitar + travel and a return to home land

A Play of 50 First Dates…. 
The Setting: The Glendale Springs Inn in Glendale Springs, NC
The Players: Micala Bare and Tyler Rash
The Scene: a wedding proposal from Tyler, playing a song for Micala and then asking for her hand.Rash Wedding, NC Mountains Glendale Springs Engagement Portrait PhotoTyler and Micala were having dinner at the Glendale Springs Inn with Micala’s entire family and Tyler pre-arranged for a separate room where he could pull her girl away and then sing to her – and propose. You’ll be shocked – SHOCKED – to hear that she said Yes. Of course, she did. This pair is crazy cute and completely in love and they knew from their first date.
But that was not Act 1. [harp music here]
Rash Wedding, NC Mountains Glendale Springs Engagement Portrait PhotoTheir first date was “an unsuccessful fishing trip” after a mini-introduction on Snapchat. It ended with them looking at views on the Blue Ridge Parkway and with Tyler playing his guitar for her. Micala told her mom after that first date, “I can’t think of a reason why we wouldn’t get married!” Pretty intense and pretty sure of “it.” After that, they were together constantly.
Act 2: They headed out west to Oregon to travel and get to know each other better. There’s something about traveling with no strings, no extra friends and no worries that can reveal a person to the other. This was true for Micala and Tyler.
Rash Wedding, NC Mountains Glendale Springs Engagement Portrait PhotoRash Wedding, NC Mountains Glendale Springs Engagement Portrait PhotoAct 3: They were done looking and wondering. Tyler “put a ring on it” and they set a date for fall of 2015. We asked them, “if you two were a movie, you’d be….?” Their response – 50 First Dates. This makes perfect sense, at least to us and to them. Fall in love on the first date and then hit replay again and again.
Tyler works in radio and so they find themselves at concerts and it’s one of their favorite spots to be together – listening to music, cracking up and growing closer. Rash Wedding, NC Mountains Glendale Springs Engagement Portrait PhotoMicala and Tyler hope to have a traditional ceremony, move back to Tyler’s land in Ashe County and start a family.
Rash Wedding, NC Mountains Glendale Springs Engagement Portrait Photo“We would like our families to know that we are extremely grateful for all the love and support that they have shown throughout this entire process, and special thanks for sticking by us as we upped the wedding date TWICE.”

See other engagement blogs at pixelsonpaperblog.com. Whether you’re in cowboy boots in a field or on a greenway in downtown Charlotte, we’d love to grab the shots that begin your journey together.

the blend ~ engagement photos made up of sand, family, Christ, dreams, Facebook and gratitude

“One word, that’s all you said
Something in your voice called me, turned my head
Your smile, just captured me
You were in my future as far as I could see
And I dont know how it happens, but it happens still…” – Kenny Chesney

Williams engagement portrait photography by Wilkesboro NC Photographers Pixels On Paper photosThe Sand Ceremony. Heard of it? At weddings, it is very much like the lighting of a unity candle. Some of her. Some of him. But for Kendall Shepherd and Nathan Williams, this ceremony includes Christ. They believe that He should be a part of their ceremony and lives in every way. Kendall told us, “We will be using a picture shadow box to hold the sand instead of a vase. Also, instead of using two colors representing one another, we will be using three. An ivory color will be placed at the base of the shadow box representing Christ as the foundation of our relationship and home. Then we will have a color representing each of us to be poured in to symbolize that we are becoming one. We hope to pass this tradition down to our children one day.”
Williams engagement portrait photography by Wilkesboro NC Photographers Pixels On Paper photoBut back to Facebook. (You didn’t think you’d get away from it, did you?) That’s how these 2 connected in the first place. They started chatting after Nathan spotted a picture of Kendall at their local gym where her family works out. They “friended” and decided to go on a date. This led to a second date. And, the rest is …….. we’re not even going to say it, because you know already. History. Ok, we went ahead and said it.
Williams engagement portrait photography by Wilkesboro NC Photographers Pixels On Paper photos2 dates quickly became love and commitment – and the first commitment was Nathan staying with Kendall when she had emergency surgery. How’s that for showing “for better or worse?” He gave up his hospital blanket for her to stay extra warm and once home waiting on her every need, nursing her back to health. We’re pretty sure that sealed it. Even Kendall said, “the love, care and commitment we showed one another is what formed us into An US!”
Williams engagement portrait photography by Wilkesboro NC Photographers Pixels On Paper photoTheir wedding in August of this year will be largely traditional, elegant and classic, and they have devised a way to include a very special member of Nathan’s family – his late grandmother, Mary, “who will be watching from Heaven.” A pearl pendant of Mary’s will be placed on Kendall’s bouquet for the ceremony. The pendant was a gift from Mary’s husband Ernest to Kendall and is a treasured possession. Since Kendall never met Mary, this gesture is a way for the couple to honor her.
We feel pretty confident that these two are an “US” that will last. They told us that they laugh together, love to listen to tunes together (Kenny Chesney’s “You Had Me From Hello” is a personal fave that reminds them of each other – see the quote at the top!), love to be outside together and are clearly inseparable. Their plans for the future are to start a family, but first with a Labrador puppy.

Learn more about Pixels on Paper’s portraits.