Posts Tagged: high country wedding
Fiona and Lance’s Wedding at The Inn At Crestwood in Blowing Rock NC
The wedding, on April 22nd at The Inn at Crestwood Resort in Blowing Rock NC, between Lance and Fiona Martin was the perfect springtime event: kilt, weather, laid-back bride and all. The couple had a small and intimate gathering of friends and family from all over the country and different parts of the world, including friends from Switzerland and Scotland. Only one bridesmaid and one groomsmen were in the wedding party. Each detail was well planned, but when it came to the day, they just trusted everything to go smoothly and as planned. And it did, including the brief arrival of sunshine for a period.
Weather can be dodgy in April, so Fiona wisely chose to have the event indoors. Good thing too, because the Scottish inspired clouds were out and it did rain. Fortunately, it cleared long enough for photos. Even during the ceremony and reception though, the views from the windows were spectacular with Grandfather Mountain in the distance. They could not have chosen a more fitting spot for a groom in Scottish attire and a bride who looked like a Celtic Fairy.
Even though the couple are from South Carolina, they are serious cyclists and choose the Inn at Crestwood because of their love for the area. They’ve cycled in this area many, many times and so it was no surprise that they towed their bikes with them for their wedding weekend. The day before the ceremony, they went for a long road ride together along the Blue Ridge Parkway. But I wasn’t kidding about how serious they are as cyclists. To share their love of it with everyone, the couple gave water bottles and bicycle bottle openers as favors to guests.
Brides come in all types and temperaments, and Fiona is easily one of the most laid-back relaxed brides we have ever worked with. Her trust in all of her chosen vendors allowed everyone to be relaxed; each of us, from photographers to caterers, were able to take care of them and provide the best service. It’s refreshing when clients have complete trust in your work and don’t give you a list of specifics that sometimes hamper creativity.
Lance and Fiona shared that a few of the highlights were when Lance choked up during the ceremony, that they were able to chat with guests out on the patio before the reception started and when the dance floor flooded with ALL the guests who wanted to dance to a song by Average White Band. The reception was a real party!
Congrats to these two! We look forward to wishing them a Happy Anniversary this time next year.
If you’re interested in the vendors, Fiona and Lance chose for their wedding, have a look!
Wedding gown: London & Lace, Columbia, SC
Hair & Makeup: Beautiful Bride On Location
Wedding coordinator /planner: Vanessa Hensley at the Inn at Crestwood
Wedding and reception venue: Inn at Crestwood
Flowers: Park Place Florists, Blowing Rock, NC
DJ or band: Mountain Peak Sound
Caterer: Inn at Crestwood
Cake/deserts: Ugga Mugga Bakery
the party of a lifetime ~ your wedding
When was the last time you threw a party?
How many people were there? What was the occasion?
Unless you are a rock star party thrower or professional event planner (and we know plenty of both), the biggest party of your life is probably going to be your wedding.
When in your life do so many people who love you gather to celebrate you? Seriously. Think about it. And they don’t all know each other. YOU ARE THE REASON they’re there: relatives, coworkers, college buddies, favorite teachers, high school teammates, childhood besties, neighbors, your parents’ friends and new friends you’re inheriting because you’re getting married all show up to celebrate you ………… and party.
We notice unexpected meetings and connections at every single wedding we photograph. It never fails. Two or more people are seated together at the ceremony or the reception and the only context they have to connect them is you. And then stories are swapped, jokes are told and there are moments of “oh, so you are THAT Jennifer!” or “you’re the gramma who sent the box of banana bread during exams.” Your childhood babysitter sits next to your college roommate and sparks fly! Just kidding. Well,…. maybe… But the point is, this is not a rally with a cast of thousands and it’s not your retirement party 40 years from now. It’s a blow-out love fest for you and your beloved.
We’re not going to throw shade at amateurs. Your friends and family are going to take their own photos anyway. But we’ve heard the stories of regret from those who’ve let their friends “take pictures” and there’s no do-over. For the party of your life you need photographers who are experienced; who know what to look for when people cluster and when they separate; photographers who can tell which moment is going to be epic; who understand lighting regardless of location or setting; who’ve done this long enough to anticipate every single photo that you’re going to share on social media, frame and return to 25 years later.
Couples who hire us have spent time with us and we’ve focused on them, understand the vibe and theme of the wedding, know what to capture and are ready. We are getting the photos you want from your wedding, but we’re also eagle-eyed during the reception because we know what to look for and what will matter to you when you view the photos later.
There are all sorts of parties, but those with a purpose have a unique magic. Your wedding celebrates the beginning of your lives together and those who love you want to be there. Get ready, start your list and give us a call. We’d love to capture the party of a lifetime.
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.
Mountain Wedding combines rustic, stylish, Jewish and traditional elements
The only minor thing about Katie and Josh’s October wedding was their now-shared surname. Katie Muskal wore her mother’s wedding gown when she walked down the aisle to marry her groom, Josh Minor. The gown was reworked and tailored to suit her style, but kept the elements that reminded her of her mom and bonded them that day. And that’s only the beginning….
The bride told us that she, “wanted to create a casual, rustic but chic, festive atmosphere where everyone could be comfortable and have a good time. And of course, we wanted it to be in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains!”
Katie is a native of Pennsylvania, but as an Appalachian State alum, she got the mountain bug and fell in love with our Blue Ridge …… and fell even further for a NC boy – Josh. “After dating a few months, we spent an amazing weekend deep in the mountains while attending a football game. I can honestly say that the beautiful scenery helped us fall in love more and more each day. For our wedding, I wanted to recreate that feeling of love we experienced on that trip.”
There is something about an outdoor wedding that is both challenging and adventurous and so deeply cool. Everyone is surrounded by mother nature, we’re all under the sky, there is tender ambient noise, and the trees and flowers and the rest of nature become attendees.
A little shout out: this couple worked with the amazing talent of Buddy Fore and his efforts tend to result in the most beautiful and well-organized weddings. Just look at his table arrangements!! Also, look for him in the 2016 issue of High Country Wedding Guide.
There was no shortage of details that spoke to autumn and tradition. The bride’s Jewish upbringing was celebrated with a “chuppah” made of antique cloth from both the bride’s and groom’s grandmothers. They celebrated with a “breaking of the glass” ceremony, and later the “hora” chair dance at the reception. Finally, the centerpieces and decorations on the head table were from the bride’s grandmother, who passed away last year.
We love the Blue Ridge Mountain Club! It couldn’t be more picturesque and it, along with the fog and rain in the morning followed by a starry night, allowed us to get gorgeous photos of this glorious couple and the many people people who came from hither and yon to be there to celebrate with them.
This reception had the highest energy we’ve seen and photographed all year. The dance floor never cleared thanks to DJ Erok, whom we would highly recommend. Ages young and old partied well into the night. We loved that when they did need a break, the outdoor fire-pit was close by and the stars were out.
Katie asked if it might be possible for us to thank her parents – David and Tracy Muskal, for giving them an amazing wedding and to thank everyone else who came to celebrate with them. Of course we can: THANK YOU SO MUCH!
From Ryan and myself, we’d like to thank Katie & Josh for allowing us to be a witness to their special day. Good Luck, you two! We love you!
lauren & patrick |outdoor country mountain wedding | big red barn west jefferson nc| pixels on paper wedding photographers
Weddings in the NC mountains are some of our very favorite to photograph. The surroundings are always changing, there is beautiful scenery at every turn and there are so many different venues to choose from for locals or those choosing the mountains for a destination wedding location. Not to mention that we have four very distinct seasons which locals tend to take for granted.
Our Bride, Lauren, is a Charlotte, NC native and her Groom, Patrick, was once also, but now active duty means home is wherever work is. They opted for a destination wedding in the heart of the NC High Country in West Jefferson at a brand new outdoor venue, The Big Red Barn. From the day we photographed outdoor engagement photos for this couple, we knew being involved with their wedding day was going to be incredible. In case you missed their engagement portraits, click here.
Their wedding day was filled with love, helping hands and details from every aspect of their lives. It was a kid-friendlly event since Lauren and Patrick are now a blended family unit. Their daughters each played an active role in the ceremony. Each walking down the aisle with their parent and being a part of the couple’s vows, which were precious moments to witness and photograph. We honor and treasure moments like these. We don’t take our roles as wedding photographers lightly. It’s one day that can’t be reenacted, often filled with fleeting candid moments, and precious opportunities to photograph family members from near and far that are rarely all together for moments like these. We work hard to capture all of the images and take our roles very seriously so that each couple will have treasures to hold on to and heirlooms to pass along.
We hope you can see and feel the love in these photographs. Thank you Lauren and Patrick for trusting Pixels On Paper Photography to tell the story of your wedding day.
Special thanks to the vendors we worked along side: Florist: Four Gals and A Florist, Bride and bridal party hair and makeup: Nelson and Marion of Beautiful Bride On Location, Ceremony & Reception Venue: Big Red Barn Weddings, DJ: Born to DJ, Caterers: Sweet & Savory, Rentals: Jefferson Rent-All, Bride & Bridesmaids Attire: David’s Bridal.
Learn more about our wedding photography packages in the NC Mountains, Asheville, Blowing Rock NC, Boone NC, and the NC High Country and packages for NC Mountain destination weddings by calling our studio at 336-990-0080, visit our website www.pixelsonpaper.net or send us and email at mail@pixelsonpaper.net.
sierra & casey |outdoor mountain wedding purlear nc | rendezvous mountain state park | pixels on paper wedding photographers
Life doesn’t always goes as planned. Even the most well-layed plans have a way of going astray. That seems to especially be the case when it comes to weddings. Occasionally we have the opportunity to be a part of a wedding that has not been in the works for years, but only a few months or weeks. There are no elaborate plans, timelines, checklists, or 100s involved. There are only two people deeply in love and family or friends there to support that the only thing which matters is the commitment they are making to God and to each other. This was the case with Sierra and Casey’s wedding. Simple, rustic, country are all words that would describe the day as well as the Bride and Groom.
Simple has a way of being incredibly personal, romantic and beautiful. Being able to witness and photograph moments like these are a blessing. A wedding such as this is a day that is not tainted by countless Pinterest boards and must-have reenactments but rather opportunities for us to create photographs that are completely unique and personalized. The idyllic forrest, out-of-the-way setting in the NC Mountains at Rendezvous Mountain State Park in Purlear perfectly lent itself to this couple and their personality.
Casey & Sierra, thank you for trusting us to photograph the memories of your wedding day and tell your story through photos. We wish you a life together full of countless blessings. For the rest of you, enjoy a little peek into their wedding day.
We were even given the time and opportunity to have fun at the local Fire Department, Broadway in North Wilkesboro NC, where Casey is a volunteer fireman where we created some uniquely personal creative photos.
Special thanks to the vendors we worked along side: Ceremony Florist: Eden House Floral, Bride’s Attire: Bridal Traditions Wedding & Prom Attire, Ceremony & Reception Venue: Rendezvous Mountain State Park.
To view and learn more about Pixels On Paper wedding photography and portrait photography visit our website www.pixelsonpaper.biz. Visit or call our Wilkesboro photo studio and outdoor portrait garden.