Posts Tagged: outdoor wedding
Taylor and Matthew’s Hallelujah Arena Venue Wedding
Taylor and Matthew were married in October of this year at the Hallelujah Arena in Morganton, North Carolina and it was a family affair, planned from a distance and during a pandemic. Matthew is Ryan’s second-cousin, is in the military stationed in Wisconsin, and Taylor is working on her graduate degree at Appalachian State University in Boone. Even at a distance, and while Taylor was studying, these two were efficient and thorough in their planning.
There was a large wedding party, with folks coming from all over, but these two trusted us – and our many years of experience – on the day and leading up to it. Even the last minute decision to have a “first touch” was easy for us to pull off, and the day was truly a blast. Outdoor weddings, especially in beautiful spots like this one, allow for a variety of textures and people groups, so we took full advantage.
This was a new venue for us and we loved it. There was a beautiful covered pavilion, and the outdoor ceremony site showcased a mountain view. A classic car was provided by the venue and coordinators provided golf cart shuttles across the property. There was also a large fire pit which provided a quieter space for guests throughout the night.
A few months prior to the wedding Taylor sent me a Facebook video of bubble machine guns that she thought would be fun. Wanting my input on how they could be used, she made the purchase and together we planned her bubble entrance. With the help of two bridesmaids it was hilarious. They gave it another go during the couple’s first dance and there were bubbles everywhere!
During the reception, Matthew shared a dance with his Mom Melanie. They were both laughing and really enjoying themselves. When I mentioned this to Melanie later in the night, she said that of her four kids Matthew had always been her dance partner since he was young, and it was something that felt natural to the both of them.
Our son Finley attended the wedding, because that kid loves to dance, too. While we worked, he hung around with family and spent most of the night on the dance floor, even stealing dances with the bride.
What a night! Glow sticks made for a fun mess-free exit, and we were so happy to have been able to be not just the photographers for this event, but guests. Congratulations Taylor and Matthew!
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 newborns and families, 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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License All photos are ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
a church wedding …… literally
Before even stepping foot where the bride, bridesmaids and others were gathered, I heard Adrian’s infectious laugh and knew it was going to be a great day and all was ok. She was back. What a joy it was to watch and photograph all that excitement rolled into one tiny, beautiful bride. Throughout the ceremony she literally bounced with joy, giddy and eager to say her vows.
During the days leading up to her wedding day, when I spoke to Adrian she didn’t sound like her usual bubbly self. The typical wedding stress had gotten even to her. I was worried she had lost sight of what the day was all about and was letting the details and responsibility of pulling everything together take over her thoughts. Fortunately, the good juju won the day.
Not even one month ago, Adrian Bridges and Banks Church married each other at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, in Wilkesboro, NC. It was the southern, summer wedding some brides dream about and between the tender moments at the ceremony, the beautiful views at Camp Harrison at Herring Ridge where they had their reception, it was pretty sweet all around.
The groom is someone we’ve known for years and he’s way more comfortable in small groups than in crowds. In intimate settings, he’ll share stories of his farm, about his childhood and friends and latest adventures. Having all eyes on him on his wedding day was not optimal, to say the least. The shift in his posture and mood was remarkable though when he saw Adrian. No one else was there once she was by his side.
When asked about the best moments from their wedding, they told us that one was when everyone surrounded them and prayed for their marriage. Honestly, it was pretty amazing to watch. Both families and the entire wedding party joined at the altar, laid hands on Adrian and Banks and prayed for them. The entire congregation held hands and crossed the aisles to join in prayer as well. It’s something we don’t see often and was humbling and powerful and incredibly moving. We talk about corporate prayer, when whole communities come together. The couple’s “community” came together to pray just for them.
Mountain weddings are beautiful and so are mountain receptions. God bless gorgeous scenery and perfect weather. Pixels “does” rain, but it’s pretty fab when we can send our couple in any direction and get something memorable and lovely in our lenses.
Adrian and Banks told us that their favorite moments from the reception were the dancing and chatter with friends and family, the beautiful views at Herring Ridge and the ribbon wands everyone waved when they left for their honeymoon. It’s hard to describe other than to say there was just so much joy that day.
We hope all brides and grooms can have this kind of love for each other, have those who support them want nothing but cohesion, a Christ-centered marriage and success as a couple. They’ve started out well. Here’s to the next 50 years.
For those of you interested in details from the Bridges-Church wedding, the flowers were from Eden House, Adrian’s dress was from Did Someone Say Party; makeup was provided by Sharla Bance and the videography was captured by Hill City Productions.
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 babies and kids, 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.
southern belle bridal portraits ~ beauty among the botanicals
If you’re ever standing at a dinner party in, say, …….Prague… and someone asks you to describe a Southern Belle, Adrian Bridges Church should be your brain’s go-to reference point. We’re not talking the overdone, over-the-top caricature or the Ersatz Southern Lady one meets from time to time in the New South. Adrian is authentic – almost to the point of seeming as if she really is a belle from that era in the American South…….. minus of course, the strife and angst that comes from civil war and the fact that you can’t vote and whatnot.
Adrian’s belle comes out almost immediately in her sense of graciousness, sweetness and hospitality. She could have shown up for her bridal portraits in a hoop skirt and bonnet and we wouldn’t have blinked. Let’s just say she’d have given Melanie Wilkes a run for her money. When we were discussing her wedding photography (we’ll share soon!!), she mentioned that since her wedding was going to be more on the country/rustic side that she really wanted her bridal portraits to be more formal, elegant and in a blooming spring garden, filled with the lushness that comes with the season. There’s just one problem – the weather in the mountains of NC in the spring can be dodgy and sometimes it feels like late October. The solution? Head east toward warmth. And that’s what we did.
The botanical gardens near Winston-Salem were in bloom and they were absolutely gorgeous, making a perfect setting for this bride. When we can bend to make our clients happy, we do it and this was the case with Adrian. When she emerged from the car for her session in early April (after hours of travel for hair and makeup and then more time to get to the gardens), she actually squealed. The combination of her gown and glow, the green of the gardens, purple wisteria, moss and sunshine made our job that day a breeze.
Adrian told us that we’d made her dream of garden portraits come true by locating this spot. LOVE IT when that happens. This belle deserved a setting as genteel and elegant as she is, so we were thrilled to deliver.
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 babies and kids, 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.
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.
sneak peeks | pixels on paper wedding pictures
While you’ve been waiting for the next big blog post we’ve been moving straight from the Summer wedding season into the rush of Fall wedding season. And since honestly it’s more important to get our beautiful Bride & Groom’s wedding photos edited than it is to keep up with blogs, we thought we’d tempt you with some little glimpses into the weddings that we’ve been photographing. Don’t worry we’ll be filling you in on all the lovely details for each of these weddings as soon as we get a breather and can reflect back. Stay tuned!
Mia & Andre
Mercedes & Nathan
John & Ruth
Maren & Gordon
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License. |