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NC Pastoral | A Wilkesboro Engagement
On November 12, 2017, we met them out at Randy’s family farm in North Wilkesboro and heard their story. Michelle had seen Randy over the years at various times while she and he would be outdoors and she wondered, from afar (are you with me?? it’s pretty epic) what he was like and if she’d ever meet him. She hoped they would be introduced someday, but it didn’t happen until a salon hairstylist they have in common decided to play matchmaker. Randy took it from there.
When he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Michelle, he did something outdoorsy and sweet for the proposal: he painted pumpkins with hearts on them, arranged them on hay bails, laid a quilt at a quiet spot near the barn and creek on his family’s farm and, after surprising her, asked her the marry him. For the engagement session we photographed them at the very site of his proposal and then wandered both his and Michelle’s family farms to capture other images that showcase them and their beloved land.
These 2 will be married in October of next year and we so look forward to seeing what details and parts of their personalities will be incorporated into the ceremony and reception.
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.
Christmas at Home with the Hollands
Bakers know that the right ingredients will deliver nothing short of heaven when combined according to directions, in the right proportion, using the right tools and cooking for the right amount of time at the right temp. Occasionally altitude is a problem with cakes, but that is not what this blog is about. This blog is about how Christmas – a sacred time for believers and a joyous time for everyone – can accommodate many combinations of elements and still manage to create heaven. 
Welcome to the timber-frame warmth of The Hollands. This family is new to us, but we are already so incredibly grateful for this burgeoning relationship and for the opportunity to get to know this wonderful family that really “gets it.” Both parents, Kevin and Tram are in the military and they moved to Wilkes from Fayetteville, NC with their blended family which includes 3 children still at home: Colton, Ava, & Sophia. When I visited them on December 4th to document their holiday at home, it was cold, dark and rainy. When the door opened, it was like getting a hug. There was so much light, heat and warmth. 
The family used to drive from their home to Ashe county to cut down their tree and this year, they all went together locally do the same. Next year, I hope to go with some of the client families to take photos of the journey, the tree choice, the car with it tied on top or tossed in the truck bed and the little faces looking out the window.
The ingredients that made this “day in the life” session so wonderful were varied and fun, specific and universal. I loved it! To wit: there was an impromptu paper airplane making and flying contest, stories around special decorations, origami ornaments from Tram’s aunt, beloved glass ornaments that were the girls favorites, running around in sock feet, games of checkers on the rug, decorating, coffee and hot chocolate preparations, stolen kisses between the parents. It was family. I was reminded of the other families I’ve done Christmas at Home portraits with and how normal becomes extraordinary when you pay attention. 
There were the posed photos that families want and I enjoy – when everyone is smiling and practicing good posture, but I have to say I love it when we pass that point of formality and people just act like I’m not even there. The Hollands are wonderful and Tram took the time to share that they had a photographer back in Fayetteville who’d been their photographer for years – someone who’d documented big and small occasions in their lives. She understood the importance of building a relationship, where trust and familiarity are combined over the years and that shared knowledge and care make for wonderful photos and memories. We look forward to many, many years of getting to know the Hollands, watching the kids grow and helping them celebrate all aspects of their lives.
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.
A Country Club Wedding with Smiles, Dancing & Cigars
We ask our brides and grooms about best and favorite moments, among other things, after their wedding day. Responses range from couple to couple, but with Christine Whitford & Adam Kessell, it was about firsts.
First look at each other during the ceremony.
First kiss after the I Dos.
First moments of greeting and chatting with their guests.
Christine and Adam were married on October 22nd at Firethorne Country Club in Marvin, NC and moment to moment they were present with their friends and family and enjoying each bit.
There were tearful moments for all the girls while they were getting ready. Both of Christine’s grandmothers gave her precious family heirlooms, one of which was a bracelet that her late grandfather had given her grandmother.
Christine’s dad cried when he first saw her before walking her down the aisle.
Christine was a very enthusiastic bride and lots of fun to work with. Because we photographed a previous wedding where she was a bridesmaid, and shot their unconventional but historically significant engagement photos, she already knew our style and how we work. We already had a great relationship with her and Adam, so we knew it was going to be a blast.
Christine’s cathedral length veil was epic. We did have a few “all hands on deck” moments when the wind picked up though.
Firethorne provided an absolutely gorgeous outdoor setting for the wedding. The weather was perfect, there were smiles all around and lots of tender moments, joy and laughter (Christine: “we like to think our friends and family are pretty funny!”).
The reception was a party, as it should be. The DJs from Split Second Sound delivered the goods and kept the dance floor hot and all of Christine and Adam’s friends showed off some serious dance moves. The dancing was Christine’s favorite part of the reception she told us and Adam’s was the cigar bar. Ryan enjoyed spending time photographing at the cigar bar as well. There was just FUN in every direction.
Christine: “When we talk about our wedding day, we talk about how great it was to see everyone and just dance and have a good time. It was so nice to see our families blend so well together. It made my heart smile.”
Christine and Adam not only had a beautiful ceremony and killer reception, they are class acts. In lieu of favors, the couple made a donation in everyone’s honor to the animal shelter where they had recently rescued their own pup. Congratulations, you two and nothing but love for you both on the journey ahead!
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.
Bonnie & Amanda | Married… On The Windfall | Lansing NC
Have you ever procrastinated because you’re afraid you’ll never do justice to WHATEVER IT IS? You’re sort of paralyzed by a yearning for perfection? Well, join us won’t you as we attempt to describe this couple, this wedding, this day and everything it symbolized. We feel confident in this: it meant something not just to Amanda and Bonnie – the newlyweds – but to everyone who witnessed their marriage and saw their journey culminate in the official, legal “I Dos.” 
Bonnie Hostetler & Amanda Walling were married on October 14, 2016 at On the Windfall in Lansing, NC. Fall outdoor weddings bring life and birth during a time when the earth rests from blooming and we all turn our thoughts to warmth, fires and the holidays. This couple wanted their celebration to be that: the beginning, the birth of their union as a sanctioned and sacred thing. And it was from the first note to the last hug.
Watching Bonnie and Amanda’s nerves and anticipation of seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony was incredibly sweet and then seeing them each walk down the aisle as individuals, and then later back up the aisle as a couple is something I’ll never forget. Because we had two brides, it was special to see twice the amount of emotion, excitement and attention to detail that what we normally witness and photograph. Grooms typically tend to be laid back and go with the flow. They told us that finally being face-to-face was the best moment of the day.
The vows are by their very nature the most tender and moving part of any wedding ceremony and these were no exception. The extraordinary display of emotion from not only Bonnie & Amanda but also every single guest that was there was, I believe, what seemed to make this wedding so unbelievably affecting. It was a group realization of how much harder it is for a same sex couples to marry each other. It’s as if they’ve already defied so many odds and barriers and now could demonstrate their love and commitment to each other surrounded by their friends, family and biggest fans. We could all see how much they love each other and what they would go through for each other. When it was finally possible to say, “this is us. we did it!,” there was even more reason to celebrate. 
So, this couple… where to begin? Amanda is incredibly attentive to the needs of everyone around her, most especially Bonnie’s. She’s driven and competitive, but in the good ways, you know? She’s positive and she’s organized and you want her on your team.
Bonnie brings the wattage. She’s full of light, laughter and smiles. She cares deeply for people, is the girlie girl with a tom boy’s heart and she looked amazing in her gown. Bonnie dreams big and pulls others into that spirit. Together, these two love the outdoors as much as they enjoy being with others. If you read their engagement blog, you know they have a camper and love to travel and camp in it – just the two of them. 
Fun Fact: The officiant accidentally said “wing” instead of “ring” during the ceremony. It was hilarious and the brides especially thought so. If you’ve seen “The Princess Bride,” you get it.
On the Windfall is a magical spot. We’ve shot many a wedding there and Bonnie and Amanda chose well. They told us that they’d been hyping it to guests for months as this gorgeous venue and perfect spot for their wedding. Sure enough, people kept telling them during the reception how amazed they were once they got to be there in person and see it, enjoy walking the grounds and taking in the autumn views. 
The reception and meeting all of their friends…. we loved it. We were welcomed like family, which felt wonderful. Professionally, we’d looked forward to the wedding day for such a long time and had high expectations about what we were going to be able to do with the couple and at this location. When we walked away that night, all of our expectations were exceeded. These two are so completely in love and they really took the time to make their day as special, beautiful, fun and interesting as they are.
Great receptions mean great guests and so many different types of people were brought together for this wedding. Regardless of color, sex, age, religion, education, etc., there we all were celebrating. It speaks volumes to the type of people that Amanda and Bonnie are and how many people love them.
If I wrote down every detail and used all the adjectives that come to mind in this blog, you’d be finished reading it around Easter, so I will just say this:
We love these two.
Amanda and Bonnie are wonderful people and they matter so much to those who are able to be in their lives and world. What we witnessed on October 14th was a shared dream that came true. It was a celebration in the truest sense. It was history making for them, but it was also about a single wish to be together forever. We saw joy, community, families and a family being forged, fairness and justice in manners of the heart played out, and we saw what love can be if you let it.
For those of you planning, here’s the Vendor Roundup! Each of these did an amazing job to make Amanda and Bonnie’s day gorgeous and memorable.
Location: On The Windfall
Planner/Coordinator: Megan Drake of The Elegant Event
Hair/Makeup: Canvas Beauty Bar Boone
Flowers: Fuschia Moss
Cake: Ugga Mugga
Music: Mountain Peak Sound
Specialty Rentals: A Bushel & A Peck Vintage Rentals
Caterers: Stacey Pierce & Julie Weldon of Charleston SC
We are now booking engagement sessions and wedding dates for 2017. Contact us to schedule yours.
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.
Christmas Portraits at Home | The Pierce family
We believed, when we proposed the idea of taking Christmas portraits at client’s homes vs. set dressing our Pixels studio, that it would be a success. It would be fun, if not funny, magical and tender and, most critically, it would WORK. Well, the proof is in the pudding. We discovered this at the Pierce’s home earlier this month. 
Traci and Andy Pierce have let us photograph them numerous times over the years, most especially their sweet boys Holden and Sawyer. But on December 2nd, I went to their house to shoot Christmas portraits more as a documentarian than a portraitist and I loved every sweet little second of it. You never know what’s going to happen in the studio or on locations and I certainly wondered about this “big idea” of mine as well, but it was everything I hoped for.
The best part for me was being eyewitness to little moments and conversations that would seem mundane if not overheard by someone who cares and is tuned in. Holden wanted to zip his Dad’s shirt and read him a story. Traci and Holden had a conversation about their new house and why they left their old house. The whole family wrestled together and little Sawyer watched his big brother dance around pointing out ornaments on the Christmas tree. They were just little moments, but it’s exactly the “slice of life” I was hoping to get as the onsite historian. 
I’ve always wondered with this style of photography if the subjects could completely relax and be natural… ignore that I was there. It turns out, they can! After a half hour, they all go on about their lives and are naturally interacting with each other. I got to breathe, watch, aim, shoot and solidify moments that would have been lost otherwise. It’s a photographers dream and so rewarding. Even after many years in the profession, it felt wonderful.
Our lives aren’t perfect. Often they’re perfectly messy. They’re filled with clutter, unmade beds, scattered toys, half empty cups, to do lists, don’t want to lists, nose prints on windows and tooth paste on mirrors. But all these things make up our lives. It’s real, it’s us, it’s family, it’s life. Having that picture perfect family portrait is great. But having photos of real life also has it’s place in our lives and our memories. 
These recent photos amid the trees and holiday lights are the precursor to something bigger for Pixels On Paper Photography. Starting in 2017 we’ll be photographing A Day In The Life sessions. Documentary style photos of you and your family in your environment and every day life. I want you to see your life, your family and the everyday moments you share in a whole new light. We all need a different perspective and we all could use a little more reason to appreciate the lives we have been given no matter how messy they may be in real life.
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.