Posts in Category: Bridals
Where Legacy Meets Love: Katie Russo’s Bridal Portraits
Some portrait sessions mean more than others. Katie Russo’s bridal portraits were one of those.
We’ve known Katie and her family for more than 20 years. Over that time, they have trusted us with many important moments. In 2010, we photographed her sister Jessica’s wedding to Bobby. Being asked to photograph Katie’s momentous occasion years later is something we never take lightly.
Katie is what we call a legacy client. She’s someone we’ve photographed before. Someone we know well. Someone who values long-standing relationships.
After more than two decades in business, we photograph fewer weddings. But when Katie asked us to photograph her bridal portraits—and later her wedding—the answer was easy. We said yes immediately.
Bridal Portrait Location: Pleasant Grove Farm | Charlotte, NC
For her bridal portraits, Katie chose Pleasant Grove Farm in Charlotte, North Carolina, a location that perfectly reflects her personality and lifelong passions. Katie has always had a deep love for horses, so being surrounded by rescued horses during her portrait session made the experience even more meaningful.
Pleasant Grove Farm offers a casual yet elegant outdoor backdrop, blending natural beauty with refined Southern charm. We photographed on a warm September morning, capturing images along the farm’s long, fenced drive, where curious horses quietly watched from nearby pastures. The peaceful setting created a relaxed atmosphere—one that allowed Katie’s natural joy and confidence to shine.
We also photographed inside the bridal suite, which is both bright and thoughtfully designed. The soft natural light created a timeless look that we love for bridal portraits.
A Bridal Session with a Very Special Guest
Katie didn’t come alone.
She brought her French bulldog, Ellie, along for the session. Ellie wore a custom wedding dress made from the fabric left over from Katie’s gown alterations. It was a sweet and personal detail.
Including Ellie made the session even more joyful. She was an important part of Katie’s story, and we were happy to include her.
A Legacy Worth Celebrating
Photographing Katie’s bridal portraits felt like a full-circle moment. From photographing her sister’s wedding years ago to now capturing Katie in this beautiful season of life, sessions like this remind us why relationships matter so much in what we do.
Katie and Stephen were married in November, and we had the honor of photographing their wedding day as well. That blog post is coming soon—and we cannot wait to share it.
Katie, thank you for trusting us again. Being part of your story, and your family’s story, is something we will always treasure.
Looking for Bridal Portraits in Charlotte, NC?
If you’re planning bridal portraits or a wedding at Pleasant Grove Farm or searching for a Charlotte wedding photographer who values connection, legacy, and storytelling, we’d love to talk.
Pixels On Paper Photography specializes in heartfelt, timeless imagery that honors both the moment and the memories behind it.
Ready to Capture Your Story?
Every love story deserves to be remembered beautifully. Whether you’re planning a bridal session, engagement portraits, or a full wedding day, we would love to hear from you. Contact us today to schedule your session and start creating timeless images that you and your family will cherish forever.
wedding gowns / bridal portraits
Every bride is beautiful on her wedding day. I honestly believe that. I also think beauty can be attributed to happiness. Happy people attract others to them and brides are like magnets. Not only is she “the one” to her husband, she’s the centerpiece of the day to everyone else. Wedding guests stand as she makes her way down the aisle and she spends months or more making sure that what she’s wearing will be gorgeous, help illustrate who she is and be memorable years later.
We love bridal portrait sessions, because they give our brides a chance to be on their own, pulled away from the day and the sentiment (and the crowd) and able to show off their dresses. Be it outside, in a private home or studio, these are some of our favorite bridal portraits. All of them appear timeless.
From a less romantic, more technical angle (pardon the pun), we try to capture brides showing off not only their personalities, but aspects of their gowns. Mermaid dresses, full ball gowns, laced or open backs, traditional necklines, trains, cathedral veils, cowboy boots, jeweled hair accessories – all of those specifically chosen elements should get their moment in the spotlight. We discuss all of this with our brides and do our best to feature them.
And then there’s the location. Some brides have their portraits taken in a studio setting where lighting can be controlled, but also as a throwback to the portraits of their grandmothers and great-grandmothers. I have to say, I find these to be so beautiful.
But we live in an area so replete with gorgeous views and venues, that often brides have their portraits taken at or near the spot where they will say “I Do.” So we work to incorporate not just the details of the gown into shots, but the setting as well. Outdoor bridal portraits give us opportunities to incorporate twilight, greenery, budding plants, ancient trees, waterfalls, private farms, mountain views and everything mother nature brings to the table.
Here comes the bride. And here comes bridal and wedding season. We CANNOT wait!
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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License All photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Alfresco Bridal Portraits – Late Summer in NC
Once again, Courtney just appears to be a fairy in the most beautiful spots. An outdoor girl marries an outdoor boy. I love that for generations to come their family will look at these photos and know exactly where they took place and share in the memory of those places as well.
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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
themed weddings photographers? ABSOLUTELY.
We made our start photographing the traditional wedding. The gorgeous bride in a white gown, the handsome groom, the heart-felt vows and whether it was in a church or overlooking a mountain vista, the pictures really were worth a thousand words. What bigger day do you have than your wedding day? And capturing those memories is what we do.
But we have also had the pure, unadulterated joy of capturing weddings with a theme. Some are based on a throwback to another era. Some are based on the bride or groom’s family heritage with ancestral touches. We photographed the engagement, bridal and wedding portraits for a couple who LOVED Dr. Who. It was awesome. THEY were awesome. Others just want to give a nod to something they care about whether it’s a style or a place or a genre. Whatever your tastes, loves, origin story or favorite band, we will help capture it on film to share for lifetimes to come. Check out a few or our faves below!
Above: A Pirate Wedding in the forest. What a fun group!
Below: A Rock-a-Billy Wedding done up right with every detail. 
Below: A Mexican Fiesta. …. Kidding. Scottish Highlands all the way. It was elegant and even the fog rolled in to go with bagpipes, kilts and heather.
The Scotch-Irish, and British Isles, often make an appearance. We are a country of immigrants afterall and seeing those traditions celebrated is transporting. It’s as if everyone at the wedding has gone back in time.
The Fleur de Lis – so French, so New Orleans, so retro and cool. We LOVE those couples who just say, “This is WHO WE ARE. These are the things that we care about or that make us happy or brought us together and we want to celebrate and share it with everyone.” 
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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Brides, brides, brides …… photos of beauty
There’s a saying that all babies are beautiful. I agree. I also think the same is true – for the most part…….. I’ve seen some messes – but never through my lens. A bride is lovely because she is not only wearing the dress of her dreams and marrying the partner of her dreams (WE HOPE), but she’s often times fulfilling a childhood dream to be the center of attention, surrounded by family, friends and lots of love. Brides glow. They represent the future and traditions, new and old, and they always represent hope. I’ve never photographed a bride who wasn’t shining with an inner light – even when mixed with nerves.
Cowboy boots, girlie girls, princesses, tomboys, women shielded by veils, mountains in the background, surrounded by lush botanical gardens, brides – sheathed in gowns – are absolutely gorgeous.
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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.