Posts Tagged: Pixels On Paper
Wedding redux part 2 ~ MORE SAGE ADVICE
“Don’t worry about pleasing everyone else. It’s YOUR wedding, so do what you want to do!! You will enjoy it even more if it’s everything you imagined it would be.”
Part II of our series, Wedding Redux, takes advantage of the insight of Whitney Pegg Parsons, married last year at Williams Farm. Have a peek at their wedding and then enjoy Whitney’s feedback.
What would you do less?
Stress about the situations you can’t change. Something is going to end up happening which causes some detail to perhaps not turn out the way you wanted. It’s just like life; you have to roll with it.
Positive or negative feelings or comments about any of the following?
Attire.
Do your research! Look at more than one place before deciding who you’ll buy your gown and dresses from.
Gifts.
Go with what is sentimental. You want to look back, with friends and family, and all be able to say ‘I remember that day perfectly.'”
Flowers.
Don’t get stuck on using a florist as your only option. Sometimes asking around, ordering flowers in bulk and decorating yourself can be just as beautiful and more cost effective.
Location.
Choose somewhere that is memorable and most fits your style. Google can be your friend here. There were a lot of local places I would never have known about if I hadn’t looked online. Most importantly, choose the location first. It will determine the date of your wedding and help with other details.
Decorations & Decor.
PINTEREST!!! Everyone has their own ideas of what they want their wedding to look like, but sometimes it’s harder to execute than you think. Enlist the help of those online, your friends and family and they will help you better determine what is going to be the most feasible.
Number in the wedding party?
Choose the few who are most important to you. You shouldn’t feel that just because someone is your friend that it means they have to be in the wedding party. Some friends don’t even feel comfortable being in the party to begin with. Choose people who, when you look back in 50 years, you’ll see the photos and appreciate that they are still your friends and people you still talk to.
Number of guests?
It is always bigger than you think it’s going to be and that is okay! I was so worried because my list kept getting bigger and bigger due to family members and I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Some people will never come but just like to get an invitation. I would recommend setting a maximum number of guests and never going above that number.
Time of year?
There is always going to be some weather issue that may possibly get in the way. I’d say choose whatever you want and can handle and then go for it. As for time of day, it depends on the season.
Wedding Planner or “family-and-friends-all-hands-on-deck” approach?
Don’t choose a family member or close friend. Planning a wedding can be stressful and you don’t want to depend on someone you may end up having a falling out with… a falling out over something stupid. Choose someone you can rely on who has experience. They will be able to help you plan out a schedule so you don’t forget any details.
Name 3 things you would do differently if, by some strange wrinkle in the universe, you could do it all again (but with the same spouse):
My main things would be stress less and enjoy more. I would worry less about the little unimportant things and enjoy the big details even more. When the day actually came, I felt like it was over in a matter of minutes and would have loved to have had more time to enjoy it! I would also have done more research on attire for dresses and suits and saved myself a lot of last minute stress!
Name 3 things you would NOT change:
Even though it was stressful at times, it turned out to be a mostly perfect day. One of the most important things I would never change are the people I chose to spend my special day with. They enjoyed it as much as I did! Secondly is the photography. There is no other way to go back to that day other than through the pictures. Choose a photographer who is relatable and whose style you love and you won’t be disappointed (Misty & Ryan, of course)!!
Finally, and most importantly, find the right person – choose the right spouse! If you know that no matter what goes wrong with the wedding that they are with you, it’s all that matters.
It’s only going to happen ONCE, so stand back and take a minute to really live in every little detail that you can.
In case you missed them, click here to read Redux part 1.
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.
Wedding Redux…. What would YOU do if you could do the day again?
This was the wedding of Meghan and Josh in August of 2015. The groom made the arbor they stood beneath (a gift to his bride) and she walked down the aisle to Bruno Mars’ “Marry You.” There were amazing details in every direction – from the mountains behind them as they pledged to be together for life, to the bouquets, color choices, and reception where everyone danced and partied late into the evening and stayed for the weekend.
BUT. What if they could do it again….? Do it all over again.
If you’re planning your wedding – listen up.
We asked Meghan and Josh what they would change and here is what they said. [insert the high-pitched rewind sound here and clip of everything moving at top speed in reverse]
Name 3 things you would do differently, if, by some strange wrinkle in the universe, you could do it all again (with the same person of course)?
I wouldn’t worry about a shuttle service to get people to and from town. I wouldn’t book vendors based solely on price and I wouldn’t try to do things I wasn’t completely happy with just to save money.
Name 3 things you would do again, if you could?
I would definitely do a small destination like we did where we all stayed in cabins together for the weekend so it was an extended celebration. I would still have my personal and humorous wedding. I would use my florist, caterer, and my photographers a million times over.
Tell us about vows. Any changes?
I LOVED our vows! We wrote our own and they were completely original and US. They were humorous, but still sweet.
How about the number of guests?
DO NOT invite everyone you have ever known and don’t worry about people getting their feelings hurt. Throughout this process, I started to notice that for every person we added to the guest list, we were adding approximately $75/head. This is where I should have cut my budget instead of scrimping on other things or trying to put too much work on myself.
Did you use a wedding planner or the “family-and-friends-all-hands-on-deck” approach to planning?
I had a planner and don’t know how we would have done it without her. I wish we had utilized her even more instead of me trying to do it myself to save money! I tried to do a lot of things on my own or use people who were “cheaper” to try to cut costs. I would have paid the extra amount and had everything taken care of and not worried about it! Do you notice a trend here?!
Time of year? Time of day?
I never wanted an August wedding, but then I never planned a wedding until I had to. August was perfect! Late summer was perfect for my colors and the time of day and location (on top of a mountain) made the weather absolutely unbelievable!
Location?
My fiancé and I wanted something that was natural and gorgeous, which is exactly what we got. We had to go way out in the county to find this, and didn’t want people to worry about driving. We wound up spending more money for a shuttle service to and from town and up and down the mountain than if we had just paid extra somewhere else. We had to rent two sets of chairs because of two separate locations, get generators, and lug things up and down the mountain just to try to get everything we needed into this “natural” space.
What about the elements of the ceremony?
Make it ALL about you! Traditional or not, putting your personal touches on these makes all the difference in the world and it is what your guests will remember.
Decorations & decor?
Make sure they fit your venue. I wanted glitz and glamour mixed with the natural space and additional vintage elements. Sometimes your venue is decoration enough!
Number in the wedding party?
I would suggest going with the smallest number of people possible. My 6 were perfect, but the smaller the better.
Positive and negative advice on any or all of the following:
Attire?
Dress in things that will look good, but also fit your location.
Food?
EAT! I said, “oh we are GOING to eat!”…then we didn’t. We loved the food we selected and then we didn’t even get our to-go boxes.
Gifts?
Don’t register for things you have no intention of using, regardless of what people think you need!
Flowers?
My flowers were one of the TOP things that made my wedding! The colors were gorgeous and tied together my color scheme perfectly! In an attempt to save money, I tried to use potted plants at the altar, but I should have let my florist do those as well.
What, if anything, do you regret?
I don’t regret anything, however, there are a few family members that I wish I would have taken pictures with before they left. I wanted the majority of the pictures done before the ceremony so that we could use the full time for the reception. I had some older family members I assumed were going to stay through part of the reception, but they left right after the ceremony, so they aren’t in any of my photos.
What do you wish you’d done, but were afraid to do?
There are a few moments of my wedding that I wish had been slightly more serious, but that is just not my personality. I was scared to have anything even slightly sentimental because I knew I would cry, so I did everything in my power to make sure that I didn’t break down.
What would you do more of?
If I could do it over, I think I would have enjoyed things more. I don’t say that to mean I didn’t enjoy it, but it was a very stressful time, and I went through different phases and a boat load of emotions. I had days where everything mattered and I didn’t care about the cost; other days, I wasn’t spending a dime, and nothing was a big deal because it was just a “celebration.” Looking back, I see that these were things I will only get to do one time and I would have cherished every moment even more if I had truly had a concept of this.
Stay tuned for more in this series — Wedding Redux, especially if you’re a bride-to-be, maid of honor, mother-of-the-bride or newly engaged. Hearing from those who’ve stood where you are about to stand can make all the difference in the world.
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.
an orchard photo session with a young sister & brother
“Everything great that ever happened in this world happened first in somebody’s imagination.”
– Astrid Lindgren (author of Pippi Longstocking)
True. So, we ask you: What on earth was happening in her imagination when we took this photo?
Usually, we’d give our kingdom to know, but in this case, it’s counter to the mystery and fun of life.
And anyway, she’s clearly cracked the code. You can see it in her eyes and mouth.
Natalie Overby is one of our favorite subjects to shoot, because she is polite, poised, and incredibly photogenic. We hope she always has the tender passion and beauty in her that is so apparent in her photos. She has a poetic face and sensibility you pray is never interrupted by tragedy, but only enhanced by life’s nuances and adventures.
We also photographed her little brother Eli that day in our favorite orchard. His mom specifically asked that we capture his gorgeous blue eyes. Eli is a typical boy and would rather be playing in the dirt than sitting still for photos. He is charming, but restless and we couldn’t blame him. Spring… outside… sister’s there to hang with. It’s a recipe for play and soaking up sun.
“There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy’s life when he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.” -Mark Twain (author of Tom Sawyer) …. And Eli is thinking about when to make a break for it…
Natalie takes great care to watch out for her little brother, but she was also incredibly present in each moment. It’s an interesting combo in such a young kid and heartening to watch. There’s a lot going on in that girl’s imagination and brain and Eli is the same.
There’s a quote that goes something like, “having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of… you know whatever you do, she’ll still be there.”
And there’s another great quote about siblings that says, “sisters and brothers just happen; we don’t get to choose them, but they become one of our most cherished relationships.” -Wes Adamson. We love our siblings, both those by blood and those found through this life and we hope that Natalie and Eli will have the same solidarity and trust, laughter and adventure, mayhem and memories that we have with ours.
Keep it up you two.
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.
Merlefest…. we’re going again as official photographers
…. and we. can’t. wait. Wanna go? Get your tickets! April 28 – May 1 of this year. But you can also get a sense of the fun, the musicians, the tunes and the scene from us. Below is a quick look back at the gallery of shots we captured from Merlefest 2015, including the Avett Brothers, Sam Bush, The Honeydew Drops, Front Country, Trampled by Turtles, and the venue.
The line-up for Merlefest this year looks amazing. Join us or maybe we’ll capture you in one of our shots. If you are a music festival host and in need of photographers for the event, contact us.
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.
newborn baby boy’s portraits ~ he washes ashore to grateful & happy parents
Flynn washes ashore…
On February 2nd, 1709, British sailor Alexander Selkirk was rescued after being marooned on a desert island for 5 years. His story inspired a book most of us read as kids … or at least we know it: it’s the story of Robinson Crusoe. Real quick – young sailor, impetuous, adventurous, defied his parents and sails to Brazil and Africa and eventually is marooned on an island and completely alone. He survives, becomes skilled, grows closer to God, picks up a slave named Friday and is finally rescued. Good book, you readers out there.
What does this have to do with Flynn Alexander Lundy? Precisely nothing, except that Flynn was born on February 2nd just over 300 years later. And he’s a boy. And with a name like Flynn, he’s got adventure in him – we just feel it. 
Kathren & Nathan Lundy (Flynn’s mom and dad) are a couple we photographed for their engagement and beautiful wedding portraits. Prior to the session at our Wilkesboro studio, we asked that they send us photos of their home so we could coordinate backdrops for little Flynn. And there was the sea – in foam, in depths of green and blue and a little sailor to place among them. Their home was filled with color and matches their lively and fun personalities. We loved matching our backgrounds to their palette.
We look forward to photographing Flynn and his parents for many years to come. For now, he’s resting up and dreaming of voyages far way.
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.