Our last wedding of the year was celebrated with Kristen + Ben, two teachers who were born and raised in North Carolina. The couple exchanged vows at Ben’s family church in Sanford–a sweet touch, since generations of his family have married there. Kristen and Ben opted to see each other before the ceremony, which broke some nerves, gave them a sweet moment alone, and (lucky for us) gave time for some photos in the lovely afternoon sun. After saying their “I do’s,” the couple headed to Raleigh, where family and friends gathered for a festive reception at North Carolina’s Museum of History. DJ Randy of Joe Bunn DJ Company kept our feet moving with a classic playlist, and guests were treated to a yummy holiday dinner courtesy of Irregardless Cafe (also one of my fave vegetarian restaurants!). The gorgeous flowers (check out those roses!) were done by Victorian Seasons in Apex, NC.
The night ended with a last dance and a sparkler exit in which Kristen + Ben were seen off in the truck that Ben’s groomsmen so elegantly decorated.
Thank you for having us document your day Kristen + Ben, we look forward to seeing your families next at Cameron’s wedding in July and then Liz’s wedding in August. We love being a part of so many great family memories!!!
Sarah Jane is such a sweet baby girl. We had so much fun documenting her first session, we look forward to watching Sarah Jane grow! Congratulations Michelle + Tim
About a month ago, I packed up my warmest coat and headed back home to New York. It was a wedding shoot, as per usual, but the unusual part was the client–an old friend I haven’t seen in years! I first met Becky in 1986 when we played soccer together, and later we attended the same tiny, all-girls high school together back in Buffalo. Life happened, and we went our separate ways for awhile, but thanks to the miracle of facebook we recently reconnected, and Becky asked me to photograph her wedding to Mike. What a wonderful honor, being a part of the wedding of a woman I first met as a young girl over twenty years ago! Seeing familiar faces at the wedding and knowing the whole family long before the day just enriches my work as a documentary photographer.
The wedding was a traditional Catholic ceremony at the lovely Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, followed by a wonderfully fun and festive reception filled with dancing (thanks to a great band!) and laughter and love. Being in the winter, the whole occasion had a holiday mood right off the bat, but the seasonal-inspired decor by Janelle Hart of the Genesee Grande Hotel really pulled it all together with bells, hanging candles, and delicate glass ornaments. Flowers were done by The Backyard Garden–how great are the feathers in that bouquet?!–and invitations by our next door neighbors, The Green Kangaroo.
There were so many great pictures from this wedding I had a hard time whittling them down, but here are a few of my faves!
Since I’ve had dogs, it’s been the holiday tradition to deck the halls, trim the tree, and primp the puppies—Roxy and Peyton—for their annual appearance on the family Christmas card. We started with Roxy seven years ago, when she was just a ball of fur, and have continued ever since.
Roxy isn’t a big fan of this tradition. It seems that every year as soon as the decorations come out and I bring my camera home from the studio, our little pooch mysteriously disappears—a camera-shy photographer’s dog! We’ve tried many looks and accessories over the years—Santa hats, reindeer antlers, red noses, bows & wrapped presents, fireplace backdrops. I’ve always wanted to string them with lights, Christmas tree-style, but I’m not sure we’d ever see them again, and Roxy especially might need some canine therapy after that sort of experience!
This year, we decided to go with a simpler look than usual and give the girls a bit of a break. It was just a few quick shots, nothing too fancy, but nonetheless pretty funny! Photographing dogs—and toddlers, for that matter—is completely driven by their personalities, so funny faces and wiggling out of whatever outfit you’ve put them in is just part of the drill (and a comedy act in and of itself!) and sometimes, just maybe, you’ll even manage to get a few good shots. I especially love the one of Roxy yawning—it’s definitely an accurate representation of how she feels about the whole process!
It’s been a great year, and I’m looking forward to the next! From our family to yours, we wish our friends, family, clients, and blog readers a happy holiday season and New Year—here’s to a great 2010!
Every so often, in between touching up images, shipping out orders, and of course, snapping photos, I get to take a break from the studio and head to an event held by one of the local associations for wedding industry professionals.
This September, that break came along in the form of the 5th annual Top of the Table design competition, held by the National Association of Catering Executives (or NACE, to those of us in “the biz”).
The event was held at Bay 7 of the American Tobacco Campus—a revamped tobacco factory with beautiful hardwood floors and exposed brick walls (and a great space to host a wedding!). Top of the Table is a fundraising event to benefit the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’sBackpack Buddies program, and we at kh photography were thrilled to participate! Pairing photography and bookbinding (with handmade albums from our sister company, Ginkgo Albums), we put a twist on the traditional tablescape and found a great way to show off some of our work in the studio!
As we welcome the beginnings of cold weather here in NC, it’s been fun to look back on some of the weddings we shot back in warmer days! One of my favorites was Hilary & Emerson’s wedding, which was the first weekend in May.
We were eyeing the grey skies all morning, hoping that enough crossed fingers might stave off the rain, and sure enough, the clouds parted just in time for the outdoor ceremony at Haywood Hall, coordinated by Joy Edwards of A Joyful Occasion. One of my favorite parts of shooting this wedding was spotting all the little details that came together– from the lanterns tucked away amidst the magnolia branches to the rose petals bordering the aisle to the sparkler sendoff, not a single element was overlooked! Dogwood Tree Floral Designs created some really beautiful floral arrangements for the event, including Hilary’s quintessentially springtime bouquet of peonies and roses. They also decked out the gazebo with lush displays of rose petals and ranunculus to accent the cake–a lovely pink multilayer confection whipped up by Sweet Memories Bakery in Apex.
After the ceremony, the Bourbon Street Band took the stage at the reception and kept everyone dancing through the night–even the kids! From Sinatra to ZZ Top, the hits kept coming, and family and friends were happy to celebrate with Hilary and Emerson. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, but this was a spectacular wedding–definitely one for the books!
If you are planning a fall wedding or 2010, and you have dreamed about doing some edgy or classical outdoor portraits, remember that it gets darker earlier in the fall. Consider either doing your formal portraits before your ceremony or plan your ceremony a little earlier, so you can have more choices to do formal portraits. We are currently booking fall 2010. Dates are going fast.
What makes the fall so great in North Carolina are the sunny, warm days that sit between cool mornings and calm evenings. And in combination with the weeks of changing foliage, there is no better time to document outdoor weddings and spend as much time as possible outdoors.
From a photographer’s point of view, these days also make it a great deal easier to be active while capturing wedding moments or when trying to keep up with the little ones during child and family shoots. I just love kicking up the leaves, getting the dogs out and making the outdoors my living room. Don’t you?
Below are some photographs that I think are great representations of everything that fall can bring to weddings, family photos and of course, time with the kids.
Mary Beck + Chris wanted an engagement session that was totally unique and personal to them. They chose to meet at Mary Beck’s parent’s house, where she grew up. The back yard was the perfect landscape to play around and get some unique shots, along with some classical portraiture. We played around all of the really cool areas of the backyard-which was all of the backyard-, laughing, sharing stories, and getting to know each other before Mary Beck + Chris’ destination wedding next year at Hilton Head Island. Ah I love Engagement sessions. Congratulations Mary Beck + Chris. We are excited to be apart of your wedding day!
This is one of my favorite shots of Mary Beck + Chris under the arbor, and by the old door. A mix of rustic and romantic. Ah such a dreamy landscape.
Another one of my favorite shots from the session. It's just so sweet!
