Mariah and Robert
Mariah and Robert were married November 10, 2007 at St. Mark's United Methodist Church here in Raleigh. Working with this couple has been such a blast, not only because they are great people, but they really love photography. We had so much fun during their engagement session back in the Fall that I couldn't wait for the wedding day. Mariah incorporated so many special touches to make their wedding really personal. Her grandmother is from Puerto Rico and Mariah chose to wear her lovely lace mantilla as a veil. Mariah's hair was spectacular! I love these shots of her with the red rose tucked into all those curls.
Mariah brought her christening gown with her on the wedding day to be photographed with her wedding gown. I loved the sweet little details on the dress and grabbed an opportunity to photograph it with her grandmother's lace mantilla.
Another grandmother's New Testament and Robert's ring, plus a shot of the dress:
Mariah's bridesmaids were so fun! Here's a shot of all the ladies:
And the guys were a hoot:
Mariah had always dreamed of a candlelight ceremony. The church had recently installed new light fixtures but not dimmers, so when the overhead lights went out, they went OUT. I panicked a little, but luckily, our Canon cameras came through. Canon cameras are the best for low-light situations and one of the main reasons I prefer them over Nikon for weddings. (This ends the product placement portion of the blog post!) I always ask my couples to pause at the end of the aisle for a quick kiss, like this:
(Mariah's gorgeous bouquet came from Kelly Odom.)
After formals, it was off to the reception at Sister's Garden, a Raleigh tradition that is a great place for receptions. Typically, I stay after the formal photos to work with the bride and groom a bit while Frank takes off for the reception site to start photographing details and get room shots. I always stick my car keys in the back pocket of my camera bag. Frank grabbed the bag and took off for Sister's, not knowing he also had my car keys. Fortunately, I was able to grab a ride in the limo with the newlyweds, the best man and maid of honor and caught one of my favorite shots of 2007:
DJ Kent Bloms with Joe Bunn DJ Company did a fantastic job keeping people on their feet for what was a really fun night. The couple's first dance kicked everything off:
I just love it when I catch the groom in a sweet moment! I have to say Robert is one of the nicest people I've ever met. It wasn't long before Michael Jackson's perennial favorite "Thriller" got everyone out of their seats:
Mariah is a dance instructor (hip-hop is her specialty -- go, Mariah), so the dancing at the reception was, at the risk of sounding really uncool, "off the hook." Here's K., showing some flare:
A shot of the yummy wedding cake from Edible Art. The bow on the cake was a copy of the bow on Mariah's dress:
The sparkler departure craze continues, which keeps us on our toes! It's a tough shot to get, but when you do, it's golden:
Check out the flip-flops -- a bride's most useful accessory on her wedding day! Congratulations, Mariah and Robert...we wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness!
Christine and Brad: E-Session
Christine and Brad's e-session took place on a beautiful, if chilly, morning out at Duke Gardens. Usually I start my e-sessions at 8:00 a.m. in the hope of catching the last of the pretty morning light. The forecast called for temps in the 30's which is just not conducive to great outdoor images. Call me crazy. We pushed the time back to 10:00 a.m. I was a little concerned about dealing with strong sunlight, but lucky for me, I'd just returned from Corey McNabb's Rockstar Wedding Photography Workshop (or the McWorkshop as it's affectionately known) where the emphasis was on "extreme shooting" (more about the McWorkshop in a soon-to-appear post). I felt really good about utilizing the bright morning sun to get some cool shots. Turns out I shouldn't have worried at all, because these two are lit from within. I'm convinced I could have put them in a tool shed and gotten some great images! Two and a half hours later, we wrapped up what was one of my favorite e-sessions ever. After making use of many of the great locations in the gardens, we headed over to Christine's parents' place, a beautiful historic home near Duke's main campus. I'm looking forward to shooting Christine's bridal portrait there in the Spring and what I'm sure will be an amazing wedding in June. Check out a few of my favorite images below and view their slide show here.
I love this image. Yes, it's artsy-fartsy. But I'm allowed.
Cute pink shoes! Christine has found her Prince Charming -- raise your hand if you think Brad looks like Britain's Prince Harry.
Loved how natural they were having their every move photographed for over two hours...
Maybe my favorite.
Thanks, guys, for an awesome shoot. Can't wait until June!
You Oughta Know
I have been fortunate to get to work with some really great wedding vendors. When I come across someone who does an exceptional job, I like to let others know about them. So in that spirit, here are two people who recently really impressed me with their talent, energy and a great attitude on the big day.
Ron at Ron K. Smith Productions did an amazing job at Whitney and TJ's wedding on December 22 (watch for them on the blog soon). The music was incredible and he seamlessly guided the couple through all their reception events, from the first dance to the cake cutting, the bouquet and garter toss to the last dance. There's a reason he's one of the most highly-recommended wedding DJs in the area -- he's really great at what he does. Check out his website -- it's full of really useful info and planning tips. When I find myself dancing around as I'm photographing all the fun at the reception, I know that's one amazing DJ behind the mike! Ron's company also provides videography too.
Bonnie Boender is the talented floral designer behind the images below. She did all the flowers for Kristen and Matthew's October wedding. Bonnie is one of those people that you just automatically feel comfortable with from the moment you meet her. She does it all -- from gorgeous bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres to table arrangements for the reception. She's dedicated to her brides and will go above and beyond to make them happy, whether it's looking for a hard-to-find flower or searching out the perfect ribbon. Bonnie takes on a limited number of weddings per year to give her clients top-notch service, so if you're looking for a florist, send her an email today: bjboender@earthlink.net.
Wanted: Fearless Brides!
If you're a bride, you've probably heard the phrase "Trash the Dress" and wondered what it was all about (after recovering from a mini-panic attack at the mere thought). It's a phenomenon right now in wedding photography of brides doing crazy things in their wedding dresses: jumping into a pool, mud-wrestling, letting a car run over the dress, rolling around on a black-sand beach...basically anything that shows you're not afraid of getting your dress dirty in the pursuit of a fabulous image. A friend of mine in Houston has adapted "Trash the Dress" into the much more positive-sounding "Fearless Bridal" movement. "I love the idea of a “Fearless Bridal” session," says Christine Tremoulet. "I don’t want to trash
dresses - that just sounds so negative. I just want to shoot without
fear of getting it dirty! I’m hoping that there are other brides out
there that love the idea as much as I do." ME TOO! So with Christine's permission, I'm nabbing her idea and offering free "Fearless Bridal" sessions to the first three brides who contact me. Here's how it will work:
Call me (919.389.7274) or send me an email (Elizabeth@sweetlifephoto.com) and let me know you're a fearless bride. If you've got a dress that fits and you're ready to do a relaxed, fun, envelope-pushing photo session in your gown and you're not afraid to get it a little dirty, we'll set up a 1-2 hour session with the goal of getting some amazing shots of you in your wedding gown. You know you want to wear it again anyway! And if your groom is willing to come in dark pants and a nice white shirt & tie, all the better! No need to do hair and make-up again -- in fact, if you wore your hair up for your wedding, let it down for the Fearless Bridal shoot. The emphasis is on relaxed, fun, sexy...fearless.
The value of the session is $300, but is FREE to the first three brides who contact me. You'll receive 2 8x10's or three 5x7's of your choice, a mini-online slideshow and all your digital files (if you're a Sweet Life Photo bride. Otherwise, the files are yours for purchase.) Plus you agree to let me plaster your gorgeous self all over my promo materials!
Here's Hadley, a fearless bride:
BTW, this is at your own risk. I promise I won't ask you to do
anything that will permanently ruin your dress (on purpose). Mainly
we'll be working without having to obsessively protect the dress. We
may go to an edgy urban location or find the perfect open field with
gorgeous afternoon light. Either way, we'll have some fun, you'll get
to wear your dress again, and you just might end up with your favorite
image yet. Call me soon!
My Favorite Picture…of 2008.
OK, so it's early days yet, but I have a new favorite picture:
I went to Greenville yesterday to photograph my niece Wendy and her husband Walt and his extended family. Walt's sister lives in Oklahoma and doesn't make it back to NC too often, so it was a chance for a family portrait that might not come again soon. The weather in Raleigh when I left was nice, so I didn't pay much attention to the forecast, which is never a smart move for an on-location photographer. Well, a ferocious cold-front swept through and by the time I'd made the 2-hour drive, it was cold and windy. We'd planned to do the photographs in an open field, but because of the weather, moved the family shots to an impromptu studio set up in the garage (which was getting great late afternoon light, believe it or not). Walt and Wendy have a new baby -- watch for shots of her soon -- and it was just too cold and too far from the house to take her out, but Walt's sister, niece and mom braved the weather and trooped through the fields to a spot where the light was beautiful. I really love this shot of three lovely generations!
I couldn't resist getting right to these images this morning! Here are a few more.
sweet mother and daughter shots...
There's nothing like late afternoon light.
I'll be posting more images from this shoot soon, including some of the
new baby in a cradle made by her great-grandfather. Stay tuned!
