I had such high hopes when the start of the winter downtime began. I was going to blog at least every other day and finally get caught up on showing off the amazing couples that we were so blessed to work with last year. The blog was going to be a fount of information with our "So We Were Just Thinking" series and yet I've only managed two entries. What in the world happened?

Albums. Albums happened.

 

I love wedding albums. The album is the first heirloom of the new family that is created when a couple speaks their vows on their wedding day. We are proud to partner with Pictage and Leather Craftsmen to deliver books that meet the "heirloom" standard. Each album is a one-of-a kind, custom-designed creation requiring many hours of work and meticulous attention to detail. I am notoriously picky about the wedding albums that leave the studio with "Sweet Life Photography" embossed on the inside. We have so many albums in production right now (12 to be exact) that I would swear somebody sent out a memo to my 2009 (and some 2008) clients that NOW was the time for everyone to get their album picture requests in. I honestly can't remember a year that album production hasn't been spread out more evenly. Was there a fax? A conference call I missed? Anybody?

 

I believe without a doubt that I have the best job in the world. And I've always been proud of the fact that we are a small boutique studio shooting a limited number of weddings each year so that we can maintain a high level of customer service. But right now, I'd give just about anything for a whole squadron of photo editors and assistants at my beck and call. We're going to get through this unexpected craziness with beautiful albums as the result.

 

So hang in there with me...soon there will be a new crop of weddings, engagements and portrait sessions to share and celebrate on the blog. Until then, my nose is to the grindstone.

 

And since no blog post is really a blog post without a photo, here's a little promise of Spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth

 

 

Last weekend, I had the privilege -- and just plain fun -- of covering the Brides Against Breast Cancer Charity Wedding Gown Sale at the Raleigh Sheraton downtown. I came away from the experience with a renewed appreciation for just how daunting it can be to find the wedding dress of your dreams. First, a little of my own history: I bought my wedding dress off the rack at Hudson Belks back when they still had a bridal department and Frank, not my mom, sister or best friend, went with me. I bought the first dress I tried on and -- gasp! -- he saw me in it right then and there. We were determined to do everything about our wedding differently. Shopping for the dress was just one more thing we weren't going to do the traditional way. I found out later that my mom's feelings were hurt that she didn't get to go with me when I chose my wedding dress (I was the first daughter in our family to get married) and I regret now not having her with me when I found my version of The Dress. Maybe I wouldn't have strolled down the aisle with an enormous bow on my backside if Mom had been with me.

It was heart-warming and eye-opening to watch brides with their moms, sisters and friends on the quest to find the perfect wedding dress. A portion of the Hanover Ballroom where the gown sale was held was closed off to create one big dressing room, Filene's Bargain Basement style -- no doors, just a large room of dressing "stations".  You don't spend almost ten hours over two days in a large room with dozens of brides and dresses and not come away with some observations about the process. Here are a few of mine.

 

• Take only one or two people whose opinion you value with you when you go shopping for a wedding dress. More than once I saw brides get frustrated and confused as they tried on dress after dress, only to have members of their Wedding Dress Posse express different opinions about each and every single dress. In this case, the fewer the opinions, the better.
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• Make sure you take someone with you who will give it to you straight. Someone who will block the door and say, "Girl, I love you, but you are NOT walking out the door with that dress. You are beautiful, but that is not the dress for you. Let's keep looking."
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• Pure white is a hard color for 80% of women to wear. Plus, if your wedding day is sunny and bright and you get married at high noon, your photographer is going to have to put you in the shade and then -- guess what -- that pure white is going to take on the blue-ish tinge of the light in shade. Soft ivory is the more flattering choice for most of us and for some weird reason doesn't go as blue in the shade as white does.
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• Be willing to be surprised. Be open to styles you might not have considered before. Strapless dresses continue to be the most popular style, but they're not for everyone. I have to admit, I don't get the popularity of strapless wedding gowns. I, for one, detest my upper arms and I haven't met many women who love theirs either. So, why all the strapless dresses? I think, to some degree, it's because that's the style featured most often in bridal magazines and boutiques. If you choose a strapless gown, the tailoring has to be impeccable. If not, you're going to spend over 8 hours under threat of exposing the Girls to all your nearest and dearest. Or the dress is so tight to keep it from falling down that you can't breathe, much less execute a perfect version of "Thriller" on the dance floor. Rule of thumb: you should be able to walk the length of a large ballroom and back without feeling the need to pull up on the dress. If not, it doesn't fit right. If your dress doesn't fit, you're not going to feel comfortable and it will show in your photographs.
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• Finally, when you look in the mirror and can't stop smiling, you've found The Dress. 

 

Happy hunting,

Elizabeth

 

 

 

 

 

   

Remember Erin and Tom? The day before their engagement session at UNC, I met Kristin and Amin on the campus of NC State for their engagement session. NC State one day, UNC the next. That was a first for me -- engagement sessions at rival campuses back-to-back. Maybe I angered the ACC gods and that's the cause of the Tarheels' abysmal season? If so, I am very, very sorry...now can the Tarheels please, please start winning again?

 

I met Kristin at the wedding of Jen and Adam back in June (which is soon to be featured here on the blog). She is the talented stylist responsible for helping Jen to achieve maximum glow on her wedding day. I was like a little kid when she asked me to photograph her wedding to Amin this October at Highgrove. (Pecan chicken, here we come!) Amin is a brilliant numbers-guy who graduated from NC State and has a fantastic smile.

Here are just a few of my favorites from their engagement session.

 

Kristin and Amin brought their dogs for a few shots in the beginning of the session.

Those pups were so well-behaved they could have come out of Central Casting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you graduated from NC State, it's kind of a done deal that you've got to have a photograph in front of the bell tower.

 

 

 

 

 

The colors of the leaves on campus were at their peak. Kristin just happened to have on a gorgeous teal sweater.

Blue + orange = complementary colors = beautiful backdrop for photographs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To: Whomever painted the colorful graffiti at the free expression tunnel at NC State

From: Me

Re: THANKS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hands down, favorite.

 

 

Kristin and Amin, we cannot wait for October 2. It's going to be awesome and we're so excited we get to be there!

 

 

I am really excited to be a part of the BABC Charity Wedding Gown Sale, coming up this weekend at the Sheraton Raleigh hotel at 421 South Salisbury Street in downtown Raleigh. Ladies, if you haven't found the perfect dress yet, please come out this weekend -- the dress may be waiting for you downtown!

 

Brides Against Breast Cancer is a major fund-raising event for the Making Memories Foundation, an organization whose mission is to bring some joy into the lives of women who are losing their fight against breast cancer.  Some of the gowns for sale have been donated by brides, but more than half of the gowns are donated by designers and bridal shops and have never been worn. Gown prices begin at $99; Couture Collection gowns are 35% to 75% off retail prices!

 

Friday night's VIP event features a Mother/Daughter dinner and fashion show. I'll be photographing the gown sale on Saturday and Sunday. I am literally beside myself with excitement to be a part of this -- I'm imagining it will be like getting to photograph an episode of "Say Yes to the Dress," a show with which I'm completely obsessed. (Yep, that's me you hear screaming, "$10,000 for a dress??? Are you kidding me??)

 

I'm donating my time and images to the organization and I'm really hoping some Sweet Life brides decide to head downtown this weekend to attend the sale. If you go and you find the dress, email me a copy of the receipt and I will add a $150 print credit to your package! I hope to see you there!

Something about this snowy day made me want to revisit the warm and wonderful April wedding of Kim and Tim at Shady Wagon Farm in New Hill, NC. It was such a beautiful day -- blue skies and warm sunshine abounded, bringing hints of summer weather to come. Kim and Tim are two of my favorite people on the entire planet. Plus, it's just so much fun to type (and say) their names: Kim and Tim, Kim and Tim, Kim and Tim. It makes me happy. So enjoy some of my favorite shots from their wedding day.

 

Geese are the unofficial greeters at Shady Wagon Farm. Good thing they don't bite!

 

 

 

Kim's hair and make-up was done by Lanni Hatfield from Unforgettable Beauty. I've worked with Lanni on several occasions and she is super-sweet and so talented. If you're looking for a hair stylist and make-up artist for your wedding day (and I highly recommend that you invest in both), you can find everything you need all rolled-up into the one adorable package that is Lanni. She also makes beautiful custom wedding jewelry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this shot of Kim coming down the steps. Her bridesmaids' reactions are great.

 

 

 

 

 

The detailing on Kim's gown was so gorgeous...

 

 

 

...and so was she!

 

 

 

The interior of the house is a beautiful location for portraits, filled with color and light. Every photographer's dream.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the guys were cleaning up nicely downstairs. All the shots of the guys were made by my friend and fellow photographer Rick Ward, while Frank continued to recover from knee surgery. Here, Tim multi-tasks while helping out the ring bearer with his tie.

 

 

 

Then gets a little help with his own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cutie-patootie flower girl and ring-bearer made the wedding party complete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ceremony begins as Kim and her dad make their way from the house and onto the drive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rick positioned himself on the other side of the pond and used a telephoto lens to capture this great shot of the lighting of the unity candle.

 

 

 

Rick told the ducks exactly when to swim into view. And they obeyed. That's how good he is.

 

 

 

It's official: Kim and Tim are married!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were shooting the family formals, the guests headed off on foot to the barn for the reception. I love this shot of Rick's of the interior of the barn. What a great space: rustic and elegant all at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

The first dance.

 

 

 

I squeezed behind the cake table to get a wide-angle view of the toasts.

 

 

 

This dancing shot of Rick's cracks me up. The lady in the middle is holding a baby bottle as she dances. Something only a mom can get away with!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gotta love a bubble departure!

 

 

 

Kim and Tim, it was an honor to photograph your wedding! We wish you lots of love, luck and happiness in your lives and know you're going to be so happy together!

 

 

Kim and Tim's wedding dream team:

Event Coordinating and Catering: Kenton Jenkins, Xu Catering, 919-451-2192

Floral Design: Greg Kennedy, Brides and Bouquets

Videography: Mark Holland, Ron K. Smith Productions

Music: Joe Bunn DJ Company

Wedding Cake: Lorie Watson, Simply Cakes