All You Can Jet!!

Back in September 2010, we were able to take the whole month to travel! 
This was largely thanks in part to JetBlue’s All You Can Jet (http://www.jetblue.com/aycj/)
offer.  In short, once a year (or so) JetBlue offers a travel pass at a set price, and
with that puchase, you can take as many flights as JetBlue offers for 30 days!

 

Eric and I throughly enjoyed our month of adventuring, and at the end of the month,
we’d each taken 17 flights, stopping in 10 cities, with a total of 7 destinations!

We did so much in those 30 days, that I had a tough time deciding what to include
in this post!  I finally got it narrowed down to a few f the shoots we did from coast to coast. :) 

Oh, and if you’re also interested in a more personal pictoral account, 
I’ve got a treat for you at the end. 

 

First stop on our JetBlue Journey:  Santa Barbara!  You may remember the fabulous couple
from this awesome January 2010 wedding:

http://farewellphotography.com/blog/santa-barbara-wedding-photography/

 

We had such a great time with Brian and Mandee at their wedding.  They are such sweet and
fun-loving people, really a joy to be with.  When they heard our first stop on our September
adventure would be California, they invited us to come for a visit, and we were thrilled to accept!

 

The next several days were spent exploring Santa Barbara, and eating far too much good food,
including the cuisine of a particular Thai restaurant.  Brian and Mandee, we will be forever in
your debt for introducing us to the delectable dish that is tome kah gai.

 

That Saturday, Brian and Mandee decided to take a hug step forward in their life together
and add to their family… by adopting a Sheltie puppy, Czar:

 

 

 

Isn’t he the cutest?!  His new mama is certainly enamored with him: 

 

While we were in Santa Barbara, we were also able to meet up with our friends
Tim and Cheryl Halberg  (http://www.halbergphotographers.com/).  They are a sweet
couple from the area, and we really enjoyed our time with them, which of course
included great food.   (You’re picking up on the theme by now, right?)

 

As a photographer, very few pictures of you are taken, because 99% of the time pictures
are being taken, you’re the one operating the camera.  Any photos that are captured depict
you in your chosen career path: demure wedding garb on, camera in hand.  Moments captured
with you and your spouse are wonderful, but rare! 

Precisely why we decided to shoot a couples session with Tim and Cheryl.  

 

 

Then we found that awesome California-sunset-light: 

 

 

We traded places for a few frames so Tim could get a few of us. 

 

 

Tim Rocks

 

 

 

The next stop on our Jet-set adventure was Greenville, NC, to visit another favorite bride,
Jessica.  We had so much fun at her wedding to Drew the previous April, and when she
asked us to come shoot a few additional bridal portraits, we just had to say yes!

 

Jessica took us to a friend’s farm, where we got to “walk with the animals,” Dr. Dolittle style!

 

 

 

 

 

As the daylight wained, Jessica happily climbed atop a huge stack of hay bales to get a few portraits with the sunset: 

 

Then we headed back to the city to meet up with Drew and get a few downtown shots:

 

 

  

 

One of our next stops was to Lancaster, PA, to visit some of our favorite people: 
Ethan and Anna Demme.  Eric and Ethan have been friends for may years, and you
may remember Ethan from Eric’s motorcycle trip to Alaska (The Bowtie Tour). 

Ethan and Anna were married four years ago and we thought it might be time
for some up-to-date photos of the two of them.

 

They’re a little goofy together:

 

 

But Eric managed to catch a few sweet moments between them.

 

 

Did I mention they like to have fun?

 

 

Eric and I were so blessed by this month of travel.  We were able to see so much of the country, 

and had such amazing times with friends, old and new.  The next post will be about our last
destination on this adventure: Colorado!  We have a beautiful wedding on the slopes of
Powerderhorn to share with you!

 

 

P.S. Remember what I said earlier about a slightly-more-detailed story-in-pictures of our travels?  Head on over to our Tumblr account  (http:/ericandnelle.tumblr.com/)!

 

Summer Camp Lovin’

 

Heya folks!

Eric here… The post below was created by my beautiful Bride, Nelle.
She’s planning to post a bit more often than I have been of late

I hope you enjoy it… And that you’ll leave her a comment to encourage
her to continue writing!

-Eric

 

 

 

There’s something about a summer romance that’s just so sweet.  Boy meets girl, and they fall in
love on a series of warm evenings, fireflies flickering and crickets chirping.  This couple met at
summer camp, but their story has a little twist.

 

Rob’s parent’s help to run a Lion’s Camp just outside Lake Wales, so he grew up attending their
summer programs, and eventually became a counselor.  The Lion’s Camp also employs some foreign
students as counselors, and a couple summers ago, one of them was a sweet, blue-eyed young lady
named Jay, from England.

 

They spent the summer together, as counselors, of course, but also as friends.  

 

When it was time for their September 2010 wedding, it only seemed right that they get married at the Lion’s
Camp, in the beautiful chapel made of logs, surrounded by  live oaks covered in Spanish moss and resurrection fern. 
Jay’s family and friends flew over from England to help in their sweet celebration.

 

The girls get ready:

 

 

 

Jay’s hairdresser brother, Kai, did her hair into a fabulous retro beehive, but low-maintanance Jay did her own makeup. 

 

 

 

There was plenty of laughter and sweet moments during the ceremony:

 

 

 

 

…and English tradition has all guests throwing petals at the bride and groom as they leave the chapel:

 

 

 

All the details at the reception were handmade, including mini s’mores kits for every guest!

 

 

 

The father of the groom gave a very sweet toast to his little girl and her husband:

 

 

Kai was on hand for quick touch-ups:

 

And the Bride’s adorable nephew was ready with cubby cheeks that would make even the most solemn guest smile:

 

We stole away with the newly married couple for a few quick portraits on the camp grounds, after a quick wardrobe change:

 

 

Orange and pink Converse!

 

  

 

  

 

Back at the reception, the dancing was getting into full swing.  Rob and Jay decided to forgo their traditional 
“first dance” and go for a boys-against-girls dance-off!

 

 

The bride and groom still took a moment to strut their stuff. 

 

 

 

Another fun part of the reception was the “Mr. & Mrs. Game.”  Three couples answered “Mr.”  or Mrs.” to questions
like “Who’s the better driver?”, using ping-pong paddles painted blue on one side, pink on the other.

 

 

We were so happy to be able to be a part of Rob & Jay’s fun and unique wedding day. It’s truly an honor to be 
included in the festivities at little family weddings like this… Part of why we love what we do so much

I hope you enjoyed this post, I’ll be trying to keep up with the blog more often, we have so much to share!

 

Talk Soon,

 

Learning To Love A City…

 

All my life, I’ve loved New York City. The people, the food, the wide streets, the narrow alleys.
Even before I’d ever been to Manhattan, I knew I loved it. There was just something ABOUT it.

Chicago on the other hand could not have mattered less to me. For years my family travelled to
Naperville (a suburb of Chicago) for homeschool conferences. After I moved out I found myself
flying to the Windy City for marketing seminars. Just staying long enough to be assaulted by
the cold and treated to a deep dish pizza.

In all, Chicago was one of those cities where I just couldn’t understand why someone would live
there, much less LOVE to live there.

As the years passed though, I met more and more amazing people who were simply addicted to
Chicago… They spoke of it’s people, it’s food, and it’s parks… After a while, they’d finally convinced
me that somehow my impressions of it were completely unfounded and that I MUST make time to
get to know the city they loved so much.

We’d met Matt & Stevi through a mutual friend (Kenny Kim) in NYC last October and hit it off
immediately. Ever since, we tried to find excuses to spend time together; they kept tempting
us with the concept of the elusively awesome Chicago.

And that’s how we ended up in Chicago with our dear friends Matt & Stevi Savage.

 

(photo above by Matt Savage)

 

Immediately after arriving at their amazing loft, we took off to find some good
food and drink. On our way downtown we passed the set for the new Transformers movie
and of course had to stop and take a few photos

 

Pretty cool, right?!
After Transformers 2, I thought I’d never want to see another one… But now I’m actually
excited to see the scenes that were filmed in Chi-Town! The ENTIRE time we were there,
there were film crews flying black helicopters around capturing bits and pieces of the movie.

After stopping by the set we headed into the depths of Chicago’s underground street and
parking system… Where we recognized a plethora of spots from the Batman movies

We were in search of a special little wine bar that was well loved by Matt & Stevi. It was
right down by the river and really was a unique little place. Sadly though, it was closed
and that left us with nothing but time to wander around this truly intriguing city.

 

Left, Matt under a bridge… Right, an incredibly interesting skyline makes
Chicago stand TRULY apart.

Above, Matt’s standard pose… That man LOVES photography as much
(or more) than I do… It’s such a joy to shoot with him!

 

One of the things that brought the four of us together is simply BEER.
We both love the intriguing balance of flavors in today’s micro-brewers
style. Above is our first sampler at a small bar near downtown. The Rye-PA
in the foreground was an absolute “kick in the teeth” (in a good way).

The next day, we all headed back downtown to wander around a bit and
see the sights. We ended up at the “beach” on Lake Michigan. Matt had
left his sunglasses at home and we all felt it’d be nice if he multi-tasked
by wearing mine with his regular glasses.

 

As the day wore on, we made our way to Goose Island Brewery to sample their
creations… It wasn’t our favorite brewery but we had a nice time hanging out!

 

Matt & I left… We share an affection for hats.
The sign to the right is actually a door to a lounge that was right down
the street from one of the places we had breakfast… “Orange” a fascinating
little cafe with an Orange inspired menu… (Including Orange Coffee). 

    

 

One of our last nights in town we planned a little get together at Matt & Stevi’s
loft with a bunch of our photographer friends from the area. We had such a great time!

 

Left: Matt setting up is flash umbrella to protect the grill master from the sunset light.
Right: We decided that we simply had to shoot some medium format long exposures of the skyline.

 

Stevi, Kenny Kim, and Friends.

 

 

 

They’ve since moved but I simply ADORE their view!

 

The next morning we made our way to an incredible open air market on the
North side of downtown. Of course we all brought cameras

Matt shooting Nelle and I, shooting Stevi & Matt.

The Market (above).

 

Matt’s shot of Nelle and I.. It’s hanging in our bedroom now

 

Another short car ride led us toward the heart of downtown and this incredible
ampi-theater.

 

We were drawn closer by the sound of INCREDIBLE music.
See, they were practicing for a Cellist’s performance sometime in the near future.  

The sound of strings has always stirred my heart and the cello has been my
favorite instrument since childhood. As we walked closer, I realized what was
happening… I was truly and wholly falling in love with this quaint city.
It’s art, it’s people, it’s food, it’s STYLE was truly lovely.

I simply adore lovely things

 

 

The video’s shaky and poor quality but it should convey a bit of what we experienced.

 

 

So awesome!

 

Stevi is an absolutely precious person. She and Matt are a joy to be around.

 

I simply had to put a picture with “The Bean” into this series… I don’t think a trip
to Chicago could be complete without at least stopping by

After the bean, we swung by an incredible community center that was once a Library:

 

And then a coffee break at the truly wonderful “Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea”

 

We truly fell in love with Chicago… It’s like a clever blending of Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix,
and New York… All balanced in such a way that it’s a real pleasure to spend time there…

We’re really looking forward to going back!

 

 

Land Of Big Ol’ Lakes…

 

The last time I spent time in Michigan, the lakes were frozen and visibility was less
than a mile (oh, and I was 16 years old). Going back this July was SUCH an incredibly
different experience.

First, we flew into Chicago (more on why later) and then drove down around the great
lake through Indiana and into Michigan… As we passed through Holland, MI I grinned,
my family and I had spent a lot of time in the area one summer. We’d had a blast!

The further North we got though the more we discovered what a different world Michigan
is  in the summer months. It’s green, bright, and truly beautiful.

Soon after we arrived in Muskegon, we headed down to the Groom’s beach house for a
fun party night with the whole wedding party… They’d been there for a whole week
before the wedding, having a party of epic proportions!

 

 

The Groom…

 

The Priest was awesome… He had a serious sense of humour and was highly
entertained that the Bride was a couple minutes behind schedule. 

 

Gabriel and Jillian were both precious. Love & joy was exuding from their very souls.

 

Their beautiful Rehearsal Dinner site…

 

Mmmmm Bells Brewing Company makes some great beers!

 

SUCH a great wedding party:

 

 

The speeches were absolutely PRICELESS (and included a brilliant rendition of
Zach Galifianakis’ “Hangover” speech). 

 

But then, it was the wedding day!!

 

I love Bridesmaids that rock!

 

 

AND I love blingin’ rings

 

Beautifully designed programs…

 

And Grooms who ADORE their Brides.

 

Happy Couples…

 

And Party Buses

 

Champagne…

 

And Red Bull…

 

Big Wedding Parties Especially Rock

 

Did I mention how big this wedding party is?

 

Or how sweet this couple is?

 

They had special songs for each member of their wedding party, and then
danced their way into the reception to the theme song from Austin Powers…
It was super awesome! 

 

Perfect.

 

The Father of The Bride let his adoration for his daughter show bright and true.

 

And the Groom made sure he had some fun with the garter

 

Their entire reception was one heck of a party. Dancing, drinks and FUN.

 

It was awesome!

 

And that’s all the photos I’ll post for now…. So many posted!
We had a truly amazing time in Michigan, the people were rockin’ awesome
and the area was BEAUTIFUL.

I have to thank each and every person in the wedding party for the amazing
weekend… We so enjoyed being a part of your lives (and your party!) you
guys and gals are true rockstars

I also need to offer a quick thank you to my friends Jen & Jonah Otchy for their
help shooting the wedding, and my dear wife for ALL her assistance.

 

We’re gearing up for our next adventure, but I figured I’d get this blog
post up as quickly as possible

Talk soon!

 

“All You Can Jet”

 

Jet Blue’s running their second annual AYCJ program this September.
Which means of course that Nelle and I will be jetting all over the US
from September 7th to October 6th…

 

 

Tomorrow we’re finalizing our travel plans, and are looking for a few
more photoshoots along the way!!

If you’re looking for family photos, engagement shots, or even Senior
photos drop me a line here!! We’ll be ALL over the country and are
hoping to have enough people to shoot so that our expenses are covered

Talk soon!

 

-Eric 

A Mustache-cular Marriage

 

When I heard that Luz and Cole were engaged, it was back in January when Nelle
and I were on our epic cross country road trip. We drove about 15 hours out of the
way to visit with them and capture a few engagement photos:

 

 

Soon after, we got a special call from them asking if we’d be available
to shoot their June wedding. As luck would have it, we were!!

And so, when June rolled around I hopped a jet to Seattle to photograph
their beautifully eclectic wedding

 

 

Luz’s flowers were made from the pages of Saint Augustine’s Confessional…
They were beautiful!

 

They both share a love for hot liquids (principally coffee and tea )

 

 

Cole’s Groomsmen were all straight up awesome… And each one
carried their own “Pacific Northwest” uniqueness with pride.

 

Luz & Cole opted to have a private “First Look” instead of waiting ’til their ceremony
it was so darn precious!  

 

Also precious… The relationship of Luz and her dear brother Paz.
These two have been best friends nearly their entire lives. 

 

Not to be outdone by the guys, all of Luz’s girls were absolutely darling.
They each carried themed bouquets revolving around the Genesis story
and were able to accent their look with their own personal styles.

 

The real highlight though, was Luz and Cole themselves… Their adoration for
each other was  absolutely palpable.

 

Plus, Cole’s the kind of guy who buys a special hat JUST for his wedding

 

Luz is a long time fan of older photography styles… Polaroids, Holgas, and sundry
other such funkyness… I worked hard to shoot and edit in that style for them…
I Hope you enjoy it too!

 

On to the ceremony!

Luz and her Bridesmaids sharing a prayer just before they walked down the aisle.

 

The groomsmen, each sported their own unique flair as they waited as well.

 

 

See?
(and yes, that’s a titanium spork in his pocket) 

 

The light (and personalities) were both amazing:

 

 

And then it was time…
Here’s Cole watching his Bride walk down the aisle to greet him.

 

Paz walked his sister down the aisle and had a special moment with
her new protector before he gave her away

 

Luz had SUCH an awesome grin all day long.

 

And now, their 20.8 second kiss (they had several people betting on the length,
thus stopwatches were a must  

 

Time for treats!

 

Also it’s time for the mustaches to be worn with pride:

 

 

 

A few speeches…

 

And finally, a triumphant exit…

The flower petals are actually a cool story on their own… Luz’s mother has been
saving all of the flowers Luz has had over the years to be thrown at her wedding…
They looked amazing! 

 

And that’s all for tonight
Thanks so much for taking a quick trip to Seattle with me… I can’t wait for our next
Seattle Wedding… We truly love it up there!

 

 

 

 

 

In Montego Bay, Jamaica!!

 

When I first met Paul he soon shared that he was engaged, and that they were
planning a special destination wedding in Jamaica. Of course my instant reaction
was to tell him how much we’d love to be a part of the experience, and luckily for
us, they decided that sounded like a good idea!

Given the distance, they initially expected it to be a small family event. Soon though,
their friends started sending in their RSVP cards… Many of them checked “yes”!

With all their friends and family there, It was SUCH a wonderful time. SO much love,
SO much joy, and SUCH an incredible setting. 

Our View:

We were so blessed to get a top floor room at the Rose Hall Hilton; the photo above
was taken moments after we arrived on Thursday. We were absolutely blown away by
the beauty that surrounded us! 

 

The Ancient Aqueduct:

(The above is pretty much one of the coolest things I’ve ever shot).

 

Rehearsal:

One of our very favorite things in the world, is that we get to be a part of
people’s ENTIRE wedding adventure. We make a point to capture more than
just the ceremony, more than just the same old “boring” photos.

 

Of course that can leave a little down time… Which when you’re at a gorgeous
resort like the Rose Hall, means you get to have some precious relaxation time
with your gorgeous wife:

See?

My new favorite sunglasses even got to make an appearance:

 

Before long though, it was the wedding day… And the girls were getting ready!

 

Tools

 

EPIC Light.

 

The bathroom mirrors had these gorgeous lights that wrapped ALL
the way around them… If you’re ever selecting a mirror for photography,
square lights all the way around the edge surely look good

 

Details: 

I was astonished to see how many precious family heirloom
style details the Bride was able to bring with her, all the way
to Jamaica… They surely made for some special photos! 

 

 

Manly Men:

Watching sports no doubt

 

 

One of my favorites:

The aqueduct REALLY rocks… So obviously, we all had to climb it.
The next photo was taken moments after my lovely khakis split right
down the middle… See Paul (the groom) laughing at me?!  

Back to the Ladies:

 

Katie was so entertained as the girls helped lace up her dress,
I think the “corset” from Pirates of the Caribbean was mentioned
once or twice  

 

As the guests began to file in for the ceremony, the light slowly began
it’s waning dive into perfect beauty. It was still bright, but the contrast
it offered became simply gorgeous:

 

 

The elders were on hand with their iPhones to record as much as possible:

 

And then, it was happening!

 

The Father of the Bride approved

 

 

The emotions were amazing, laughter, tears, and smiles abounded… It was beautiful!

 

And then, it was official!

 

Everyone Cheered

 

In Jamaica, apparently it’s customary to sign your wedding license DURING the ceremony,
so before everyone was released, Paul and Katie sat down to sign it. They had
some trouble though, as they seemed to not be able to take their eyes off
of each other! 

 

The precious flower girl didn’t mind their distraction though, she’d 
discovered the wonder of the beach!

 

The Wedding Party  

 

We took time for a few group shots, and then whisked Paul and Katie away
for a few photos of their own:

 

The light!

 

They so love to play together:

 

 

See?

 

After our all too brief photo session, the Bride and Groom slipped away for
a few minutes and I made my way over to the reception site… Just in time
to capture this: 

See it LARGER by Clicking Here.

 

The party that followed was wonderfully fun, complete with delicious food
a poolside bar, and rockin’ music. I’ll attach a few photos below, before I end this post!

 

 

 

 

So much fun!!
I’m headed out the door to a meeting now, so I simply must end
this post (or I feel it may go on forever). If you’re coming across
this via Google or Bing, I’d LOVE to talk to you about your destination
wedding photography… We’ve done a lot of it, but every time we travel
we discover some new, exciting thing

I hope you’ve enjoyed the post… What was your favorite photo?!

 

 

My Favorite Wedding Venue… Ever.

Last year, my wife and I were married at one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
Seriously!

We had an incredible day, filled with precious moments, and surrounded by family…
And ever since, I’ve done everything I can to help promote this amazing place.

Where?

Bok Tower Gardens…

Way back in 1921, Edward Bok (a noted philanthropist and editor of “The Ladies Home Journal”)
spent the Winter months in my home town of Lake Wales, FL. During his time here, he was drawn
to a spot, known as “Iron Mountain”. He bought the land and soon discovered that it was actually
the very highest point in peninsular Florida.

Around the same time, my Great Grandparents (Carl Sr. and Bertha) arrived in Lake Wales,
with a vision to create a few high end communities for the rich iron and oil barons, arriving
from the North East in droves.

Tragedy struck my family in the mid 20′s when my Great-Grandfather died from Pneumonia.
All plans to develop our land were halted, and my Great-Gandmother, Bertha worked herself
into a frenzy, caring for her two young children.

(Sorry for the history lesson, I’m going somewhere with this I promise!)

In 1929, Bok’s workers completed the incredible Pink Marble tower you see in the photo
above… (My Wife’s Great-Grandfather was a part of that team!)

At the time, our little rural County was the most wealthy in the WORLD, and people flocked
from everywhere, to experience “Bok’s gift to the great people of Florida”. On top of the tower,
he placed a series of 60 bells and a carillon keyboard. He firmly believed that the music they
produced was akin to the sound of angels.

As time went on, Bok Tower Gardens grew and developed. Yet it’s still holds the same values,
to preserve the TRUE beauty of Florida, and to give back to the community.

Today, Bok Tower is working hard to continue offering it’s beauty to the world, and over the
past few years has put special emphasis on helping couples create magical wedding experiences.

After our wedding there, I was offered a few truly unique opportunities to capture events
at the gardens… At first just for clients, and later working with Bok Tower’s publicity team.

I’m attaching a few of my favorite photos from Bok Tower Weddings and Engagement sessions
below… Hope you enjoy them!!

Jon & Amber…

This next image is actually being featured in Get Married magazine this Fall!

One More

Joseph & Alex:
(You may remember their Chalet Suzanne Wedding this February, we recently
took some time out at the Gardens “after hours” to capture some truly unique portraits).

Beside the new Visitor’s Center:

A Fairly Special Perspective of The Tower

Shot this little landscape photo during the same shoot…
Can’t you see why Mr. Bok fell in love with the area?

We’ve been truly blessed the past 6 months or so, to develop an exclusive relationship
with Bok Tower. We’ve helped them with their projects, and in exchange we get special
access to the Gardens and Tower here are a couple spots you’re not likely to ever see
photos from

 

One final session before I finish this post….
Meet Dan & Jess:

 

(She’s way cuter than him [and rightly so].

 

So darn precious!!

 

I know this blog post is a little convoluted, but I hope you captured the beauty
of Bok Tower Weddings, and that you’re able to see just why *I* am so excited
to be shooting there.

If you’ve found this blog post through Google or Bing, feel free to jump over
to my main website page and say hello, I’d love to talk to you about YOUR
Central Florida Wedding (or wherever it might be

 

 

Any way, as I type this; My lovely wife and I are sitting in the Fort Lauderdale Airport,
waiting for the next leg of our journey to Jamaica… I’m SO excited to be shooting a
beautiful wedding there this weekend, and I promise to get the images up as soon as possible

I hope that you, dear reader are enjoying your week… I’ll do my best to get us back
to our “regularly scheduled” blogging soon

 

P.S. I know there were a PLETHORA of photos in this post, but which SHOOT was
your favorite?? These are definitely some of my all time favorites

  A Long Time Coming…

Jessica and Drew met almost a Decade ago… They became friends, and as time
swept by, they suddenly realized that there was something DEEPER to their relationship.

It didn’t take long for them to get engaged, and then begin planning their wedding.
Jess had grown up in Reidsville, NC and dreamed of having her wedding at the
Chinqua Penn Plantation, or the Penn House. It worked out that the plantation was
booked already, but there was still space at the beautiful Penn House.

And let me tell you, this place is TRULY a beauty!

Nelle and I arrived Thursday evening to prepare for a VERY full wedding weekend.
While I was shooting the wedding happenings, Nelle had agreed to help coordinate
the last minute details and do all she could to be a blessing.

Saturday morning began with a beautiful Bridesmaid’s Brunch at the “Backstreet
Buzz” Coffee Shop:

The Ladies, beginning with Prayer.

Mother of The Bride (and the Bride herself!)

From there, we took off for our traditional “engagement session”.
Even though it was the day before their wedding, we ALWAYS
include a session just to get some time to hang with the Bride and Groom
before their day

(Plus, they look awfully cute together).

 

And One More…

After our engagement session, we hurried to the Penn House for the rehearsal!
As we arrived the sun began to set and draped us with the most BEAUTIFUL light.

(The Bride arriving with one of her very best friends).

(The Groom and his men).

In the interest of time and space, I’ll skip the HILARIOUS photos from the rehearsal
dinner and jump straight away into Sunday morning aka the morning of the wedding

And then, it was time…

Sadly, we didn’t have that same luscious light as the night before.
Their precious emotions more than made up for it though

 

Told you so

Having the reception in the mid-afternoon was a REALLY fun twist,
people wore sunglasses, were thankful for the breezes and danced like CRAZY!

Plus, I have a serious soft-spot for really cool DJ’s.
This gang rocks

 

There were LOTS of single ladies vying for the bouquet

This special little gal “won”

The afternoon continued with fun dancing, great family portraits and
a beautiful exit (with bubbles!)… But here’s the REALLY fun part.

After the Bride and Groom “left” we met up a few hours later for a
quiet portrait session in a small field… From the moment we arrived,
the sunset light, and TRULY unique green that only North Carolina
can provide, swept us away with it’s beauty.

And that’s it!
The Bride and Groom made their way to Colorado for an incredibly
romantic SNOWED IN honeymoon at a private cabin.

MY Bride and I would LOVE to shoot more weddings up in North
Carolina, especially when the seasons are changing, it’s so darn beautiful
up there!!

Much Love and Peace to each of you… Talk Soon!

A Bit Of A Flashback…

Quite a flashback, actually… If you’ve been keeping up with me for a while, you
probably remember the “Epic Surf Trip” I took in my 1970 Volkswagen which began
in November 2008.

I left from Orange County, CA and drove all the way up the Coast to Seattle, encountering
all sorts of fun adventures along the way (including sinking my car in the Pacific Ocean).

After arriving in Seattle, I got my first ever chance to explore the city… And of course,
I started things off down at the Pike Place Market. As I strolled down the brick streets
something out of place hit my ears… Was that a PIANO I heard?

Sure enough, there it was… I could barely believe my eyes. A man with long, gray hair
sitting at a piano, right there on the street corner. He moved with effortless grace, swaying
with the music like an aging metronome… Comfortable, fulfilled, and certainly moving to
the his own beat…

As I stood there watching him play, I suddenly found my eyes closing; hearing the
passion in his music, the grace in the sound. This man was no normal street performer.
Sure, he was a bit disheveled but there was something MORE to him.

As I collected myself, I lifted my camera to my eye and captured these photos:

(My First View)

And then more:

It was frigidly cold that day. Yet here was this man playing his piano,
gloves on his hands, jacket on top of jacket, and eyes closed blissfully.

I wandered around him for several minutes before he even knew I was
there… Finally opening his eyes at the end of the song, he smiled and said hello.

I thanked him for the music, and wandered away.

Flash Forward….

Thirteen months later, my wife and I made our way back to Seattle…
Once again in a Volkswagen, though this time with decidedly less dunks
in the Pacific.

As we made our way up to the market, I smiled as I heard the music in
the distance I was so excited to share this beautiful man with my bride!

Just as we arrived by his side, he finished his song and took a moment
to talk to us. I told him that I’d taken his picture the previous year and had
it hanging in my home (that first photo looks AMAZING on canvas

He asked me for a copy, and shared that he truly wasn’t your average street
performer, barely getting by. His name was Jonny Hahn and he’d been performing
at that same location for nearly as long as I’ve been alive. He lived just down the
street and LIVED to make the music he shared.

It was truly inspiring to talk to this gentle, passionate soul… A man commonly
overlooked, but filled with a humble joy.

Here’s a video I found of him playing on YouTube:
(I’ll try to get a better one next time!)

I’ll be back in Seattle in Late June for a beautiful wedding… And I can assure
you that Lord willing, I’ll be stopping by to see Jonny and thank him for his
constant inspiration.

How are YOU inspiring people?
Who’s inspiring YOU in unexpected ways?

Thanks For Reading,