S. Carter Studios

If all your photographer friends were honest they would admit that there are certain couples they wait on the edge of their seats for in hope will call as soon as they are engaged. For me, River & Collin were definitely one of those couples. Not only are they RIDICULOUSLY good looking but they have genuine hearts filled with love for each other, for their families, compassion & devotion to the Lord. Add it all up and it’s a knock out combination! Josh & I hung out with them several times over their engagement and got to know them well. Their engagement session was one for our record books, I mean a couple who is up for field photos, water balloons and high class downtown pics all in the same few hours, truly awesome! I knew their wedding would be an incredible event and I was right. They flew me to Indiana and as soon as I got there I knew I was part of the family. For starters, one of the bridesmaids was waiting outside with my name scribbled on the back of a pack of eyeliner to indicate the Town and Country was here for me. We arrived just in time for the rehearsal where nervous giggles and many, “I can’t believe it’s finally here”‘ statements were heard. River herself picked me up the day of the wedding, nervous, excited and happy to take me to grab some McDonalds for breakfast. It was wonderful to watch her undergo the transformation from bride to be to BRIDE! She looked absolutely breathtaking, with a dress to die for & a smile to match.

They opted for a first look and it was wonderful to be there as she shared a journal with him that she’d been writing in during their year long engagement, I melted my heart a little when she shared that it was inspired by my gift to Josh on our wedding day.

I gave them some privacy and took a few detail shots.

A note: the rocks below were handed out to the guests as they entered the ceremony. The pastor led the group in a prayer and asked them to silently pray for the new Mr and Mrs. The rocks were collected at the end of the ceremony and are displayed in their home!

While we waited for the ceremony to start, the guys  were pacing back and forth in a room listening to the US men’s world cup game (which we sadly lost) praying for a history making victory!

Don’t they look great as newlyweds!

After a joyous exit, we traveled to a property about half a mile down the road and I hit the photography jackpot! A private residence that we had complete access to and around every corner it got better and better! I could have literally shot there for HOURS.

I was IN LOVE with her gown. Beautiful on, in motion, laying still & easy to “poof”, just ask her Maid of Honor.

One of my absolute favorite all time wedding photos EVER taken.

and after they tore me away from that gorgeous place we had a great reception. These glasses were the same used at Collin’s parent’s wedding!

Happy to end this post with this: gorgeous, suave, classy & not afraid to get a little messy! Thank you so much my friends, Josh and I wish you the very best and can’t wait to make more memories with you!

Well, it’s been OVER a months since I posted. I know, that’s quite unusual but the truth is,  the past 6 weeks have been too! Three dear friends decided to get married within the same five weeks! For Kristen’s wedding I was a second shooter and a number 2 in both Angi and Jenna’s weddings. I love them all dearly and, as those of you whose weddings I’ve had the pleasure of working know, I can’t do anything halfway. I also celebrated my 25th birthday, was asked to return to teach at Liberty & recaptured newlywed spirit with my wonderfully talented husband. I was able to keep our Fan Page updated regularly so some of this won’t be news to any of you who are already fans but we’ve got some AMAZING sessions coming up on this blog! Here are previews of the beauty to come!

Collin & River’s Indiana Wedding

Steve & Breanne’s lovely Lynchburg wedding & Trivium reception

John and Kristen’s Barren Ridge Vineyard wedding

Kent & Alisha’s Roanoke wedding & rooftop celebration

Solomon & Angi’s Avanel wedding

& their wedding photo booth

Emily’s bridal portraits

Daniel & Emily’s challenging & rewarding Phenix, VA wedding

and finally, the icing on the cake, all the way in Alaska!

Lane and Jenna’s engagement session

and Inn at Tern Lake wedding in the rain

Do you feel tired yet? haha. We so look forward to sharing about these events with you!

Yes, it’s time for another rendition of Brasil team love-a-thon! First it was: Kyle, Julie, Naomi, Collin, Travis & David: now part 2 of Julie and Stephen! I met Julie on that trip and loved seeing her smiling face, especially when she was talking about Stephen. Even then, I think we all assumed they would get married. And I was thrilled when she called to tell me she wanted me to be there to celebrate with her! They couldn’t have picked a more beautiful location than The Inn at Kelly’s Ford was breathtaking and though the rain ruined our fun a little it provided some gorgeous clouds and cooled things off! I think the (many) images speak for themselves so enjoy a little bit of the Cinderella-esque wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Boice!

Such bold and vibrant colors were a dream to shoot!

Classic Julie wasn’t so bad either, lol.

aaanddd…more detail lovin

Love the engagement photo guest book!

So, the truth is that we faced some very ugly flood-like rainstorms during this crazy day. Inbetween two big storms we had a ceremony, well part of one, but I’d have to say that it was totally worth it!

One of the best reactions I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of!

Totally worth it for THIS entrance!

inbetween these two pictures it rained, a lot, and so we moved things inside, and in the end they were just as married as they would have been if we’d stayed outside. Plus, look at those faces!

a brief carriage ride for the newlyweds

Loved those moody skies!

My absolute favorite from the whole day

A great meal was served, toasts, cake AND dancing! Lots of hilarious dancing.

See, they agreed that the dancing was hilarious.

I snuck them out for a few more pictures and then they had a beautiful escape and traveled the whole 50 yards to their honeymoon silo!

It was brilliant and beautiful. I’m so glad I could be there!

Where to begin with this couple. Our friendship began when we took their spring engagement photos in 2009.  We bonded over shared love for the movie Hocus Pocus. I saw them during the year at James and Johnna’s wedding where they tore it up in the Photo Booth. Always excited and bubbly, we all looked forward to their wedding. Now, if you travel often you can imagine that it’sn ot always very fun or exciting to be gone every weekend and sometimesy ou dread the trip even if it’s worth it. I was battling this feeling when I woke up for my freakishly early flight to Atlanta for their wedding but as soon as Candace and her wonderful mom picked me up from the airport those thoughts completely disolved. It’s very unusual for the bride to be one to pick me up so that was quite a treat. They treated me like family and that’s what I was for the rest of the weekend. Family just as much as any other guest who was there. I joined their family and friends as we celebrated at probably the most laid back, simlpe wedding celebration I’ve been to in years. Enjoy a whole slew of photos from their event including lots of happy details!

The courtyard of the church hosted the reception and it was just gorgeous!

Awesome bridal shoes. Candace LOVES shoes. Really, she does.

A little surprise for the groom.

If you know Mike and Candace well you probably already know that they love the Lord, each other and people in general very much. This was so clear at their rehearsal dinner when they went around to the over 40 people in attendance and personally introduced each person and shared what an impact that person had on their relationship and why they were glad they were there. Including me! It was such a beautiful thing to see and be a part of. They just don’t make them like that all the time. Way to go Lumpkins and Thurmans! Example 2: Moments before walking down the aisle, Candace is filling out Thank You cards.

Okay, getting to the really good stuff.

These guys were killing me. Such a great group and so happy to pose.

A sweet moment as mom was dropped off by her sons.

After all those months, all that planning, all the waiting, they became Mr. and Mrs. Everyone was thrilled!

It was like a midafternoon dream. Gorgeous light shining, beautiful couple. No RAIN! It doesn’t get much better than this!

One of my all time favorites.

Oh yeah, there was a reception too, lol.

Gotta be one of the very best cake smashings I’ve been a witness to. Including my own!

The best part not showing here is when Candace’s mom came to help her followed by her Grandma. Mike was arms open ready to accept her help and was brushed past with quite a look, left to his own devices for cleaning up. It was too funny.

VICTORY!! For the maid of honor of the year who flew in early that morning and left that evening!

Just as quick as it started it was all over and the newlyweds left in a flurry of bubbles and laughter. Each time I look through these pictures I relive the experience, I could do this wedding 3 times a weekend. It was such a pleasure to hang out with these awesome people!

What a day indeed. You may remember Emily’s bridal portraits and how we were battling rain, the same was true on her wedding day! Off and on we were showered putting her outdoor Winridge Manor wedding & reception in jeopardy. It worked out in the end and yes, we were all a little damp but I think everyone there would agree that it was worth it. I’ve never been to a wedding that was so obviously crafted by the bride and her family. Emily’s mother made the bridesmaid dresses, Emily handcrafted Michael’s tie. From peacock feathers to hydrangeas Emily’s stamp was all over her wedding. It was a delightful combination of sweet & sassy! I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!

My, oh, my, how I was LOVING this vehicle!

See the picture below: a groom tearing up as he waits for his bride. Well, it was beyond welling, for both of them! Full on tears from start to finish. Emily’s started before the wedding when she accepted a phone call from him and through a tear smile relayed to her bridesmaids, “He’s just so good to me.”

The mist turned into a drizzle but I really don’t think Emily or Michael had a clue. They were pretty wrapped up in each other. It was just lovely.

It was beautiful and brief and then just like that they were husband and wife!

There weren’t many tears after that, just big joyful smiles.

Props to my intern Julie who lined this shot up!

Just a few horses in a pasture with mist rising up off of it, no big deal!

Loved their moms who held hands several times and celebrated God’s goodness together.

a sparkling exit

in the classic car

so classy. Thanks for letting me be a part of your celebration Emily & Michael It was such a pleasure to be there!

It’s finally wedding time! Many of you have been very patient waiting to see weddings on our blog. Well, here is the first of many to come! It’s another Brasil team wedding (the first of three this summer!). You’ve seen Kyle, Julie, Naomi, Collin, and Travis and now it’s time for David and his beautiful bride Whitney. A little background on David. I remember him introducing himself to our team by saying, I’m David and I’m from the best Virginia, West Virginia. How can you not love that? Getting to work alongside David was a treat and getting to be there as he said I Do to his girlfriend of nine years was pretty incredible. I know, nine years is a stinking long time but when you start dating in 8th grade then it’s going to be a while, lol. This wedding survived some pretty hefty road blocks and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as they were wed. Enjoy some photos from their wedding!

Oh yes, Josh (my amazingly talented and supportive husband) second shot so I get to love on him several times during this post. He’s responsible for this one below.

The next 3 all belong to him too!

Both families have been blessed to be full of little girls so 6 flower girls made up what Whitney called her Flower Garden.

The next 2 belong to Josh

From my sneaky position next to the flower arrangements.

Josh wins again!

and again, this one is just so classic!

The after math as seen by Josh

So, this was forced but I still love it. haha Did i mention we called David Vin Diesel on our trip?

Love this home less than .5 miles from the church, belonging to his grandmother.

loved her dress and how the flowers popped!

What can I say, they were inspiring!!

by Josh

if you look closely you can see a single tear. Whitney is one very loved young lady.

There was food and lots of dancing.

And then crazy rain & just like that it was all over!

Congratulations my friends! Hope you’re enjoying your well earned time together!

Oh how I love to look at our wedding photos, it was just perfect! One of the things that made it so perfect was being able to land beautiful, thrifty venues. That brings us to this week’s Take A Look, wihch I should add was suggested by my wonderful intern Jenny. This unique and vintage venue is perfect for the Central Virginia Bride on a budget. The Aviary is located at Miller Park in Lynchburg, VA, which is run by Lynchburg Parks and Recreation. Unfortnately they haven’t created a website, to my knowledge, that really showcases this incredible building so I’m glad to provide some info and pictures on here! One of the things that makes this the best value is that renting it (which when we rented in March of 09 was $400 total for 8:00 am to 10:00 pm) includes tables and chairs! It also has a full fridge, oven & storage as well as bathrooms. It can house up to 300 people. We paid to rent it the night before which allowed us to begin setting up and have our rehearsal dinner there.

I loved the many sided building in a beautiful sage green with almost bulgarian looking white details! The natural light is absolutely gorgeous pouring the the windows! We barely had to decorate the interior at all. I’ve done three other weddings at this location and it’s just as beautiful each time. The park around the Aviary is lush and a great place for photos of the bridal party or family!

I love these two photos which the very talented folks at Brooke CourtneyPhotography took at our mutal friend David’s wedding.I loved how David and Rachel really customized the space to showcase their personality in a way I hadn’t seen!

It looks like a building from a fairytale at night and I remember driving away from it so thankful to have found a great venue. I hope that some of you will be able to take advantage of this diamond in the rough!

I love being married.  I was married in March 2009 and every time I wrote the month March in front of dates this month I still bubbled up with excitement. There was great planning and lots of money spent officially making me Mrs. Deal and I proudly wear the title! I’m all about Mr and Mrs salt and pepper shakers, monogrammed coffee mugs and custom framed art with our names in it. I’m sure you know that when you’re google searching things to buy for weddings there are millions of things to spend your money on. As I was prepainge for this post I was doing a little browsing and found something so original that I hadn’t seen it or anything like it before AND it made me smile! SO I thought in honor of really milking the newly wed feeling & celebrating someone with an original idea in the wedding world I’d ask you to Take A Look at CestSuperbe ’s etsy shop. She’s a designer out of the Netherlands who has created several wedding related luggage tags that are sweet and clever!

If you’re tired of buying toasters and gift cards for the brides to be in your life then I would suggest picking out one of these tags. I would be shocked if she received more than one!

I call dibs on this one for an upcoming engagement shoot!

This one is the one that reeled me in because I still get a little giddy as I introduce Josh as my husband or hear someone call me Mrs. Deal.

I can’t imagine a better gift for the couple who loves to travel or for the bride who is going to have four showers and get everything on her registry! I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s Take A Look!

In January, I made a list of things I wanted to do this year. One of those things was to be a second shooter at a wedding. Oddly enough, other than one wedding a couple years ago where I was a 3rd shooter, I’d never watched someone lead a wedding! Thanks to Kristen for providing a great opportunity for me to do so! As it turned out it was the 50th wedding that I have been a part of capturing! This wedding was an Orthodox Jewish wedding and I LOVED the rich history and traditions that were incorporated. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of something so joyful! I hope you enjoy some of the photos and experience!

I loved that my job was to get details, like this monogram on the grooms shirt!

After the marriage contract was read he raised a white handkerchief  in the air to signify that he accepted the terms.

Then he was carried, like a sweet super hero, to see his bride for the first time in 3 days.

She whispered prayers to him.

She carried a book of prayers that was also carried by her Grandmother and All 3 of her great aunts. She got teary eyed as she explained to me that they all had long and happy marriages and she hoped that she and Gerald would too.

I also remembered, after months and months without warm weather, that I really love outdoor weddings!

The wine used for the blessings.

After the ceremony the bride and groom are whisked into a room where they spend 10 minutes of uninterrupted alone time together. Gerald gave her a beautiful sapphire engagement ring to compliment the simple band he gave her during the ceremony.

I can’t help but think he looks just like Michael Scott in this picture. Anyone?

She had the best facial expressions all day long!

and boy oh boy was there celebration and dancing!

Instead of traditional cake they had an ice cream cake and a sundae bar!

With the same cake topper that grandma used.

Lots of hugs and just like that. They were off!

I’d been looking forward to their wedding since Kimberly and I first began discussing it in the Fall of 2008! We took their engagement photos over Valentine’s Weekend in 2009 and they were wed in mid January 2010! Their wedding was a true joy to be involved with. It reminded me of mine in many ways which made it that much more fun! And the weather, who could ask for 50 degree weather on January 15th with the bluest skies you’ve ever seen and just snuggled between two of the worst snow storms to ever hit the East Coast! God has been watching out for them over their long engagement and had this day planned especially for them. Enjoy a few of their photos!

PS. Our workflow is different now and there are some who caught a glimpse of these photos RIGHT after the wedding (within three days actually, lol) those lucky people are the Facebook fans of S. Carter Studios. If you’d like to be alerted to the newest content then join up!

I won’t lie, I have a little bit of lash envy!

They opted for a first look after having seen the great photos from Gavin & Kelsey’s and I’m so glad they did!

It gave us lots of time for photos of just the two of them and their really fun bridal party!

I wasn’t kidding about the day!

They were married at a lovely church just a block away from my house!

and after all that waiting, they became husband and wife.

We headed over to the lovely West Manor to celebrate! There were loads of great details, food and dancing.

Kimberly and I joked that she was my first Friday bride, my first red cake and several other firsts. Not too shabby to plan a wedding with such impact!

These were absolutely delicious as were the toppings located just to the left! Gotta love a make your own mashed potatoes bar.

We’ll finish this post with the best garter retrieval of 2010.

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