S. Carter Studios

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.

Today I met Kaydence Grace (about 10 hours old now) and Wyatt Mitchell (about 2 weeks old now). I didn’t do much work,  my dishes didn’t get done and I wasn’t able to put away all my laundry but I got to spend time with real, wonderful people that I love. It was a very good day.

Well, go ahead and lean back, because this post is going to be a long one. You’ve seen Gavin & Kelsey before, the infamous paint couple! We took their engagement photos on a warm, beautiful summer day and they were married on 12-12-09 a very VERY cold winter day. They didn’t let the chilly weather keep them from having a perfect celebration! There was joy and excitement and awesome facial expressions from Kelsey without pause from the first few minutes I was with them until they left for their honeymoon. I’ll interject a few happy thoughts throughout the post but for the most part I think they speak for themselves!

Kelsey was the only bride I was able to give her ornament to in person. She had such a fun reaction!

She was an absolutely stunning bride!

Gavin and Kelsey chose to do a first look. This gave us lots of time to take photos of them and their wedding party. This was Gavin’s face as he saw his bride for the first time.

and Kelsey’s as she walked toward her groom. PS. First glimpse as those perfect little blue shoes!

You may remember, it was really, really cold this day in Lynchburg so we let Kelsey defrost a little and took pictures of the guys first. They were great!

West Manor was a great location for the photos and their reception!These ladies were amazing, not complaining one bit and looking good while sticking it out!

I could have taken pictures of  just these two all day long. Really.

My very favorite from the whole day!

Kelsey, wow, just WOW.

BLING, bling.

I may, have had a crush on her shoes, maybe.

Oh, yeah, there was a ceremony too!

I just can’t get enough of brides on the arms of their fathers! So much significance in this one little moment.

Two noteworthy things about this image: these candles are the same ones that Gavin used the night he proposed to Kelsey, there were over a hundred of them that night! The second is explained by the photo below it.

This is how I know i have the best brides. Kelsey was so chill about this! Oops, oh well.

A brief pause to share some of their great details!

It never gets old

seeing my work at receptions!

Alex, Angi and I with the bride, me reaching toward Solomon who had rapid fired a few shots by this point. Thought it would be a funny addition to the post

This mother son dance had the whole room misty-eyed. Gavin and his mother took turns letting tears slip between laughs and hugs. It was absolutely precious.

Love this photo of Gavin’s mom showing Kelsey’s dad the little birthday cake they gave her after the first dance. So sweet of her to share her birthday with the newlyweds.

there was dancing, lots of really, fun, dancing.

The newlyweds left in a flash of sparklers to their honeymoon in the mountains of TN.

Another familiar face for today’s catch up post: Elijah. If you have time you should read this post to find out more about him and his family but in a nutshell he’s God’s gift to Ed and Carrie who love him very very much and adopted him over a year ago! I photographed him in May and was glad to chase him around this December as we attempted to get him to smile! He’s such a serious young man but when that gap toothed smile shows up he’s all little boy! Enjoy!

It’s been so hard to hold onto photos until after Christmas! I took these photos of Cole and Lydia, both of whom I had the pleasure of seeing shortly after their debut into the world. Yes, they’re the Parks kids, the most photographed family in my life. But hey, I’m okay with that. If you knew them, you’d understand! Enjoy these photos of their super crazy session.

Cole was about 2 months old when we took these photos. I’ve got to tell you, he’s quite a charmer. I was greatly distracted by his smiles and big blue eyes today in church!

Lydia is a force to be reckoned with! During the shoot she tried to climb the retaining wall and made a cozy seat in someone’s water run off.

The goal was to get some of the two of them together and I’d say we more or less accomplished that!

There may have been some bribing with marshmallows and chocolate chips.

This is one of my favorites.

I love this look on his face as Lydia leans forward to touch him. The hesitant and slightly scared face of a younger brother. Classic.

We’ll polish off this post with a look at the smile Cole flashes his mom. I am pretty sure I’d be toast if I had him hanging around all the time. I’d be content just to sit and stare.

The more I learned about Brian and Libby, the more excited I became. She grew up in Thailand and they were incorporating that into the wedding and reception. Yes, my friends we’re talking about parasols and authentic Thai food and even a Thai dancer! They couldn’t have picked a more perfect day and I was so glad to get to spend it with them. They surrounded themselves with great family and friends who braved the cold weather to do whatever was asked of them. She was simply beautiful and the vows they’d written to each other were so sweet. Enjoy a few of the moments from their wedding day!

I couldn’t get enough of these super cute kiddos.

We headed up to the monogram and had some stunning light to work with.

They had their reception at the same place Josh and I did and it was the first time I’d been there since. I just think there is something a little magical about this building. I’m probably biased.

A super cute and original cake topper.

Despite feeling under the weather, she sang a song to him that she’d been singing to the Lord for years about finding her love.

What a beautiful, wonderful night. Thank you for letting me share it with you!

Brinley, who may remember from a previous post, turned one and we took some pictures of him to celebrate this momentous occasion. He still wins me over with his facial expressions but now he can walk, he’s well on his way to being those cutest member of our Small Group. I hope these photos are as happy to you as they are to me! 

I can see a future in break dancing!

I don’t know why but I think this is the sweetest.

He’s a lot more difficult to keep up with now that he’s mobile!

The best facial expression title is still his, hands down.

Being around Sam is like being around family. She has this great way of making everyone around her feel comfortable. I think she gets it from her family who treated me the same as I met many of them who I’d heard about so many years before. God brought her a match who cares about family just as much as she does. Jonathan adores her and everyone knows it. Their wedding was a simple affair to celebrate their commitment and their friends and family. They pulled it off perfectly!

I love her expression in this picture. He was so nervous and she was cool as a cucumber…until he started to cry and then it was over for her too.

I have to stop for a minute and brag on my husband Josh for taking the next four pictures. He’s really talented, don’t you think?

He does such a great job with the guys!

Now, about this reception. It took place on a river bank in the backyard of a little log cabin looking structure. It was a beautiful venue and allowed for great photos!

Hellllloo contrast! My pose with Josh’s shot Winning combination!

I love this photo below which made the one after possible. A quick flick

to the dress and then the spinning could commence.

At their engagement session, Sam described the reception to me as a family reunion style get together. They really nailed it! Nobody was in a rush to leave this reception! There was something for everyone including trips out on the river in canoes the bride and groom provided!

The bridesmaids and other guests changed into custom t-shirts printed for the event!

Nope, your eyes do not deceive you. That’s the bride teaching people how to pick crabs, while in her wedding dress!

This is a series of photos taken as the DJ shared their love story with the guests. They filled out questionnaires before the event and he wove them together. It was great to hear about their engagement which included a scavenger hunt around the city they met in.

Almost nothing sweeter than a dad singing to his daughter during their dance.

Several games of spades broke out with the decks of cards Jonathan and Sam had made as favors for their guests.

Just a few awesome detail shots on the way out!

You pulled it off guys! What a fantastic, relaxing wedding to be a part of! Thank you!

I knew Megan  before she was a married woman or a mother! I knew her when Lost was her favorite TV show and she spent her evenings studying. We lived on the same hall together in college and it was a pleasure to meet the men in her life three years later! Megan and David are the lucky parents of Riley who has the sweetest little blonde curls at the end of his hair that you can even imagine. They came over to Luray, where my parents live, for a quick family session. I’m looking forward to seeing them again soon!

I was loving his little Crocs!

This one may be my favorite from the session!

Thank you guys for making the trip over the mountain! 

These smiley faces should be familiar to you if you read regularly, this is the full and complete Allen family! You saw John’s girls in a previous post. His beautiful wife Christina asked me to take photos of her and her two daughters as a surprise to John who was away at boot camp. He loved the pictures of his girls and so we scheduled a family shoot during the few remaining days the family had together in Lynchburg before he reports to North Carolina. It was great to meet John and serve the Allen family again!

The best part of this picture is that Eliza just ran over and sat down on Anna who rolled around and giggled. They ended up in a little pile of curls and laughter. I know they keep their parents busy!

John and Christina, thanks again for letting me share some of your family’s precious time!

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