S. Carter Studios

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!

We’ve been super busy, as you may have seen on our Facebook fan page, but not too busy to take a little bit of time and share another Hand Picked project with you! I got this idea from a project on my friend Jamie’s site Julia’s Poppies. I LOVE monograms. It’s a little taste I picked up during my time in the South. So, as I was looking to decorate for Spring I came up with this handy little project which I realized would be great for the right wedding too!

Supplies: Monogram letter ($2.50 at ACMoore), ribbon ($1.50 at ACMoore), hot glue gun, one glue stick, recycle fabric (old shirt ruined by a rogue post-it note in this case).

Step 1: Draw two different sized circles on the fabric, these are about an 1.25 in & .75 in. Cut out.

Step 2: Place smaller circles inside larger circles.

Step 3: Pinch together, add glue to desired location on monogram.

Step 4: Place the “point” of the flower into glue, then twist the flower in the glue to desired shape.

Step 5: Cut ribbon to desired length, apply to back of monogram with hot glue.

Step 6: Install! This one lives on our front door and it makes me smile each time I walk in!

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!

I know it’s been a while since I posted but it’s certainly not because we haven’t been busy. If you like to stay on top of our new content then I would encourage you to become a Facebook Fan, you’ll get a chance to see the latest content first! There are about 8 sessions/weddings on there that have yet to debut here. I know it’s sad but we’re working on it! So, anyway! Let me introduce you to Devin & Katelyn. They are some of the best clients a photographer can dream of. Not only did they really come ready for anything but they trusted me completely and even agreed to a sunrise session! I hadn’t really thought they’d take me up on it when I offered but I am so glad they did. We had a great time wondering around taking beautiful pictures before most people even brush their teeth. We finished our photo date off with breakfast at Market at Main.

Between lots of laughing & comments about hairspray we talked about our families, challenges of married life and what we hoped God would do with our lives. It was like being with old friends! So, please feast your eyes on S. Carter Studios first ever sunrise engagement session! Seriously, leave them some love for being this good looking at 6:30 am.

If you found yourself driving over the overpass into Lynchburg and wondering who those crazy people on the side of the road were taking pictures, well, proudly I’ll answer, it was US. I think they’d agree it was totally worth it.

After a quick outfit change (which was clever to pull off at 7:30 am in Lynchburg) we were back in action at a more relaxed location.

one of my VERY favorites!

Bling, Bling.

We went down by the water and I asked them to just go and have fun, this is what I got in return lol

Take a look at the slideshow for more photos from this awesome session!

Devin & Katelyn – Engagement Session from sabrena deal on Vimeo.

It was such a pleasure to spend time with you guys. Thanks for letting me celebrate with you!

It’s a little ironic that Emily, Sharon and I were dodging raindrops on the day that we took these bridal portraits and that there were plenty of rain drops to be found on her wedding day as well. She was such a lovely bride & I think it could be argued had one of the most beautiful and unique weddings between crazy flash flooding, steady drizzle and one of the most gorgeous sunsets Virginia has to offer. Well, enough about her wedding, here some of her lovely bridal portraits that we kept unwraps until now!

She looks just like a princess waiting for a prince…

just to tease you a little, here’s a preview from her wedding! Unless you’re a Facebook Fan, in which case you would have seen this photo before they’d even left for their honeymoon!

Nathan and Courtney were the first couple to sign up for our engagement mini sessions & they came with ideas & style! I loved that they took so much ownership during their session and were flexible and completely trusting of my ability to help them celebrate this crazy time in their relationship. That’s really a win win combination for anyone! I always get a little nervous when shooting for another photographer but was excited to be able to encourage & discuss the biz with Nathan! Enjoy some photos from their session!

Courtney didn’t wear shoes at any point of the session which turns out is how she normally rolls and usually Nathan doesn’t either so we had him take them off. I  love this image, it just makes me think, “All you need is love.”

Congratulations you crazy kids, I think you’ve got what it takes to make it!

Angi grew up in Poplar Bluff, Missouri with her mom, step-dad, three brothers, a sister, and a dog.  Solomon grew up in Nonthaburi, Thailand with his parents, two brothers and a sister. How in the world would these two end up meeting, becoming friends, dating, falling in love and finally preparing to be married? Well, Liberty University played a key roll as did soccer, ministry, thai food, thai language & Global English school. She helped him through heart break and he helped her through a broken toe. The rest is three and a half years of history! Angi and I became true and wonderful friends while she spent the year in Thailand. She was there the day I got engaged and I was so thankful to be there when Solomon popped the question to her! I love how he makes her laugh, how he takes such great care of her & really anyone else who happens to be around him. I love how she makes him feel special, loved and important and how she cooks thanksgiving dinner for him, even in April. They are a pretty good pair if I do say so myself, so Josh and I couldn’t help but go all out on their engagement photos! This is a long one so buckle up, but enjoy photos from their 3 part engagement session!

Part 1: Cute & casual

Part 2: Ode to soccer roots

Part 3: Cuddly & Cozy Picnic…inspired by one of their favorite and frequent dates

a plate full of this month’s DIY, button flowers!

We waited a long time for this bling!

Can’t you just imagine how great looking their kids are going to be? Seriously.

That’s all for now but it’s surely not the last you’ll see of these two as we prepare for their end of July wedding!

Josh and I love to go exploring, it’s really something that we’re great at as a couple. Wandering around and finding cool things. So we decided a few weekends ago to discover Bedford, VA. It’s about half an hour from where we’re located in Lynchburg. One thing you must know about Bedford is that it shuts down around 5:00 pm, even on Saturdays. So we originally were feeling like our explorations were going to be a bust until we found this little gem. Take A Look at Bella Books!

It looked awesome even from the front, they had great and unique items inside but what made it even better was the pricing! Where some stores would take advantage of the cliental, Bella Books goes out of its way to find new homes for its products! So, if you’re in the market for table placements for your wedding, favors for the bridal shower you’re throwing, props for the next engagement session you’ve got planned, or just great books and cool decorations for your house we suggest you visit Bella Books. And don’t worry, they don’t close until 9 pm!

About those prices…seriously, green glass plates, a set of three for $12?

They have all kinds of stuff, kitchen ware, wall decor, china, jewelry, chairs, desks, cabinets and more. Plus their inventory is always being updated so no trip is wasted because you never know what they’re going to get in!

I’ll leave you with one last image, this China that I was almost begging Josh to let me get because it was simply beautiful! The entire set was less than $600.00, the teapot alone is worth more than half of that!

Sadly, Bella Books isn’t online but if you go to visit please let them know that a) we sent you & b) they need to get a website! haha. We had a great time there and can’t wait to return!

They began dating while he was on tour with his band. She’s got two addy awards to her name almost graduated name. I’m not going to lie, I was a little intimidated at the idea of taking pictures of a couple of rock stars. As it turns out, rock stars are just like people! Daniel and Emily were casual, friendly and more than happy to hold hands and do anything for a great shot! We shared cupcakes and it was instant friendship. I can’t wait to see what they’ve got up their sleeves for their end of July wedding!

Sometimes photographers have dreams, like a client saying they have an original polaroid camera with just one picture left in it that they are willing to trust you with. Dreams like this come true sometimes…

I cannot wait for their wedding, just learned yesterday to expect five classic muscle cars at the wedding. H-yes, I’m excited! Here’s to July 31st!

Well, I suppose Angi really doesn’t need an introduction. If you’re a regular then you’ve seen her engagement caught on film &  slideshow, a slideshow from her shower’s photobooth, and a Hand Picked project created for the shower. I thought it was about time for me to share other shower details! I’ve been dreaming of being a bridesmaid for a few years now, I know it sounds silly, people don’t usually look forward to spending upwards of $400 or more to be involved with a wedding but I just think a bridesmaid is a very special person there for the bride to depend on and to help her accomplish the wedding of her dreams! So, I loved that part of my bridesmaid responsibilities included planning and executing a bridal shower! The theme was spring time, especially since it was primarily planned during a particularly cold and snow winter, and we were able to have 4 of the 9 bridesmaids in attendance! That’s a pretty impressive feat seeing as how we’re spread out over the world, literally!

Jimmy Cakes created the perfect cake! Funfetti & strawberry, her very favorites.

She loved it!

and cut it with a big scary knife.

Thanks to Jenna for grabbing some pictures of me, evidence that I was really there!

Angi & Solomon are moving to Thailand shortly after their wedding so we had a Create A Date themed shower where guests brought creative date ideas and the funds to make them happen! Here are some details!

We stored the ideas in the little album and she read through them all during the shower.

We also created a bouquet made of advice for her!

and tried to make things a little easier on her by filling out names and addresses on envelopes for thank you cards!

I really truly enjoyed pulling it together, with the help of some lovely ladies! I can’t believe how fast her wedding is coming up. Oh, and a heads up that some of her engagement photos will be posted on the blog soon! Here’s a sneak peak.

« Older Entries