Kyle + Sarah: A Wedding With Kilts
Kyle and Sarah are finally married! I say ‘finally’ because for the last several months she’s been in Spartanburg, SC, while he has been in California. Not exactly the way I’d choose to spend my engagement, but that said, I think the two of them being apart made the electricity between them on their wedding day all the more evident.
As usual, Wendy started out with the girls while they got ready…
No Photoshop on this next one—seriously. Just some fortuitous lens flare.
So the girls put on their girly things…
…and the guys put on their…kilt hose.
Yup. Kilt hose. This wedding comes with kilts.
This shot below is Kyle showing the guys how to properly align their flashes. (Those are the little flag-like things near the top of the kilt hose.)
Kyle, like Wendy and me, is a teacher, and I can tell you from spending the day with him that he is good at what he does. He got a room full of guys to dress themselves in a surprisingly complicated garment with nary a snicker. By the time he was done explaining I felt like I could have gotten into a kilt, hose, flashes, shoes, sporran (a great place for your cell phone, by the way), and all.
Sarah was, of course, lovely.
Lou: Bridal Portraits
Lou and Micah are married!
Wendy and I have known Lou for several years, so we were especially delighted to have the opportunity to take this lovely lady’s bridal portraits. Lou is a tremendously creative person, and she knew exactly what she wanted for her photos, so we started out at an antique store here in Columbia. Initially, I was picturing cool old furniture and dusty chandeliers, but Lou had picked out this awesome antique telephone booth, the colors of which I think really set off her bouquet.
After the antique store, we headed down to the Broad River where Micah actually proposed to Lou. We managed to get a few shots before having to take off to avoid being locked in the parking lot overnight due to what we were told was either a dog race or a bike race. (I understand that they’re both ‘races’, but I’m still a little disconcerted that the folks who warned us of our impending confinement weren’t 100% clear on that.)
Finally, we headed down to Starbucks, where Lou asked to be photographed with the ‘Grace’ sign in the background. Grace, marriage, and caffeine… that’s a combination we can get behind.
(Support your local coffee house.)
I mentioned that Micah proposed to Lou at the river, but perhaps I didn’t make it clear that he proposed to her on the river—specifically, in a canoe. Well, I think technically these are kayaks, but we figured they’d do.
Congratulations to Lou and Micah! We wish you two the very best in marriage and in life!
Rybo and His Graffiti
This is Ryan.
Ryan is a former student of mine who, like Wendy and me, has a lot going on. He’s a full-time student, designs web pages, (kind of) maintains a blog, skateboards, and in his free time (?) paints graffiti and SC-themed images. I took these images of him back in July while he was painting the office of a tech startup here in Columbia. It was really hot that day and remembering it makes me especially thankful for the cooler weather we’re enjoying now. So for now, whatever the weather, cool down with a nice tall glass of Rybo.
This next one is a particular favorite of mine. Ryan painted both sides of the skateboard he’s holding, and the grip tape side is an Imperial stormtrooper.
Yup, that’s my student.
Sarah: Bridal Portraits
Through the magic of the internet, it’s possible that Wendy and I are actually photographing Sarah and Kyle’s wedding even as you read this. We took these bridal portraits of Sarah at The South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind a couple of weeks ago but obviously we couldn’t post them until the big day. Well, the big day is here, and so are the photos!
Sarah’s dress, as you can see, is amazing. What you can’t see is that it was made especially for her. Sarah explained that she bought the base of it off the rack for a ridiculously low price then took it and the outer, lacy fabric you see here to a friend of hers who transformed it into the work of art she’s wearing in these photos.
These shots were taken in and around Walker Hall, where Kyle and Sarah are having their reception.
This was pretty awesome: there’s a stand of bamboo right across from Walker Hall, and Sarah indulged us by modeling in it. I think we got a sort of Heart of Darkness meets Runaway Bride look, don’t you?
No?
Anyone?
And here’s Sarah indulging us more, tiptoeing through the garden “like Alice in Wonderland”.
As we were finishing up, the setting sun illuminated Sarah’s veil and we captured this.
And here’s one last image from the day.
Check back in a couple of days for teasers from Sarah and Kyle’s wedding. See you soon!
Sarah & Kyle: Engagement Portraits
A couple of weeks ago Wendy and I headed up to Spartanburg to photograph Kyle and Sarah’s engagement session. Though we know Sarah’s brother, Matt (Isaiah’s dad), it was our first time meeting her and Kyle. As it happens, it was also our last chance to meet Kyle before the wedding, since he was flying back to his home in California the following day and wouldn’t be back until the wedding.
Now, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be away from your fiancee for more than a month immediately before your wedding, but I think when you see the energy between these two, you’ll get some idea of how they feel about each other, and how much they are already looking forward to being reunited.
I swear at no point did we ask them to look like J. Crew models. They did that on their own.
Oh yeah, apparently looking spookily like Scarlett Johansson also comes naturally to Sarah. (more…)
