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Family Portrait: Angel & Jeremiah – Downtown Prattville, Alabama

I knew Angel for a while before we did this shoot, and I had photographed her once before (when I did some headshots for Doug’s 2 Salon). When I was doing a bit of testing/experimenting with new camera gear and needed a guinea pig, I knew who I wanted as a test subject. On short notice, Angel showed up for me in downtown Prattville (God love her), and brought her son Jeremiah along for some family portraits. Of course they arrived looking like they walked out of a fall catalog, which was perfect for a walk along the creek and a little rolling around in the leaves. 🙂

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Wedding: Lauren & James – Northside United Methodist Church & Summerour Studio – Atlanta, Georgia

Lauren and James started their wedding day with clear blue skies at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta. The ladies snacked in pretty floral robes and had hair and makeup done by Mari Matthews Hair Artistry and Ellis Paige Makeup, then Lauren slipped into her lace Wtoo by Watters gown. In the meantime, the guys opened their groomsmen’s gifts (including themed socks selected specifically for each guy) while James put on his outfit from The Black Tux.

Once everyone was dressed and ready to go, we took a little drive over to Summerour Studio (where the reception would be held later). That way Lauren and James could have their first look and take some pictures in the pretty courtyard, since it would be dark there once they returned for the reception. These two are so sweet, and funny, and DORKY in the best way!

The ceremony at Northside United Methodist Church went off without a hitch, and after battling through Saturday evening Atlanta traffic, we were greeted with a dreamy evening reception. Thanks to Julia at Stella Harper Events, Summerour Studio was dressed to the nines, complete with all white flowers from Britt Wood Designs and a sea of candlelight.

I’ve shot a wedding for this family before (you can see Lauren’s mom and stepdad get married here!), so I already knew this group could throw one hell of a party. This shindig was no exception – the band (The A-Town A-List) kept things jumping, and the dance floor was packed the entire night. After dinner, guests were treated to a “blizzard bar” where they could have custom blizzards made with their choice of toppings mixed into ice cream, which was done by the dessert chefs on blocks of dry ice!

Since the groom’s family is Canadian, the newlyweds decided little bottles of maple syrup would make the perfect wedding favors. And just in case you were still hungry at the end of the evening, individual baskets each containing a slider, fries and a shot glass of ketchup came around as a late night snack, just before the bagpiper arrived for the couple’s grand exit.

Many thanks to Lauren and James for letting me enjoy another family wedding with you!

Ceremony venue: Northside United Methodist Church

Reception venue: Summerour Studio

Hotel: Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta

Wedding planning: Julia at Stella Harper Events

Wedding stationery: A&P Design Co.

Bridal shop: The White Magnolia Bridal Collection

Wedding gown: Wtoo by Watters

Bride’s shoes: Michael Kors

Bridesmaids dresses: Parker Rose from Bella Bridesmaids

Hair: Mari Matthews Hair Artistry

Makeup: Ellis Paige Makeup

Groom’s attire: The Black Tux

Floral designer: Britt Wood Designs

Catering: Bold Catering & Design

Cakes: Lush Cakery

Videography: That Wedding Ninja

Band: The A-Town A-List

Bagpiper: Sam Wiley (friend of the groom’s sister)

Getaway car: Special Day Limos

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Baby Portrait: Etta – Blount Cultural Park – Montgomery, Alabama

I hadn’t seen Etta’s parents since I shot their wedding a few years prior – and they came all the way from Arizona to have me take some baby portraits for them (okay technically, they were visiting family too, but don’t burst my bubble, lol). I met the three of them (plus their dogs, Allie and Winston) at Blount Cultural Park on a nice cool day and just let Etta do her thing. She did a bit a of a faceplant early on, but she was a tough cookie and carried on!

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Destination Wedding: Sarah & Henry – Lonesome Valley – Sapphire/Cashiers, North Carolina

Sarah is from Birmingham, Alabama, but she’s a world traveler – which is how she met Henry, who is English. Since they made friends all over the world, and Henry’s family was based in the UK, most of the guests would have to travel for the wedding, no matter where it took place. Sarah’s family has had a cabin in Cashiers, North Carolina for years, so she already had an affinity for the area. With the help of the team at Invision Events, they decided that Lonesome Valley was the perfect place to celebrate!

Sarah’s Martina Liana dress had the prettiest lace back with a long line of tiny covered buttons. As a nod to his roots and his new life in the States, Henry wore cufflinks that were half American flag, half UK flag.

Maid of Honor Tullia’s medical school graduation ceremony was scheduled for the day of the wedding, but she skipped it to be there for Sarah – talk about a ride or die kind of friend! The ribbon on Sarah’s bouquet was fabric taken from her mother’s wedding dress.

wedding ceremony at lonesome valley in north carolina
bride saying vows during north carolina mountain wedding
bride and groom kiss as they exit highlands north carolina wedding ceremony
bride and groom walking through lonesome valley after wedding
bride and groom kiss at lonesome valley north carolina wedding
bride adjusting veil in highlands north carolina

The reception was held in and around Canyon Kitchen, the restaurant within the Lonesome Valley community. They also catered dinner for the event, served family style. The featured cocktail was Pimm’s Cup, a classic British favorite. Henry gave an epic toast that brought the house down – he announced he had purchased one square foot of land in Scotland. Why? Because as landowners, that officially made Sarah and Henry a “Lord” and “Lady”!

dinner menu for lonesome valley wedding reception
floral centerpiece at lonesome valley wedding reception

groom gives toast at canyon kitchen wedding reception
band performing at lonesome valley wedding reception
first dance at canyon kitchen wedding reception

I had no idea Henry was a musician until this happened. Turns out Henry has some mad drumming skills, so the band let him jump in for a song, and he KILLED it!

groom playing drums with the band at lonesome valley wedding reception
groom celebrating with guests at canyon kitchen wedding reception
grand exit with sparklers outside canyon kitchen wedding reception

You can view a little multimedia video of their day below. Thanks Sarah & Henry for letting me frolic in the mountains with you!

Venue: Lonesome Valley

Catering: Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley

Wedding planning & design: Invision Events

Wedding gown: Martina Liana

Cake & cupcakes: Cream & Flutter

Band: Az IzZ

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Commercial Food Event: International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Conference – James Beard House, Institute of Culinary Education & New York Hilton Midtown – New York City, New York

 

After shooting the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Conference the in Louisville, Kentucky, I was excited to be asked to return the following year for their conference in New York City!  NYC is a great city in general, but everyone knows that it’s a mecca for amazing food and restaurants, so it’s the perfect setting for a culinary event.  Most of the conference took place at the New York Hilton Midtown, but we started off at the James Beard House with an invite-only party for industry influencers.

lillet spritzer garnished with mint
michelle tam at iacp influencer event
charcuteri plate at iacp influencer event

Next we we headed downtown to the Institute of Culinary Education (aka ICE) for workshops.  What could be more appropriate for New York City than a bagel class with Melissa Weller?  There were also walking tours of famous NYC bars, and of course a welcome party featuring local restaurants and locally made products, such as ice cream from Ample Hills Creamery.

melissa funk weller teaching at institute of culinary education
iacp attendees using kitchenaid mixers at culinary conference
iacp attendees taking class at institute of culinary education
iacp attendee recording video during class
bagels being seasoned before baking

james briscione teaching during iacp conference
plate created during iacp conference field trip

melissa funk weller teaching at institute of culinary education

Once the conference officially kicked off, attendees could choose to listen to speaker panels featuring notable names such as Dorie Greenspan and Michael W. Twitty, learn about food and wine pairings with Kendall Jackson, or get a cookbook signed by authors like Peter Reinhart. They could also choose to get their headshot done with yours truly!

melissa funk weller teaching at institute of culinary education
kendall jackson wine tasting class at iacp conference

The conference ended with the IACP Awards ceremony, hosted by Joe Yonan of The Washington Post and Gail Simmons, who you might recognize from Top Chef. The awards honor the best in cookbooks, food writing, food photography, and beyond, and was the perfect last course to wrap up the conference.

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