Archive for 'weddings'
Family and friends. Family and friends. No matter what is said about weddings – the pomp, the circumstance, the dazzle of dress and shoes – it always comes back to those two most critical things. You could only spend about three minutes with Francesca before you realized she epitomized everything you hear about Italians and family. And right then I knew…keep your eyes open Don. There’s going to be some crazy beautiful emotion about to take place. And I was not disappointed in the least. Just take one look at her father seeing her for the first time as a bride. How do you not fall in love with weddings each and every weekend when you see something like that?
And for all the weddings we’ve shot all over Richmond and the state of Virginia, this was our first visit to the ballroom of the Altria theater. It’s quite simply a beautiful space with inherent charm that you can’t fake. Check out the way The Lighting Professors and Swoon Soiree transformed that classic space in to an impromptu ceremony of lights. It’s pretty stunning.
And as always, please check out the list of folks who made the day possible and spend a little time on their sites. After mine, of course 🙂
Event Planning and Design: Lauren Purcell of Swoon Soiree
Catering: Savor
Entertainment: Debonaire Entertainment and Gary Gauldin
Florist: Vogue Flowers
Cake Artist: Candy Valley Cake Company
Dress Designer: Roz La Kelin
Dress Salon: Ava Laurenne Bride
Lighting Design: The Lighting Professors
Funny titles again. Trust me, it’s hard to find ways to summarize a full day’s worth of story in to three or four words when there’s just so much to tell you. And honestly, the images are so much better at giving you what you want than my words ever could. But still, I do love to give a little context to the proceedings. Plus, there’s a bit of a local celebrity bent to this wedding that’s too fun not to share.
Anyone who’s been in Richmond longer than a few months has either heard of or shopped at Tom Leonard’s Farmer’s Market. Heck, the road out front is named after the place. Well, you can imagine how cool it is to find out that not only is the guy getting married, but we’re getting invited to photograph it. From our first meeting with Karen and Tom, it was obvious what kind of wedding day this was going to be. You couldn’t ask for a more down-to-earth and fun couple. Just like we love our photographs, they are real. They are easy going. And they’re fun. And cue the music…..
Seriously, the details were perfectly simple and elegant. The planning and design were seamless. The people were so warm and loved to party. You really couldn’t ask for a better party. And for you emotion junkies, check out that up/down sequence with Karen and Tom as they read their letters to each other. Look at her face right as she reaches Tom at the end of the aisle. Throw in some surprise fireworks over the lake and top it off with what looked like a troupe of professional dancers.
Enjoy the images and thanks again for visiting.
Oh, and a huge thank you to Marylee Marmer Events, White House Catering, Sassy Snapdragon, The Mixing Bowl, DJ Jimmy Steel, En’novation Band, and Rent E Quip for their expert help.
Yes, yes. I know. It’s a bit of a cheesy title. But, I’m not asking to be forgiven on this one. When I’m going through the images from any wedding, there’s often a narrative that starts to form in your mind. Sometimes it is a very subtle thing, perhaps a set of details or the conditions of the day that pushes your way of thinking about the wedding. Other times it’s right in your face like a bold party theme or color palette. And then in others…it’s the faces. It’s the expressions. While that may seem obvious if you’re on my blog. Lindsay and I are consistent in our message that, while portraits and details are lovely, weddings are about people and interactions.
So, why mention it then? Because of this couple, that’s why. As I looked through the entire collection, the one consistent theme I could not take my eyes off of was how happy they were and how everyone around them seemed to feed off that energy. The getting ready portion between the girls, Kristen and her father sharing several tear inducing moments, Ken and his guys being hilarious at pretty much every moment – there was no way not to notice that. And I’d love to tell you that those insane sunset pictures were the product of my expert direction (ok, some of it) but they just melted together on camera. There was so little needed from us other than to hit that little button at the perfect time.
Enjoy.
Venue: The Mill at Fine Creek
Florals: Mary Henry
Cake Artist: Pierre Tocco
Entertainment and Sound: Eric Cunningham of Debonaire Entertainment
Hair and Make-up: Lou Stevens Glam Squad
Paper: Wedding Paper Divas
Calligraphy: Ginny Rogan
Bridal Dress Designer: One Love Designs by Rachel Gordon
Bridesmaid’s Attire: BHLDN
Groom’s Attire: Jos A Bank
We love the unexpected. It’s part and parcel one the foundations of a wedding day. Two families, tons of friends, throw in a party – mix and go. To us, having a preconceived notion of how things *should* happen keeps you from capturing what *did* happen, and then you just miss the point of photographing a wedding entirely. So, keeping our eyes and our minds open is a requirement for each and every weekend.
But…this one is a little different than the rest. Due to geography, work schedules, and the often insane task of planning a wedding while attempting to lead the normal life of a 20-something with a career…I didn’t meet Lauren until the day before the wedding. Her mother Anne was incredible with the planning, the conversations – but not one meeting or chat with the bride until it was less than 24 hours to start the photography. So…truly. Tons of the unexpected.
What happened? See for yourself. Beautiful couple. Lovely designs. Hilarious guests. More laughter and smiles than I could every care to ask for on a wedding day. Cross-town adventures between iconic locations like The Jefferson, The Berkeley Hotel, and Willow Oaks
In other words – blissfully and wonderfully unexpected.
To our colleagues that helped make the day as wonderful as the couple, we thank you:
The Jefferson Hotel, The Berkeley Hotel, The Willow Oaks Country Club, Party Perfect, Blooms at the Jefferson, The Buttercream Bee, Black Tie Entertainment, Jimmy Oliver Events, Keith Reagan, James River Transportation, Provonias of Barcelona at Belle’s Boutique of Charleston.
One glance at the abundant florals and incredibly gorgeous lace that Anne Preston chose to anchor the look and feel of her wedding day, and you know you should sit down and focus on this elegant affair. Though it’s probably obvious just how stunning these two are, the kindness and joy that shines so brightly throughout their images is the reason these images speak volumes about our dedication to authentic moments. I dare you not to catch yourself smiling when these two are together. Scroll on.
Some of the fantastic companies that contributed to the day:
Reception Venue: Country Club of Virginia
Event Coordination: LK Event and Design
Florals: Southern Blooms
Cake Artist: Buttercream Bee
Band: The Black and Blue Experience
Lighting Design: Mosaic
Hair and Makeup: Avenue 42
Bride’s Dress Designer: Lee Ann Belter
Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale
We are thrilled to announce that we are searching for a Studio Coordinator to add to our team!
Overview:
The Studio Coordinator will act as editor extraordinaire for our high-end boutique photography studio. The ideal candidate enjoys self-directed work and creating efficient processes. They have an eye for color and detail, and a passion for presentation. Their key objective will be to manage day-to-day editing and workflow, playing an integral role in our mission to create an exceptional client experience.
This position is part-time to full-time. While not a guarantee of future employment, we wish to find a candidate who is a great fit for our studio and has a desire to grow along with our company.
The Studio Coordinator will:
- Edit RAW images and prep for client delivery using primarily Adobe Lightroom
- Track and facilitate image and product workflows
- Maintain studio environment to keep it well stocked and client-ready
- Set up appointments, make travel arrangements, and prep equipment
- Assist with client and vendor appreciation programs
- Edit, order, and package printed products for client delivery
- Complete special projects on an as-needed basis
Eligible Applicants Must:
- Have impeccable attention to detail and a passion for organized processes
- Have working knowledge of Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop in a Mac-based environment
- Possess an eye for strong composition and design
- Be available to work 15 to 20 hours per week, with an interest in an expanded schedule in the future
- Pass a drug, criminal background and credit check
Experience in photo editing and/or graphic design is a plus. Your high standards for excellence and desire to be part of a small team doing big things will catapult you above the rest of the field.
To Apply: Send cover letter and resume, as well as link/portfolio of previous digital imagery work to info@donmearsphotography.com by October 3, 2016.
There are certain parts of a city that, when you visit, you say to yourself “that is what this town is about”. When you think about The Jefferson Hotel from either the native or the tourist point of view it’s hard not to feel like you’re in the place where modern Richmond started. The grand staircases, the statue of Thomas Jefferson, the gorgeous beaux-arts exterior – I never get tired of walking through it to approach that stunning rotunda to begin shooting the reception. Sure, I know that “Portland East” (or “Austin North” depending on who you ask) as RVA is getting the reputation for is rapidly becoming known for its future as much as its past, all it takes is a five minute drive to see that the River City has strong roots from its past centuries. It was also great to be back in the sanctuary of St. Benedicts, a Richmond gem that we just don’t see often en0ugh.
As for Mary and Anthony, well, they brought their own classic charm to these two classic venues. It was lovely to watch their personalities unfold as the day went on. You can definitely see how the anxieties of the wedding day slowly slip away and the truly fun nature of this couple comes out. Thank you to the Needhams and the Georges for your lovely and happy families. You are the reason we still love every Saturday.
Enjoy.
Ahh, Charlottesville. Or, rather I should say…Ahh, the vineyards of Charlottesville. Wine and vines. Grapes and sunshine. We’ll take all of it. It’s certainly enough that we got to hang with the Faidleys and the Sanos. Mike and Lauren were fantastic to work with, as we knew they would be. But add in the hillsides and valleys, the breweries and the breeze…it’s kind of a perfect combination. Veritas is never a bad idea either as it has one of the best reception halls in our personal opinion, and not just for a vineyard. Oh, and if you’re in to the varied and wonderful personalities that are on display for a wedding day, you can’t get much better than this one.
A heartfelt thank you to the people who made this day a lovely one for the Faidley and Sano families – Joyne Cordova of BRIDEface Richmond, Erinn Paris and Paris Cake Company, Sarah Stuart of American Beauty Salon, Dress by Mark Zunino Bridal, Bridesmaids attire by Weddington Way, and Carissa and Yael of The Gilded Thimble.
Yeah, sure. Blue skies and oceans. Palm trees. Bright and beautiful colors and people. We have that for you. That’s the easy part when you’re invited to cover a wedding weekend in Puerto Rico. And to Iris and Maria, two incredible planners working with us at the Condado Vanderbilt hotel, I’m pretty jealous that you see this every weekend. But to the point…Tiffani and Scott didn’t get here by any direct means. Sitting down with them a few months before the wedding day, I asked “How did you meet?”. I’ve gotten so many different answers to that question over the years. But this answer turned my head…
“At Everest Base Camp”
“Excuse me?”
“I forgot to bring extra socks and Scott let me borrow his.”
*jaw drop and record skips*
What followed was a truly wonderful love story, the kind that you’d expect when it starts at 18,000 feet and doesn’t involve an airplane. And what’s going on below is just the tiniest little sample of one of the best four days of our professional careers. Starting in the evening of the rehearsal dinner near Santurce market, to the hotel for the wedding night, and closing out with a day-after session in the streets of Old San Juan.
And while you’re in the browsing mood, go over to the Jet Fete blog to see a details-focused take on the wedding day. Enjoy!
If you remember back to the earlier blog post when Kate and Justin had their ceremony, you may recall it was a intimate and elegant affair, an early Spring evening that was lovely but brief in the classic and historic Commonwealth Club. Flash forward now to the fullness of Summer and you’ll see quite a few things have changed. Friends and family alike joined the fun this time as it was all party, all the time. And as is typical of Rockett’s Landing there was no shortage of beautiful views and stunning sunsets. Lindsay and I took full advantage of those views and the relaxed mood of the evening to spend a little extra time with the couple, while still enjoying a full night of music and dancing.
Kate and Justin, I’m sad that our little months long adventure had to end, but thank you for making us a part of it. Anytime you two are throwing a party, we want to be a part of it.
Enjoy.
