Carmen Schulte and Kyle Sheppard were married in September 2009 at Land’s Creek Log Cabins in Bryson City, NC.  Carmen’s mom, Phyllis, was invaluable in her efforts to organize such a beautiful destination wedding from her home outside St. Louis, Missouri.  She was both the wedding coordinator and florist.  Robin and Sue Fronrath, owner’s of Land’s Creek Log Cabins were also very helpful in helping Carmen and Kyle realize their vision for the perfect mountain wedding.

Robin and Sue rent out a variety of cabins creek-side and in the higher elevations with views of the Nantahala National Park and Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  They are located near tons of outdoor activities including rafting, tubing, hiking, fishing, and golf.  And if you are musician they also own and operate Land Creek Studios, a recording studio that you can rent on-site.  Talk about a great place for a couple to make beautiful music together, figuratively and literally!

Carmen wore a beautiful dress by Galina.  The officiant was Reverend David Russell.  He also performed music during the ceremony and reception with his band Bean Sidhe (pronounced bah-shee) Celtic Ensemble.   Food for the reception was catered by Pasqualino’s Italian Restaurant.  The cake was made by Samantha Parris.   Robin and Sue will be happy to provide referrals to local vendors in the Bryson City area.

Reverend David Russell officiated a beautiful ceremony

Carmen was gorgeous in her wedding dress by Galina.

Rev. Russell also provided music with his Celtic band, Bean Sidhe Celtic Ensemble.

I had a great time photographing this very beautiful and laid back wedding!  Thanks to everyone who contributed!

I am very excited to announce that a wedding I photographed at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in June was just featured on Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book blog . You can view the blog post at:

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/09/22/north-carolina-wedding-at-the-biltmore/.

Started by Abby Larson, Style Me Pretty is a great resource for brides looking for inspiration and ideas while planning their weddings. As Abby states on her website:

“Simply put, I write about all things beautiful. All things wedding. Everyday, I post my favorite finds, my latest loves!  I try to create a place where creativity and ideas thrive, where you can find weddings that eliminate the walls of tradition and focus instead on the unique personalities of brides and grooms everywhere. And in the midst of all the beautiful pictures and the beautiful weddings, my only hope is that I will inspire you in some small way, to translate that perfect picture in your head into a day that will make you smile for years to come.”

Abby, Eddye, Michelle, and Tait do an amazing job bringing Style Me Pretty and Little Black Book blog to life. They have just made some pretty nifty improvements that will definitely assist brides (and grooms) in organizing their thoughts, their ideas, and their visions as they plan their own unique wedding day.  They added such features as an Inspiration Board, Color Palettes, Photo Galleries, and a Look Book.  They also created a Style Circle where brides, grooms, and wedding connoisseurs can share creative ideas.  The Style Circle enables individuals to create their own blogs as a tool in shaping the look of their weddings.  Pretty cool stuff!

I was invited to join Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book back in May.  Little Black Book is:

“A highly edited collection of wedding service providers from mom and pop boutiques to A-Listers. Personally recommended by our closest girlfriends, industry insiders and Style Me Pretty readers, there are a few hand-picked listings per category. Brace yourself, though, it’s that good!  It is awesome to be a part of such a talented group of creative wedding professionals!”

I photographed this particular wedding for Rachel Mertz and Daniel King and it was great collaborating with them throughout their wedding day. I will be posting my own perspective of what it was like photographing their wedding and sharing some of my favorite images as well in the days to come!  In the meantime here is one of my favorite images from their wedding!

Rachel and Dan at the lagoon with Biltmore House in background