Angela’s bridal session didn’t quite go as planned! As we were heading to our second location, my car started making an odd thumping noise. I pulled into an abandoned lot to find that my rear tire was flat. We were about an hour from my house and only halfway through the photo shoot. I had visions of changing the tire alone after dark. I had not changed a tire in at least 10 years. I doubted that I would even be able to loosen the lug nuts! Angela’s mom called her dad to see if he could change the tire while we finished her bridal session. I was so relieved that he agreed to meet us! It was so thoughtful of Angela’s family to take care of my flat tire. I’m so fortunate to meet so many wonderful people through my job. =) Here are a few faves from Angela’s session:
My first impression of Nikki was that she was the most organized bride I had ever met! There was not a single question that she forgot to ask during our consultation. She kept notes as we covered everything from equipment to computer platforms! I had no idea that she and Brian would become one of the most fun couples I had ever worked with! There was nothing they were not willing to try during their engagement session.
It was fun, but a bit challenging to include their dogs, Sylvester and Bella. Thankfully, they remembered to bring treats!! I’m a dog lover so I’m always happy to include dogs in portrait sessions. Here are a few favorites from their session….Their funny faces had me cracking up!
We adopted a lab mix from North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue in May. Kaya has become such an important part of our family! We decided recently that it would be nice if she had a companion to occupy her on the days that we sit in front of the computer for 12+ hours.
I browsed petfinder.com to see if there were any dogs we might be interested in adopting. I found the most adorable lab mix puppies. We drove to Greensboro to visit them last weekend. The two sisters were so playful and sweet. They had the cutest wrinkled faces and the prettiest green eyes I have ever seen.
In the pictures below, Chad is holding the one we chose to adopt. She will be delivered to our house on the 14th. We are all so excited. Jillian has already picked out a puppy Christmas stocking for our new addition. The other puppy is still available. Email me at kate@kateashbrook.com if you are interested in adopting her. The adoption fee is $150.
Here is a current picture of Jillian and Kaya that was taken on a camping trip. We expect the new pup to be about the same size (60 lbs).
Many of you have contacted me to ask about the Christmas deadline for print orders. All orders must be received by December 1st to ensure that they are back in time for Christmas. Any orders placed after December 1st will incur a rush fee.
This is the busiest time of year; I have been working overtime to finish album designs and to ensure that approved albums are delivered by Christmas. Album designs and revisions, print orders, and wedding galleries take precedence over blog entries. I will get back to regular blog updates after the holiday season has passed. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving next week! =)
Tonya and Matthew were married on October 4th at the Belk Chapel in Charlotte. Their reception was held at Pewter Rose. The decor at Pewter Rose is so warm and inviting- it makes for great pictures! Here are a few favorites from Matthew and Tonya’s wedding:
My mom and I worked together for the first time in years when we photographed Chelsea’s bridal session over the summer. To say that Chelsea was very patient would be an understatement! I usually spend under 2 hours on bridals, but my mom can go on shooting for hours! I left at the 2 hour point, but mom kept working until after dark. Chelsea had hundreds of amazing images! A few favorites from her session:
A few days before Halloween a basket full of goodies was left on our doorstep. It was filled with stickers, candy, slime, lotion, spiders, and a squishy skull that Jillian loved!
We were excited to participate in the boo-ing. Jillian and I went shopping together to pick out Halloween treats for our neighbors. We filled plastic jack-o-lanterns with Bed Bug candy, gingerbread candles, and other treats. I think we will start the boo-ing early next year so more neighbors can participate. If you want to start the boo-ing in your neighborhood, you can find print-outs online at: http://www.beenbooed.com/
Every year, we have a small pumpkin-carving party. Chad always draws his own designs, but Jillian and I trace them from pumpkin-carving kits. This year we carved a bat. For the second year in a row, we woke up to find our pumpkins smashed in the middle of the road. I told Chad that we are going to stand watch next Halloween to catch the culprits! ;-)
Jen’s pumpkin was the best:
I find politics more thrilling than any sport out there. In college, I invested so much time and energy in political campaigns. Then, I became disillusioned with politics and started my own business. =) I don’t have a lot of time to volunteer now but I still get excited during election season.
Move over football fans! Instead of Superbowl parties, how about Election night parties? I will definitely be glued to election coverage tonight as the race unfolds. If you aren’t enthusiastic about any of the 3 presidential candidates that were allowed ballot access in North Carolina, don’t stay at home. Use the write-in option on the ballot. NC polls close at 7:30.
You can find your NC polling site and view election results here:
http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/
Anna and Jett had a beautiful outdoor ceremony on Lake Tillery a couple of weeks ago. Here are a few of my favorites from her bridal session in Charleston. I’ll be posting wedding images soon.
We moved to a bigger house in Birkdale in July. Since moving, we have made some major changes! My favorite has to be the guest room that we converted from lavender to dark orange. I fell in love with the Sherwin-Williams paint color Spicy Hue. Everyone told us it was too dark for a small room. They advised us not to paint the ceiling, but we went for it anyway and I love the results! The ceiling is dark gold to complement the walls and bedding. We still have to hang the mirror over the dresser and get new curtains. I would also like to exchange the ceiling fan for a bronze mini-chandelier at some point.
There are tiny elephants throughout the curtains in the living room so we were excited to find a matching tapestry at Ahlara in Cornelius over the weekend. The owner of Ahlara travels extensively; she brings back unique art, furniture, and fabric from her travels. Chad and I have an affinity for ethnic pieces. We just ordered Bangalore-inspired bedding for our bedroom. I can’t wait to pick out paint colors to match it!
This is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. Both of our parents raised their eyebrows when they saw this one. They wanted to know which one of us picked it out. lol
This is on the opposite wall next to the front door:
I’ll post pictures of the other guest room later. When we moved in, it was forest green with a baseball mural on one wall. We decided to go with a tropical theme. We painted it aqua and added a painting of a Charleston breakfast spot we frequent. We still need to add a few final touches. I’ll post a before and after when we finish it.
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