Ali + JB's Engagement Adventure at Grandfather Golf & Country Club | Boone NC Photographer

“Hold on now! We wouldn't want you to fall off the golf cart!”, Ali hollered.

Meanwhile, I have a death-grip with my left hand on the cameras and my right was white knuckling it on the—pardon my French—“oh shit!” bar (that’s what it’s called, right?! hahaha) while he whizzed us around the course!

JB was obviously very familiar with the terrain and seemed to know this course like the back of his hand. I wasn't really scared, I knew I was in good hands. I’m just being dramatic for effect. Did it work?

The three of us got cozy right away and sandwiched three-deep on the bench seat of the club car before we set off on our adventure around the golf course for their engagement pictures.

Ali knew she wanted to have their engagement photos made at the Grandfather Golf and Country Club from the very beginning because her and JB both love this beautiful place and have spent a lot of time here together during their four years of dating.

After all, it’s also how they started their relationship, bonding at a ball game over how much they both love the GGCC. It’s one of their favorite places.

We attempted to schedule their engagement photography session back in February during the wintertime because she wanted snow photos but we didn't get any the weekend they came up so we decided to wait since the landscape look so drab. 

The two lovebirds live in Charlotte but come to visit JB’s parents’ mountain house every opportunity they get. The end of the summer was the earliest that we could all get together because of wedding planning craziness, theirs and mine, but I’m so glad I was able to meet Ali and JB before their wedding day.

JB and Ali got engaged in late October of last year on a gorgeous fall day decorated with vibrant colors of autumn and a sprinkling of snow on the ground.

 

He asked her to go for a walk on the fairway of the first hole. She stopped to snap a picture, JB took a knee, and when she turned around he asked her to marry him.

I don’t think there was any doubt in JB’s mind as to whether or not the answer would be “YES!” because Ali had no qualms about letting it be known that she was ready to take things to the next level.


What made this spot even more special was the fact that it was the place where Ali and JB shared their first kiss! Seriously, how romantic is that?! Nice job, JB!

We gallivanted around the golf course and visited different holes based on what had a view of the mountains and the most significance to them as couple and what looked cool! It's a gorgeous golf course, I had no idea how pretty it was back there. 

They are both BIG sports fans and enjoy going to and watching games together, but Ali doesn't play golf like JB does.

In fact, she has no desire to learn and he doesn't have any plans to teach her, which I thought was funny, but couples don’t have to do everything together!

Ali and I were on weather watch that day because clouds were looming and the forecast was calling for rain. But this is Boone so things can change in an instant, so we stayed hopeful and had a back-up plan just in case!

Thankfully, the storm held off and the sun shined brightly for a bit before the clouds quickly rolled in at the very end of our engagement session.

It got dark really fast so we made our way back to the clubhouse as quickly as we could to get some shots on the bridge before the sun set completely.

I really loved Ali’s white Lily Pulitzer dress. She looked adorable in the delicate lace and floral motif paired with her gold peep toe wedges that are also her wedding shoes.

The accessories that she added to the ensemble for some pops of color were super cute as well. I thought that her and JB coordinated their outfits nicely. Did you notice his NC Tar Heel belt?

While Ali loves having pictures taken, JB hates them, although he was willing to do it because he loves her, of course. She told me she just wanted one good picture of the two of them and that they've never had professional pictures taken together so she didn't know what to expect but she was extremely excited!

We had a lot of fun on our engagement adventure, but it also gave them a chance to see how I work before their wedding day and also showed JB that having your pictures made is not all that painful when you’re enjoying yourself! He admitted to having fun afterwards! WIN! ;-)

My goal as an engagement photographer is to ensure that having your engagement pictures made is a fun experience for everyone. That's why I like to focus on creating new memories with an adventure that is made just for you!

Ready to book your exclusive Choose Your Adventure Session?

Simply send me an email at wayfaringwanderer@gmail.com or message me through my website contact form and I'll get you on the schedule ASAP! Availability is limited, only 10, 8, 5, 3 spaces left for engagement photos in 2014!

Hi! My name is Jessica a.k.a. Wayfaring Wanderer and I reside in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains here in Boone, NC. I'm a free-spirited wedding, engagement, and lifestyle photographer who loves working with couples, families, and individuals who are committed to travel, adventure, and laid-back lifestyles. If you think we might be kindreds, I invite you to join the WW tribe by signing up [ HERE ] for weekly updates & get connected to the [ WW Facebook page ] to join the conversation! | Website www.wayfaringwanderer.com

{ Featured LINKS }

» No More Boring Family Photos! | Choose Your Adventure Family Photography
» Pennington Family Adventure at Valle Crucis Community Park
» Hersey Family Reunion Adventure on Lake James, NC
» Scott Family Hiking Adventure on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Pennington Family Adventure at Valle Crucis Park | Boone NC Family Photographer

“Blueberries! I see blueberries!”, Everett began to shout and point from the lofty view on his Daddy’s shoulders.

“Where?!”, the rest of us asked puzzled. Between the four of us, we hadn’t yet spotted the wild berries, but as we continued to walk closer to the area he was leading us toward, he became more insistent that they were there.

We finally walked up and saw the bush that he was steering us to. Everett had a good eye, although what he spotted from afar were blackberries not blueberries.

Still, it required a pit-stop so that he could sample nature’s sweet treat! Naturally, everyone else joined in to savor the tangy-sour fruits, too! It was such a tender moment to witness them pick the berries and then share with one another.

The Pennington Family Photography Adventure took place at the Valle Crucis Park. It’s a gorgeous outdoor area not too far from Boone that offers walking and running trails, a playground, covered pavilions to have picnics, fishing on the Watauga River, and they also host live music every weekend during the summertime as free entertainment for families!

When these four are looking to have an adventure close to home it’s one of their favorite places to make memories as a family, so they frequent this outdoor area pretty regularly, which is why they wanted to have their family photos done at this magical place!

The Pennington’s were one of the families I selected that WON a Choose Your Adventure Family Photo Session in the flash giveaway I did a while back.

Didn’t know I was doing that? Well, it was exclusive to subscribers of the Weekly Wander!

Click the link to join the list for updates, news about future giveaways, and other exclusive offers! It's also where I share behind-the-scenes tidbits and secrets about me that you won't see/read anywhere else online.

We had to reschedule on two different occasions due to the unpredictable Boone weather.

It’s always tricky when you’re doing outdoor family portraits because the weather can change in an instant here in the mountains, so flexibility is key.

Our back-up plan was to do an “At-Home Adventure” if it rained this time, but the sun finally cooperated on our third attempt!

As we continued to make our way around the perimeter of the Valle Crucis Park, the sun played a game of hide-and-seek. I was hoping that it would keep shining because I was looking forward to shooting during “golden hour.”

Halfway through our session we set-up a blanket tucked in a shady, wooded area where light filtered through the trees when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. It was a secluded spot where the family of four cuddled up and played airplane with the kiddos.

The little daredevils even did back-flips with the assistance of their parents, it was a lot of fun watching this playful & silly family interact with one another.

When we were done hanging out amongst the trees, we made our way to the stretch of Watauga River that hugs the park to continue the adventure.

Landon showed Everett how to skip rocks along the creek.

Everett hurled them as far as he could.

Cassie and Maya slipped away for a potty break, so the boys daringly rock-hopped across the river while carefully avoiding missteps on the slick rocks.

Maya and Everett were both brave, adventurous little souls.

We started and ended our adventure at the Valle Crucis Park playground.

The parents pushed the siblings in the swings to kick off the fun.

Everett kept yelling, “Higher, higher, Daddy!”

He was so tickled to be gliding through the air alongside his sister.

Two-and-a-half year old, Everett, also had no qualms about climbing up the ladder alone to go down the slide all by himself.

I was nervous watching him do this on his own, but his parents were laid-back and allowed him to be as playful and independent as he wanted to be.

Of course, they were also supportive and helpful when he needed them, but they also gave him his space and room to roam while they watched from a distance.

The swings, slides, and other playground equipment were a great way of getting them warmed up for the photosession and then wearing them out at the end!

As daylight began to fade, we wrapped up the family photography session with some quick portraits of the happily married couple.

I love how at the end of a shoot people usually look so relieved.

My question is usually along the lines of, “Was it as bad as you thought it would be?!”

They tend to chuckle and tell me that they had fun, surprisingly enough.

That’s when I hand out high-fives because infusing fun into photosessions is my sneaky way of helping people become comfortable with being in front of the camera.

When you are enjoying yourself and having a good time, you don’t worry about me playing paparazzi—I'm a stealthy ninja like that!

My goal as a family photographer is to ensure that having your family portraits made is a fun experience for everyone, even Dad who hates "posing" for family photos!

That's why I focus on helping you create new memories with an adventure that is made just for you!

Ready to book your exclusive Choose Your Adventure Session?

Simply send me an email at wayfaringwanderer@gmail.com or message me through my website contact form and I'll get you on the schedule ASAP! Availability is limited, only 10, 8, 5, 3 spaces left for family photos in 2014!

Hi! My name is Jessica a.k.a. Wayfaring Wanderer and I reside in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains here in Boone, NC. I'm a free-spirited wedding, engagement, and lifestyle photographer who loves working with couples, families, and individuals who are committed to travel, adventure, and laid-back lifestyles. If you think we might be kindreds, I invite you to join the WW tribe by signing up [ HERE ] for weekly updates & get connected to the [ WW Facebook page ] to join the conversation! | Website www.wayfaringwanderer.com

{ Featured LINKS }

» No More Boring Family Photos! | Choose Your Adventure Family Photography
» Hersey Family Reunion Adventure on Lake James, NC
» Scott Family Hiking Adventure on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Coming Soon: Boone Bride Guide | Wedding Planning Resource | Boone NC Photographer

"I have learned how complex and overwhelming it can be to plan a wedding! It's not easy that's for sure!"

I've heard on numerous occasions how overwhelming it is to plan a wedding from my brides. They share nearly the same sentiment every time I check in with them as we get closer to their big day.

Another confided, “Honestly, I'm overwhelmed at this time trying to pull the wedding together, find a job, and take care of a sick pet and mother.”

The planning process is really stressful because there are so many different elements that need to come together in order to make it happen. It’s difficult and time consuming to search for vendors and ideas to make your big day special. And that’s all supposed to happen while you’re living your "normal" everyday life!

I mean, that's what wedding planners are for and why it's a brilliant idea to hire one to help you but sometimes being on a budget makes that impossible so you have to do it yourself.

SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE

As a newlywed myself that just got married 2-months ago, I know how mind-boggling it can be to bring everything together, especially since our wedding was planned in less than 3 weeks! It was no easy feat but I made it happen, and with minimal stress, if you can believe that! 

You can read about it in last week's blog post:

Focusing on the Marriage and Not the Wedding

People thought I was nuts. Frankly, you have to be a little crazy to do something like that anyway. But I embraced the challenge and overcame obstacles like a champ! 

What I'm hoping to do is provide a useful resource to assist my couples with wedding planning instead of allowing them to get swallowed by stress that can be created as a result of organizing such a special day. 

Basically, I want to make wedding planning less painful and a lot more awesome for my brides! 

A NEW NORMAL

Your wedding day is a reflection of your distinct personalities as a couple, so it’s important to do things YOUR WAY instead of how people think you should be doing things. 

What I love about being a wedding photographer is that no two weddings are alike because they are all unique to the couples I have the pleasure of working with.

Some brides plan a year in advance for their weddings, which seems to be the standard these days, and then there are folks that procrastinate while others just choose not to devote unnecessary time and energy to making it all happen.

Whether you are ready to begin, in the middle, or near the end, the Boone Bride Guide will help no matter how far along you are in the wedding planning process!

Simple sounds so much better than complicated, right?! 

CUSTOMER CARE MATTERS TO ME

I set out to create this wedding planning resource because once a couple books me as their wedding photographer, I like to keep the communication lines wide open! Yes, that may mean additional emails, but I’m interested in starting a dialogue with my brides to find out more about them and where they are in the planning process.

I try to be as helpful as I possibly can in the months leading up to their wedding day. I welcome them to ask me questions via email, text, or a good ol' fashioned phone chat  if they need any assistance with anything, especially if they’re planning from afar, which the majority of my brides are. 

So, with the various questions that I answer on a regular basis, I figured why not create an online resource that I can send them that has all of the information they need in one place! The wedding magazine I designed and send out to my couples is filled with lots of good stuff but the website will be JAM PACKED with goodness that I will be adding to on a regular basis!

SHARING THE LOVE

In the Boone Bride Guide, I plan to use the new space to showcase local wedding vendors and business owners that I really enjoy working with and highly recommend.

I’m also hoping to share interviews and stories behind why they do what they do because behind-the-scenes sneak peeks are awesome, and so are people's stories!

When I got married at the end of June, I didn't want just any vendors contributing to my big day, I wanted people who share similar values and were kindred spirits because it makes planning a whole lot more fun when you like the folks you’re working so closely with!

LOGO DESIGN PROCESS SNEAK PEEK

It’s been great to have this personal project to work on to keep me inspired even though I’m nowhere near being finished with everything at this point and I’m supposed to launch at the end of August. Hopefully, I'll be able to knock out some pretty big chunks of work over the next week to meet my deadline. 

What I've done so far is created two different mood boards for the Boone Bride Guide which helped me to develop concepts for the logo designs. One was whimsical and flowery while the other one had more of a tribal vibe. 

After the moodboards were completed, I then did some sketches to flesh out the logo ideas that I had as a result of the inspiration. Once I was done doodling, I then tackled creating digital mock-ups on the computer. I designed a total of 8 logo mock-ups based on my sketches for the Boone Bride Guide. 

I’m really pleased with some of the early concepts that were formed and I’m looking forward to refining a few further so that I can choose a FINAL logo design because the next step is starting on the website that I hope to complete in a week! Is it just me or do I love these tight deadlines?! haha

Since this is something that I don’t typically do, I thought it would be fun to give you a behind-the-scenes look at why I decided to build the Boone Bride Guide and how I take concepts and create designs digitally.

Please keep in mind that these are just preliminary concepts and that they all need refining before they can be used as a logo. Variations will be created for each design if I choose to use that concept and refine it further. These are just to give me an idea of what direction I might like to go in based on the vision I have for the Boone Bride Guide! I'd love to get your input.

Which three are your favorites? Please vote in the comments because I would love to hear your thoughts!

If you’re interested in learning more details about the Boone Bride Guide as they are announced, I invite you to sign up for the Weekly Wander where I will be releasing information about this new wedding website to subscribers first!

Hi! My name is Jessica a.k.a. Wayfaring Wanderer and I reside in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains here in Boone, NC. I'm a free-spirited wedding, engagement, and lifestyle photographer who loves working with couples, families, and individuals who are committed to travel, adventure, and laid-back lifestyles. If you think we might be kindreds, I invite you to join the WW tribe by signing up [ HERE ] for weekly updates & get connected to the [ WW Facebook page ] to join the conversation! | Website www.wayfaringwanderer.com

{ Featured VENDORS }

Dresses
South's Specialty Clothiers

1180 Blowing Rock Road

Boone, NC 28607
Phone: (828)264-8977

Make-up
Beautiful Bride on Location
(Marion Edwards)

NC Wedding Venue

Smithmore Castle
Spruce Pine, NC 28777
Phone: 904-509-5095

{ Featured LINKS }
» Focusing on the Marriage and Not the Wedding
» DIY Down-Home Backyard Wedding: Emma + Alex
» Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Wedding Styled Shoot @ Camp Sky Ranch
» Wedding Dresses from South's Specialty Clothiers at Smithmore Castle
» FREE Wedding Magazine When You Subscribe for the Weekly Wander