The Vanlandingham Estate

Krista and Eric were one of my first weddings, they threw a great bash.  It was a beautiful October evening, with plenty of booze flowing, good food and a fun crowd.  Are all weddings like this?  The Vanlandingham is a great mix of southern charm and  hospitality.  The best perk of the Vanlandingham Estate is the beautiful backdrop, you can take photos from every angle and it is gorgeous.  Best wishes on your nuptials!

Bridal Portrait Charlotte

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I’m sure the stereo type Bridezilla exisit because well, we’ve seen them on TV, but I have been very lucky to only have lovely brides and Miss Brittany was sheer delight.  She is super smart with a giggly, girlfriend exterior with a wicked sense of humor.  Yes, doesn’t she sound awesome?  We traipsed all over Charlotte shooting everywhere from the Common Market, parking decks and churches in her beautiful mermaid dress.  I had to get her before she ran off to Mexico with her hot Russian for the real thing.  Thanks Brittany, can’t wait for the big day.

Tom & Kalli

I met Tom and Kalli recently, they met in college and Kalli was going to move away.  Tom knew he didn’t want her to slip away, so he decided to propose a little early.  Awwwwww, romance.  Very cute couple, fun and their whole life is ahead of them. Their wedding day is Saturday May 15, 2012, Charlotte, NC.  Can’t wait!  Photos taken around Uptown Charlotte and South Charlotte by Poprock Photography.

http://vimeo.com/32060894

Sloane + Christian October 8, 2011

Sloane & Christian met in middle school and Sloane told Christian they were getting married.  Christian thought she was crazy.  I wonder if he still thinks that?  Sloane got her way and now she is on her honeymoon on some tropical island with her one true love. They had an outdoor cookout at Christian’s parent’s house the night before with all their friends and family and a beautiful, Beatles themed ceremony  at the Mint Museum Uptown Charlotte.  What a beautiful night filled with laughter and love.

Some of my favorite things about their wedding, first of all the groom and his groomsmen wore sleek grey suits, they looked stunning!  Love, love, love.  Tuxedos are always so illfitting, slim suits look much better. 

 

 

 

They had a rack of vintage postcards and a mailbox to write your well wishes.

 

 

 

And they had a Beatles themed wedding, with one of their dj friends playing vinyl records.  What a great wedding!  Congratulations and best wishes Sloane & Christian.

 

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Proposal Charlotte NC

So exciting, a man with a big diamond called me!  Yay, he had the diamond for a month and it was time to pass the torch, so he contacted me to paparazzi his proposal.  I haven’t had the chance to shoot one, so I think I was just as excited as he was.  We met for drinks and hammered out the details and waited patiently for the day to arrive.

I am sitting outside waiting for their arrvial, we met on the corner of College & Trade, because this is where they first met two years ago!  He gets on his knee, she says yes, there are tears and flashes.  Job done!  Such a special treat to witness all the good stuff.  Of course she said yes and they are getting hitched in October in the North Carolina mountains.

Congratulations & Best Wishes!

Jazz Hand

I was sitting in a local restaurant hang out on a Tuesday afternoon and there was a cute couple sitting at the bar.  She had a flower in her hair and a beautiful burger in front of her. I could not resist. So I was talking to them, taking photos of their food and taking photos of them too. I give them my card and lo and behold, Jasmine calls me like six or eight months later for her wedding a year from then. In 2011. It was a long time away. I can’t believe it came so fast. Tres & Jasmine tied the proverbial knot on Saturday, September 17, 2011. It was a gorgeous ceremony. They had a Champagne brunch and passed out clear plastic boxes of S’mores fixings for their parting gifts. A day filled with love.  Ladies & gentlemen, Tres & Jasmine Hand!

 

Wedding Kiss- You May Now Kiss the Bride!

No matter how jaded you are, the words, “you may now, kiss the bride,” perks up everyone, sometimes the romantic notions make you go awwwwwww!  Or it means you are that much closer to the open bar, we are happy to hear the end is near.  The more I shoot weddings the more I learn about weddings.  One important component is the kiss, you would not believe how quick it happens.  You feel like a total asshole if you miss it and believe me, if you aren’t ready when it happens, it’s like trying to capture lighting in a mason jar.

So to all grooms and some brides (wink, wink, yay, NY) make sure you mean business when you kiss!  At least so your photographer can document it properly. Take your time and show us some emotion.  Experts on the matter suggest no tongues, but still passionate.  Too quick- it’s a let down.  So maybe like a first date kiss, you know a G-rated, exciting, first kiss.  Muchas smooches!

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ROOTS- Good. Local. Food

There was a time when you didn’t eat at food trucks unless you were at a local fair and the idea of corn on the cob, fried Snickers, elephant ears and sausage dogs sent you into orbit. Now with the recent, national trend, food trucks are slowly but surely, making their way to good ole’ Charlotte.  Now it’s not uncommon to find arugula and gazpacho on a local street corner.  How exactly did this happen?

I met the owner of Roots at a farm to table dinner out in the country, New London, NC to be exact.  I know right….  Where the world is that?  Well, set your GPS and go visit, it is beautiful, hard to believe you are only an hour a way from Charlotte. Anyway, I got this idea to pick his brain a little and find out where he came from and where can we find his fresh, home grown goods.

Roots is a souped up food truck with a propane fired flat top with a two burner range.  Flip top refrigerator and two sinks. Executive chef, Craig Barbour is a young guy, you could even mistake him for a college kid, but don’t let his boyish good looks fool you, he is spot on with his co-operative connections with local farms, fresh products and creative simple menus.

You can find Roots food truck on the corner of 3rd & Tryon, Monday thru Thursday and Saturday mornings at the Atherton Mills Farmer’s Market on South Blvd.

Visit Chef Craig’s website for some sampling menus or find him on the streets.

http://rootsfarmfood.com/

https://twitter.com/#!/RootsFarmFood

Carnival Themed Wedding

I met Amber & Richard a couple of times before their ceremony, they are such a sweet couple, Amber is really bubbly, creative and so excited when she talks about her wedding and Richard is low key, cute, go with the flow, how most men are when they date a strong woman.  

Amber planned her whole wedding and it was a DIY, it looked like a team of professionals decorated her wedding, it was a team of Richard and Amber’s family!  It was too funny, I have never seen more men work on a wedding, it was so refreshing to see everything come together and there were more men than woman.  I loved it, they were putting out candy apples, cutting black and white striped fabric to make runners for the tables, putting flowers out, the best thing was watching them center the wedding cake.   It was hilarious to watch these twenty year old guys doing this work.

Amber is no dummy, she found the right guy.  Much love to Richard & Amber!

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LGBT Community Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

I’ve been reaping the benefits of networking full steam lately.  My best score, I was at a fundraiser for Time Out Youth, Charlotte, it was a local production on RENT.  I saw this guy waiting for his friends, so I started talking to him, so he wouldn’t have to stand alone.  We hit it off immediately.  We talked about RENT, photography and booze.  Fun times.  We connect that evening on Facebook and he invites me to a photography gig at the LGBT Center, called the Human Canvas Project.  Don’t know what it is, but I started saying yes to fun things. No need to stay home.

I had no clue what the theme was, but I walk in to my new friend with a g-string and a towel, getting body painted.  Ah-ha! The Human Canvas is naked people with body paint and head pieces made of plastic flowers and trees.  Talk about SCORE!

I didn’t know anyone in this group, except naked g-string guy and we really only talked briefly, but everyone made me feel welcome.  I felt so at home.  I’ve been rolling volunteering around in my brain, maybe this is the push I need to start offering my services to the community.  Or should I just take naked pictures of hot guys and girls?    Here is a little peek into my fun day!

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