Amber & Paul’s Wedding at The Cedar Room

It’s hard for me to believe it’s been 3 years since I photographed Paul’s surprise proposal to Amber: https://chrisandcami.com/pauls-secret-proposal-to-amber-at-white-point-garden/. I instantly fell in love with them that day. You just couldn’t possibly meet two of the nicest, kindest, most genuine people on the planet!

In spite of a worldwide pandemic thwarting their wedding plans (multiple times), Amber & Paul just rolled with the punches until FINALLY they could celebrate their love the way they always dreamed of! And what a beautiful wedding day it turned out to be!!!

Preparations for the big day started off at The Hampton Inn Downtown Charleston with Paul and the guys getting ready. Then it moved over to the Hotel Bennett where Amber and the girls were doing their magic. Once everyone was ready, Amber’s Dad got a First Look with her on the balcony, before Paul got his First Look of her in her amazing wedding gown in Marion Square. Then it was off to Hampton Park for photos with their amazing wedding party!

The ceremony was held in a private courtyard just outside of The Cedar Room, which is an amazing event space located at The Cigar Factory. It was an elegant, and sweet service, officiated by Ryan who is one of their friends. Afterwards, Amber & Ryan made it up to the rooftop for a private moment with the incredible view of Charleston harbor during twilight. Then it was back to The Cedar Room for an awesome evening of dancing and celebrating!!!

Many thanks to Camilla @spellbound.events for all her hard work keeping everything on schedule and running smoothly!

And CONGRATULATIONS to Amber & Paul!!! We wish you both all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together…

USGC 61st Board of Delegates Meeting – Day 3

Day 3 of the US Grains Council’s 61st Annual Board of Delegates Meeting kicked off with more meetings in the big conference room, including great presentations, awards ceremonies, and votes for new officers.

Then I got to switch gears and turn to photographing headshots of the new board members, plus group photos of the new board of directors. I used the Nikon D5 + 70-200 f2.8 with the new Godox X2T transmitter in connection with 6 of the V860II flashes.  For destination events, I carry the Manfrotto 5001B light-stands, which are super compact and great to travel with. The flashes worked beautifully, and everyone was fantastic to work with!

Once the portraits were done, I had to pack in a hurry and head to the airport to catch my flight home. The entire event was a HUGE success!!! Many thanks to the US Grains Council Staff for all their hard work putting everything together and making it run so smoothly.

USGC 61st Board of Delegates Meeting – Day 2

Day 2 of the US Grains Council’s 61st Annual Board of Delegates Meeting started off with headshots for some new staff members. I love meeting new people!!! 🙂

After that we had tons of presentations, both in person and virtually. This was the first year of hosting a “hybrid” meeting, in which most of the international staff and attendees couldn’t be there in person. Everything went incredibly well thanks to all the hard work and planning that had been put into the conference!

At the end of the day, everyone celebrated in an off-site event. The USGC hosted “A Taste of Des Moines” at Cowles Commons, which is a big beautiful square with fountains and gardens in the heart of the city. There was food, drinks, an amazing band…everyone had a fantastic time!

With Day 2 in the books, everyone headed back to the hotel to rest up and get ready for the big finale the following day.

USGC 61st Board of Delegates Meeting – Day 1

Last year’s Board of Delegates Meeting got cancelled due to the pandemic. So it was with great pleasure that I was invited back to photograph the US Grains Council’s 61st Annual Board of Delegates Meeting this year!!!

This year’s conference was held in Des Moines, IA. I’d never been there before. It’s actually a really cool city, with a truly impressive state capital building! The meetings were held in the Iowa Events Center, which was connected via a sky-bridge to the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, where everyone was staying. The first day’s highlight was the keynote presentaion by Tom Vilsack, the US Secretary of Agriculture!

I’ve been photographing these conferences for the USGC for about a decade. The staff, and most of the members, have become more than just clients to me…they’ve become my friends. It was absolutely wonderful to see everyone again, and capture all these moments for them!

Margaret & Matthew’s Indianapolis Wedding

Anyone who knows Cami knows what a loyal and loving friend she is. She and Gereese have remained close “besties” ever since high-school. It’s been such a joy for me to get to know her and Guy through Cami, and to photograph their son Matthew through the many stages of his life. So you can imagine what an honor it was for us when Matthew and Margaret asked us to photograph their wedding!!!

Originally scheduled in Waco, TX, where they were living last year, the pandemic had other plans.  During that time, they did get married in a private ceremony in a beautiful field, with just the two of them and their pastor, Kelcey.  PLUS, they moved to a suburb of Indianapolis, IN, for a great job opportunity for Margaret!  Eventually the plans fell into place so that they could finally have their wedding celebration with family and friends last weekend!  🙂

The ceremony and reception were held at the old historic Fountain Square Theater in downtown Indianapolis.  Fountain Square was the first commercial historic district in Indiana.  Its existing buildings span more than a century of development from 1871 to the present.  Since 1928, the Fountain Square Theatre Building has anchored the corner at Shelby and Prospect Streets in Fountain Square.  It is an absolutely GORGEOUS theater with an amazing ambiance and a character all its own.  We could see why Margaret and Matthew fell in love with this beautiful venue!!!

Arriving at the Fountain Square Theater on the Big Day, there was a palpable energy about the place as staff (Brian the caretaker of the facility was awesome), family, and friends, went about their activities and preparations.  Meeting Margaret and her wonderful bridesmaids in the bridal suite, I could tell we were going to have a lot of fun.  Margaret was absolutely STUNNING in her wedding gown!  Meeting up with Matthew and his groomsmen confirmed my earlier suspicions…especially when the guys started a rowdy game of foosball!!!

The ceremony was elegant and heartfelt.  Their pastor, Kelcey, even traveled all the way to Indianapolis to partake in “Part 2”.  After the ceremony and some fun family photos, a beautiful dinner with a delicious meal ensued.  Following that was a fantastic evening of dancing and celebration as the two adorable newlyweds played games, ceremoniously cut their wedding cake, and partied like teenagers!

Please help me send out a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Margaret & Matthew!  We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together!!!

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Samantha & Todd’s Arkensas Wedding

It was an absolute pleasure to photograph Todd & Samantha’s wedding in Eureka Springs, Arkansas!
We met Samantha when she was brave enough to go on a mission trip with us to Tanzania, back in 2011. She had never met any of us. But she bravely jumped on a plane from Fayetteville and met up with us for the overnight flight to Africa. We fell in love with her the instant we met her! She is full of spice and everything nice. A lifelong friendship was born that trip!!!
Samantha later met Todd while she was in vet school. She brought him to Charleston for a visit, and we fell in love with him as well! Todd is a true gentleman, a good and kind human being, and absolutely perfect for Samantha. Thus it was a great honor for us to be invited to capture all the beautiful moments of their special day!
Even though their original plans were thwarted by the pandemic, Samantha and Todd were finally able to have their wedding celebration at the Blue Springs Heritage Center in Eureka Springs like they had originally dreamed of doing. Their reception was held at the famous Crescent Hotel.
Samantha and Todd are such a beautiful couple and we couldn’t be happier for them! We wish you both all the happiness in the world as you begin this new journey together!!!

 

 

 

 

Jillian & Jard’s California Wedding

It was such a privilege to be a part of Jillian and Jard’s beautiful wedding celebration in Anaheim, CA!!!

When they got engaged a couple years ago, their amazing Aunt Nancy asked me to be their photographer as her gift to them. Nancy and Jillian’s mom, Margie, grew up in the Congo and went to TASOK, as did my brothers and I. Being in a foreign country together, the bond between missionary families is strong! So much so, that we referred to our friend’s parents as “Aunt” and “Uncle”, even when there was no real relation. And that bond of being missionary kids together stays on long after leaving the country our parents served in. This is one of my favorite parts of being a “Third Culture Kid”! So it was with great honor that I gladly accepted the opportunity to photograph this joyful occasion for their family!!!

The wedding was originally planned for last year. But as we all know, last year came to a screeching halt! Jillian and Jard were still able to become man and wife on their original wedding date, albeit in a very small intimate ceremony. But fortunately, the venue, and all their vendors, were still available for June 13th of 2021, which was EXACTLY 1 year from their original date. So their wedding celebration was also their 1-year Anniversary!!! How cool is that?!?

It was such a pleasure to catch up with the Allans, the Chapmans, the Sharps, and others of the “Congo Community” at Jillian and Jard’s amazing wedding! And it was such an honor to be there for this AMAZING couple to capture this special time in their lives! CONGRATULATIONS to you both!!! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together…

Hannah & Tyler’s Oregon Wedding

A couple years ago, I had the great privilege of photographing Dan & Linda’s oldest son’s wedding. Last week, it was an absolute honor to photograph their youngest son’s wedding!

When the big day finally arrived, it was absolutely gorgeous. And Hannah was simply stunning in her wedding gown! Because she and Tyler love hiking and exploring the great outdoors, we had arranged for the wedding party photos to be done at Smith Rock State Park. What a dramatic way to start their day!

Hannah & Tyler’s amazing wedding was held at Dee Bar Ranch in Powell Butte, just outside Bend, OR. Family and friends had gathered from far and wide to help these two celebrate their marriage vows with a heartfelt ceremony in the great outdoors, which they love so much. Even Hannah’s brother, who was in the middle of hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail, took a break and rented a car to drive all the way home for the event!

CONGRATULATIONS Hannah & Tyler!!! You two are so perfect for each other! It was such a pleasure being a part of your special day and capturing all these beautiful memories for you. Cami and I wish you both all the happiness in the world as you begin this new journey together!!!


Julie & Shawn’s Phoenix Wedding

When Shawn & Julie got engaged, everyone knew it was coming. They were just too perfect together for it NOT to happen! Cami and I were even more excited when they asked us to do the honor of photographing this special day for my nephew and his fiance!!!

Their wedding was held in Phoenix, a city that we’ve grown to love. When the big day arrived, Shawn & Julie got ready at the picturesque Talking Stick Resort, where they also shared a First Look before heading over to the wedding venue. The ceremony was held at this really cool rustic location called Desert Foothills Resort. It was an absolute dream location for photography, with an old wooden barn, beautifully decorated, and surrounded by wild cacti.

We had so much fun meeting Shawn & Julie’s friends and family who all came out to help them celebrate! Many thanks to Shawn’s brother, Tyler, who officiated the ceremony, to Anne and her family for all their hard work putting together the gorgeous decorations, to Dan & Linda for keeping everything running smoothly, to Lisa at the venue for all her help with planning, to Julian at Heidi’s Events and Catering, to DJ Eli for rockin’ the night away, and to Cami for all her help with navigating and being my lighting assistant!

CONGRATULATIONS Julie & Shawn! We wish you all be best as you begin your new journey together!!!