Yvette + Lou part deux!

Here are a few more images from Yvette + Lou's gorgeous August Biltmore Estate wedding that Tara Jordan, owner of Weddings with Tara in Asheville, and our friends at the Biltmore Estate produced! Check the amazing arbor and ceremony flowers by The Purple Iris in Asheville! Wow!

You can find more on the Weddings with Tara blog soon!












Yvette's beautiful mother, Mira, owner of Mira Couture in Chicago.




Rev. Tim Lolley





Happy Fall!!
xoxoxo,
brian + gry

Yvette + Lou sneak peek!

Just last week we had the honor of being a part of Yvette Contorno + Lou Klobuchar's wedding weekend at the Biltmore Estate. Yvette + Lou are from the Chicago area and, joined by about 40 close friends and family from around the country, were married at the Biltmore House front lawn. Lou is the retired President of E Trade Financial Services and Yvette along with her mother, Mira, oversee Mira Couture in Chicago. Yvette designed and made her wedding dress and yes, it was absolutely gorgeous. . .brides in Chicago take note!!

Once again, the amazing Tara Jordan, owner of Weddings with Tara in Asheville, was the event planner for their weekend. Purple Iris, also form Asheville, did a fabulous job with all of the floral arrangements. The center pieces at the reception dinner in the Italian Garden were just beautiful. . .nice job ladies!! Tim Lolley did a wonderful job, as always!, as the officiant and the professional staff at the Biltmore Estate once again provided a world class experience for all!

Thank you Yvette + Lou for sharing your day with us! You and your family and guests were so gracious and fun. . .we had a great time with you!!





Dinner Friday night at the Conservatory on the Biltmore Estate.

Kathleen + Brian - The Cliffs Chapel + Wyche Pavilion!

Last month we had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful wedding of Kathleen Kuhnert + Brian Vieira, from Atlanta, at the Cliffs Chapel followed by a great reception at the Wyche Pavilion in Greenville, SC. Tara Jordan, owner of Weddings with Tara in Asheville, did her usual amazing job coordinating the day's events. Tara is one of the best event planners in the area, her events always go so smoothly! She is just a wonderful person, always with a beautiful smile for everyone! Stacey Brown, owner of the Bloom Room in Asheville, once again did a fabulous job with the florals. Brides take note!!

After the ceremony we all drove down to downtown Greenville, SC for the reception at the very cool Wyche Pavilion! An old mill, the Pavilion is an open air, brick structure right on the river. Really a nice break from opulent ballrooms and country clubs!

Here's a few images from their day!


Flowers by The Bloom Room, Asheville















Thanks Kathleen + Brian!!

xoxoxo,

brian + gry

We love our jobs. . .

. . .and this is why,

"Brian and Gry,

Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the absolutely breathtaking photography!! Your work is so beautiful - so natural, yet so magical!!

It's amazing to us that you were able to capture every single moment of our special day without being obtrusive! You are absolutely right with the quote you wrote on Twitter the other day - there really are things nobody would see if you didn't photograph them. (Quote by Diane Arbus)

As we go through the photos, we're able to relive that day over and over again and perfectly capture the emotions we had that day forever - thank you for giving us that gift! It's absolutely priceless and we can't wait to order our photos. It will be VERY difficult to narrow them down!

You both are such wonderful people and we were so lucky to have you document our special day. We wish you the best of luck in everything you do in the future and hope to run into you again someday..."

Warmest wishes,
Brooke and Christian Heim


Here's the details!

Bride + Groom: Brooke McCracken + Christian Heim
Date: June 20th, 2009
Location: The Ballantyne Resort, Charlotte, NC (world-class staff!!)
Wedding Planners: Rogers & Gala Creative Partners (fabulous!!)
Flowers: The Blossom Shop on Park (equally fabulous!)

Here's a few images from the day, enjoy!




Brooke's bridal portraits at Ballantyne


Chris






Flowers by The Blossom Shop on Park, Charlotte, NC






Decor + details by the amazing Rogers & Gala!




First dance, low light image by the amazing Nikon D3!

Make it a great day!
xoxoxo,
brian + gry

One time we loved seeing the dentist(s)!!

On May 30th we were honored to photograph Cat + Andrew's wedding at the Crest Center in Asheville, NC. Shay Brown of Shay Brown Events in Asheville did her usual great job organizing the day of activities. Aria Floral really transformed the Crest Center Pavillion and did a beautiful job! And, as always, the crew at the Crest Center did a great job and the food was outstanding!

Everyone had a great time and I have never seen so many people dance so much! I lost 5 pounds just watching! They are a great, fun couple and we enjoyed spending time with them since last February (remember the cold, slightly wet engagement shoot guys!) and getting to know them and their friends. If you ever need a dentist in Philly, call them!!

Here's a couple of teaser images from the day:


Cat + Andrew - streets of Asheville - Gry Karen Rick









So, did Cat like the images?? Check the e-mail message we got from her yesterday:

"I'm totally speechless. truly- i can't think of any words that are adequate enough to express how much I love these. you are both so amazing! thank you so much. These photos have perfectly captured every moment of the best day of my life exactly as i remember it. there just aren't enough words....can't wait to show them to Andrew!

THANK YOU!!!!!!

A great big hug and kiss from us both!!!!"

-cat and andrew, 6/25/09


xoxoxo,
brian + gry

Alex + Jeremy visit!

Last week, our dear friends Alex + Jeremy stopped in for a visit and lunch on their way to Charlotte! We photographed their wedding at the Crest Center waaaay back in 2007. Our friend Ivy Robinson was their wedding planner and she totally transformed the Crest Center. . .Ivy, you are amazing! Their wedding was also featured in the Fall issue of Weddings Unveiled Magazine last year! We had so much fun with them (Jeremy missed his calling as a stand up comic!) and, as we do with so many of our "brides + grooms", we've become good friends. Alex + Jeremy are the reason we love what we do. . .they are just great people and we are honored to call them friends!

And! Not long ago, another of our favorite couples, Lexi + Jason, stopped by to visit when they were in town. Their wedding was at the Cliffs Chapel in South Carolina on Gry's birthday two years ago! They were so nice, they even had a birthday cake made for Gry at their reception! Sara tried to take a photo of the four of us but she's still working on her focusing ability so I've posted a couple of images from their wedding.

Thanks again guys for stopping by to see us and for the yummy lunch! (If I knew you were going to buy I woulda got the lobster;) We're still havin' the BBQ on the 26th if you want to come on over!!

Here's a couple of images from Alex + Jeremy's visit and both of their weddings. . .enjoy!




Jeremy looking especially mischievous!


E-session in downtown Asheville, circa 2007.


"The kiss"


"The kiss, part deux"


Lexi + Jason!


The Cliffs Chapel, Cliffs at Glassy

Featured on Style Me Pretty - Little Black Book!

After a fun night with a bunch of friends (thanks Shay Brown for turning me on to raspberry mojitos!) at the fabulous new Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville celebrating photographer friends Kelly Giezentanner's and Honour Mann's bdays, we woke up this morning to find one of our weddings featured on the Style Me Pretty - Little Black Book blog! Style Me Pretty and Little Black Book is an absolutely fabulous resource for brides and frankly one of the best in the country. All of the vendors they list in Little Black Book have been carefully screened and approved by them and the other members so brides know they are really getting top level professionals. . .who else would you want to trust your wedding to! Great job Abby, Michelle, and Eddye!

This was a gorgeous wedding from last Fall at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Nisha Thomas and Jay Dearborn were our bride and groom and they were just amazing to work with. We loved the colors, the bridesmaids saris and Nisha was simply beautiful! Nicole Riley from Verge Events in Asheville brought everything together for them and did a great job as always. Blossoms at Biltmore Park did a wonderful job with the flowers and the good people at the Biltmore Estate provided a wonderful experience as they always do.

Thanks Nisha + Jay for allowing us to be a part of your wedding day! Here's a couple more images from the day:









Make it a great day!

xoxoxo,
brian + gry

Shayla's Music Benefit!

Last night, hundreds of people and ten bands and musical acts came together to show love and support for our dear friends Jennifer, Savannah and Shayla Garrett. Shayla was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma several months ago and has been undergoing treatments at Mission Children's Hospital and will soon take a trip to Chapel Hill for a bone marrow/stem cell transplant. Shayla, you never cease to amaze us. . .you are going to win! All of the money raised last night will go to the family to help offset living and medical expenses as well as other organizations who help children like Shay all over the country.

A special thanks to Shay Brown, owner of Shay Brown Events and Palettes of Perfection in Asheville for her last minute help with arranging food from 12 Bones Smokehouse also in Asheville. The BBQ was great, thanks 12 Bones! Also, big thanks to our friends at M7 Events & The Crest Center for providing the desserts!

And a very special thanks to everyone who took the time to come out on a wet, chilly day to help this little girl and her family!

Last night we were introduced to the Skinny Legs and All Band! The lead singer, Jesse Barry, is only fifteen years old but she has a mature, seasoned stage presence and the girl's got some pipes folks! I think the rest of the band were also fairly young but they were hot! Check em' out when you can.

And finally, one of our all time favorite singers, the amazing Kat Williams, took the stage with her entourage of 7-8 kids including Shayla! If you've never heard Kat she is powerful, she is soulful, she is just a beautiful person and man can she SANG y'all! And, she gives the best hugs in the world! Thanks to all the bands and musicians that donated their talent and time!

Here's a couple of images from the night:


Shayla's beautiful smile


Kat Williams













Shay + Kat





Jesse Barry - The Skinny Legs and All Band







It was a good night for a good cause. . .

xoxoxo,
brian + gry