Mabuhay! Greetings from Manila

Maranda — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:45:06 +0000

Hope all is well with you. I landed in Manila Friday night. I have quite a travel scheduled planned for the rest of the year between the Philippines, North Carolina and Michigan for weddings, portraits, events, and pleasure. I’m in the process of making plans for my stay in Manila. I already have a few things lined up with local photographers and wedding planners with a couple of other ideas in the works.

I really want to take advantage of my time in the Philippines to learn more about local wedding traditions and wedding photography as well as explore the country. I am planning on attending Elegant Weddings, a world-class wedding fair at the end of the month at the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel.

It will be great to make connections with local vendors and to see the new and innovative wedding ideas from the Philippines to share with you. More to come…

Need to get a hold of me or chat? The best way will be through email since there is a 13 hour time difference.

Need help finding vendors or ideas?

Maranda — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:15:47 +0000

Hey there all Brides-to Be. Check out this site - weddepot.com. Not sure if you know about this one yet, so I thought I would share it with you. Have a great day!

All Hallows’ Eve

Maranda — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:24:22 +0000

Just wanted to wish everyone a GREAT HALLOWEEN! I hope you have lots of treats with maybe a trick or two…. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Maranda — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:01:46 +0000

Amanda and I met at the Bass Lake Bridal Show earlier this year. I am so glad Amanda and Jason’s busy schedules allowed for them to go to the Bridal Show for us to connect! We had a great time working together. Their wedding and reception all took place outside at the Stillwater Lodge Christian Retreat, in Dunn, NC - a great location! They were married by the lake with the reception steps away under a big white tent. The heat of the day couldn’t keep us from having fun! They have so many cute photographs, it is hard to pick which ones to post. Here are a few of my top favorites. Congratulations again to Amanda & Jason!!!!

The Duty of a Flower Girl

Maranda — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:04:05 +0000

I couldn’t resist posting some of the flower girl photographs from Amanda and Jason’s wedding. Julia and Ruby always seemed picture perfect. They were so cute!

Hallowe’en at Greenfield Village

Maranda — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:01:16 +0000

What does 800 hand carved jack-o-lanterns look like??? Well you have to go to Hallowe’en at Greenfield Village Dearborn, MI to find out. The Village is lined with hundreds of carved pumpkins lighting the pathways. The paths leads you to different spooky scenes and Trick or Treat stations. I love when I get a chance to go to this event! This year we had a nice size group going - my mom, Meredith, Kevin, Chloe, Meredith’s mom, Wendy, Tony, Breanna, James, and Anthony. All the kids looked so cute in their costumes!!

The Group

Chloe the Daisy

Chloe and Mommy

Anthony the Clown and Mommy

James the Cow

Breanna the Dinosaur - showing her “RAAARRRRR”

Me and my Mom

Breanna at a Tick-or-Treat Stop

Playing around and Family Portraits

Maranda — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:50:27 +0000

Heading to Michigan, I was so excited to see Zavier and Dante. It has been a while since I had seen Zavier and this was my first time meeting Dante in person. Dante looks just like Zavier when he was littler. It is hard to believe. They are so adorable I could eat them up! We hung out a while and played. Of course, I had to make sure to get some snaps of the whole family all together. The boys are growing so fast you don’t want to forget them at this stage! I miss you guys!

To see all the photographs from the session, follow this link.

Pretty in Pink

Maranda — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:42:27 +0000

Each couple has their own vision of their perfect wedding day. All the planning and time pay off when the day finally arrives. It is always so nice to see the choices couples make for their location, decorations, and all the little details. I have been so blessed to work with so many great couples throughout the years. It is such a pleasure and honor to be someone’s wedding photographer. I love doing it!

Michelle and Austin were married at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church in Cary, NC. What a great location - good lighting, nice windows, with some great brick walls that make for interesting and flattering backgrounds. The reception was at Homewood Suites by Hilton. The weather made for another perfect day for photography. The day was brightened up even further with the wonderful smell and soft pink shade of the Lilies in the girls’ bouquets. I LOVE the pic of Michelle by the brick wall in the church! Here are some of my other favs too.

Are you friends or family of Michelle and Austin? Here is the link to see all of their photographs Forever Young Photography.

Last Train to Clarksville…ummmm….Salisbury

Maranda — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:54:06 +0000

Courtney and Tracy picked out great locations for their special day. Their wedding was at Salisbury Haven Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC. The church had a gorgeous red accent wall behind the alter. It really pops in their photos. The wood details added a nice finish. Check it out below. The reception took place at Salisbury Station. I love this location! Courtney and Tracy have so many cute photographs from their wedding day! I wish I could post them all! Congratulations again Courtney & Tracy! To view all their wedding photographs, follow the link: Forever Young Photography.

Want to see Courtney’s Bridal Portraits? Follow this link.

Salisbury Railway Passenger Station

Maranda — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:00:56 +0000

If you are still looking for a reception location, check out the Salisbury Station in Salisbury, NC. Great lighting, nice location, and tons of lovable architectural details. The station was built in 1908 and has much charm. The doors open up to a foyer with different parlor rooms and a grand waiting room where all the magic happens. A covered concourse lets your party spill outside. To find out more details, check this site out: http://www.historicsalisbury.org/depotrental.htm. The pics below to give you a glimpse into the possibilities of this location.

To see more images from a wedding reception at the Salisbury, see Courtney & Tracy’s Wedding.

Getting in the Spirit

Maranda — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:39:02 +0000

What a Pumpkin Sees

I can’t believe it is October already - my favorite month!!!! If you don’t already know, I love everything associated with fall - Halloween, changing leaves, crisp air, fall family portraits, cider mills, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, college football, apple orchards….the list goes on and on. If you are like me and are excited for Halloween, I wanted to share a Halloween Radio Station you can listen to online to get you ready for October. You can even listen to it through itunes. Just click the “Listen Now” button in the top right hand corner to have it magically starts playing in itunes. ”Wowwww maaaagic.” Here is a link to other Spooky Tunes.

Happy October!

Just About Time to Say ” I DO!!!”

Maranda — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:14:23 +0000

Katie and Brian are getting married the following weekend in Michigan. I am excited to see all their hard work planning for their wedding to come all together. We had a great time during their engagement session in the Plymouth area. They were so easy to work with; I know we are going to have a great time together on their wedding day! Here are some of my favs from the engagement session. It is always so hard to just pick a few photographs to post!