Wedding photography at The Farm venue in Selma NC, yeah I'm feeling it!
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing B. and A.'s wedding at a really cool venue in Selma North Carolina called The Farm. This is a beautiful piece of property to do just about anything from hosting a wedding or throwing a concert for a few thousand of your closest friends.
I arrived at the venue early to take a few pictures of the venue space and decorations as well as B. and her bridesmaids getting ready for her wedding. It was really cool to capture the looks on the bridesmaid's faces when they saw B. in her wedding dress for the first time. What a sweet moment, so awesome!
After all the final touches were made in makeup and dress fitting, the girls and I headed outside to the back of the venue to get a few fun bridal party pictures before the wedding started. Although by now it was around 1 o'clock and the sun was high in the sky the shade provided by the giant covered stage worked out perfectly for photographing the pictures of the bride and her friends. I thought it was pretty neat that the bride never actually wore her shoes and instead opted for some (foot jewelry?) instead. Very pretty and super unique!
B. and A. held their wedding ceremony inside the main hall up on the stage.
A. was fighting tears when the doors first opened and he saw his bride walking up the aisle towards him for the first time. B. caught his gaze and B. shyly smiled as she and her Dad made their way up to the altar.
Although the lighting was beautiful, it was admittedly a little difficult to photograph. Above my head there was a giant skylight that allows gorgeous natural light to filter down into the venue. The ceremony spot on the upper stage was lit by yellowish fluorescent lights creating a mixed color situation that was challenging to properly meter. I ended up shooting with my flash throughout the entire wedding to ensure that a consistent color range would be presented once the photos were processed.
B. and A. exchanged their vows, sealed the deal with a kiss and were then greeted with applause and shouts of joy from their family and friends as they took their first steps forward as husband and wife.
After the family and formal portrait time had ended B., A. and I headed back outside to take a few couples portraits before the reception started. By now it was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and the sun was very bright overhead so it was important that we found some shade so I could capture some softer portraits. Scanning the wide expanse of the emerald field in front of me I noticed a cluster of large trees in the distance that would provide the shade we needed.
Because she wasn't wearing any shoes B. was a real trooper making the short trek across the grass to a stand of maple trees at the far right corner of the property.
On our way to the trees, we stopped for a moment and got a few semi-formal pictures of the two of them sharing a laugh standing next to each other in the sea of green grass. I tried to get the pictures when the clouds would cross in front of the sun but the wind was blowing too fast and the sun kept reappearing so we continued our walk to the trees.
It was pretty hot outside so once we reached the shade of the maples it was quite a relief.
After snapping off a few portraits we returned to the venue to start the reception. What a great crowd! Although this wedding had a very large guest list it was very clear that this was a tight knit group nonetheless.
Apparently, A. and B. had been together for like eight years so a lot of the people in attendance already knew each other pretty well. There were so many great photo opportunities to be captured that I don't think I stood still for any longer than a few seconds at any time during the reception. It seemed like any direction that I pointed my zoom lens somebody was smiling laughing or joking which is, of course, the perfect chance for me to take candid pictures!
My only regret is that I was only hired to photograph about an hour and a half or so of the reception. This was one of those weddings where I wish I could've just hung out a little bit longer to take pictures because it was so much fun! Because the wedding toasts we're just beginning when I was scheduled to leave I did actually end up staying longer than I was hired too although I did not tell the bride and groom that at the time, haha! I'm really glad that I lingered a little longer because the wedding toast photos ended up being absolutely adorable. Plus I was able to photograph a bonus couples dance of my clients as they glided across the dance floor.
What can I say, I love my job and sometimes it's just too hard to walk away from a great photo moment in the making.
:)
Check out the highlights in the slideshow below that features photos taken on this awesome day of wedding photography at The Farm in Selma.
Hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to take pictures for another happy couple here again and if you were to ask me what I think of The Farm in Selma as a place to hold a wedding...well like a famous young NC country star once said yeah "I'm feeling it"...
-Sally
PS. Fans of Scottie McCreery may find this particular North Carolina wedding venue veeeery interesting for reasons I will not specifically disclose in writing here. Do your homework and I bet that the results will bring a smile too your face like memory of the melody of a song held close to your heart. Who knows, this might be the tune that you and your spouse might share during your own first dance someday soon?
:)
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