An outdoor elopement wedding at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons N.C.

November 18, 2020 • Leave a Comment

Recently, I had the honor of photographing Joey and Karen’s wedding day at the Tanglewood Park Arboretum in Clemmons, North Carolina.
As is my custom, I arrived about 30 mins before my scheduled start time to check out the area for potential photo locations.

A cloudy day with temps in the high 60s, the weather is just about as close to perfect as one could ask for for an outdoor wedding.
It was incredibly peaceful as I walked around the garden taking some test exposures in preparation for the ceremony to come.
The ground was still a little wet from the last nights rain and everything smelled fresh and clean with that delicate scent of autumn leaves drifting on the breeze.
This is 100% my kind of vibe.

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I’d learned from Karen that Joey loves birds as much as I do, so I thought it would be nice to capture a couple of bird photos to include in their wedding day story.
A beautiful male Northern Cardinal landed in a Holly Tree near their ceremony spot so I snapped off some pics in the few remaining minutes before meeting up with Joey, Karen and their families.

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Once the couple arrived, we spent a little time capturing some pre wedding portraits in the garden. There was a chance of rain in the forecast that evening so it seemed prudent to make sure that we had made a little time to get these special photos beforehand just in case it started raining in earnest after their ceremony.

Although we had spoken on the phone, exchanged emails, texts, and Insta DM’s, it was just awesome to finally meet Karen and Joey in person! Spending time with them cemented my belief that I’m truly blessed with the sweetest clients ever.
It’s just so nice to be able to work for couples that hold similar values as I. It’s about the love of family, a strong work ethic tied in with an appreciation of nature and a grateful spirit for a life well lived with a little dash of science and tech mixed in.
In other words, my kind of people!

*Btw, the rain held off for the entire event, more on that to come later ;)

When Joey and Karen’s family arrived at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park, the couple greeted them with bright smiles and warm embraces. It was wonderful to be able to document these sweet moments as the families shared some time together before the ceremony started.

There’s just something special about seeing and photographing families sharing moments of real, honest-to-God joy with one another at any life stage.
Somehow it’s a different vibe than the typical portrait style most think about when picturing family photos. The best way to describe it is that it’s about documenting the unexpected in-between moments of connection vs. posed, reserved minutes of the expected.
For instance, I loved the way that Joe’s mother’s eyes lit up when she saw the couple for the first time out on the lawn! Heck, it was difficult for me not to tear up myself as Karen and Joey’s children hugged their excited, happy parents. Pure magic :)

While not necessarily cliche Instagram “hero moments”, I believe that these candid family photographs are an integral part of Karen and Joey’s wedding day. In fact, perhaps they are likely to become more important to the couple over time than the planned “formal family portraits” because they reflect the true nature of the time at hand.
It’s in the twinkle of the eyes, the laughter, big hugs, and the happy tears that these unplanned moments beautifully reveal the underlying prose of Karen and Joey’s love story.

It’s an incredible thing to witness people’s lives changing before my eyes, to get to capture it all with a camera in hand is pretty amazing.

The garden at Tanglewood Park is one of the prettiest spots to get married outside in the Triad, especially in the autumn!
Karen and Joey’s intimate wedding ceremony took place on the lawn next to the pergola in the Arboretum. Those lovely fall colors served as the perfect backdrop while the couple exchanged their vows in front of their families.

The ability to tell a story using varying perspectives is one of the best parts
of photographing an outdoor wedding.
Zoom shots, wide shots, left side, right side, cropped or not, it’s a lot of fun to be able to move around to get creative with my pics.
With most indoor venues, there is usually some sort of limiting factor in place which restricts my movement around a ceremony spot in varying degrees. From walls and chairs to church rules and seating, there is always something that presents a challenge for me to work around in a confined space.
It’s no biggie, just part of the job lol!
Still, I’d much rather be outside than in, plus the lighting is usually better ;)
Having the freedom to move around as needed around this spacious garden allowed me to capture several sweet portraits of Joey and Karen during their ceremony from multiple angles which was awesome!
Definitely my kind of wedding.

Once the deal was sealed with a kiss and their ceremony ended, Joey and Karen spent a few minutes getting more hugs from their families.
We then grabbed a few family portraits of everyone together.
A nice way to mark the day for sure :)

A friend of mine once said that the true measure of life well lived is all about the quality of moments spent in time rather than the quantity of time & things acquired.

As the years roll by, I’ve come to realize that it’s the moments spent with my loved ones and trips I’ve taken that shape my outlook on life.
Memories of reading a story to my children aloud at bedtime, hearing Joe and Grace say their first words or seeing the look on their faces the first time they saw a polar bear.
I can still feel the sensation of my boots crunching on frosted grass stepping onto a field as I caught my first glimpse of thousands of Tundra Swans flocking on a grassy plain.
These are times that stick with me and keep me pushing forward.

I think about this idea every time I photograph an elopement where the guest list is smaller and the hours of photography needed are likely to be brief.
With the distractions of the traditional “big” wedding day out of the equation, it becomes incredibly important for me to deliver a smaller set of quality images that are incredibly valuable to my couples despite the smaller quantity of overall photographs taken.

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Though we spent just a little time together, photographing Joey and Karen’s intimate wedding day was simply a lovely experience from start to finish.
We wrapped up the afternoon with just a few extra portraits of Karen and Joey in the garden. Under the soft silver glow that only a rain laden, cloud filled sky can offer in an open setting, I thought it would be a great opportunity to take advantage of the superb lighting conditions while the time allowed.
I got to know the couple a little better while we strolled the garden paths.
We talked about our jobs, the kids we love and the animals we care for. Though we’d only met in person for the first time on this day, I left the Arboretum feeling like I’d simply spent the afternoon in company of good friends.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, fat raindrops hit my windshield.
“Just in time” I said aloud to no one in particular.
Time well spent, I said to myself ;)

Congratulations Joe & Karen!
Thank you for choosing me to be your wedding photographer.
Cheers to a lifetime of joyful moments to come!

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An outdoor elopement wedding at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons N.C.

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