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faces in focus photography

Maggie + Mike {Burke Manor Inn Wedding}

Beautiful bride Maggie tied the knot to her handsome husband, Mike, this past summer in an intimate ceremony on the grounds of North Carolina's Burke Manor Inn where Faces in Focus Photography was on hand to capture the entire day.  Maggie was kind enough to fill us in on all the details of her darling Southern Wedding!

Tell us a little bit about how you met your husband... My husband and I met on Match.Com…. Yup it really does work. I feel in love with a picture where the sun was in his eyes. That bald head of his was really the magic ticket. Honestly it does help that he is a sexy man, but his words in the profile he wrote went straight to my heart.

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How did he propose? How long were you engaged for?

Mike proposed to me at Winter Green Ski Resort this past January. Martin Luther’s King’s birthday. A year prior he took me there as my first time ever to ski. I broke my ring finger. This January as we started to get all of our gear on he told me to wait a minute.. He walked into the bedroom came around the corner bent down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And I quote this is his proposal “even know that you are a pain in my ass, I love you more than life itself and cannot imagine my life without by my side” Will you marry me? AS I stand there in my ski wear with face and head gear on and he could not see my face. Only my eyes I was floored. Yeah we spoke of rings etc…. but never did I expect that. We were engaged for 7 months before we said our dos. And keep in mind that on our wedding day of August 27th we had a hurricane, Days prior a heart quake and one week to the day my father had a heart attack where he got two stints but in, but was still there to give me away and we had our very first dance EVER.

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Your wedding was filled with gorgeous details. Did any have special meaning? What was your favorite? The flowers had special meaning. The girl who did them lived outside the box as I asked her to do. I gave her a clear canvas to show her talents but at the same time my touch. The flowers were done in Japanese lettering to match my shoulder tattoo. It means double happiness and love. And those are what we stood on when we said our own vows to each other. We did a sand ceremony as well that I wrote myself and the class that we poured our sand in matched the flowers and my tattoo.

How did you choose your venue? We choose the B&B to be sure that all of our family was together and not spread apart. As they come from far and in between we wanted our family close and to share memories and to make new ones.

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Tell us a little bit about your menu... Well I am a very picky eater. And our family and friends all love meat and potatoes. So we had prime rib, salad, mixed garden veggies and a potato bar with all the fixings. It was delicious. There are still people talking about the food and it as over three months ago. We had wine imported in from our engagement night that we later found out that is not easy to find. We had NY wine sent to us as well. Each had a meaning and those were shared with everybody.

What’s your favorite picture from your wedding? My favorite pic is where my father and I are dancing. As I said that was the very first time I ever danced with him and considering he had a heart attack one week prior to that. Well I just about didn’t get that chance of a life time. My father raised me from 15 years old until the time I was 17 by himself. Until I gave him a shot of courage to ask someone out who now is my step mother. Yes, I hooked my dad up…

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Out of the entire day, what was the most memorable moment? Out of the entire day... sitting here with tears in my eyes as I type this is that I shared special, priceless moments with my father. We danced to Britney Spears all the way to Pit Pull. His hands in the air and feet off the ground he never skipped a beat and told me that it was the best day of his life. My dreams weren’t just answered or my blessings didn’t stop when god gave me a guardian angel with Mike…. They continued when he spared my dad’s life to give me memories that only very few of us ever get a chance to have with their fathers. If you knew more about me you would clearly understand why my dad is my world. And the best memorable moment with Mike was when cake went down the front of my halter wedding dress between my cleavage and he went right in after it in front of god and everybody. That was a memory that I don’t just have it is also on DVD…..

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Looking back on your engagement and wedding, is there any advice you would give to brides in the planning process?

Take one day at a time. Don’t let anybody talk you into something that you or your soon to be husband doesn’t want. And enjoy it. It goes by way to fast. Remember it is about both of you and nobody else. So do what makes you happy and what is meaningful to the both of you. After all this is the first party as husband and wife that you are giving so make a hell of day.

Vendor
Photographer:  Faces in Focus Photography  /  Ceremony and Reception Venue: Burke Manor Inn  /  Designer/Planner: The bride!  /  Invitations: Juliepatolies  /  Cake: Carolina Cake  /  Flowers: Eleventh Hour  /  Bridal Gown: David's Bridal  /  Hair & Makeup: Hair done by Jillian Cannon and Make up by Stacy Sharerrill  /  Entertainment: Island Sound  /  Transportation: My brand new 2011 JK. (Jeep) I bought it just so my gown wouldn’t get dirty….. Honest!!
 

 

Southern Weddings {Three Tips to a Fabulous Engagement Session}

Hiya! My name is Ariana Watts and I’m a Wedding & Lifestyle Photographer in Burlington, NC.
I love engagement sessions. They’re my favorite types of sessions. It’s your announcement to the world that you found your perfect match and you are indescribably happy! But I speak, not as a photographer, but from personal experience – they can be slightly nerve-wracking. What do I wear? Where do we go? Should I bring props? How long will it take? Heels or flats? Makeup or no makeup? Fiance or no fiancé?!!!
Okay well hopefully you can answer some, if not most, of those questions (yes, bring your fiancé, silly!) But in case you can’t, I thought I’d share a couple of tips to make your session as fabulous as you are.
1.       Choose A Special Location
Couple always ask me – where should we meet? Any suggestions? Of course, we HAVE suggestions. We know the prettiest parks and locations in a 60 mile radius, and beyond. But how much more sentimental and sweet is it to get an engagement shot on the steps of the coffee shop where you met? Or the playground you both grew up on (where he used to pull your pigtails!) Or how about that college campus where you had your first kiss? Every time you look at your photographs, you won’t just be seeing a photo of the two of you, you’ll be seeing the story of your relationship.
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2.       Pamper Yourself
The last thing you want to worry about is your makeup, nails, and hair. I mean you’re gorgeous – I know it, and HE definitely knows it. And it’s your ENGAGEMENT session, with your husband to be. You should be focused on him – his hair, his cute dimple, his laugh. Not YOUR hair silly girl. So go get pampered. Get your hair, makeup and nails done (they’ll be taking photos of that ring, you know). The best part? You will feel AH-MAZING. You’ll walk like you look amazing. You’ll smile endlessly. All because you’ll know you look beautiful, which you are. Duh.

**Side Note – Of course, we’ve all spent YEARS perfecting our makeup applying and curling iron techniques. So if you can do it – by all means do it. This is just my suggestion so it’s a totally stress free session for you!

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3.       Show Us Your Love
Yes, we know you love each other, and as photographers, we loooOOoove to see it. The sideways glances, the tickling, the ear nibbles. Those are the things that make you guys unique. Only you laugh like that when he kisses you on your cheek. And he’s the only guy in the world who giggles endlessly when you tickle him. Its what makes you two… YOU! Be yourselves and give us the chance to document it.
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Engagement sessions are fun. Relax. Enjoy them. Be in love. Be you. It’s an amazingly awesome part of your life and you need to make sure EVERY. ONE. KNOWS. IT. For reals. And if these tips make it a little easier, well I’m a happy photographer! Happy loving!