Project Life Photography

Corey & Ashley | Just Because!

melissa — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:21:39 +0000

So… funny story. Last fall, I got a random email from Corey Potter, a wedding photographer who shoots with his wife, Ashley, in Columbia and owner of Corey Potter- Photographer. In his email he said, “I’ve heard great things about you and after looking at your website, I feel like our styles are somewhat similar. We would love to hang out sometime to get to know you.” And thus began our friendship with the Potters, haha! We had dinner with them a few weeks after Corey contacted us, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know them ever since! Back in December we met up with Corey and Ashley to take some photos of them for some re-vamping of there website. With all of the weddings we had to work on at the time, we had not a moment to pick some to put up on the blog… until now! Enjoy these fun shots of our styled couples’ shoot with the Potters : )

Amber | Bridals!

melissa — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 04:11:23 +0000

We’ve gotta say… Amber knows her stuff when it comes to being in front of a camera! Look at this girl! She’s stunning, engaging, and can work it. Her bridals were so fun- her upbeat personality and love of life gave her such confidence. And of course a beautiful setting doesn’t hurt either. Amber chose to have her bridals done at the venue where her reception was to be held. We captured some dramatic lighting indoors, and caught the sunset just in time towards the end of the session. Can’t wait to get working on this girl’s wedding! Enjoy a few of Amber’s bridals:

Devin & Catie | Engaged!

melissa — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:19:23 +0000

When Catie initially emailed us about taking their engagement photos, we agreed to meet at a coffee shop near UNCC to get to know each other and talk about the session. For some reason (I cannot remember why), Brian and I had decided to bring Bear with us on all of our errands that day, and when we arrived at the coffee shop a half-hour early for our meeting with Catie and her fiancé Devin, we decided to sit outside in the beautiful March weather with our sweet doggy and let him enjoy meeting new people for a few minutes before the couple arrived. As the meeting-time drew near, I sent Catie a quick message from my iPhone, letting her know that we were at the meeting place and, in case they arrived early, that we had our dog with us but would try to put him in the car before they got there. About 30 seconds later, the couple who had been sitting at the table next to us for the last 15 minutes turned to us and said, “Hey, are you guys Brian and Melissa?” Hahaha! They had been just 5 feet away from us all along, and we knew we like them when they told us not to put Bear away and let him join our meeting ; )

Catie and Devin’s August wedding will take place in Asheville, NC, at bed and breakfast with an intimate restaurant reception with family. Their package at their ceremony venue already included a photographer for their wedding, which (I’m not gonna lie) we’re pretty bummed about, because we so enjoyed our engagement session with this couple! They were relaxed, easy to photograph, affectionate and fun. Catie couldn’t decide between a rustic, natural setting or a quaint, vintage-downtown backdrop for the session, so we suggested beginning in historic Downtown Fort Mill and ending at the Greenway to incorporate both. The images turned out great, and we couldn’t be happier for Catie and Devin and their wedding- we’re sure it’s going to be beautiful!

Joe & Maisie | Engaged!

melissa — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:11:33 +0000

I think Joe and Maisie have one of the sweetest proposal stories! After dating since high school and all throughout college, Joe decided to propose on a snowy mountain-top, surrounding Maisie with lots of friends. On a snowboarding excursion, Joe had custom T-shirts made for all of their friends to wear, to aid in the proposal. He arranged with Maisie’s mother to call as they were about to get on the chair-lift, and make up a story about Maisie’s dog being sick in order for their friends to make it up the chair-lift far enough ahead of them to get themselves arranged. When Joe and Maisie finally made it up the lift to the top of the slope, Joe (who usually lends an arm to Maisie and helps her off the lift), sped away toward their group of friends, waiting off to the side of the lift. When Maisie, disoriented from having to get out of the lift and get situated on her own, finally looked up, she found her boyfriend on one knee, her friends having opened their snowboarding jackets to reveal that each of their T-shirts spelled out “Will You Marry Me,” and a crowd of on-lookers cheering! Of course, she ran over to Joe and said “Yes!” There is even a video of the proposal on youtube- Joe did a fantastic job!

We are super stoked for their upcoming September wedding to be held at the brand new Brakefield at Riverwalk venue. This venue just had its’ grand opening at the beginning of April, and Maisie and Joe’s will be the first wedding we get to shoot there! Their navy and pink event is certainly one we are looking forward to, as we had a really wonderful time getting to know them at their engagement session! Check out a few of Joe and Maisie’s engagement images below:

Steve + Cecile | Eagle’s Nest Wedding!

melissa — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:17:54 +0000

Steve and Cecile’s wedding was the third wedding we’ve shot for members of Steve’s family! We photographed the weddings of two of Steve’s nephews (Josh and Aaron) in September of 2010 and September of 2011! We were absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to capture Steve and Cecile’s beautiful wedding day, not only because we got to see their family members with whom we’ve become friends, but also because this wedding was- GORGEOUS! The wedding was held at a family home on Lake Wylie. Steve and Cecile focused their ceremony on two things: keeping their marriage focused on God, and uniting their two families by including their children in the ceremony and creating a new family unit! The reception’s muted neutral and blush tones, perfect blend of rustic wood and soft sparkle, and the dramatic ambience of the intimate, candle-lit affair added up to one consistent theme: classy! One thing in particular that really impressed us was the quality and service of the food- catering was provided in high style by Best Impressions! Guests enjoyed a fun-filled night of dancing to fun classic and party anthems played by a talented band. And the evening ended with a beautiful floating lantern send-off for the bride and groom. All in all it was a gorgeous event- so thankful we were there to experience this day with one of our favorite families : )

Jason & Leslie | Engaged!

melissa — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:08:37 +0000

Jason and Leslie’s engagements were destined for greatness… haha! We had a great location, a great prop (Leslie’s yellow lab, Charlie), and a great couple! With their wedding in November, Jason and Leslie chose to have their engagements taken during the spring, in a sunlit garden and wore vibrant colors. Their sweet doggie accompanied them in shots intermittently throughout the session, and the images turn out beautifully. Jason and Leslie were so easy-going and easy to photograph! Enjoy a few of their engagements here:

Dustin & Lisa | Engaged!

melissa — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:00:28 +0000

When Lisa booked with us, it was just in the nick of time. We had two other people interested in her wedding date, so at our initial consultation she came prepared to lock her date down! LOVE it when we meet people who aren’t just looking for a photographer so they can check one more thing off their list, but they want to work with us, and they’re sure that we are the right fit as soon as we meet! She and her fiancé, Dustin, live in Virginia and we were so thankful to nail down a mutually convenient time to shoot their engagements in time for them to get their save-the-dates out. We were so impressed with how laid-back and affectionate the two were with each other. Engagement sessions are always a great ice-breaker for couples who are a little more camera-shy, so that they learn kinesthetically how we work and are comfortable with us on their wedding day- but Dustin and Lisa hardly needed the practice ; ) Enjoy their engagements:

Erin | Bridal!

melissa — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 23:30:20 +0000

Erin’s bridals were taken at a lovely venue called The Arbors in Cleveland, NC! The beautiful stone architecture mimicked the look of The Palisades Country Club where Erin was married last weekend. Erin looked absolutely stunning in her ivory A-line gown, and we loved her shoes- TOMS wedges! Ribald Farms arranged a beautiful bouquet to model what Erin’s bridal bouquet would look like on her wedding day. Enjoy these images from Erin’s gorgeous bridal session, and stay tuned for her wedding images, coming soon!

Evin & Marissa | Engaged!

melissa — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 07:31:27 +0000

OMG. I know… we’re back from the dead! Haha… we have not had any weddings since the beginning of January, I have been killing myself finishing up my last semester of college ever (we’ll save the celebratory “what-WHAT’s” for a different blog-post), and Brian has been busy in the office with world-traveling and editing bridals for our spring brides. So we have not had a spare moment for blogging until, well, now.

We have been SO looking forward to Evin and Marissa’s engagement session! We couldn’t think of a better way to break out of our little hiatus than with a shoot in historic, downtown Charleston, SC! We love to shoot in Charleston… and of course, the day before their scheduled session, Marissa called me from Charleston to let us know that thunderstorms were on the forecast for the whole day. We rescheduled for the next day, and of course, about 30 minutes after Brian and I arrived in Charleston, it began raining like CRAZY! Haha… wouldn’t it be just our luck? Thank goodness it only rained for a bit, and as soon as the clouds cleared we had beautiful natural light! Evin and Marissa were so easy to photograph… they kept each other laughing and smiling, and of course their adorable dachshund, Roxy, only added to the cuteness of the images we came away with. Enjoy the images!

Aaron + Hannah | Seibels House & Garden Wedding (Columbia, SC)!

melissa — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:50:33 +0000

Aaron and Hanna’s wedding took place in Columbia, South Carolina. Their church was beautiful and new- they were the first couple to be married in the church’s new property! Their reception was held in the historic Seibels House, the feel of which flowed perfectly with their wedding colors and the classic air of their wedding day attire! We were particularly impressed with the guys’ wardrobe selection… gray slacks and v-neck sweaters over collared dress-shirts and ties… and the groom’s distinguishing element was a classy button-down sweater. So classic and timeless, re-wearable and different from the typical Men’s Warehouse tux!