AkiPhotography

Fall 2011

2012-01-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
It has been several months since we have updated our blog, part due to being so busy, part being to tired to address how far behind we'd gotten in updating it....

We left off with Haley's bridal session, her bridal portrait was one of the most stunning we've taken thus far. Combination of awesome dress, lovely girl and great location were perfect.
Haley & Brant's wedding was beautiful as well. Awesome reception venue, very light and flowy.

Chase and Katie's wedding, was lovely. Held at a private residence and the neighbors were concerned that the bridal party would get hit by a car.....

Britney and Michael's wedding was simple and sweet. Family oriented event, no hiccups except that the uncle was rearended on the way. Glad the bumper was the only damage.

Brandy and Michael's wedding was a very laid back affair. Family from all over the US came and the bride's entrance was very endearing. They even took an "American Gothic" style photo.

Connie and Reggie planned their Country Club event with skill and precision. No detail was overlooked and it went off without a hitch. Very lovely!

Jan had some lovely bridal portraits done, the red shoes just set the gown off.

Several family, maternity and engagement sessions led to some lovely family images to be treasured. Some newborn images, love those babies.

On a personal note, we lost Leslie's father in October. Knowing it was coming, didn't soften the blow. The family is doing pretty well, we miss Larry and will think of him often. Especially when we go to Disney World.
Thanks for a great year, we are looking forward to a great 2012, already having a lovely event booked at The Depot in Salisbury, NC and at Castle McCulloch in Jamestown, NC. Anticipating some extrordinatry images from all our events. Thanks everyone. Happy New Year.

Haley's Bridal Session

2011-07-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

We are honored to be able to photograph a lovely girl that we have known her entire life. We met Haley at the Kannapolis Train station to start her session and took several lovely images. We then moved to the park, followed by the Research Campus grounds. Haley's dress is gorgeous and perfect for her.

A lovely girl, a stunning gown and beautiful settings = GORGEOUS images we can't show until Aug 20th!

Brandy & Michael

2011-07-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Brandy & Michael were married June 25th, 2011 at The Old Stone Vino in Kannapolis. Brandy is Leslie's sister and it was a pleasure to be able to provide them their photos from their wedding.

They wanted a really laid back event and it worked out very nicely. Wedding on the patio, then lunch, a game of pool and visiting.

Many of their family and close friends were there and enjoyed the "Jumping of the Broome" and the American Gothis Redo. Congratulations Brandy & Mike.

David, Jennifer and Molly

2011-05-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

It’s like she KNEW what she was there for…(someone tipped her off, I think).

At 4 weeks old, this sweet baby girl put up with us through much primping and swaddling. From her head full of hair to her wee baby toes, she stole the show and was the center of everyones attention.

Molly liked being outside much better. And the "Family Picnic" photos turned out great.

It was a joy meeting you guys, and we look forward to working with you again.

Britney & Michael

2011-05-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely afternoon in downtown Kannapolis where Britney & Micael had their engagement session done.

They wanted tome quiet, simple, elegant photos for thier engagement. They were game for whatever, anywhere, so we wandered around for a couple hours just stopping at whatever hit our fancy.

Ended up with some really nice images, hope you guys enjoy them.

We even made time to get a Nascar inspired image.

Constance & Reggie

2011-04-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

It was another wonderful day in Cornelius & Davidson, NC
where the skies were blue and trees and flowers were blooming!

Constance and Reggie are from head to toe, in love and you can feel it when your with them. It was a relaxed and beautiful day and we can't wait to see them again at their NorthStone Country Club wedding in a few months.

Project Pink Greensboro 2011 Gown Sale

2011-04-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to be a part of a lovely event last month. There is an organization called Project Pink that grants wishes for patients living with stage IV breast cancer through their program Project JOY!, provide college scholarships to children who lost a parent to breast cancer, and to educate young women about breast health for the purpose of preventing metastatic disease.

The gown sale took place at The Emerald Event Center in Greensboro. Great location if your looking for that all-in-one site. And was organzied by Behind the Scenes, Inc also of Greensboro. They also organized the recent David Tutera visit in Charlotte. If they can put something like that together, imagine how well your wedding will turn out. Consider them for your planning needs.
There were so many volunteers I couldn't begin to list them all, but I made several friends over the course of a weekend. Ory from Ory Alexander Owen Wedding Planner, Deidra of Memorable Milestones, Keisha of Infinite Bliss Events, LLC and many others, joined together to help set up, assist clients looking for a dress and then break down and pack up the event.

Allison wih Project Pink, Inc is planning sales up and down the east coast. They receive donations from many places; designers, manufacturers and store samples being a few. They have their own Dress Whisperer (Barb)

who can make anything work and Hildegard and Marion find the perfect veil or accesories to match. There is such a wide price range and variety of informal to couture, everyone can find something. When you find that perfect dress Peter is there to complete the sale and get the dress ready for transport to your home. If you see a Project Pink sale nearby, please consider this worthy charity.

Bring your family or bridesmaids and spend some time trying on all the lovely gowns available. More photos on our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/AkiPhotography), stop by and look for Peter in his pretty hat!

Jessica and Derrick's Destination Wedding and Louisiana reception.

2011-01-21T14:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Jessica & Derrick's oceanfront Paradisse Island Wedding! I first met Jessica via an online request early in 2010. At the time, she and Derrick were having to rearrange their current wedding plans due to the Gulf Coast oil spill. We stayed in touch by email and Facebook, talking back and forth about wedding & photography wishes, coastal and political situations and our life stories. Jessica and I became good friends while planning their photography coverage for their destination wedding cruise trip and New Orleans area reception the following week.

Jessica is a very hands-on bride. She planned every detail of the cruise, designed her own invitations, and came up with ideas for the decor for the reception- flower arrangements and table display at the entrance that included an LSU groom's cake, photo display of their ceremony and sampling of taffy from The Roman Candy Company.

They decided on a guys and girls excursion the morning of the ceremony. The guys took a snorkeling trip and the ladies shopping and lunch at the ocean front Senior Frog's in Nassau, Bahamas and picking up the flowers from the Nassau Police Dept (thats another funny story all in itself). Midday everyone returned to prepare for the wedding. A limo was provided for the bride's family and attendants to take them to ceremony location, Paradise Island. A lovely sunset wedding, with family and friends taking part in creating the Unity Sand jar made for lovely memories (and even more memories trying to get it back home to the US). The wedding party had a great reception dinner aboard the Carnival Imagination, with wonderful service from the staff. They also had a special magician show tableside for the bride and groom.

The reception was the following week in Mandeville, La at the Lake Pontchartrain Yacht Club, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. The site was carefully prepared by Jaime with LPYC. We set up a display of their Bahama trip photos in the corner of the room for everyone to see their wedding events.

And DJ Johnny Ice created a jubliant mood all evening with finding the perfect music, calling events and leading dances when necessary. Which wasn't often, as this group of family and friends know their way around the dance floor! The beautiful cake was created by Mandeville Bake Shop and decorated by the bride herself with blue and teal crystals and the food, provided by Chef Chad's Catering was to die for. The Crawfish Cheesecake was particularly yummy.
Near the end of the reception everyone joined in on a Second Line (style of traditional dance in which participants walk and sometimes twirl a parasol or handkerchief in the air) to celebrate the Bride and Groom.
It was our honor to work with Jessica and Derrick, and when I had a few family setbacks during the latter part of the year, they were very understanding. I definitely wanted to ensure that their wedding day photography was everything they wanted, as you can see it was beautiful ceremony and reception!
We love and appreciate you guys and look forward to seeing you and your families again.

Crystal & Ricky

2010-09-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

Crystal & Ricky got married at New Life Missionary Baptist Church in Troutman, NC. Crystal was a beautiful bride, in her White strapless dress embelished with beading and lace and The 9 attendants wore deep midnight blue.

Their wedding reception was at the Civic Center in Statesville, NC. Their downtown location with patio and brick arches was great for their group photos. The little details incorporated throughout were what made this affair great. The beautiful tables and settings, the pilars and fountain cake stand, alternating single Siamese Fighting fish or candle in each table's vase. The beautiful and tasty 4 tier wedding cake, was made by Mary Sherrill of M&D Cakes adorned with blue and white flowers.

But the stand out of this reception... The coolest First Dance ever!

The bride and groom took their place in the center of the dance floor and began their dance to Prince's Adore, slowly swaying to the music. Then scratching... and the music changes to Sugar Hill Gang's Apache (Jump On It) complete with the dance reminiscent to the 1996 Fresh Prince episode. Then scratching... and the GS Boyz's Stanky Leg starts followed closely by cheers from the crowd. Then scratching... and the music changes back to Prince's Adore. The first dance encompased love, admiration and fun and was undoubtably the BEST "First Dance" ever.

Another great moment was the babies doing MJ's Thriller. Michael Jackson is forever popular. Crystal and Ricky are a captivating couple, and we knew that all of their work planning their wedding would amount to a truly unforgettable event. The wedding was definitely a representation of their personalities- fun, loving, unique and energetic.

We were honored to capture their special day and wish them the very best throughout their life as husband and wife.

Mackenzie & Robert's Wedding

2010-08-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

This Salisbury, NC wedding was simply elegant. The couple knew exactly what they wanted, and pulled it off with style. The wedding vibe was the perfect mix of classic and modern. The wedding day attire included, the bride in a white strapless wedding dress, the groom in a classic grey suit with a whimsical pinstriped tie of orange, mint and yellow. The matching bridal bouquet was orange with a white flower in the center in memory of her Father. There were fun, modern splashes with paper lanterns and lights throughout the park and reception venue. And the reception table centerpieces were created using varying sizes and shapes of glass vases with floating and pillar candles.

The reception hosted lots of fun for the wedding party and guests! The bridesmaids, groomsmen, family and friends had a blast and were full of energy dancing the night away! And the Bride and Groom’s rendition of the June and Johnny Cash’s “Jackson” was absolutely great!

One of my favorite photos from this gorgeous day was taken at the spot of their proposal, the fountain at Innes and Depot Streets. Meaningful and gorgeous to boot.

We felt privileged to capture Mackenzie and Robert’s special day and wish them the very best in the Caribbean (for their honeymoon) and throughout their beautiful life as husband and wife.

Busy Week

2010-08-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

Delivering two sets of completed images this week and preparing for this Saturday's wedding. Can't wait to post Mackenzie's images also.

Aug 7th

2010-08-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

We had to reschedule Mackenzie's bridal shoot from the 5th to today. Terrible storms moved in and we decided a "trash the dress" before the actual ceremony wouldn't be a good thing. ☺ We'll post a few of her bridal portraits after the wedding on the 28th, check back soon.

2010-08-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting our blog, please be sure to visit our galleries on our website. There is much coming in the next few months, so please keep checking back! A sincere thank you to all of our clients and prospective clients.