I know a lot of you lovebirds will be getting engaged tomorrow and to help you celebrate I’m offering a slew of upgrades and good stuff through the end of February! Contact me via email at info@michaelsinkphotography.com or text/call 540-871-4035 (leave a message if I’m tied up!) Setup a face to face meeting over coffee and I’ll give you all the juicy details on the deals!
(BTW the photo is for Turnback Tuesdays! Aaron and Kelly had a beautiful wedding way back in 2010!)
We were honored to be asked to photograph Caroline and Joe’s wedding at Wisteria Ridge! We had a gorgeous fall day with a constant breeze up in the mountains of Callaway, VA.
Shanna Bush was there guiding the way, ensuring everything went smoothly!
Just a little teaser before the big reveal!
From Saint John’s Lutheran to the Woodland Place we made a magical journey with Whitney and Daniel…
from their wedding in September at the Kyle House
Rebecca and Brian were married at Saint Andrew’s Catholic Church during one of this winter’s many storms. The weekend made everyone a little uneasy with it’s forecast, ranging from 8-12 inches of snow to sleet and freezing rain. The timing of the storm was questionable as well… With guests from out of town a decision was made that the Friday night rehearsal (which we always come to!) would now be the ceremony itself! Arriving at the Hotel Roanoke 2 hours before the wedding we drove through an inch or so of slush on the streets of a deserted downtown Roanoke. We met the family and our hearts warmed (and knocked the chill off this cold day!) as we got to know Brian and Rebecca’s families in the suites they had booked at Hotel Roanoke.
It wound up being an absolutely beautiful ceremony at two of Roanoke’s most famous landmarks…
Rebecca, a beautiful bride!
The boys all ready to go, Brian has a very cool confidence…
The rings and bouquet were begging for attention
A stunning example of Victorian Gothic style…
A very proud father and a beautiful happy bride!
An adorable moment during the vows…
So happy and so cute!
How could I resist this image in this setting!
With sleet still pouring down we headed out onto the steps for a few images…
…and then to Hotel Roanoke for the rich dark luxuriousness of the Pine Room Pub
Where we captured some beautiful relaxed portraits of the newlyweds
…and one final image showing off Rebecca’s awesome style with her boots and wedding dress! Rock stars they are!!
I received a phone call back in December from The Knot wedding magazine and was reluctant at first to call back. We get calls from magazines, websites, and other publications looking for us to buy advertise with them. For those of you who have met with us we have probably told you that we don’t advertise (except for rare exceptions involving a favor or acquaintance), that all of our publicity comes from word of mouth (my absolute favorite!) and Google.
So I reluctantly called back and spoke with Kimberly at The Knot, she told me that we had been picked by Knotties (brides on The Knot website) as a favorite photographer for Virginia! Then she got on into the advertising spiel! I then asked her how these “favorites” had been chosen and she informed me that all brides with weddings in 2009 were asked who their favorite vendors were for their weddings. I kept an eye on the newsstand for the DC/Maryland/Virginia issue of The Knot Best of Weddings issue and picked up a copy to check out. Their were only 47 photographers in that area picked (most from DC and Maryland), so I am flattered and proud, and a flood of other emotions!
This is a description and FAQ about the best of weddings http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/planning-a-wedding/articles/best-of-weddings-2008.aspx?MsdVisit=1 , they have a list up on the web as well here.
Here are a few snapshots of the magazine…
Page 18 baby!
Carley’s note regarding the idea behind it…
Ta Da!!
Thanks you sooo much to all of our brides that are on The Knot!
Some other local vendors that made the list…
Gail Wilson
Schaal’s – great food, and a professional staff, Jim has been great to work with!
Kidd Carter
RSP Entertainment – Roy and his crew have worked several events and have kept the part alive!
The Woodland Place – Awesome venue, great outdoor wedding space and plenty of photo ops!
Thanks again to all of our brides!
Whitney and Daniel were wed at St. John’s Episcopal on Brambleton on a chilly mid-January evening. We showed up early (as usual) to get the bride getting ready and some images of the bridal party before we were in the dark! Family and friends were awesome, helping Whitney and Daniel every step of the way.
Kinga helped Whitney with her makeup…
IMG_7852″>
The dress was next (how beautiful!)
IMG_7043″>
Mom helped with the ribbon
IMG_7877″>
Whitney was a gorgeous bride! We hope to work with them some more!
IMG_7895″>
The girls were ready to Rock it like divas!
IMG_0032″>
Allison was workin‘ it with a “fierce” look worthy of any runway!
IMG_7866″>
The men came out in the cold to play for a minute as well, Daniel has a great group of guys behind him here
IMG_0042″>
Once we headed inside it was time to round up the rings and get going
IMG_0052″>
The reception was held at The Woodland Place in Vinton, one of our favorite venues. The first dance is such a magical time in the evening
IMG_7870″>
so sweet…
IMG_7112″>
Dad was NOT going for the “slow-dance” and tears routine here
IMG_7946″>
Paparazzi were all around! (Alisson actually got some pretty awesome shots with her iPhone!)
IMG_7130″>
We had such a great time with everyone, we hope to work with this family a lot more in the future.
Whitney was kind enough to share her thoughts on the experience as well…
I would recommend Michael Sink Photography to anyone! I spent weeks researching who we were going to use to photograph our wedding. We knew that this was something that was very important to us, that we had to find the right person for. Right when I saw Michael’s website with all of his pictures on it, I knew I would be contacting him. I emailed Michael and had a response the next day. My husband and I went and met him for coffee and to see some of his work. Everything was great. Needless to say, we booked him! We signed the contract and a couple of months later, changed the date, time, and place on him! We were worried this would present a problem, but Michael worked with us and was willing to do whatever we needed him to. We met for an engagement session and found him very easy to work with. We just had a good time and it was nice to be able to warm up to him before the big day. Our pictures turned out exactly the way we imagined! A week or so before the wedding, we met up with him and Angel (who is GREAT!) just to discuss how the day would go, etc. Wedding day, they were there right when we had planned. They made sure they were not in the way and were very respectful to our family and friends. They truly went above and beyond. Pictures turned out awesome and we got them FAST!! Michael Sink will definitely be our photographer for many other milestones in our life.
Huh? You know, Natalie and Matt, they got married at the Woodland Place in Vinton? Just look back a couple of months here in the blog and you’ll find them. I had a little time and wanted to do something for them, so I put this together…
We have talked to many couples about doing a “Day After Session” or “Trash the Dress”, and it usually needs a little explanation…
Basically, on your wedding day you will be REALLY strapped for time, sometimes stressed, and always ready to PARTY at the reception! With most people scheduling the posed photos after the ceremony and guests/family anxious to start the reception (food and drink are important)tensions can run high as guests wait at the tables for the bride and groom to return from the photo session. Daylight may be fading or weather may not cooperate, so scheduling a Day After session can make the day less stressful and get some AMAZING images!
We always work hard to find the most beautiful, or edgy, or cool places for your photoshoot no matter where we happen to be, but imagine a shoot in the woods, or in an urban setting, or in the water at the beach for your wedding images. How many of your friends did this for their wedding? We have a few setup for the future and can’t wait to meet with these couples again to create some artistic images.
Brides may wonder about how their dress will fair after something like this and that is a valid question. We can take it easy and be very careful with dress and where you sit, stand or lay. Or we can go all out for some amazing imagery and make the fashion world jealous with what we create with you. What are you going to do with your dress afterwards anyway? Will your daughter want to wear it 20 years from now? Did you wear your mother’s dress? Why not? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should take it to goodwill the day after the ceremony, I know the investment you made in that dress, wouldn’t you want to get a little more use out of it? A good dry cleaner will have most of them as good as new (unless you go all out with mud or grease or something!)
We’ll show off some as we do more…
Yep, that’s right, I’ve been holding out on you…
Between meetings and shoots I’ve left you hangin’… Well let me see if I can fix that…
Early at the arboretum Shannon turned on that beautiful smile…
then we headed on to a beautiful wooded setting…
…where Shannon turned into a fashion model and rocked the runway (…err, woods, I mean)
She worked every angle with her dress!
and straight out of Italian Vogue…
Wow! I still need to post their wedding images for you blog readers, and we are looking forward to a Fahion Bridal session with her and Jeremy that should be uber-cool!
IMG_7947″>