She spent the entire early months of school running (mostly cross country), so we saw Morgan late in the fall. But the day we did her pictures, it was so nice outside that it didn’t matter that it was a “cold” month. She gave us a lot of looks to choose from.
His twin sister, Hannah, had already been to our studio a few times for pictures. But he was pretty busy with football season and other obligations. But when we did get to work with him, there was lots of laughter.
I don’t talk often enough about the great wedding venues that our area has to offer. So I’m going to attempt to change that by giving you a non-solicited “from the vendor” review of a few area locations I’ve worked in that are considered some of the more popular wedding reception venues.
I’m starting with the Purple Iris because it is closest to us, only about two miles north. Situated just slightly off the road, there’s a nice feeling of privacy even if you’re out on the front drive or the side garden. I like that you really do have to pull around back to park, because it frees up the front view for excellent photos with this glorious mansion.
The venue sports a large back field area, a nice side wooded area, a small garden area on the south side, and a beautiful well landscaped area in the front of the mansion. If you look around, you can also do some isolated area shots near the parking lot on the south side.
The specifications of how many people the venue can hold are on their website. We have seen comfortable seating for 100 or so in both the main indoor hall and the outdoor tented porch. The back field area also can host a large number of rows of chairs for an outdoor ceremony. The indoor parlors and rooms can serve a number of functions, with the main dining room often being used as the buffet area for lunch and dinner events. I won’t even go into the spacious area on the second floor for things like small assemblies, meetings and even a nice, quiet meal (they also have a restaurant).
The Carriage House has two first floor rooms, complete with all the facilities you need for either a night’s stay or a get-ready room for the bride. Bathrooms, tubs, beds and all the amenities make it perfect for putting the finishing touches on before the wedding starts. There is also a room up on the second floor, and although I’ve only been up there a couple of times, it was also quite spacious and ready for just about anything.
The food at Purple Iris is always spectacular. From the main entrees and vegetables, to the salads, rolls and desserts. I can’t say enough about how good the food is, which is a plus when you are making enough to feed 100+ people… many caterers rarely get it right every time for that quantity of people – but the Purple Iris does.
Last, but surely not least, is the service. I often applaud Tiffany for her top-notch no-nonsense service, because the servers are not only on top of their game, but they do it seamlessly and without much fanfare. The job just gets done, and everyone seems to know what to do… very few mistakes, and if there are, I’m certain they are handled quickly.
I enjoy working at the Purple Iris for all of the things I’ve listed above. Working with professionals at this level is a pleasure, and it always makes me a happy when someone says “we’re getting married at the Purple Iris.”
When I first meet someone, there’s a sense I hope to take away that gives me an impression of how much we can do in the time we have together, and if they want adventure, beauty, or function (or something else completely). With Victoria, it was not immediately obvious… but once we got started, it was hard not to figure out that she was just as adventurous as anyone else we’ve photographed in the past.
A referral from another senior, Anthony has some pretty big ideas about his future. Keeping them in line will be challenging, but ultimately worth the work.
My oh my… with a great smile and a crazy little dog (who we also adored), this senior was a special kind of fun and adorable!
Another late season senior, Cecelia had been conversing with us all through the fall to get information about her senior portraits. When she was able to make it in, we felt like she was already a good friend.
Here parents claim that in the 2-3 hours prior to her session, 13-year old Krysten professed to wanting to make this the worst even in their (and my) lives. She was keenly opposed to being photographed, and apparently especially that day. Don’t know why, really, but she was a great subject. We took a TON of pictures (yes, I weighed them), and had a great time. She smiled, laughed (sometimes hysterically), and we all enjoyed the session.
I’ve known these good folks for awhile. I’ve watched their kids grow up, and have enjoyed the time we’ve worked together. This was a special session, on-location in Middleway. I hadn’t had the opportunity to really appreciate the architecture in this little town, and was grateful to get the chance. Of course, the old Mercedes made things even more interesting.
We’d done pictures of his cousin (we’re sure you remember the rather unforgettable Haylee) in year’s past… and he was nothing like her. But he had a great smile and we wanted to try to get that as much as possible.
