Intimate Wedding in the Mountains

Imagine this:  Imaging taking off, just you and your fiance, to a destination and simply signing a piece of paper. Then imagine donning your "wedding's best" hiking almost a 1/2 mile to the top of a mountain, then taking some of the most loving pictures simply to mark the day.  That's exactly what Tiffany and Jacob did.  There was no huge procession.  Tiffany's mother made the bouquet.  Jacob picked out her shoes.  And they simply stared at the setting sun and said, " I do."

Bridal Trends: Flo & Percy

Romantic.....

Lovely.....................

Absolutely unique..................

UK Handmade

According to the website, Flo  & Percy are  "Florence and Percy [and] were married for 80 years and held the record for the longest marriage in the world. May the Flo & Percy piece you purchase bring you the same luck, health and happiness that they shared."

This website is brimming with a number of handmade timeless and classical looks that will strike your fancy.  The pieces are bright, vintage, and infused with a taste of nostagia.  Kristin Taylor, the designer, is a award winning accessory designer.  She has been creating these pieces for over 10 years with her work having been feature in a number of magazines both wedding and national publications.

Her work can be described as "vintage chic" with "every single hand finished piece that is made in [their] studio..."

Like the FB page at Percy & Flo

Pictures courtesy Percy and Flo

Styled Shoot: The Rebel Rebel Bride

• Styled by Tori Hardman
• Model: Nicole Swaim
• Photographer: Blue Arden Photography/Ollie Wills
• Flower Crown: Graham Jordan
• Cake:  Ollie Wills
• MUA and Hair: Tori Hardman
• Dress: Target Maxi Dress
• MUA: Ollie Wills
• Shoes: Coach
• Bouquet: Tori Hardman

Wedding Trend: Great America Carolina Malt

Rustic Wedding. Check. Burlap and Lace. Check. Mason jars filled with glorious alcohol. Check and Check. Yeah..you heard it right; alcohol filled mason jars to complete the whole look.  That's where Great America  Malt comes in.

Shopping in the wine section at Wal-Mart, I found these two babies stacked high right across from the refrigerated beer.  There were flavors such as Apple Pie and Clear (this one).  What attracted me to this? Well, the mason jars of course.  There's nothing like the feeling of sitting on my front porch and throwing back what feels to be moonshine but tastes more like a clean and clear mead.

This would be a great talking piece for any backwoods rustic wedding. There's nothing like "Great America's Apple Pie Malt Substitute Beer! Brewed and bottled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains here in North Carolina." Nothing more rustic than that!

Candace + Gary Wedding at St Mark's Lutheran Church and Trump National Golf Club

They met when they were 13. They married in their 60s with children and grandchildren between them.  This family was a force of love and acceptance. No butterflies. No tension. No crazy wedding trends.  They just wanted to be married and marriage is what they got.  Take a look through my beautiful lens.

NEW Custom Packaging for Blue!!

The devil is in the details.  I say again, THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS. 

I have always been one for the details.  Symmetry is best friend.  In recent months, I have worked on a design I felt would fit the new image of my business.  When Blue Arden was Ollie Wills Photography, though my business had a name, it didn't have brand.  It did not showcase the things I love which are: antique, vintage, rustic, modern, and simple.  I like bold colors.  I like aged things.  I like new things made to look old and old things made to look new.  That's my SCHTICK.  My brand, instead, was all over the place with constantly changing watermarks, editing styles, and imprints, as I tried to find myself. 

Finally, this year, the name Blue Arden found me and with it came a brand.  What came with it was specificity and direction. What came with it was a THANK YOU NOTE.  I believe my clients should always know how thankful I am for them choosing me.  It is a huge honor to be the number one choice! With that being said, I am proud to introduce what will now come standard with all large packages and weddings. It's so cute, I think I'll make one for myself.

Bridal Trends 2015: Suarez Bakery

Window shopping is a poor girls dream.  Heck: It IS THE BRIDE'S DREAM.  Dreams are made and shattered in the very reflections of the window shopper.  I am a perpetual window shopper.  I like to fill my cart up with everything I see, touch, and feel, then leave the cart.  I'm that annoying shopper that shops short of the cash register then gives you all of those things to re-shelve at the end of the day.  I'm really not a unthoughtful person.  I just like to feel what it feels like because it always eventually comes back around to me.

Today's BRIDAL TREND happens to be the dream all of all for this year's 2015 Bride.  Bridal Trend pick of the week is "Suarez Bakery" of Charlotte, NC.  How do would one describe Suarez? Well, Charlotte Magazine would call it "Guns and Butter."  I would call it Carlos Suarez.  Be sure to read more about the Bakery here. Here are some pictures from my adventures ever so rustic, sleek, wonderful, and whimsical.

BTS ( Behind the Scenes) of the "Styled Vintage Bride" Shoot

Styled Shoot Sneak Peek

Brides, Bouquets, Flowers, Sunlight, STYLED SHOOT.  I'd write more about this, but I'm saving it for some upcoming blog love about the shoot and Behind the Scenes (BTS)  Stay tuned!

First Official Wedding of the Season: Greg and Candace

Years ago in the state of Michigan, two young kids met and became lifelong friends.  Thirteen is a tender age to meet the love of your life.  But that's exactly happened with Greg and Candace! They met at 13 and married 50 years later! I guess that saying is true that that "true love never dies!" Here is a sneak peep from their wedding I shot yesterday.  More images to come. Great family to work with.  Hope to work with them again!

Popular Vintage Looks & Trends for the 2015 Bride

I remember waking up at 7:00am sharp to join my Mom (who I affectionately call Melinda Ann) on her ritualistic Saturday morning garage sale hunting expedition.  The mornings usually started out warm and hungry, but usually "metamorphosized" into this hot misty day filled with old dictionaries, timeless classics, clothes that smelled of mothballs & cobwebs, and of course the rumble of my stomach. My Mom placated these many sites and sounds with buying me cereal burgers (soy burgers with a mystery mixture of meat and lard) and crinkled dollars. 

I look back on many of these Saturdays with love and bliss because these very Saturdays are what has shaped my love for all things vintage and my very style in photography.

This year has brought something special with it: Vintage. Many brides are setting out to do a lot of DIY weddings to save on the cost and also put their personal touch on their special day.  I'm all for this.  This inspires creativity. 

Below are some pictures that inspire my photography and are definitely shaping up to be the most popular "Vintage Trends for the 2015 Bride."  Check out my inspiration.

sources:  Found on bestfriendsforfrosting.com Found on styledandwed.com , Found on mignonnehandmade.com, https://www.pinterest.com/source/mignonnehandmade.com/, www.greenweddingshoes.com , Found on greylikesweddings.com, Found on celia-grace.com , Found on celia-grace.com

Three BIG Reasons Why I LOVE Weddings

I love weddings. I'm in the process of planning my wedding which the date is undetermined.  We are in NO HURRY.  Plus, planning a wedding, to me, is like when you enter the first stages of an awesome relationship: you want to stay inside of your little bubble and tell the world nothing until you're good and ready.  At least, that's how it is for me.  But, I digress.

1. Weddings showcase family love.

There's nothing more beautiful then watching a sister (below) help her older sister get dressed for her big day.  Sometimes there are tears. Most of time there are laughs. All-in-all each wedding I have shot has one thing in common.  Weddings bring families together.

What was  your greatest experience at your wedding?

2.  You capture the most candid shots.

It is in my personal opinion that when you shoot a wedding, you have the greatest opportunity to capture those candid shots.  Most of the time, brides (and grooms) are so concerned with keeping up with the schedule that they forget that I'm even there. Most weddings are around 6-8 hours.  So, that's 6-8 hours of the most beautiful opportunities.

3.  You capture those very first moments between man and wife.

It's really a beautiful thing.  Just a few hours ago, they were boyfriend and girlfriend.  They were engaged.  Now, they are husband and wife.  They now share families.  When they hold hands, it means something to the world because they are both sharing this new life together.  It is something I have never seen with any other form of photography.