Dalton-Harris Wedding

Last weekend, Karen and Renda photographed the wedding of Kristen Dalton & Barry Harris. Kristen and her father are photographers in Danville, VA. Karen was privileged to be asked to photograph their big day. The wedding took place at Sunset Beach, NC.

The rain didn't effect the plans. They held the ceremony inside the beach house and they still managed to get plenty of outdoor images.

Kristen and Barry seem like the perfect match. Karen described it as "awesome to see two people who were meant for each other to finally find each other."

And of course, there was some dancing to be done after the ceremony!

Congratulations to Kristen & Barry! We're so happy for you two! It was an honor to photograph your wedding and we look forward to sharing all the images with you.

Kristen and Barry's images will be online for viewing Saturday, October 24th through November 21st. To access those images, go to http://www.irresistibleportraits.com/. Click on weddings, then client images. Enter harris (all lowercase) as your password. Happy viewing!

GPPA Convention

The GPPA (Georgia Professional Photographers Association) held their annual convention last week in Jekyll Island, GA. Karen was asked to speak to their local association about her "Smart Marketing." She was sponsored by H&H Color Lab and Magnolia Frames.

Check out some of Karen's images in the H&H booth at the trade show. The four images were printed on metal. The left two images are by Lonnie Hoke of Lugoff, SC and the right two are Karen's.

Lonnie spoke on Monday morning about if he knew then what he knows now. During his seminar, Lonnie showed a list of names of photographers who have inspired him along the way and Karen was on it. What an honor!

Then Monday afternoon, after the trade show, it was Karen's turn! She shared all of IP's "Smart Marketing" and told the truth - "You can't complain about not being busy if you're not marketing yourself."

You know IP doesn't do anything average; Karen brought TONS of samples and frames, and everything IP offers - from framed portraits and metal prints to albums, purses, and dance studio products.

During a break, all the attendees had an opportunity to look through the products and samples and ask questions.

Karen always has great giveaways at her seminars. We keep a close relationship with all of our vendors and they're always so supportive of Karen sharing her expertise with others. Karen gave away samples of jewelry, metal prints, pearl canvas wraps, skinny minis (small business cards), and a huge discount on a new website. (Thank you so much to all our vendors!)

H&H always has the most cutting edge products. The metal prints have been a hit, but how cool is this display? This stand was made specifically to hold a combination of metal prints. Here are six 16"x16" metal prints with 4 holes hung together with chain. (Thanks to H&H to an awesome variety of samples!)

At the end of the seminar, Karen shared something dear to our hearts - Focused on a Cure. She told how it began and what it has become. She brought a few of the survivor metal prints with her and also showed a slideshow of the quotes from our survivors' stories. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. She sold some t-shirts and received a few donations to Focused on a Cure! It was awesome to see people to interested and supportive of our cause.

Needless to say, job well done, Karen!

We've gotten a lot of wonderful feedback since the seminar. Here's a few...

"The speakers were phenomenal, too. Lonnie Hoke and Karen Goforth both created a buzz yesterday. Karen went too far, though. She made folks CRY! (myself included.)" -Rachel (H&H blog)

"Hey. Hope your drive home went quick!! I'm still rolling on a high from yours and Lonnie's seminars! You guys rock! Thanks so much for coming down south to share your craft!!" -Tim & Michelle Brown

"I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed and was revived by your presentation on Jekyll. You had amazing images and so many great ideas that you shared with us. Now that I'm back from the conventions, I have much work to do on fine tuning my promotions. Thank you for your time and hospitality." -Angie Franklin

"The cancer survivor in me is in total AWE of your Focused on a Cure philanthropy. The 21 years of business part of me is in AWE of you paralleling me... surviving this crazy business too! The spiritual side of me is in AWE of your heart and love for our Lord. Well this list could go on and on... I just can't wait to talk to you again. You make me smile!" -Lori Grice

"I met Karen at the GPPA convention this past week! She was awesome and I did not get to catch her because she was swamped with people. Anyway, I live in a small town in south Georgia and I am really interested in doing something for charity! My mother in law had breast cancer and she is a survivor as well as my husband who had kidney cancer. My question is how do I go about getting something like that started? I loved the Piggin' Out for Pink idea and the slideshow made me cry. I loved the song! So, if you could help me with that I would appreciate it!" -Kellie Hardeman

Sounds like she did a great job! Maybe Focused on a Cure will inspire someone to spread awareness in their community!

Wilson-Bunting Wedding

Katie Wilson and Joe Bunting tied the knot this past Saturday at St. Mark's Catholic Church in Huntersville. This was actually the first wedding ceremony held at this church, which makes it extra special. Tara and Renda were there to capture every detail of the day!





Katie and Joe ranked photography high on the priority list, so they saved a great amount of time for portraits after the ceremony. They will be very pleased when they see all their images!





The excitement began with the reception! Katie and Joe were announced into the reception with a cheer and line of high fives. Then the groom's brothers led the groomsmen in a Lebanese dance, which involved alot of stomping. As you can see here, Mark wasn't sure of the moves, so he resumed with the "tripod."



Katie and Joe's familes are from West Virginia and Delaware, so it was an event when the DJ played "Country Road." We can't wait to show off the images from that moment.

We had a great time with the new Mr. & Mrs. Bunting! We're looking forward to showing all the images from their big day. The images will be posted online on October 17th and will be available through November 14th. You can access those by visiting www.irresistibleportraits.com. Click on weddings, then client images and enter bunting (all lowercase) as your password. You can view and place orders through this website.

Enjoy!

IP in Tennessee

We had heard the name Mac Brown time after time after time - always great things. Finally, Karen met Rebecca Brown-Weaver (Mac Brown's daughter) at the Women's Forum held by H&H in Kansas City recently. Karen came home excited and intrigued with her new found friend. They seemed to have similar opinions about photography, the way they run their businesses, and life in general.

So we decided... it was time to take a trip to visit the Browns at Mac Brown Photographers in Lawrenceburg, TN. We arrived in Nashville last Saturday, ate dinner and had a little dose of karaoke in the city, then headed to Lawrenceburg. Rebecca picked us up for church on Sunday morning and treated us as a part of her family! We met Mac and Kathy Brown at church. They took us to eat lunch at a local diner, which was FABULOUS! They showed us around their town and told us neat little stories about their historic area.

We visited their studio Sunday afternoon and we were in awe! They are on top of their game! This visit was a creative inspiration for our group! Our to-do lists have grown and we've got lots of ideas to implement.

Mac shared a few lighting secrets with Karen while we posed! You know we never mind being in front of the camera! :)





On Monday, we hung out at their studio, brainstormed together, and Tara shared a few Lightroom secrets.

We had such a wonderful time with the Browns. Southern hospitality just doesn't cover the generosity they shared with us. They're the sweetest people we've met! We're hoping they can make a visit to NC soon to visit us and we can return the favor!



Monday evening, we headed back to Nashville for a night on the town. We had a delicious dinner at local restaurant, participated in a little karaoke at "Wanna Be's" and stayed in the center of downtown.



We had a blast! We made new friends. We visited an awesome city and we were inspired creatively! What more could you ask for?

Why would a Dove need a bridge?

Meet the Dove family - Alan, Misty, Aiden, and Addyson.



Alan was recently diagnosed with cancer of the liver and colon. His battle against cancer began in August. He has recently transferred his caring bridge site to a blog, where he keeps everyone updated on his thoughts and feelings and what's going on in his life. You'll laugh and cry at his words of wisdom. Take the time to check it out at www.dovebridge.wordpress.com.

You can check out more of their family images from their recent portrait session on our fan page at www.facebook.com/IPbyKG.

Keep Alan and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

New Hope Women's Ministry

Karen had the opportunity to meet a very passionate woman the other day. She is passionate in her ministry and has an undeniable love for Christ. She is Leigh Ann Loyd - the founder and director of New Hope Women's Ministry. She wanted to share with us about two events that New Hope is hosting this year.

On October 3rd, they will be hosting a Miracle of Life Celebration from 4:00-9:00pm at Village Park on West C Street in Kannapolis. This is a family-friendly celebration with good food, fellowship, an art and crafts corner, fun children's games, and live Christian entertainment. Gianna Jessen, a saline abortion survivor, will be the guest speaker for the evening. Leigh Ann insists you won't want to miss her testimony and how God is using this young woman for HIS glory! All proceeds from the event will go to New Hope Women's Ministry to continue the Lord's work within the community as we have commissioned to do.

The next day, October 4th is the 22nd annual National Life Chain Solemn Assembly where they will gather together for a peaceful and prayerful public witness against abortion. People will line up from Applebee's in Concord to Hilbish Ford in Kannapolis on Cannon Blvd from 2:00-3:00pm. Each church or organization will have a designated place to stand. If you would like to know more about the National Life Chain, you can visit their website at http://www.lifechain.net/ for additional information.

We all know that this can be a very sensitive subject. Karen was intrigued by Leigh Ann's passion and determination to act on something that the Lord laid heavy on her heart.

New Hope Women's Ministry

Physical address:

801 West C Street

Kannapolis, NC 28083

Mailing address:

PO Box 1311

Kannapolis, NC 28082

www.newhope4women.org

hisgraceabounds@roadrunner.com

HOPE line:704.938.HOPE (4673)

alternate #: 704.575.8714

Angela's IP Home Party

We had another successful IP Home Party last week. On Thursday evening, Angela Rodgers hosted a party at her home where she invited some of her friends and neighbors to learn more about IP. Karen and Renda brought products to show the women and talked to them about photography. Karen spoke about her passion for photography and its importance. She shared her interest in finding each family's personality and spirit, and capturing that in their portraits.

They told the women about Focused on a Cure and how IP is dedicated to giving back to the community.

For entertainment, they gave some $50 gift cards out to our "contest" winners. Who had been married the longest? Who had the most recent date with their husband and NO kids? Who had the most recent family portrait? Who traveled the farthest to attend the IP Home party?

Home parties are always a lot of fun. We make new friends and meet wonderful women who love photography. We'll soon be photographing all their families and making memories for them as we've done for Angela.

After all the families from Angela's party order from their portrait sessions, Angela will receive 30% of their sales to use towards her future portrait sessions. She can potentially have an entire portrait order and not pay a dime! We've had someone earn up to $1,900 from hosting an IP Home Party.

Each home party host receives a gift from IP in addition to their future portrait order credit. We gave Angela a framed watercolor portrait of her and her husband (aka "Chip") from their recent beach location session.

We appreciate Angela taking the time to host the IP Home party. (It will definitely pay off for her!) And we look forward to getting to know all these new families!

If you're interested in hosting an IP Home Party, contact Renda at 704.933.5600.

Tybee Island, Georgia

Karen and Buddy recently vacationed for a week on Tybee Island, in Georgia. They rented a house with 5 other couples and enjoyed this beautiful view of the sunsets. The ladies relaxed while the men fished. When we asked Karen how her trip was, she said she slept in until 9am every morning and ate at Paula Dean's. Good trip - in other words!

Here's a few breathtaking images from Karen's camera!











Breathtaking was correct, huh? IP should start selling Karen's vacation images as art pieces. Anyone agree?

Focused on a Cure

Renda's been on a decorating kick again! She's spray painted a chair. She's spray painted a column. She's made flower arrangements. She's wrapped materials....

She's created a beautiful display with our 2009 survivor exhibit... on our front porch. You've got to stop by and check it out!

To stay up-to-date on Focused on a Cure, keep an eye on our blog at www.focusedonacure.blogspot.com AND our fan page at www.facebook.com/focusedonacure.

Brawley-Wessel Wedding - 09.05.09

This past Saturday, Tara and Renda photographed the wedding of Erica Brawley and Andrew Wessel. Erica and Jessica were college roommates and are the best of friends, so as soon as Andrew popped the question, Erica reserved their big day with IP!

Erica and Andrew met when they began working together in Charlotte. Andrew proposed on their one year anniversary and they began their lives as Mr. & Mrs. Wessel on Saturday! The ceremony and reception was held at Firethorne Country Club in Ballantyne. The venue was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have asked for better weather!



The wedding party was a fun group. All the girls grew up together, even graduated high school together. And the guys were great friends of Andrew's. Three of them drove HOURS from up north to be a part of his big day.

The talented Chelish Moore worked her magic once again! This was already a beautiful building with incredible architecture and details, but after Chelish was done, it looked AMAZING. Erica chose champagne and gold accents to go with the neutral flowers in her reception. Chelish was sure to cover every last detail.

The reception was a blast! Erica and Andrew chose Black & Blue as their band. They were great. The dance floor was packed all night!

Renda was sandwiched by two groomsmen at one point... but it doesn't look like she minded.

It was an honor to photograph Erica and Andrew's special day. They make a beautiful couple and we can't wait to show off all the images!

Erica and Andrew's wedding images will be posted online for viewing and ordering on October 3rd and will remain online until October 31st. You can access those by going to www.irresistibleportraits.com. Click on weddings and client images. Enter wessel (all lowercase) as your password. Enjoy!