Irresistible Portraits: A Gift for Mom

We want to share unique portrait ideas with you and this is one of the first that came to mind...

We photographed Holly's bridal portrait in November. Not only was she a GORGEOUS bride, but such a sweet girl to work with! We could tell from the beginning that her and her mother were very close. After Holly's projection appointment to view her bridal images, she called us to say she wanted to order an 8x8 coffee table book to give as a gift to her mom. We mentioned sharing some quotes that were personal to her and even a letter to her mom.

Tara designed a beautiful book using Holly's favorite images and quotes along with some heartfelt words from Holly to her mom. It's enough to make you cry! Here's a few of the spreads from the coffee table book.... You can see the entire book on our facebook fan page.

After the wedding, we received this sweet thank you card from Holly's mom.

Words cannot express my surprise and love I felt when I opened my special gift from Holly. Thank you so much for all the special attention you gave Holly in helping her with my book. I will treasure it forever. You guys are wonderful and I can never thank you enough for everything.

Many Thanks,

Vicki Brawley

Just another reason why we love what we do!

Irresistible Portraits: Photography Class Benefiting Focused on a Cure

Karen has been involved in teaching other professional photographers for years, which is how she earned her degree of photographic craftsman through Professional Photographers of America in 2006. We're always thinking of different ways to earn money for Focused on a Cure, so we thought.... why not host a seminar for professional photographers at IP? We can share how we do everything from marketing photographing to workflow and sales.

We hosted the all day seminar last Tuesday at Irresistible Portraits! Karen began the day by photographing a few different sessions to show the other photographers indoor and outdoor lighting along with interaction with the children! Here's a few of our favorites from the sessions...

You can check out more of our favorites on facebook.

We raised a little less than $800 in tuition for the all day seminar and donated the proceeds to Focused on a Cure!!! Thanks to all who attended.

Irresistible Portraits: Arnette-Flachs Wedding [06.12.10]

Patricia Arnette and Bruce Flachs had a small, intimate ceremony at the Duke Mansion in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, June 12th, 2010. Patricia chose Tara Molles (Irresistible Portraits' Associate Photographer) as her wedding photographer. Tara was assisted by Lauren Hutchinson as a second photographer during Patricia and Bruce's special day.

This was a second marriage for the bride and groom, so their children accompanied them as their wedding party. Patricia's daughters, McCall and Caroline, were their bridesmaids and Bruce's sons, Kyle and Davis, were the groomsmen.

The Duke Mansion has so many photographic opportunities! Everywhere you look, there's a beautiful image! Tara wanted plenty of time to photograph at this gorgeous venue and mentioned Patricia seeing Bruce before the ceremony. Patricia was excited at the opportunity, so the couple had their first moment just before the image above. Emotions are freeflowing when it's a private first moment like this. Tara and Lauren did an amazing job at capturing every detail.

There's more to preview in our "sneak peek" album on Irresistible Portraits' facebook fan page.

The Flachs' wedding images will be posted online on Saturday, July 24th, 2010 and will be available online for viewing and ordering through Saturday, August 21st. You can access these images through Irresistible Portraits' website. Click on weddings, then client images. Enter flachs (all lowercase) as your password. Enjoy!

Irresistible Portraits: Benbow-Cisowski Wedding [06.12.10]

Mary Benbow and Ted Cisowski married Saturday, June 12th, 2010, at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Concord, NC. Karen, Renda, and Jessica were there to capture all the details of their big day.

First Presbyterian Church is one of the most beautiful churches in this area and it's music to IP's ears when a bride mentions holding their ceremony there! Not only is the exterior of the church gorgeous with archways and a courtyard, but next door is a gorgeous building where the girls get ready.

Ted is a major in the marines, so we had the pleasure of working with men in uniform all day! They were a great group of guys to work with. We want to thank all the men and women who serve this country!

They had a grand exit after the ceremony. "Kiss to Pass!"

Their reception was held at the Embassy Suites Concord. This is a beautiful venue... then again Chelish Moore Flowers can make anything beautiful with her talent!

We were blessed to work with some very established vendors during Mary and Ted's wedding day. KA Studios documented their day and Kim McIlwaine (of The Bride's Choice) directored the event.

We've posted a "sneak peek" album on our Irresistible Portrait's facebook fan page.

The Cisowskis' wedding images will be posted online on Saturday, July 17th and will be available to view and order until Saturday, August 14th. You can access those through the Irresistible Portraits website. Click on weddings, then client images. Enter cisowski (all lowercase) as your password. Enjoy!

Irresistible Portraits: Garden Renovation Progress

Earthworks Landscape Design is still working their magic in the garden and making great progress! This is the new home for the truck at the bottom of our garden and the new gravel road that leads to the area.

The ponds were overgrown with plants and lily pads, but they've been cleaned and look fresh for the duck sessions!

They've started some gorgeous stone areas in the garden. This one will be a set of steps and stone area surrounding the gazebo.

There's more supplies to be put in their place... and we're looking forward to the final product!!

IP Wedding: Argo-Dunkin [05.29.10]

Ashley Argo and Matthew Dunkin of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee said their wedding vows on Memorial Day weekend in South Carolina. They met in law school and the love story began. When Ashley came to IP inquiring about wedding photography, she said one of her friends had told her, "Whatever you do, don't skimp on photography. It should be a priority!" Ashley chose Tara as her wedding photographer and she'll never regret that decision.

Their ceremony was held at St. John's United Methodist Church in Fort Mill, SC, and the minister said of all the ceremonies he had officiated, this one was filled with so much love! Then their reception was held at McBryde Hall on the Winthrop University campus in Rock Hill, SC, where Evan Eudy did his magic. WOW... to the flowers! This was an amazing venue. The shape of the building allowed for long dinner tables running the length of the building accented with round cocktail tables. The band was awesome - Deja Vu of East Coast Entertainment. The cake was fantastic (according to Tara and Becca). Ashley even wore an adorable apron while cutting the cake. CUTE IDEA for future brides!

All in all, it sounds like this wedding was every girl's dream! Check out some more favorites in our sneak peek album on facebook.

The Argo-Dunkin wedding images will be posted online for viewing and ordering from 6/26/10 to 7/24/10. To access those images, go to http://www.irresistibleportraits.com/. Click weddings then client images. Enter dunkin (all lowercase) as your password. By using the same name and email address to log in, you can keep favorites and even a shopping cart. Enjoy!

Irresistible Portraits: Upcoming Beach Photography

It's warm outside and we're ready to stick our toes in the sand! Our beach photography sessions start this weekend - June 4th and 5th. We have weekends throughout the summer that we offer beach sessions on Friday and Saturday evenings at Sunset Beach, NC. We wait until late afternoon, early evening to photograph so the light is PERFECT and the sun is setting!

Here are some product ideas we have for beach photography....

Our beach bag has been a hit this year (even with studio images). You can choose different colored materials to accent the images.

This is a gallery wrap collection, splitting one image into three wraps. We also offer collections with multiple images grouped together. You can save 20% on gallery wraps when you purchase them as collections. Why not have this gorgeous display in your hallway or living room at home?

Beach images were very popular for christmas cards in 2009! Everyone wants to wish a warm holiday...

Karen is also willing to travel to your beach house or a location sentimental to your family. Just give us a call and we'll see if she's available to travel during the time your family is together.

In addition to this weekend, the dates reserved for beach photography are:

July 3rd - 10th (Sunset Beach, NC)

July 23rd & 24th (Sunset Beach, NC)

August 8th & 9th (Sunset Beach, NC)

September 10th & 11th (Charleston, SC)

Good thing you kept reading... We wouldn't want you to miss this special chance to save $160! We have one session left for beach photography this Saturday, June 5th, at 7pm. If you call and mention this blog post, we'll waive the session fee for this Saturday's session. HURRY! 704.933.5600