Charlotte Wedding Photographer - Cheyenne Schultz Photography

Megan and Patrick - Married: Renaissance North Hills

2009-11-11T12:10:00.011-05:00

Yes, September 26th was a rainy one. Not ideal weather wise, but it didn't stop Megan and Patrick IN THE LEAST from enjoying their wedding day in Raleigh, NC. The pair were married at Hayes Barton Baptist Church and held their reception at the Renaissance North Hills.

Vendors:

Make up - Leslie Craft from Merle Normal
Hair - Cara from Salon Moxie
Flowers - The English Garden
DJ - Bethany from All the Right Grooves
Cake - Tanum Loftin (Patrick's sister-in-law)
Videography - Keith Furr from KA Studios

I'm sure Megan will be horrified at me posting this, but I can't help myself - it just made me laugh. As I was stooped over shooting Megan's shoes, her grandma walked by me, said "I can't resist", and smacked my behind. CRACKED ME UP.

Love this. :)

Patrick had a special surprise for Megan - he played and sang "Angel" by Aerosmith....and it was truly beautiful. In fact, probably my favorite part of their wedding day. I will forever think of Megan and Patrick when I hear that song....seriously.

Congratulations Megan and Patrick - love you guys!

November Goals and Days Like Today

2009-11-10T12:00:00.003-05:00

Besides having dropped Frank off at the vet to receive his second treatment for heart worms....and besides Geoff not being right here next to me....I love days like today.

Raining outside;
sitting in a quiet Panera with a cinnamon crunch bagel and hot tea;
snuggling into my favorite warm vest and scarf;
feeling semi caught up with my email;
finishing up editing the wedding of a super cute couple;
and excited for the pumpkin spice latte I will have later today at Starbucks.

Yes, it's a good day.

Doesn't even matter that it is already November 10th and I haven't blogged my November goals until today. Some of them have even been completed as I type this. Which is a great thing. :)

1. Edit, edit, edit. Have so much to edit this month - you have no idea.

2. Work toward the completion of our NEW BLOG <----------can't WAIT!

3. Order client albums before our album company's cut off date

4. Renew/update privilege license (DONE!)

5. Clean out the inside of my car (still not done from last month :( )

6. Celebrate my mother's 50th birthday

7. Take a load of stuff to goodwill (spring cleaning needs to begin now)

8. Get the extra couch out of the dang living room (DONE!)

9. Set up our home security system (DONE!)

10. Find the time to do a Frank photoshoot

11. Design and order our Christmas cards

12. Brainstorm for a fun project that will premiere following the launch of our new brand

13. Contact accountant (carry over from October - this MUST get done...like, now)

14. Begin re-reading "Redeeming Love" over Thanksgiving break (such an amazing book)

_____________________________________

Panera has become much less quiet in the past 15 minutes - time for Starbucks. :)

Here one more peek at my edit for the super cute couple I spoke of at the beginning of this post - their blog post coming tomorrow. :)

Leslie and Matt - Engaged - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-11-06T15:55:00.007-05:00

When the weather is a little cooler than to be desired, it's almost better for a shoot. The nip in the air just encourages a couple to grab on that much tighter to one another and snuggle in that much closer. So yes, it was a bit cold for Leslie and Matt's engagement session - but I'd say it worked out to our advantage. :)

Leslie and Matt initially booked us for their August wedding, but then decided to move it up to mid-May....sounds good to me! I'd do it too if it were me - Geoff and I had a thirteen month engagement.....we were really ready to be married about 8 months in. Anyway, we're really looking forward to their wedding out at The Point Club. For now, enjoy their engagement pictures.

Anna and John - Married - Rumbling Bald Resort

2009-11-03T11:16:00.006-05:00

Our drive up to Lake Lure, NC on September 19th, was a dreary one - weather wise, that is. :) We knew Anna and John were planning on having their ceremony outside that day at the Rumbling Bald Resort, so we were REALLY hoping the weather would hold up. Turns out, it had poured buckets that morning at the resort, but by the time we got there, the rain was gone.

The day couldn't have been complete without the fantastic vendors that Anna and John hired:

- Gorgeous flowers by Sweetbrier

- Coordination provided by the fabulous Tara Jordan of Weddings with Tara

- Dylan Skidmore from Blazin Sounds did an awesome job as the DJ

Anna and John decided to see each other before the ceremony for a "First Look" - it was definitely exciting to watch them round the corners of the wooden path and catch sight of each other. I always breathe easier when a bride/groom tells us they want to do a first look - it just helps SO much with the overall flow of a wedding day and gives us the time that we need for pictures without feeling rushed by packing in pictures in between the ceremony and reception.

We didn't get any sun, but even better - we got this amazing fog that hung over the mountains - it was perfect.

In lieu of a basket for the flower girl to hold her petals, Anna found a dishcloth ( I think that's what it was) from Anthropologie and had it sewn to be an apron for her to wear - ummmmmm....adorable, right?!

Best backdrop for a walk down the aisle ever. Can you see the Rumbling Bald workers at the bottom right watching on as Anna and her dad approached the ceremony? :)

A favorite moment from their day was the song choices for the ceremony - John walked in to Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line" and the newly married couple walked....no wait.....scratch that.....DANCED back down the aisle for the recessional to Michael Franti and Spearhead's "Say Hey (I Love You)". They were so full of joy and happiness - it totally made my day.

This shot just might have to find it's way to my wall as a print.....um, yes.

The details of this day were perfect - Anna and John clearly put in a lot of work prior to their day - and I'd say, the hard work paid off. The pair even built, stained, and painted all of the centerpiece boxes for the reception themselves! As soon as I saw those, I wanted them....for my own. :)))

Lucky us - we avoided the rain for all pictures and the ceremony.....but at the reception - the skies opened up and it POURED. And while there were some minor leakage problems with the ceiling, it really cast a romantic feeling over the evening.

Thank you Anna and John for being so fun to work with - we wish you many blessings for a long and happy life together. :)

Meet My Family (well, some of them)

2009-11-02T12:44:00.003-05:00

November goals are coming - soon enough.

For now, and this has been a long time coming, I am sharing some of my own family pictures that Geoff and I took back in AUGUST on our trip to California. "Edit family pictures" was on my list of September goals and October goals. And well, it took me until November 1st to get them done.

Taking these pictures was a rough experience - I was sick with the flu. I was on day three of the horrible sickness, so I was finally able to stand for short periods of time. I am THE most pathetic person you will ever meet when I get sick...so sucking it up to shoot these was quite the feat indeed. :)

My brother and sister-in-law - Joe and Jessica:

My brother, sister-in-law and niece - AJ, Khadijah, and Eulalia:

My brother and his girlfriend - Morgan and Leah:

My youngest brother Brandon (who wanted some pics of himself for facebook :)):

My mother and step-dad - Sallee and Fred:

And here's all of us - not pictured above, my brother Ryan is on the top right (thanks to Leah for taking this shot):

And here I am - in all my glory.....lovely, aren't I?

Featured: Carolina Bride

2009-10-26T21:59:00.004-04:00

We were super excited to hear that Lee Ann and Miguel were to be featured in the current issue of Carolina Bride magazine. And when we saw the layout, my jaw dropped. I love it. :)

Fall Wedding Previews

2009-10-26T21:06:00.008-04:00

We made it through October! After shooting FIVE weddings this month, we're ready to have this weekend off for a little break before we finish off the year. And now, I have a TON of editing to do....here's what's coming up. :)

Anna and John - September 19

Megan and Patrick - September 26

Andrea and Shawn - October 3

Jenn and Brad - October 9

Julie and Pat - October 10

Allison and Don - October 17

Katherine and Ryan - October 24

We also have two more engagement sessions to be featured here - those will be up soon. :)

Leslie and Matt

Brooke and Jon

Help Find Frank a Good Home!

2009-10-26T13:25:00.004-04:00

So, here's the deal. Last night on our way home from an engagement session in NoDa, we spotted a stray dog running around near Davidson Street and I-277. Geoff and I will always try our best to catch a stray we see running around, but have never been successful in actually catching a dog. Last night, however, we were able to get ahold of him and put him in the back of our car.

From there, we took him to our vet to see if he was micro-chipped...no dice. Our options on a Sunday night were few and far between -we didn't want to hand him over to Animal Control, so we decided to have him vaccinated, board him for the night at the vet and then try to get him hooked up with a no-kill shelter/rescue group today. So far, we haven't had any luck. Project Halo seemed like our best bet, but they are already full. Now, I'm getting desperate for him and want for him to find a safe place to stay temporarily until he can be adopted or find him a permanent home now.

We've been calling him Frank (as in, Frank the Tank). Frank is the SWEETEST boy - he smiles a lot and sits and lays down when you prompt him to. The vet gave him a physical last night - they said he seems to be in good physical health - weighing in at 62 pounds.

If anyone is interested in him, please email me at Cheyenne.Schultz@gmail.com - if we don't already know you, we'll ask that references are provided. Thanks so much!

Katie and Kevin - Engagement Session - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-21T23:43:00.005-04:00

I am a klutz. It's true. I've always been amazed at the wedding photographers who can shoot with two camera bodies at the same time - one to shoot, and the other strapped around their shoulder ...switching back and forth when they prefer to use the other lens. I have a hard enough time staying on my own two feet while shooting (or walking for that matter), so the former scenario is just not possible.

When I fell down a grass hill near the end of their engagement session, Katie and Kevin saw first hand how clumsy I can be. And I'm not talking about a little trip.....I mean I FELL DOWN THE HILL....as in slipped, landed on my butt, and slid down. It was a moment in my life that my "cool factor" was off the charts. My mother always told me she should have named me Grace. :/

Anyway, please enjoy the engagement pictures of the ever-cute Katie and Kevin. :)

I so love this. It's a favorite. :)

Dana and Adam - Engaged - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-20T13:18:00.004-04:00

Seeing as they went out for ice cream for their first date (and from what I've been told, they both LOVE ice cream), I thought it only fitting to kick off Dana and Adam's engagement session with some good old Ben & Jerry's. Perhaps it was a little messy...but worth it if you ask me. :)

Adorable.

They also brought along their sweet boy, Cooper!

Can't wait for next June to shoot the wedding of this sweet couple. :)

Allison - Bridal Portrait - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-19T13:05:00.004-04:00

Allison and Don were married this weekend in Winston-Salem.....now, happy to share her bridal portraits we took on what felt like the hottest day of the year at Vanlandingham Estate. :)

Hair and makeup by the fabulous Elizabeth Tolley. :)

I love these two. :)

Featured: Ruffled & Jenn's Bridals Part Two - Charlotte Wedding Phtoographer

2009-10-16T11:31:00.007-04:00

First things first. If you didn't catch us yesterday on the super cute wedding planning/inspiration Ruffled blog (formerly known as "Vintage Glam") to see part one of Jenn's Bridals featured, (CLICK HERE) you should go see. Thanks so much for the feature, Amanda!

Also, you can see the full post of part one HERE if you missed it.

Secondly, as promised, here are a few more from Jenn's bridal portrait session out at the Rock Quarry of Carrigan Farms.

Hair and makeup by Elizabeth Tolley. :)

Becky and Tim - Married - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-15T17:36:00.005-04:00

When I first arrived to Aloft Hotel in the epicentre of uptown Charlotte, Becky and crew were just arriving. While they settled in, I stole her engagement ring off her finger and took more than a few shots in the hotel lobby. Here are some of my favorites. :) Fun stuff, right?

Becky had her hair done at a salon, but then had the talented makeup artist Katie O'Neil with Makeup Your Face come to the hotel for her makeup.

Geoff met up with Tim and his guys at a cabin they had rented in Huntersville.

Love this shot.

You are FLAWLESS, Becky!

The closer we got to the ceremony, they more the clouds were threatening. However, the rain made sure to stay away the entire day. :)

LOVE this shot of Becky and her dad right before the ceremony.

The ceremony was held at the super quaint and super cute St. Mary's Chapel.

Becky and Tim left it up to Geoff and I where we would take bridal party/couples photos - they said they wanted something fun and different. We went for SouthEnd Charlotte. :)

Reception was held at Birkdale Golf Club in Huntersville.

They had a COOKIE BAR - oh yes, it was awesome. Some of the best chocolate cookies I've had.

Just one more ring shot.

Congratulations Becky and Tim! We wish you only the best! :)

Jenn's Bridals - Part One - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-13T22:02:00.005-04:00

You may remember Jenn from her and her fiance's junkyard engagement session - she is also the force behind Project Evermore that I blogged last Friday.

Jenn's bridals are hands down one of our favorite bridal portrait sessions we've shot to date. For these, we found ourselves out in Mooresville at the amazing rock quarry of Carrigan Farms.

Hair and makeup by the crazy talented Elizabeth Tolley.

Part two of her session will be coming at you later on this week! :)

I DIE every time I look at her dress. She got it at New York Bride Loft, but then had the strap added on.

I love this one - it's a favorite. :)

Melissa and Diego - Engaged - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-13T02:14:00.004-04:00

After rescheduling TWICE due to poor weather, we finally were able to meet up with Melissa, Diego, and their sweet baby boy Sandro for their engagement session in uptown Charlotte. Can't hardly wait for their November 7th wedding!

Love this. A lot. Took it within seconds of being kicked out of this alley.

Someday, Geoff is going to be a great dad. :)

Grace's Bridals - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-12T15:53:00.003-04:00

I am SUPER excited to be sharing these bridal portraits.....because I. LOVE. THEM.

Grace got married this past Saturday. While we didn't photograph her wedding day, I was glad for the opportunity to do her portraits for her. She let me pick out her location - I chose SouthEnd....I love all of the colors and the wrecked feeling of the spots we ended up at.

Grace saw me eyeing the open back of this semi-truck - I didn't say a word.....I didn't need to...she quickly exclaimed, "I can get up in there if you want!!". Ummmm.....yes, please. :)

One of my favorites. :)

Adorable, no?

Congratulations, Grace!!! :)

Project Evermore Begins Today

2009-10-09T02:22:00.008-04:00

A couple of months ago I got a package in the mail marked "personal and confidential". It actually kind of freaked me out at first, not knowing what it was.

Upon further inspection, I realized....it was from Jenn and Brad...our 10/9/09 couple. 10/9/09 means TODAY. Today, Jenn and Brad are getting married. :)

I was floored at Jenn and Brad's creativity as I read through the dossier and learned of my new name - Photoagent Schultz.

Photoagent Schultz,

We contacted you not to be nice but because we are familiar with your work. We believe a band of thirteen, along with Suspects Jennifer Smith and Bradley Davis, are plotting what we are calling...'Project Evermore.' It is believed their followers could be in the hundreds, up to one hundred and fifty.

We do know for certain they will be meeting Friday, October 9th. We need you there.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

i. Document and photograph the "Suspects.'
ii. Follow all of the 'Suspects.'
iii. Lead them to believe they know you, as you know them.
iiii. Capture them in their most candid of moments.
v. Report to us immediately following with any image documentation we may be interested in.

This if your final chance to withdraw your involvement in 'Project Evermore.' From this moment on you will be referred to as Photoagent Schultz and you will be contacted with further instruction. Good luck and God speed.

Inside each file, I found a profiling for each of Jenn and Brad's bridesmaids and groomsmen. I died at the detail.

Anyway, just wanted to share a glimpse into their wedding day and what is to come. Can't hardly wait to begin shooting. :)

Tara and Mike - Engaged - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-07T11:44:00.004-04:00

Tara and Mike will be getting married this coming April at Byron's SouthEnd - we haven't shot there since Jessica and Steve's wedding and can't wait to be back!

Until then, please enjoy a few of their engagement session - and I'm sorry, but how CUTE is her dress? I wish it was mine. :)

Love this. :)

October Goals

2009-10-06T11:14:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I know I'm a few days late in blogging my October goals....better late than never, right? :)

Before we get into October's - here's a quick report on what goals were met in September:

1. Have an uptown date night with Geoff
2. Update and renew our equipment/liability insurance
3. Organize our new client folders
4. Get caught up with paying our sales tax
5. Send my grandma a present for her 70th birthday
6. Do something fun for Labor Day
7. Figure out what to do with the excess furniture in our living room
8. Visit the Old Tyme Marketplace

LOVED this place - picked up this super cute container for the kitchen.

9. Network with one new wedding related vendor
10. Take Ellen and Jazzy to the vet

And here's a few pics of my happy, healthy girls.

Here is my listing for October goals:

1. Finish decorating/painting the living room

2. Deep clean of the inside of my car

3. Deep clean my entire house before my mom and step-dad get in from California

4. Edit the pictures we took of my family on our trip to CA

5. Get our Pickpic merchant account set-up

6. Finish new logo/begin new blog

7. Make contact with our accountant to discuss accountant type things

8. Order four client albums currently in production

9. Design and order new parent album sample (DONE!)

10. Get new privilege license

11. Set up an "us" shoot for Geoff and I

12. Have a pumpkin patch trip/carving pumpkins date

13. Make pumpkin bread

14. Develop a list of magazines for submissions and submit some weddings for publication

15. Implement Geoff and Cheyenne "photo challenge" into every wedding/shoot.

Andrea's Bridals - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-04T23:36:00.004-04:00

Hi friends. It's a little late in the day for my post - I had intentions to post this morning, but then got caught up at the gym followed by furiously cleaning my kitchen for my mom and step-dad's arrival this week. They'll be staying with us for a week and I refuse to let them see how filthy my house is.

So, this weekend....Andrea was married. And seriously...it was THE best day of the year to get married. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. And I SO can't wait to share her and Shawn's fall chic wedding at the Vanlandingham Estate.

For her portrait, Andrea decided to go for an urban look since her wedding day photos were going to have a very natural, green feel. She told me she thought it would be neat to contrast feminine bridal with the masculine feel of the buildings, etc....the girl read my mind. :)

Hair and makeup by Kymm of Who's the Fairest. :)

Ever since shooting Mary and Niall there, I've been dying to get back to this spot to shoot a bridal. I LOVE this shot.

LOVING this.

And this one.....is going on the website (when I get around to updating it!).

Allison and Don - Engaged - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-10-01T13:47:00.004-04:00

Allison initially booked us just for her bridal portraits, but then later secured us to shoot her wedding this October as well. This girl is as nice as they come, so I was thrilled when we were able to work it out.

A couple of weeks ago her and her fiance - Don - came down from Winston-Salem for their engagement session. The shoot began with some dancing in front of this amazing wall we found - country music blaring from a truck parked in the parking lot...turned on ESPECIALLY for us :) .....compliments of a passerby.

We'll see you guys in few weeks...can't wait!!! :)

Could there BE a more appropriate sign? I think not.

LOVE this.

This is a FAVORITE. :)

Angela and Matt - Engaged - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-09-29T00:32:00.005-04:00

When I first met Angela over coffee to talk about her wedding, I knew we would be a good fit for each other. She has great style, is SUPER nice, and was looking for something unique for her wedding photography. Her and her fiance - Matt - are getting married this coming March here in Charlotte at The Palmer Building.

For their engagement session, Angela had the idea to take the light-rail from uptown to SouthEnd and just hop out to shoot along the way. Fun!

Megan's Bridals - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-09-28T11:19:00.003-04:00

As of Saturday, Megan is married. :) Can't wait to share pics, but for now, here are some of my favorites from her bridal portrait.

Megan displayed this shot on a canvas at her reception. It looked incredible.

Katie and Tracy - Engaged Part 2 - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-09-24T12:35:00.004-04:00

After shooting some more casual stuff with Katie and Tracy, they were interested in finishing up our time together with a mini night shoot uptown with a fashion flair. So that's what we did. :)

When I posted Part One of their session yesterday, I forgot to mention the talent behind Katie's hair and makeup. It was by Kymm with Who's the Fairest, of course. :)

Katie and Tracy - Engaged Part One - Charlotte Wedding Photographer

2009-09-22T23:49:00.007-04:00

We're going to have to make this a two part post - hope you don't mind. :)

Since the artsy/querky area of Charlotte NoDa has become home to Katie and Tracy, we thought starting the shoot off there would be perfect. As we began shooting, Tracy confessed that he had been studying up on poses from a youtube video. I died. :)))

I'm in love with all of Katie and Tracy's images from their engagement session. Like, in LOVE. Wait till' you see their hot night shoot in uptown...those will be hitting the blog tomorrow - can't wait to share. :)

Unexpectedly, we happened upon this half finished mural.

How could we pass up the opportunity to shoot with the hulk? I mean, we were in NoDa. It would be a crime not to.