north carolina wedding photographer • • • sadie higs photography »

Sweater-weather. Fire-colored foliage. Crisp, cool breezes. Warm coffee. A light jacket in the morning. A new school year. Jack-O-Lanterns. Hay rides. Seeing your breath outside. Crock-pots. Festivals. Being cozy. Jumping in piles of leaves. Pumpkin- or apple-cider-spiced anything.

I love Fall. It’s hands-down my favorite season and I look forward to everything about it each year. Tomorrow begins September. A month that, even though today, the last day of August, was 94 degrees and sunny, means that Fall will be here, in full-swing, within the next few weeks. And I say bring it on!

In the spirit of all-things Fall, here’s a color palette created from a few of my favorite Fall photos taken at Stone Mountain State Park. The reds, oranges, yellows and blues are bold, primary colors that all compliment each other just right.

Floral Visions Design Studio has become one of our favorite vendors recently since working with them for Jackie & Zack’s wedding at Graylyn. They did a really amazing job of bringing the entire day together with gorgous bouquets and arrangements that reflected the personality of the couple and complimented the vision they had for their wedding day. One thing I can say for sure is that the quality of their work is incredible. When I picked up Jackie’s bouquet, I was astounded at how sturdy and strong it was, yet still so beautiful. That’s an important quality to have in wedding floral arrangements as they need to last for hours and hours. To help showcase the work of Floral Visions Design Studio, we tagged along while they were setting up another recent wedding at Graylyn to get a few shots of them in action, as well as show the details of their beautiful work. Meet Floral Visions Design Studio.

Company Name: Floral Visions Design Studio

Owner/Contact: Wayne Hurst

Specialty: Independent and completely personalized floral design for weddings, events, commercial and residential clients.

Areas Serviced: Floral Visions Design Studio is located in Winston-Salem and services all of The Triad.

How many years have you been in business? “I have been designing floral arrangements for over 30 years and, after spending a few years in Atlanta, decided to move back home to Winston and opened Floral Visions Design Studio in 2002.”

What makes your business unique to others in your field? “While we’re known for our signature design flare, we’re very versatile in our design capabilities. We can do everything from simple, classic and conservative Martha Stewart-inspired design to ultra-contemporary and over-the-top designs, not to mention everything in between. No matter  how simple or complex, the sky is the limit. We pay very strong attention to detail which helps us as we strive for impeccable quality.”

“We like to think of ourselves as big-picture people. We don’t just do floral arrangements. We’re considered more of an aesthetic advisor or visual planner. We help bring together the entire look, feel and atmosphere of the event. We’ll assist in selecting everything from the table linens to votives to fabrics and decorations such as Chinese lanterns.”

What excites you when you meet a client for the first time? ”I love getting inside a new client’s head and learning their personality, likes and dislikes. All of that is brought out in the event we design and is captured in the final product. Someone who is whimsical, free-spirited and outgoing would tend to have much more colorful and cutting-edge arrangements, while someone who is more reserved and classic would tend to have an all-white palette and very simplistic and elegant arrangements. Nothing we do is pre-packaged. Everything is completely customized and different for each client.”

Web:  www.floralvisionsdesignstudio.com/

Address: 729 North Peace Haven Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27104

Phone: 336.793.2363

Email: floralvisions@msn.com

A few weeks before we photographed Jackie & Zack’s wedding at Graylyn, we met with the Graylyn team to do a Meet the Vendor on them. It was nice to get to know them and learn the background on the venue, which is a staple in The North Carolina Triad. Working with them the day of the wedding was smooth and seamless. They were nothing but professional and courteous to the couples’ needs, as well as ours, which really helps make such a big day go off without a hitch.

Company Name: Graylyn International Conference Center

Specialty: With 98 guestrooms and some of the most unique spaces in North Carolina, Graylyn specializes as a hosting venue for wedding ceremonies, receptions and special events, as well as all-day meetings and overnight conferences.

Areas Serviced: Graylyn is located across the street from Reynolda Gardens near Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. If you live in The North Carolina Triad, it’s unlikely that you haven’t heard of Graylyn. And while many of their weddings are for North Carolina residents, Graylyn is quickly becoming an destination wedding location for those living outside of North Carolina.

How many years have you been in business? Graylyn was built in the late 1920s and early 1930s as a private residence for the Bowman Gray family of Winston-Salem. For the next 50 years, ownership would be passed back and for between The Gray Family and Wake Forest University. In 1980 an extensive fire caused the entire 3rd floor of The Manor House to be destroyed. Over the next four years, the 3rd floor was reconstructed, guestrooms were added, and the estate was re-opened as Graylyn International Conference Center, which has since hosted global dignitaries and leading organizations.

What makes your business unique to others in your field? “We are not a traditional banquet hall. The estate was one a private home, so even though it’s incredibly grand and breath-taking, it still has a homey-comfortable feel. Graylyn and its grounds are beautiful and richly decorated, minimizing the need for additional decorations. We also offer many additional services, such as guestrooms, transportation, and our food is unlike any other hotel in the area. Our Executive Chef hails from Barbados and has the ability to deliver a wide variety of culinary cuisines. While Graylyn has a repertoire of menus for events, our chef takes great pride in working directly with our clients to customize menus.”

What excites you when you meet a client for the first time? “We love meeting clients to help them create the most-exciting celebration of their lives.”

Web: http://www.graylyn.com/

Address: 1900 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106

Phone: 336.758.2429

Contact: http://www.graylyn.com/requests/formspecial.htm

This is one of my favorite photos I’ve taken to-date. In fact, I’ve been meaning to get it printed and framed since I took it last summer. The mixture of browns, sages and whites in this image are excellent inspiration for a wedding theme of earthy, neutral-toned details, such as vintage wooden boxes, cotton, daisies and tall grass. It could be an early-evening outdoor wedding in late-summer, where it’s just warm enough that you might have to serve fresh-squeezed lemonade in mason jars to your guests as they make their way to the reception in the open-air tent located across the field under a big old oak tree.

We had the pleasure of working with Ketchie Creek Bakery when they did the beautiful cupcake tree for Catherine & Taylor’s wedding at The Proximity Hotel. I think this Meet the Vendor profile may have been one of my favorites to do thus far; not only are the people at Ketchie Creek Bakery super-nice and very talented, but they gave us samples to take home and taste-test! YUUMM!

Here’s a little eye candy to start things off. Be prepared to drool! (Consider yourself warned.)

Company Name: Ketchie Creek Bakery & Cafe, Mocksville, NC

Owner/Contact: Renna & Gerald Welborn

Specialty: Top quality cakes, cupcakes and baked goods for weddings, celebrations and special occasions such as birthday and anniversaries.

Areas Serviced: Ketchie Creek will deliver within about an hour radius of Mocksville, NC, but have had people come from as far as Ashville, Mt. Airy and Raleigh just to pick up their cakes!

What’s unique about your business that sets you apart from others in your field? “Ketchie Creek was established 27 years ago and many of the original family recipes are still being used today. Locals look forward to our special ‘5 Flavor Pound Cake’ and ‘Shadow Cake,’ as well as our own ‘Ketchie Creek Blend’ of coffee. All of our products, from cake batter to icing, are made from scratch. We also offer a very wide variety of breakfast and lunch foods, including Boars Head meats and cheeses. While we’ve kept the family atmosphere, we’ve recently added an online ordering function and are continually adding new items to the menu.”

What excites you when you meet a client for the first time? “We love being part of the planning process of someone’s wedding day. We also love to see the excitement on a their face when they see their cakes or cupcakes for the first time.”

If you weren’t in this business, what would you be doing? “I was actually a teacher before Gerald and I bought Ketchie Creek 2 years ago.”

Contact Information:

Web: http://www.ketchiecreekbakery.com/

Email: renna@ketchiecreekbakery.com

Phone: 336.751.9147