Atlanta – Sharon Theresa Wheaton

We Have Some BIG News!

That’s right friends, family and clients – Bowie and I are moving to Nashville! We are excited to expand our wedding photography business out to Nashville, Tennessee. We will still be serving the Atlanta area but our new home base will now be in Nashville. As excited as we are, you should be too as there will be ZERO extra fees for weddings, engagements, portraits or corporate work anywhere in Georgia. That includes Savannah, Atlanta and everything in between. We are proud to serve our wonderful southern family and still plan to be in Atlanta all the time. Cheers to a great end of the year and look out Nashville, here comes the Wheaton Crew!

Senior Portrait Session |Atlanta

Leah + Grant | Wedding | Grand Hyatt Hotel Buckhead

Greetings fans! We are excited to share such a lovely wedding and couple with you guys today. Leah and Grant were married at the lovely, and recently renovated, Grand Hyatt Hotel in Buckhead! This was the first time Bowie and I had the pleasure of working at this lovely hotel. If there is one thing I can say about this location, other than its beauty, it’s that the staff is fantastic. Anything we needed, any questions we had, all situations were handled with care and excitement. From the top executive right down to the hotel staff, everyone greeted us with smiles and consideration.

We were also very excited to work with a few new vendors this wedding. Terry from Special-T-Events was the head of the show and Flowers by Yona created all the beautiful flowers and reception design. It was a great team and a beautiful day! Take some time and check out Leah and Grant’s amazing wedding. Check out this wedding published on The Knot!

To the bride and groom: Bowie and I were so, so happy to be a part of your amazing day of joy and love. Your family treated us as we were one of their own and we were so happy to be there for everyone. Here’s to an amazing marriage full of adventure, love, excitement and great surprises!

Ashlyn + Peter | Engagement| Freedom Parkway Bridge | Olmsted Linear Park

Ashlyn + Peter | Atlanta Engagement Photography| Freedom Parkway Bridge | Olmsted Linear Park

Greetings! We would like to introduce you to Ashlyn + Peter. This lovely couple comes to us from past clients Lindsey + Patrick! We’ve had the pleasure of photographing Lindsey + Patrick’s wedding a few years ago and a recent portrait session at Serenbe.

We are thankful that our clients chat about us to their friends. We like to get to know people. Let’s get to know Ashlyn + Peter.

(S) Ashlyn and Peter, tell us a little about you and Peter:

(A+P) Ashlyn grew up in Snellville with her younger brother Ryan, and her folks and both sets of grandparents still live close by. After graduating from UGA, she got her Master’s in Public Health at Mercer and now kicks butt with her work as an in-house consultant at Northside. She is an avid tennis player, runner, loves to cook and travel, but above all loves spending time with her family and friends.

Peter’s family moved to Georgia when he was 7, but thanks to his parents being from Iowa his southern accent pretty much stops and starts with “y’all”. He’s the third of four kids, and growing up in an entrepreneurial household caused him to gravitate to working in sales at a tech startup. He is getting too old to play soccer as well as he used to and enjoys Ashlyn’s cooking very much, but above all he loves spending time with his family and friends.

(S) How did you guys meet?

(A+P) This is a very controversial subject, as recollections differ tremendously. The first time we truly spent some time together, though, was on a big group getaway set up by a mutual friend (thanks, Paul) over a weekend in the mountains.

(S) Tell us a little about your first date.

(A+P) After mountain weekend, Peter got Ashlyn’s number and asked her out for a first official date. We went to an awesome restaurant called P’cheen, and spent the next three and half hours(!) laughing and realizing how much we had in common. Needless to say, it was the perfect last first date anyone could ask for.

(S) Was there a defining moment your knew relationship was taking the step towards marriage?

(A+P) This one’s a little tricky, because having instant chemistry with someone can make it seem like it was headed there all along. Pete remembers raving to my friends extremely early on about how great Ashlyn was, and brought her to meet his family about a month after the first date. Luckily she wasn’t scared off, and the overwhelming consensus from everyone was that she was an absolute keeper. When you meet someone who’s beautiful, smart, funny, and kind enough to laugh at your dumb jokes, well- you hold onto her.

(S) Peter, how did you pop “The Question?”

(A+P) Since our birthdays, anniversary, and Valentine’s Day are all within a couple weeks of each other, we try to do a fun trip every year to celebrate. Peter’s family has a lake house in Northern Michigan that they’ve gone to for years, and it was the location of one of the first real “couple’s trip” we went on when we started dating. Although sub zero temperatures are not typically what comes to mind when most people think of a fun excursion, we decided to live a little and head up there for a few days at the end of January. We were out snowshoeing along the lake one afternoon, decided to stop and take a picture to document the fact that people still, in fact, snowshoed, and Peter set up the camera to try out the self timer feature. After proclaiming “it didn’t work” after the first attempt, he secretly turned it to video mode and hustled back over to try again…except when he got back to Ashlyn, he dropped to to a knee and popped the question. Months of throwing her off the trail (Peter’s note: be careful trying that at home) made the proposal a true surprise, and the fact that we got engaged in such a special place meant a lot to both of us.

(S) Sneaky job Peter. I love how it came together so naturally and he still captured the actual moment.

We are so excited to share Ashlyn + Peter’s engagement session with all of you. We showered the Freedom Parkway Bridge with cheap champagne. It was awesome.

Bowie and I are thrilled to be apart of Ashlyn + Peter’s wedding and can’t wait for Atlanta in the fall. Enjoy!

Locations:
Olmsted Linear Park
Westside Provisions
Freedom ParkWay

Neema + Farnaz | Wedding | Intercontinental Hotel | Buckhead | Atlanta Georgia

Persian Wedding | Intercontinental Hotel | Buckhead | Atlanta Georgia – Oh yes, we’ve got an amazing one for you today ladies and gents! As you know (if you follow the blog) Neema and Farnaz were engaged over the summer and we were excited to run all over the city to shoot their engagement session.

Neema and Farnaz’s wedding was a day full of amazing beauty and love. Let’s hear all about it right from the bride:

Neema and I believe that if you can get through planning a wedding together you can get through a lot of things Neema and I were the type of couple that knew exactly what we wanted; it was just a matter of finding it. It was a little challenging because I was not from Atlanta, GA and wasn’t familiar with what the city had to offer in terms of venues/vendors so we literally started from scratch. One of the most important things for both of us was to work with vendors who matched our personality and whom we felt really enjoyed what they did! Our hard work finally paid off because we exceeded even our own expectations. Every single vendor that we worked with was amazing and I can say that I have made some truly good friends in Atlanta from the wedding planning process!

It may sound cliché, but the wedding day was truly a fairytale. The day of the wedding, I woke up in a breathtaking suite made only for a princess on the highest floor at the Intercontinental Buckhead, overlooking the entire city. My mom came to my room with the gorgeous red roses in a beautiful crystal vase. I have then pampered the rest of the day while getting ready. The hardest and most special moment was when I had my first look with my dad. The moments before my dad entered the room, a deep silence fell on the room as we all waited for him to enter. In that moment, all I could think was how lucky I was to have such a wonderful dad and how much he has done for me. During the father-daughter look, my dad put the gorgeous diamond necklace and bracelet on me. The father-daughter look was the most touching moment during my wedding and a memory I will forever treasure.

My wedding day was full of surprises. First, when my dad walked me down the aisle, the pianist surprised me by playing such an upbeat song for my entrance! The song was a traditional Persian wedding song and the guests started clapping and were very lively. I couldn’t have imagined a more amazing way to enter! I remember receiving advice from other brides, to take your time walking down the aisle and to look at your guests and I made sure to take in the moment and remember it all! My brother also had a wonderful surprise for me! He arranged one of his friends to sing our first song, All of Me! I really wanted him to sing at our wedding because he has such an amazing voice and my brother was able to arrange it! The photographer did an amazing job capturing my reaction when they announced him! Our wedding day was from 4:00 pm until 2:30 in the morning! It was a night full of dancing, drinking and celebrating our love.

The theme of the wedding was pearls and diamonds because that is my favorite jewelry combination. I absolutely love pearls and diamonds mixed or separate and I always knew when I got married that would be the theme of my wedding. In fact, when Neema and I used to talk, he would tease me about my email that included the words pearls and diamonds. There were touches of pearls and diamonds throughout the ceremony on the sofreh aghd, in the reception décor and tables and around my bouqet. The wedding reception was very classic with white and blush peonies and hydrangeas. We wanted a very chic and classic look for our wedding. We had a very long estate table with our bridal party and their dates and an oversized dance floor because we knew how much dancing we would be doing!

At the end of the wedding, I couldn’t believe how wonderful everything went and that we were married! The day of the wedding I didn’t worry about anything. I knew that all my hard work was done the day of the wedding because I placed my wedding in the hands of people I genuinely trusted. We put in over one year of work in our wedding and it was well worth it! If I had to do it all over again, I would!

A huge thanks to Hester and her team at Park Avenue Events! We were so excited to meet and work with you guys. For a few more images and a different look at this wedding, please see Park Avenue Events Wedding Portfolio.

Angie + Gerald | Wedding | Vinewood Plantation

Angie + Gerald | Wedding | Vinewood Plantation – Greetings fans and thanks for coming by. Meet Angie and Gerald. Bowie and I had the honor of photographing this lovely couples wedding at Vinewood Plantation this fall. We were so lucky to meet these guys thanks for another amazing couple, Zach and Heather!

The story of their engagement story involves an adorable furry pet. Hear the story right from the bride:

I am a physical therapist and Gerald is a paralegal. We like outdoor activities or DIY projects. We met here in Atlanta out and about on the town one night. We have been together a little over two years. Most weekends we are tinkering in the yard or working on a home project, and having cookouts with friends. We recently got a new puppy and he was used in the proposal as a prop. Gerald had a new name tag made with the big question on it and sprung the question on a Thursday. He really wanted to surprise me which is hard to do because usually I can read him like a book, and he is always trying to give gifts early on gift giving occasions.

This couple’s wedding day was one of the most relaxed of the season. The weather was cold and wet but you could never tell. Angie and Gerald did not have a care in the world other than showing their love for each other and their family and friends. The weather held just long enough to have a lovely ceremony out doors! Thankfully we were able to get a great rainy night shot for them to remember just how great the weather was on their wedding day. 😀

We were so happy to be apart of their wedding day. A big thanks to Jamie at Vinewood for such an amazing experience. I hope we get to see you again this year. Cheers to love!

Leah + Grant | Wedding | Grand Hyatt Hotel Buckhead

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Greetings fans! We are excited to share such a lovely wedding and couple with you guys today. Leah and Grant were married at the lovely, and recently renovated, Grand Hyatt Hotel in Buckhead! This was the first time Bowie and I had the pleasure of woking at this lovely hotel. If there is one thing I can say about this location, other than its beauty, it’s that they staff is fantastic. Anything we needed, any questions we had, all situations were handled with care and excitement. From the top executive right down to the hotel staff, everyone greeted us with smiles and consideration.

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Lindsey + Patrick | Rock the Frock Session | Serenbe Inn

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Greetings fans! Remember this adorable couple?

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Lindsey and Patrick were married last year and we were so happy to be a part of their amazing day. We were so excited to see these two take a the leap into marriage. Their lovely wedding was featured on Occasions Magazine’s blog shortly after. If you have some time, check out their post and their adorable meeting story, involving a pair of MC Hammer Pants!

We were so happy when these to love birds contacted us about shooting a rock the frock (or trash the dress) session at Serenbe Inn. This was the very first time she shot at this amazing location but we certainly hope it will not be our last. Take some time and check out this lovely and very romantic session. Cheers!

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Sheril + Drew | Lullwater Park | Downtown Atlanta Engagement Session

Meet the adorable Sheril + Drew! We are so excited to be working with Hester at Park Avenue Events for the second time this coming spring.

Check out Sheril + Drew’s lovely Lullwater Park and Down town Atlanta engagement session! We are so excited for your Agnes Scott wedding coming up in the spring.

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Neema + Farnaz | Georgian Terrace | Atlanta Engagement

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Greetings Fans! We’ve got another adorable couple on the blog today! Meet Neema + Farnaz!!

These two lovely people met over Facebook through Farnaz’s cousin, and they instantly connected! “We both knew that we’d met someone more crazy and spontaneous than ourselves!”
The two first met in person when Neema flew Farnaz out to Atlanta to visit him and they had their first real date. “We started our morning off at a coffee shop where we talked and sipped on hot chocolate with toasted marshmallows. Following the coffee shop, we went out for breakfast. Neema felt that this wasn’t enough and insisted on going on the CNN tour because that was somewhere I had mentioned wanting to visit. Following the tour, we went out for drinks followed by dinner at a Greek restaurant where we danced the night away, on top of tables, throwing napkins in the air.”

Now, before we get to the story of the wonderful proposal, here’s the first impression thoughts of that first glimpse of each other in the airport from Neema and Farnaz themselves!

“When I first met Neema, I had just gotten off the plane and had been up very early in the morning to catch my flight. All I remember thinking was to stay calm and how cute he looked!”

“When I first met Farnaz, I thought that she was very proper and looked so sophisticated in appearance, and beautiful. Of course she was wearing her pearl earrings and necklace and diamond ring. I couldn’t help but tease her about how proper her demeanor was. It was mainly because I didn’t really know how else to act and I had to break the ice!”

Neema and Farnaz were featured on HGTV’s Property Virgins (their episode is “Happily Ever After” if you’d like to go check that out!). They filmed in Atlanta and the crew helped the couple search for homes and even go ring shopping! “The crew wouldn’t stop teasing Neema about rings.”

“Our hard work finally paid off when we found our dream home. Little did I know, there was a much bigger surprise in store. At the end of the show, the host told us she had a surprise for us and led us to the private dining room of the restaurant. When I opened the curtains, I was shocked to find my knight in shining armor down on one knee with the shiniest, most gorgeous ring I have ever seen!”

Neema even flew in Farnaz’s family for the occasion, and Farnaz added that “the proposal was definitely one of the most breathtaking moments of my life!”

How cute! Here’s to wishing these two a happy start to their lives together!

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