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Haley + Allyson’s J.Q. Dickenson Wedding
Haley and Allyson’s Charleston, WV October wedding at J.Q. Dickenson Salt-Works was my last wedding of 2018. But goodness it was the perfect way to close out the 2018 season. They got ready in separate suites at the Embassy Suites in Charleston and then headed to J.Q. Dickenson for their first look and family photos.
Haley’s dad made the beautiful triangle arch under which they were married and Winter Floral did an absolutely amazing job on the flowers on the arch, their bouquets and the table flowers.
Instead of a wedding cake, they opted for donuts, hiring the local (and incredible) Vandalia Donut company to set up their camper in the venue parking lot. Side note – the fact that Vandalia Donut company is now setting up a storefront on the westside of Charleston is surely not a good thing for my waistline.
They chose to write their own vows, making everyone cry, and after the ceremony we slipped away for a few couples photos in the rose garden before heading back to the party for first dances and dinner catered by Embassy Suites.
After dinner, Vinyl Village kept the dance floor moving well into the night. I don’t usually include a ton of reception photos in blog posts, but this was a fun one y’all so scroll to the end to see the party.
I’ve also started including one or two night photography portraits in my wedding galleries. One of these days I’ll do a blog post just with those, but for now see what we came up with in the hoop house!
Great work, Kara! These look fantastic.
Thanks for the Vinyl Village shout out!
MD
Thanks Mark! Lovely to work with you as always!
This J.Q. Dickenson Salt-Works wedding looks amazing! Everyone looks so happy, and you captured the day beautifully. I love all of the creative photos you took! I’m sure they are thrilled they chose you as their West Virginia wedding photographer!
Thank you! I love including both classic shots and creative ones in a wedding gallery. Classic because everyone deserves a portrait that will last through time and creative because those are often some of the photos that push the bounds of what we see!
What a beautiful wedding, you have such a great way with highlights and shadows, I have never been to West Virginia but if you ever need someone to hold your bags for a wedding I am your girl 😉
Thank you! I love some deep shadows and highlights – I feel like what you don’t see as much as what you do is what makes for a great wedding portrait – or any portrait for that matter.
I am so in love with your colors and composition – these are some of the most beautiful wedding photos I’ve ever seen! West Virginia is lucky to have such a talented wedding photographer!
Thank you! This wedding was so much fun to work on. The brides were the sweetest and I loved their style and how they decorated J.Q. Dickenson. I’ve shot there a couple times before but the way everything came together for them was one of my favorite events!
This West Virginia wedding is to die for!! I love the getting ready shots so much, as their photographer you captured their personalities so well!!
Getting ready shots are my favorite part of the day. I love window light, the emotions, the details. Usually I prefer boutique hotels or old manor homes with big windows for getting ready shots, but the suites in the Embassy Suites were actually great!
What a beautiful West Virginia wedding. The brides looked amazing. Loved the shots of the couple and those flowers were stunning too.
Yes the wedding flowers were sooo beautiful! I LOVED their fall bouquets and how the arbor was decorated!
Congratulations Haley and Allyson! What an absolutely gorgeous day in West Virgina! Their love is contagious and I that bridal jumper is so beautiful!! You chose an amazing photographer to capture your day!
The bridal jumper was probably my favorite wedding outfit all year. Allyson’s dress was gorgeous, but the jumper had a cape!!! I am just so in love with it.
Such a gorgeous J.Q. Dickenson Salt-Works wedding! Love the blue dresses with the red flowers and that elevator wedding dress shot is amazing! Beautiful work!
Yes! I loved the blue dresses and red flower combination – fall wedding colors are my favorite!
KARA! These are un-freaking-real. Your use of lines and light is truly inspiring. I’m so excited to know another West Virginia wedding photographer! You rock girl. Hope we can meet up next time we’re in town!
Thanks so much Taylor! Yes PLEASE hit me up next time you’re in West Virginia. I’d love to get together and make some magic!
STUNNING gallery, Kara! Those first couple dress shots are incredible! If I’m ever in need of a West Virginia wedding photographer, I know who to call! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much! The lines in the Embassy Suites were just perfect for this dress shot so I had to take advantage!
WOW!! KARA these are so dam stunning! My goodness! This is amazing!! If I am ever in West Virginia I am going to hit you up!
Thanks so much! Please do! West Virginia is gorgeous =).
So much to love about this incredible West Virginia wedding! They clearly chose the perfect wedding photographer! I love that you photographed from across the hotel, that the dress got to take a ride in the elevator, and the incredibly chic jumpsuit. Gorgeous job!
Thank you! For whatever reason, most of my wedding couples don’t get ready in hotels, but I had a LOT of fun with these detail shots!
I’m blown away by your talent to capture emotion on a wedding day. This is unreal!!!
Thank you! Capturing emotion is one of the things I have/am working HARD to cultivate. I want my wedding clients to be able to get their photos back and be like OH my gosh — this is us.
Is that a jumpsuit with a cape, such a unique and beautiful bridal wear. You are such a talented West Virginia Wedding Photographer, these photos turned out so gorgeous!
I’m more than a little obsessed that the bridal jumpsuit had a cape. I mean, wedding dresses are gorgeous, but it was feminine, flattering and sooooo her!
Well this looks like it may have possibly been the most fun west virginia wedding ever!!!! What a talented photographer you are! I love your work
Thank you! These brides were so lowkey and made my job as their wedding photographer easy!
WOW, I love your style! You’re an amazing west virginia wedding photographer. I wish you were in CO!
Thanks so much! Sometimes I wish I were in Colorado too lol! I envy your dramatic mountains!
These two ladies are STUNNING!!!! What a gorgeous West Virginia wedding! Your a very talented photographerQ
Thanks so much! We got such a beautiful (albeit cloudy) day for their wedding!
Damn her white suit is so gorgeous! You nailed this photography Kara, such a cool West Virginia wedding!
Thank you! Yes I was totally obsessed with her bridal suit. I mean, it had a cape!
Love the shots from across the hotel! You rocked this West Virginia wedding 🙂
Thank you! I tend to love getting ready photos in homes or boutique hotels, but loved playing with the lines and drama the Embassy Suites afforded these detail shots!
I totally can’t decide which part of this West Virginia wedding I like most – all of the images are beautiful!
Thank you! It’s easy to take good photographs when you have TWO stunning brides!
Omg I’m dying over that pantsuit and their ceremony arch!! Such a gorgeous West Virginia wedding and you captured it perfectly! 🙂
Thank you! Yes their ceremony arch was ammmmazing. I LOVED that one of the bride’s fathers made it! Actually I’m shooting that bride’s sisters wedding next year and she told me that he made the chapel at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia as well!
GAHHHHH! Clearly I need to come to West Virginia and follow you around on each wedding you have. Your light is FANTASTIC!!! You are such an AMAZINGLY talented wedding photographer!
Thank you so much! A lot of people don’t like overcast wedding days, but they are honestly some of my favorite! I love how the clouds act as a natural softbox and bring out some of the moody deep colors that I love to showcase in my edits!
Ohhhh my gosh. This wedding gave me chills. Obsessed with how creative you got for some of these shots! And their first look, precious! Beautiful work!
Thank you! I love when wedding clients give me the freedom to be as creative as I want to be and these two were absolute gems!