Winter Wedding at Charter Hall | Roanoke Wedding Photographer
Our first wedding at Charter Hall at the City Market Building was a success!! Mitch and Mariah started our 2020 wedding season off so well and I am so excited to share these images from this past weekend. Our day started out at the largest hotel room that a balcony with a killer view of the city! These girls were on top of it and were early the entire day! I normally buffer some time throughout the day just in case but these girls were early!! They even beat the boys getting ready and I am so proud of them!! The bridal suite at Chart Hall is easily one of my favorite suites I have ever photographed because of all windows!! Even though it was raining off and on all day these images are so beautifully lit from all the natural light. In addition to the best lighting, this suite matched her dusty blue color theme perfectly!! The soft and elegant feel of this suite and venue matched Mariah and this winter wonderland theme so well.
James met the groomsmen at the Hotel Roanoke to take their getting ready shots and he loved styling all the groom details! Mitch had great details to photograph which included custom cuff links, his bow tie, his watch, and a fun and personalized groomsmen gift! I love photographing bridal details because they are always so beautiful but I think it is also important to share the groom’s personality through his details.
This wedding had an evening ceremony that would take place after it was dark outside which is normal for winter weddings. As Mariah and I were planning out the day we realized that if they wanted images like I normally deliver, they would have to share a first look (which is something she didn’t originally want to do). Even though it was raining off and on, Mitch and Mariah trusted us to time things just right for their first look! We were able to photograph their first look and get 30 minutes worth of portraits in before the rain picked back up!! I am so glad they remembered their posing from their engagement session because we were rolling right through poses while it wasn’t raining! The other first look we did was with Mariah and her dad. This sweet embrace had everyone tearing up and I am so glad we made time for this.
The ceremony space was also the reception space which is not an easy task to do but Kaylee and her team at Charter Hall flipped the space in the time it took us to do family formals (which was about 20 minutes!!) I was so impressed by that!! We braved the rain to get some bonus portraits of them outside and I am so glad we did because they are some of my favorites portraits from the day!! These two are just the best and so photogenic!! Mariah’s wedding dress was soaking wet by the end of the portraits but she had a reception dress to change into so she could enjoy dancing. I told her this was GENIUS and should add this to my list of wedding day tips!! All in all, this rainy winter wedding at Charter Hall was a huge success and I can’t believe it is all over. We will be seeing these two again soon when we visit them in DC for an anniversary session but until then, enjoy your honeymoon and the newly wed life you two!! 🙂
SURPRISE!!
Something new I wanted to add this year is a “Vendor Highlights” section in each wedding blog post. This is where I will be bragging on my fellow vendors that we worked with at each wedding! As a client, you will (should) always see the good side of vendors, but as a wedding vendor we see it all (the good, the bad, the ugly). So I wanted to brag on the vendors that truly care about their clients and those that really worked hard to make the wedding day vision come to life! If you are engaged and are looking for vendor recommendations this section is for you!! I am currently updating my vendor recommendations guide and can’t wait to share this FREE RESOURCE with my #emilyhancockbride tribe! So enjoy this new feature on my blog, “Vendor Highlights “, at the end of this post!!
Check out their Virginia Tech Campus Engagement Session on the blog HERE
Vendor Highlights:
This Charter Hall wedding in downtown Roanoke featured some amazing vendors and the links to their websites are below!
Charter Hall at the City Market Building: One of the hardest things for us during receptions is making sure that we don’t miss anything! You never know when the bride and groom are about to have a sweet moment with grandma or if someone is busting a move on the dance floor unless you are in the right place. This reception space was all in one location so I could be present on the dance floor and still see what was happening in the dining room. Kaylee and her staff went above and beyond for my couple helping us direct traffic for their first look. This was not something they had to do but really helped us out tremendously!
DJ Freddy Mac: We have always loved working with DJ Freddy Mac. He has a way of connecting with all the wedding guests (no matter what age) and I have no idea how he does it!! He keeps the evening flowing so nicely and can read the crowd so well during the open dance floor. Are dancing photos important to you? Because having a good DJ is the secret to epic dancing shots!! Freddy kept the dance floor PACKED all night so Mitch and Mariah have a HUGE open dance floor gallery to scroll through!! This is why we highly recommend him and we can’t wait to see him later this wedding season!
One Fine Day Events: This was our first wedding working with One Fine Day Events. Chelsea and her team did a fantastic job keeping everyone on schedule and putting together all the details for this wedding. She was very informative before and during the wedding which made my job 1000% easier that day. I don’t know how she did it but every time I needed her for something she was right there or close by ready to help. That is just what an experienced planner does I suppose?? I am so appreciative of her and her team and their hard work Saturday. I hope to work with her again soon and cannot recommend her enough!
Rose and Bee Organics: Normally I recommend purchasing real flowers for wedding days, however, if you want to go the “fake flower” route PLEASE use Rose and Bee Organics! These flowers are so vibrant in color, sturdy enough for my detail photos, and look really high end! Some fake flowers do not photograph well on wedding days which is why I recommend fresh flowers!! However, these Arizona sisters know what they are doing and from the glowing review Mariah gave us in the bridal suite, their customer experience is top notch!
Pumpernickel Pickle Catering: I have always heard wonderful things about this company but never had the opportunity to try their food! Their service and food were excellent!! I am always a little weary of wedding day chicken because usually by the time I am eating dinner, it’s dry and doesn’t have much flavor. This is by far the BEST chicken I have ever had a wedding and my wedding day assistants enjoyed it to! I also went back multiple times during the reception for their Strawberry Basil Lemonade!
Barristers Bakery: I met Emily for a brief moment between portraits and her cupcakes smelled so good! I wish I had a few extra moments to chat with her but even in passing I could tell how sweet and genuine she is. She even brought her own wedding day assistant (her daughter) who did such a good job on the cupcake display!! I think that is so special that they were working together and what a cool memory to have with your mom?! PS: We tried a few flavors of cupcakes during the reception and they were DELICIOUS!!!
Venue: Roanoke City Market Building: Charter Hall
Planning: Chelsea with One Fine Day Events
Florist: Rose & Bee Organics
DJ: Freddy Mac
Dessert: Barristers Bakery
Catering: Pumpernickel Pickle
Dress Shop: Studio I Do
Lighting: Lighting Ninja Inc
Rings: James Allen & Manly Bands
Invitations: Minted
Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie
Groomsmen Attire: Generation Tux
Until next time,
Emily
