The Chapmans are some of our closest friends. We met them six years ago when they hired us to shoot their wedding sight unseen and have since become a family that we cherish as confidants and have grown with. Richard, their son, is a great friend and playmate to our daughter Cassia, Erin is practically a sister to my wife Rachel (and one of the most talented makeup artists I have ever met: Erin Ashley) and Shurn is well, Shurn, one of the hardest working beard sporting individuals I have met who truly enjoys and loves his family. I am always honored to photograph people that I love as I aim to capture their spirit in the photos I take and having a close relationship with them allows me greater access. We chose to do their family photos in Westminster Park in Rock Hill as it is a picturesque wooded area that is serene and offers plenty of awesome locations to shoot.
One Frame: Parc de Sceaux
There is a park in France that captures my heart. To gaze upon it is a delight and to walk in it excites a tranquility to my soul. A venerable palace for my being. This is a place that has been hundreds of years in the making. The creating, aging, and settling are all part of the process that makes it grand. The time is what makes it special. A cornucopia of grass, water, and trees. The finely manicured hedges and purposeful placement of each plant makes my heart sing. Their rigid lines and geometric shapes praising man’s dominion over nature. It is wilderness on our terms.
New Years 2011
Nathan and I always love an adventure and decided to make our first New Year’s celebration a bit more exciting than last year’s, so we extended our Christmas trip to spend New Year’s Eve in Boston. My sister and brother-in-law live on the beautiful North Shore of Boston in Beverly. They are literally 2 blocks from the beach!
We got to hang out with their pup, Charlie, do some shopping and catch a concert or two. My brother-in-law’s brother and long time friend of mine, Zak, along with another long time friend and sister, Lindsay, and her son, Ezra, joined us for our ventures into the city. Ezra is the sweetest and most chill baby I’ve ever met. We had a blast with everyone and can’t wait to see everyone again (soon)!
Christmas in Vermont 2011
Merry Christmas to everyone – even though we are weeks past the beautiful holiday, we wanted to share some of our times we had in Vermont with Rachel’s family. Unfortunately, it only snowed once while we were there, but it was enough to last and give us a white Christmas! We hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends this past Christmas season.
Mamiya 645 AFD
It came in a cheese box, the black beauty you see here. I cannot wait to put this thing to work!
Our Honeymoon
Scotland is one of my favorite places on earth and since Nathan had yet to be out of the borders of the US, I knew this was the place we would spend our honeymoon. The weather was absolutely gorgeous with only a few days of rain. We rented a lovely flat in the heart of Edinburgh’s old city. We decided to venture out of the city and traveled to Dunfermline, St. Andrews and Dundee. What a wonderful time we had – can’t wait to go back!
If you’d like to purchase any of these photos, send us a note: info@nathanabplanalp.com.
Our Wedding
We are so excited to share our wedding photos with everyone! Our wonderful friend and photographer, John R. Andersen Photography, captured all of our wonderful moments! We were so blessed to have him be a part of our day and to put the cherries on top, he allowed us to do all of our own edits to the photos. And it wouldn’t be the true nature of a photographer to not shoot something, even for his own wedding! Nathan captured all of the product photographer of our accessories. I must say, Marcelo Makar at MK Diamond Studio did a fabulous job on all of our rings and the necklace!!!
All of our festivities took place in Woodstock, Vermont. Rachel got ready at The Blue Horse Inn, an inn built in 1831 and has rumored to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad – so much history! Nathan got ready at a beautiful rental home in South Woodstock and had photographs taken of him and his groomsmen at the Woodstock Town Hall. Rachel’s dad gave them a special surprise and was able to get them a 1951 Candy-Apple-Red Ford!!
The ceremony took place at Cloudland Farm, a working farm with cows, chickens and turkeys! They have a restaurant on site where they hold gourmet dinners made from organic ingredients grown on the farm or local organic farms. The food was absolutely delicious and we can’t wait to go back and visit for another dinner!
Our lovely friend, David Wimbish, did all of our music. I’m not sure there is another accordion, cellist, violinist all in one???
We hope you enjoy all of the photos. We are so thankful to our parents and family and friends who made this possible. We put so much work into everything and handmade almost every detail. It all turned out beautiful, don’t you think?
Wedding Gown: Alfred Angelo, 2179
Bridemaids: American Eagle
Shoes: Irregular Choice
Jewelry: Liz Claiborne
Veil: Amber Merchand
Grooms Gift: Mondaine
Brides Gift: Marcelo Makar – MK Diamond Studio
Rings: Marcelo Makar – MK Diamond Studio
Grooms Shirt: Express
Grooms Vests: Volcom
Grooms Pants: GAP
Grooms Shoes: Giorgio Brutini
Flowers: Rachel Abplanalp
Centerpieces: Rachel & Nathan Abplanalp
Invitations: Rachel & Nathan Abplanalp
Music: David Wimbish
Favors: Tea Caddies
Photographer: John R. Andersen Photography
Cakes: Chef Nick Mahood, Cloudland Farms
Our Engagement Story
It has been a year and a day now that Rachel and I have been together. What a time it has been! SO much growth, both in ourselves, our relationship, and our walk with God. I cannot express how much things have changed for the “Oh so wonderful!”. Here is our engagement story told from my side:
I began my talks about the ring and what I would like it to look like. It seems like many couples go together to decide on a ring but I felt that it would destroy the surprise. Rachel had always said that a ring should reflect the man as well as his fiance, so I was given free reign. I asked for one hint as to what she would like and her response was, “simple”.
To me this was perfect, I could find one that would mesh both my old fashioned and her modern. Something classic and elegant yet still with a timelessly modern look.
Now that I had the ring all laid out, it was time to choose my method of proposing. I wanted it to be away from all of the normal in our lives. Where oh where would it be?
We had planned a trip to visit my family in Colorado the last week in January. I had toyed around with the idea of proposing there but felt that it might be a bit out of her comfort zone. I decided that we would just enjoy the trip.
While on the plane, I asked Rachel if she would like to take a trip to Boston in February. My intention was to propose in her in New England so that she could enjoy it with her family. As soon as I suggested it I saw her face fall and knew that she had expected it this trip. Realizing that she knew I would propose in Boston I decided that Colorado it was. Now that she was not expecting it to happen here I could surprise her. I had the ring finished and over-nighted to my parent’s house.
Two days later we ventured into the Rockies to visit the college I attended in Glenwood Springs. Little did Rachel know I had acquired the ring and planned on proposing while in Aspen at 3pm. My friend Scott would meet us there and, unbeknownst to Rachel, take photos of the proposal.
On our way up we kept hitting traffic and I became slightly panicked that we would not make the 3pm time slot. After 3 traffic jams and almost 6 hours of driving we roared into Aspen, parked, and walked to the park I had chosen. As we arrived I suddenly remembered that I had not put a ticket into my car to park. How horrible if my car was towed or ticketed right after proposing! I left Rachel on a bench and booked it back to the car to purchase a ticket. While jogging back to the park I had time to think of what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell her about how I wanted to always be there for her, how she has changed my life, and how there was nothing that I would love more than to spend the rest of my days with her.
Photos courteous of Scott Pope.