I love the two pictures of Janet’s parents right above! I can only imagine how I will feel on the day that my boys get married but I am certain I will feel all of the emotion that Janet’s parent’s felt on that day- pride, love, and a little bit of sadness as they head off to give their little girl away!

This group was a lot of fun! They specially requested to do a number of pictures with really funny faces and they were hilarious!

This one makes me laugh so much!! When I told them to give me a funny face, they hit these faces without even thinking! They remind me of some sort of cartoon character! When we arrived at The Cotton Room for the reception, I was taken back with how beautifully they had decorated the already gorgeous reception venue! The purples and greens were just stunning and I absolutely loved the one long table for the bridal party filled with all of the glassware and flowers!

Thank you so much for allowing us to photography your big day, Janet + Eric! You know how to throw a great party!

Ceremony: Duke Gardens

Reception: The Cotton Room

Flowers: The Cotton Room

DJ: All Around Raleigh DJ

I cannot WAIT for Whitney and Wayne’s wedding in April! I had not met with Whitney and Wayne prior to their engagement session, so I had no idea when I was heading to the shoot, all of the fun and laughter I was in for! Whitney and I had been emailing back and forth for a couple of weeks regarding prop ideas and locations for the session so I knew that their session would be full of personality… but I just have to say that I have a photographer crush on Whitney and Wayne!! They made me laugh so hard, I had a stomach ache on the drive home. They were so playful with one another that they just seem like a couple that you want to be friends with. They were so fun and unique and I think that it is a point scored for fate that these two found each other because they truly are made for one another! Whitney and Wayne came armed with all sorts of fun props like mustaches, googley eyes, and smoochie big lips! Too fun!
I am convinced that Whitney and Wayne need their own cartoon! They have such animated faces!Wayne brought a book that his mother used to read to him when he was a kid. He was so cute while he was reading it to Whitney and I can totally envision him reading this book for many years to come with their own kids. Can’t you?! Towards the end of the session, Wayne was looking like he needed to burn off some energy so I put him to work! Wayne, you’ve got mad ups!!See what I mean??

CANNOT WAIT for the wedding guys! Thank you for an afternoon full of laughs!!!

When we arrived at Duke Gardens, we were greeted with beautiful scenery and a WHOLE LOT of heat! I felt so bad for all of the groomsmen in their jackets! It’s a good thing that they chose tropical flowers for all of the bouquets and boutonnières! They are used to the hot and humid! Speaking of the gorgeous flowers… the ladies over at The English Garden really rocked this one out! The flowers were STUNNING!

When we got to the ceremony area, the best man promptly checked out the scene to make sure everything was ready…

Phil was looking all business prior to the ceremony…

Because I had been with the boys all morning, the first time I saw Mari was when she was walking down the aisle. Can we say STUNNING? Her dress was absolutely beautiful paired with a gorgeous blue bouquet! Every little girl dreams of how they will look on their wedding day walking down the aisle towards the love of their life, and I am pretty sure that Mari’s dream must have come true on her wedding day!

I am pretty sure that Phil’s dream came true as well judging by the look on his face as he greeted his bride walking down the aisle! That is a look of pure joy on his face isn’t it? You can just tell that at that moment, there was no one else in the world besides the two of them! (The groom’s mom’s reaction to the left of Mari was pure emotion as well! )

Mari and Phil had the coolest tradition at their wedding ceremony, one I had not scene before. Before the wedding, both Mari and Phil wrote a letter to one another telling the other everything that they loved about them and all the hopes and dreams they have for the future together. They then sealed the letters in envelopes and brought them to the wedding. During the ceremony, Mari and Phil put their letters in a box along with a bottle of whiskey. If they are ever to have a period in their marriage where things are rough, they are to get the box out, open and read the letters together and share the bottle of whiskey and remember all the things that they loved about one another when they got married. If they never have to open the box, on their 20th wedding anniversary, they are supposed to open them up and drink the whiskey. How cool is that?! What a sweet thing to have!

Mari and Phil are big UNC fans, who  happened to chose Duke Gardens for their wedding ceremony. Mari made a special request for me to grab a shot of her dribbling her UNC basketball on the Duke grounds just to show her true loyalties. Mari was a trip! She was so exuberant and full of life and often you found Phil just watching adoringly her as she entertained the masses with her bubbly personality!

How cute are they?!

The reception was held at Bay 7 in the American Tobacco District in Durham, NC. WHAT A COOL VENUE!! I have to say, that anywhere with brick walls and hardwood floors gets my vote! After Mari and Phil were introduced, they pranced out onto the dance floor for a upbeat and “islandy” feeling first dance. Their excitement was contagious!

After all of the food, toasts, and cake cutting was over, it was time to tear that dance floor up! Good-NESS could Mari D.A.N.C.E!!!! I don’t think that she stopped the entire night! The D.J. was AWESOME and played great music all night long. At moments I wished that I could drop the camera and jump in too!

It was an amazing day with beautiful and happy people! I feel so thankful to get to be a part of the most amazing day of people’s lives and I feel especially grateful to be a part of this one! Thanks Mari and Phil and best of wishes!