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Jade + Jay | Durham, NC Engagement Portraits

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:32:18 +0000

Things were so hectic during the end of 2011, that we have gotten behind on our blogging! It’s a new year and it is time to get caught up! Jade, Jay and I got together in Durham, NC during the end of October for their engagement session. We started at Duke Gardens hoping to get some fall foliage in the shots but the leaves changed unseasonably late this year so we were still a bit too early even at the very end of October! Regardless of the lack of fall colors, we still had a great time and got to know one another a little better! Jade and Jay will be getting married in Durham in July of this year. We are really looking forward to it!

Jenna + Charlie | Wilmington, NC Engagement Portraits

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:32:15 +0000

In October, Dave and I had the pleasure of heading down to Wilmington for the weekend to photograph Jenna and Charlie. Jenna is my sister in law’s best friend and has been following our work since we first began. Jenna has always been so complimentary of our work as our business has grown and it was a true honor to be able to photograph her and her fiancé, Charlie. We met in downtown Wilmington for their session and it was quite cold and windy! One good thing about cold weather is it is easy to get natural snuggly and cuddly pictures! Despite the cold, we had a lot of fun! Thank you Hollie for setting this session up for Jenna and Charlie. Unfortunately, we will not be photographing their upcoming wedding in May, but we wish them both the very best as they begin their lives together!

Lindsey + Graham | Goldsboro, NC Wedding Photographers

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:47:00 +0000

It’s been a while since a blog post, huh? Things have been CRAZY around here lately between a super busy schedule and a computer that seems like it is on it’s last leg, and the blog has been severely neglected! Last month, Dave and I had the honor of photographing Lindsey + Graham’s Goldsboro, NC wedding. We met up with Lindsey at the church as she was making her final preparations. This was the first time that I have worked with Lindsey since meeting her and it was the most beautiful that she had looked yet! She was an absolutely stunning bride! I think her dress will be right up there as one of my favorites because it was stunning, yet simple, and had the most AMAZING low back on it with two simple flowers that sat in the small of her back. It was beautiful and it was made even more beautiful when Lindsey stepped into it! I am sure that Graham would agree! Their ceremony was held at a the historic First Baptist Church in downtown Goldsboro with a reception to follow at the Goldsboro Country Club. Jupiter Jones played at the reception and they were hands down the best band I have ever heard at a reception. They played all sorts of different types of music and definitely were in tune to the crowd pleasers and kept the party going all night! It was a wonderful day with a wonderful couple and Dave and I were so honored to have been a part of it!

Ceremony: First Baptist Church

Reception: Goldsboro Country Club

Band: Jupiter Jones

Lauren + Dale | The Highgrove | Fuquay-Varina Wedding Photographers

admin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:37:40 +0000

I don’t know what I can say about Lauren + Dale! They are the type of couple that you just want to pinch their cheeks because they are so darn cute! And if you think they are cute individually, you should see them together! The cuteness compounds exponentially! Dave and I talk all the time about how with some couples, the love they have for one another is just evident- it’s plain for everyone to see. It just pours out with every glance they give one another, with every touch, with every playful nudge, with every crinkle of their noses. Dale and Lauren have this and then some and it is a joy to watch! I knew that I liked Dale and Lauren from the first time that I met with them, but every time we got together for either their engagement session or their pre-wedding meeting, I got to know them more, and I liked them more and more. Even though I was busy photographing during the ceremony, it was touching to hear the pastor talk about Lauren and Dale and their relationship. One of their first “dates” was when Dale asked Lauren to go to church with him… how sweet is that?! You want to pinch his cheeks now too, don’t you?! Lauren and Dale got married at The Highgrove on a beautiful day last month. Every moment of the day was filled with love and laughter and it was one of my favorite weddings to date!

I love this picture of the girls peeking as the boys arrived at The Highgrove! Lauren was a stunning bride! Like I am talking…. STUH-NING!!! I bet Dale would agree! As you look through the ceremony pictures, please take note of the picture of the flower girl during the processional AND the recessional…. CLASSIC!!
During the father daughter dance, Dave (who is not a very emotional person whatsoever) got a bit choked up because he said that just by seeing the look on Lauren’s dad’s face while he danced with her, Dave could feel the pride that Lauren’s dad must have felt as her father on that special day. The love in the room was palpable! It was a beautiful thing to watch! After all of the special dances, it was time to party!

The bridesmaid and groomsman that caught the bouquet and garter put on quite the show when the groomsman had to then put the garter on the bridesmaid’s leg! I guess I should say that the groomsman (the groom’s brother) was the one really putting on the show! Let’s just say that he did a good job to put the garter nice and high so that it wouldn’t fall off! And I even heard later on in the night that he was the quiet brother! You would have never known! Haha!
Thank you SOOOO much Lauren + Dale! I am so sad that the wedding is over because I so thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you guys! You are both beautiful inside and out and we wish nothing but the best for both of you as you start your lives together!

Venue: The Highgrove

Catering: The Highgrove

DJ: Island Sound DJ

Flowers: Flowers on Broad Street

Holly + Carson | Smithfield, NC Engagement Sessions

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:21:27 +0000

I met Holly a little over a year ago when I was photographing Jennifer’s bridal session at Meredith College. Holly was Jen’s maid of honor and came along on that day to help situate Jennifer’s wedding dress and make sure that she looked beautiful for her pictures. Who would have known that one year later, I would be photographing her very own engagement session with her long time love of her life, Carson. Carson and Holly got engaged earlier this year after being together for a majority of their lives. They were high school sweethearts! How sweet is that?! I met Holly and Carson in Clayton where they lived and we jumped around from Clayton, to Carson’s family home in Smithfield and then we ended in the small town of Selma. It was so nice spending the evening with Holly and Carson getting to know them better, chatting about life, love, and marriage (and a little bit about my adventures in parenthood! Ha!). I hope you love your photos, guys! I had a lot of fun!

Cassie + Jason | Kitty Hawk, NC Wedding Photographers

admin — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:29:51 +0000

Cassie is seriously one of the sweetest and laid back brides I have met! From the moment we first met together for our consultation before she actually booked, I knew that she would be a pleasure to work with- not to mention that she has the most adorable dimples and I love dimples!! Cassie and her husband, Jason, were married at the Garden Hilton Pier in Kitty Hawk, NC last month. Dave and I were thrilled to have the opportunity to shoot a beach wedding in the Outer Banks- you don’t get a more beautiful backdrop for a wedding than ocean and sand! The whole day went seamlessly and that is a rarity in this business! Cassie and Jason chose to do a first look before the ceremony which I HIGHLY recommend! We were able to have an intimate first look time for Jason and Cassie to soak it all in and then we spent a good amount of time getting a lot of really great portraits of the two of them. Then we were able to knock out all of the bridal party pictures and family pictures before the ceremony even started. It made the day go so much smoother and I think everyone involved felt much less rushed and had the time to soak in what the day was really about- the marriage of Cassie and Jason.

Thank you Cassie + Jason for allowing us to be a part of your special day! We wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Garden Hilton Inn in Kitty Hawk, NC

Cake : Patty Cakes

DJ: DJ Bruce

Flowers: The Embellishers

Rentals: Ocean Atlantic Rentals

Deanna + Todd | Ocean Isle, NC Wedding Photographers

admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:35:03 +0000

This was a very special wedding for me. About a month ago, we had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of an old friend of mine. Todd, the groom, is a member of a group of guys who I fondly call “The Boys” that I hung out with in high school and college. I love those boys like they are my brothers and they are the type of friends that you can go for months without seeing, and you know that things will always be the same as soon as you get together again. Todd has not lived in North Carolina for a number of years so it was so nice to see him again. He is currently a Navy Seal stationed out in San Diego, so I was thrilled that he and his new wife, Deanna, decided to get married in Ocean Isle, NC. Dave and I always laugh that the groom and groomsmen have more fun before the wedding and this day was no exception as the guys joined in a game of bocce ball in the sand while the girls finished their preparations at Deanna’s maid of honor’s home.

I love the moment when the bride walks down the aisle and one of my favorite things is getting the reaction of the groom when he sees his future wife. Love it!

After the ceremony ended, Todd and Deanna disappeared. I always like to encourage couple’s to start their family portraits as soon as possible after the end of the ceremony since time is so limited for portraits, so I was off to hunt them down. I finally found them back behind the church that was built right on the sound. This is the sight that I saw as I walked around the side of the building. What a beautiful moment!!

Thank you so much Todd and Deanna for allowing Dave and I to be a part of your big day! Todd, as an old friend, it is such an honor to see how far you have come in the years I have known you and to see you so incredibly happy now!

The M Family

admin — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:50:52 +0000

Wait until you see the blonde beauties I am bringing to you today! I was happy to have the pleasure to photograph these two little ladies and their brother recently and they gave me a run for my money! Mr. D did not want anything to do with my camera from the beginning and I got a number of images like the one below….

We let Mr. D do his own thing for a bit and we caught a couple of his sisters… oh my, are their parents going to have their hands full in another 10 years or what?!Nothing better than belly laughs with your sister…Finally, Mr. D decided he was ready for his close up but he would only agree to the terms of the shoot if he got to use his own props… Thanks for letting me document this period in your lives! It was a pleasure!

Paula + Matt | Chapel Hill, NC Engagement Portraits

admin — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:25:41 +0000

Dave and I met Paula and Matt at UNC’s campus a couple of weeks ago to photograph their engagement pictures. It was a beautiful day with amazing weather and we couldn’t have asked for a prettier day to capture this special time in their lives! It was so fun to watch Paula and Matt interact with each other because in a lot of ways, they reminded me a lot of Dave and me. Matt would typically be doing something silly and Paula would quietly observe and just shake her head and laugh. It was such a pleasure getting to know you guys a little better and we can’t wait for the wedding next summer!

This is what I meant about doing silly things! I asked Matt to stand in a way that felt comfortable to him and felt manly and this is what he came up with! TOO FUNNY!

But aside from making Paula laugh a lot, Matt is also sweet and tender with her! Too sweet!

Juliana + Andrew | Raleigh, NC State Fair Engagement Portraits

admin — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:40:23 +0000

Dave and I first met Juliana and Andrew at the bridal show held at the fairgrounds back in August. It was such a crazy and hectic day where brides and grooms were in and out of our booth all day long and you barely got a chance to introduce yourself before it seemed that they were on their way to the next booth. When Juliana and Andrew walked into the booth, we made our introductions and I asked when they would be getting married. They informed us that they would be getting married on July 2, 2011 and Dave quickly (and tactlessly) asked them if they were getting married indoors because he explained, “It will be HOT on your wedding day!” When they confirmed that the would be getting married indoors, Dave jokingly said, “Well GREAT!! We would love to shoot your wedding then!” I was mortified and shocked that he said it, momentarily… but then I remembered that this was my husband that we were talking about so I quickly bopped him upside the head after Juliana and Andrew left the booth and told him that that is TOTALLY not what he should say to a bride and groom about their chosen date! Luckily for us, Juliana and Andrew still emailed us following the show and booked a consultation and later booked their July 2nd wedding with us, which will be blessed with totally lovely and cool weather ! I was so excited when they informed me that they wanted to do their engagement session at the NC State Fair when it was in town in October! What a fun place to shoot! Juliana has gone to the State Fair every year for as long as she can remember and she even went three times last year. Therefore, this was the perfect place that held special meaning for them. We started off by stopping by for some fresh apple cider to share…

A little fun on the swings? Nothing better than being twirled around at tremendous speeds right after you have finished your hamburger and hotdog at the state fair, right guys?

After we finished with the swings, it was time for a couple carnival games. It was so cute that Andrew stood behind Juliana while she threw darts at the balloons with his thumbs up ready in anticipation of her victory! That is a good man!

This is probably one of my favorites from the day because even though we were surrounded all night be THOUSANDS of people, in this photo, it looks like they are the only two in the world…

And of course, what is the State Fair without a little ride on the ferris wheel?? Thanks Juliana and Andrew for a fun evening at the fair! We can’t wait for your unusually cool wedding in July!