Mary and Jason’s wedding day was absolutely perfect! Here in the city of Durham, they held their wedding ceremony at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church and their reception at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science . These locations seemed like the perfect fit for this amazing couple.

Although there were a ton of memorable moments, the ones that stood out to me was the warm passion that exuberated from them as they anticipated each others touch while standing on opposing sides of a tree (this was before their ceremony and they held hands without actually seeing each other), a simple kiss Mary and Jason gave each other moments after walking out of their ceremony, the toasts their siblings gave during the reception with the “oh, dear lord what family have I married myself into” facial expressions (the toasts were some of the funniest toasts I’ve heard), and the outstanding performance Jason gave singing and playing the guitar to his wife. The song was a Dave Matthews Band song called “Loving Wings.” It has the lyrics “I give to you my everything. You’ve given me these loving wings.” It was SO INCREDIBLY sweet.

On top of it all, I was lucky to have my brother-in-law, Thad Lawrence, from 2and3photography come help me photograph Mary and Jason’s special day. He’s always capturing some beautiful photographs. Overall, it was a fantastic day full of wonderful people =)

Jen and Crystal’s wedding day took place at Hidden River Events and was held in one of my favorite places, Asheville, North Carolina. From watching their dogs run around in the field before the wedding, to the super cohesiveness and goofiness of Crystal and her brothers, to the tears in Jen’s eyes when she received her pre-ceremony gift from Crystal, to the carriage ride to and from the ceremony site, the day had many intimate and beautiful moments. I had a blast photographing their wedding day!

Hilary and Janet started their wedding adventure with Cycle North Carolina where they biked from the mountains to the beach of this beautiful state. The signs saying, “bicycling bride #1” and “bicycling bride #2” on the back of their road bikes during the race added a wavering amount of exhilaration for what was going to be the most exciting day of their life, their wedding day. Once they reached the finish line in Corolla, North Carolina where family and close friends waited to greet them, we all traveled to the wedding location, a beach house in Nags Head. A weekend full of love, celebration, sand, sunrises, and an ocean front view was a perfect combination for this wonderful event.

Hilary and Janet knew from the beginning of their wedding planning that they wanted an intimate setting and a unique experience. This beach house certainly did the trick and it was hard not to tear up during their ceremony. Love and joy was seeping out from everywhere. Their gorgeous blue wedding dresses stood out amongst their guests, who were asked to wear white. The wind, with it’s gentle touch, added to the movement of positive energy and happiness that surrounded us. The celebration even continued onto the next day. As we all probably would have guessed considering how they began their wedding experience, their celebration was concluded with a bicycle ride off into the world as a newlywed couple and a just married sign. You see, just because the North Carolina law currently says this love and marriage will not be recognized does not mean it is not recognized by the people that really matter to them. Love is love. Please help protect all NC families and vote NO on Amendment 1 on May 8th, 2012.

Go BIG or go home were most definitely some of Bonnie and John’s thoughts when planning their wedding. I love it when couples are passionate about creating a wedding that fits their personalities. It does not have to be traditional. Why not Vegas? Why not a PLANNED Vegas wedding? After all, it is a celebration of the bride and groom’s unity and love for each other. Vegas is a place they have shared many memories together.

I’m thankful I was able to be a part of their huge celebration. My best friend and fellow photographer, Cara Slagle was also able to fly into Vegas from Minnesota to help with the wedding. The ceremony was located at the Planet Hollywood Chapel. A nice, relaxing (and amusing) reception with friends and family was held in Bonnie and John’s Planet Hollywood suite. And finally, the reception continued at a club called Haze in the Aria Hotel. I have to say, it was nice having VIP access at the club! It was like a classic scene in a movie where tons of people are standing in line and we walk past them all, the red velvet rope was unhooked, and we were immediately let in by the bouncer. Sweetness! On top of that, the club was an amazing place to celebrate. At one point, fake snow fell down from the ceiling as everyone was dancing. It was good times with good people! Congratulations Bonnie and John!

It is Summer time, which means I may just have a chance to catch up with all of this blogging. Woo hoo! I’ll probably make just a few posts and update my galleries, but for now, I’d like to present Chandra and Guy Reynolds! They are a very photogenic couple who I had the privilege of shooting their wedding in May. I was lucky enough to have Maxine Mastromarino help me out with the wedding as well! Chandra and Guy’s ceremony was located in Chapel Hill at La Residence Restaurant.

I’ve been slacking on my posts the last few months, but now that it is summer time, I am in full force!! Back in March, I had a great time helping 2&3 Photography photograph Stacie and Brian’s wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and marvelous reception. The reception was held at 1705 Prime in Raleigh, NC.

Stacie and Brian were all smiles throughout the night, giggling, and gazing into each others eyes. It is easy to tell how in love they are and how much support they have from family and friends. After the wedding, there were some sensational toasts, delicious food, dancing with shoes off, and yes, even some tackling during the bouquet toss. It was definitely a night to remember!