Miss Laura completely rocked her bridal session, but I had no doubt she would.  She has such a classy and Old Hollywood style about her that is completely natural.  She actually did her own hair and makeup for her bridal shoot as practice for her actual wedding day.  She married her best friend, Matt, yesterday on New Years Eve and although I wasn’t her wedding photographer I know that her dream wedding came true because Laura just IS.  No frills, no drama, she just is.  Beautiful inside and out, she made the perfect bride.  Be sure to watch Say Yes to the Dress in the coming months as well as her story and wedding will be on!

Her bridal session was supposed to take place on her farm in Eagle Springs, NC but we had to change it to The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC due to rain.  Laura was just as excited and I think the hotel served as the perfect backdrop for her classic beauty.  Every single person that passed us, rather in the lobby or while in their car in the parking lot had to stop and tell Laura how beautiful she looked.  A special thank you to my friend Sarah who assisted as well as Laura’s sister and the bellman whom gracious drove to their sister hotel to pick up the old car seen below for us!

Laura, thank you so much for asking me to take your bridal portraits for you.  A perfect mix of classic and glam, you completely outdid yourself.  From your beautiful gown and veil to your sequined jacket and sparkly shoes – you were flawless.  I wish you and Matt nothing but the absolute best of luck, love and charm in your years together.

Ryan and Jenn’s wedding was the last of the year and also my most challenging yet emotionally full yet.  The weather turned from sunny and warm the day before to freezing with sleet and snow at the last minute.  The ceremony was moved indoors from outside and the reception took place in the same venue.  That venue, though, could have fallen to the ground and it wouldn’t have stopped the emotions flowing throughout the day.  Their wedding took place at The Apple Barn in Banner Elk, North Carolina which was so quaint and beautiful and perfect.

Jenn and Ryan have this way about them that makes everyone, family and friends, stop and be.  Stop and love.  Stop and share.  Everyone that day seemed to appreciate one another and reassure one another.  The sudden change of weather was no match for the love and friendship that these two brought together and shared amongst family and friends.

The morning of the wedding I met the girls and Jenn’s family and at a beautiful cabin in the mountains of Banner Elk.  Breakfast was cooking, the bridemaids were stepping out of the shower and while one did hair for all of the girls another friend did their makeup.  The beautiful bouquets they made the day before were in water and everyone sat around painting their nails.  Jenn’s family went out into the surrounding woods and gathered bits of nature to make the boutonniere and her father helped her sew together the handmade guestbook.  The videographers soon came in, introduced themselves and asked if I needed anything and I just felt like although the weather had changed at the last minute that everything would work out perfectly.  And it did.  From the small personalized touches to the beautiful vows and poems at the ceremony, it was all perfect.  I had a total of about 15 minutes in which to shoot their formal photos and even during those it was below freezing and sleeting yet no one complained for a second.

Jenn and Ryan, thank you so much for allowing me to capture the beauty that was your wedding.  I really wish for the essence of the emotions for that day to be shown through your images as I know every single person there felt them that day.  You two are so amazing in love and friendship and your wedding was uniquely about you and your love.  Words cannot do it justice – so I leave you with the images that I hope you cherish forever.

Lindsey (the pretty lady with the darker hair) is one of the makeup artists on my photography team and is not only beautiful but also very talented.  She asked me a few weeks ago if I could squeeze in a mini shoot with she and her sister and brother as a gift to their parents for Christmas.  We met up this past weekend and had exactly 30 minutes to shoot but they made my job super easy and had no problem snagging quite a few shots. Her sister Laura was awesome and they could have passed for twins. Their brother wasn’t able to make it so now he gets to look at their super awesome pictures and be jealous.

Brittney and DJ have been such an amazing couple to work with from day one when she first contacted me.  They are both artistic and full of passion for art so it comes without question that a lot of their wedding would be DIY and personalized just for them.  I love their style and I love the color scheme they chose for the day.  Not only are they artistic but they are one of the most relaxed and fun couples I have met.  They can be so silly with one another without thinking twice about being embarrassed or judged.  Their wedding day was the most relaxed I have seen and full of laughs and fun with family and friends. Every vendor they had chosen for their day was so helpful and the DJ actually followed us around for photos with drinks in hand and helping us when need be with whatever we may have needed.  The entire day went off without a hitch and it has been one of my most favorite weddings to document.

Brittney & DJ, thank you both for allowing me to photograph this precious time in your lives.  You are both insanely sweet, a beautiful couple and your passion runs as deep as the sea for one another.  You are a great example of loving without precaution and I hope you have all the rest of the days of your lives together. 

I had so much fun on this maternity shoot with Alicia and her husband, James.  They are so fun and warm and Alicia’s awesome style allowed us to create some really fun maternity shots.  She really loves fashion and welcomed an off-beat style that I love to bring to maternity sessions.  Jade and I met them at their home the morning of their session to do hair and makeup just to offer a little extra pampering.  I love having fun with expecting mothers because they often-times do not feel very comfortable or sexy at all once they reach a certain point and I think it’s important for them to feel beautiful and have fun and remember that they too are amazing despite the changes they see happening to their bodies.

I think Alicia is also a great role-model for expecting mothers to not give up who they are just because they are expecting.  She was a runner before she became pregnant and still while expecting runs every day and even runs half marathons. Not only that but girlfriend rocked some Christian Louboutin’s on her shoot!

Alicia and James, thank you so much for allowing me to share in this time of your lives.  Your little girl is going to be so lucky to have great parents such as yourselves and I can’t wait to meet her!

Zach proposed to Meagan just a few weeks ago and she jumped right on the ball in looking for someone to photograph her engagement photos.  She contacted me and was so sweet and although my schedule was full I squeezed her in because I knew how important these photos were to her.  Because of the time change (and I had another shoot that day) we had to move around the schedule to work a bit but thank goodness we caught just the tail end of the daylight which really made me happy.  Happy light = happy photographer.  Zach was a character and loved having his photo taken which really makes my job easier.  Meagan was his equal – a bit quieter but completely supportive.  We chose locations that were special to them and they were just so fun to work with.

Meagan and Zach – I wish you nothing but the world of luck for your future together and thank you for asking me to document this special time in your lives.