Rhea and Craig tied the knot on May 23, 2015 at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC. I have always loved this venue, which is a bit of a hidden gem just outside of Chapel Hill. Between the quaint amphitheater and massive windows illuminated by golden hour light (not to mention the river!), the environment lends itself to a fun wedding celebration and lovely photos.

Craig & Rhea answered some questions for me about their wedding and photography experience. I love the honesty and thoughtfulness they put into these answers. Read the Q&A below to learn more about their day! And to view all of the photos from Rhea + Craig’s wedding and order prints, please visit their wedding gallery on my online print shop!

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1. What are some of your favorite things about your partner? How were these attributes expressed during or leading up to your wedding?

Rhea: Craig was really involved in wedding planning and he wanted to make sure we considered our options and thought things through on every detail. Sometimes I just wanted to make the decision quickly and get it done with, but Craig would make me pause and think about it for a bit. At times I would get a bit frustrated wanted to say: “Please can we just decide!” but looking back, I’m so glad he made me slow down. There were several decisions that I know ended up being better ones because we took a step back and thought it through. And that’s what he does for me in life – helps me slow down, think things through, realize it’s all going to be okay, and then end up with a better situation in the end!

Craig: Rhea is a “bit” of a planner and this attribute was certainly helpful during the wedding planning process. Also, she is a very compassionate person and made a dedicated effort to include the special people in our lives. And, believe it or not, it was actually a fun process to plan the wedding. Rhea is fairly easy-going and her personality helps us get through the stressful times in life!

2. What was most important to you in planning your wedding?

We wanted an authentic experience that represented us as a couple. We wanted it to be meaningful but not too formal, expressive but also fun.

3. Are there any details or moments from your wedding that are particularly special to you? (E.g., you wore your momma’s dress, your partner unexpectedly serenaded you, there was a double rainbow all across the sky…).

Reciting our vows was a highlight for both of us. We each completed the statement: “I love you because . . .“ Usually we are the couple that expresses our feelings for each other through our actions, so to hear the words was a powerful and meaningful experience. Also, the weather was warm but not humid – always a gamble in the North Carolina summer – so, it was fairly comfortable for our Northern guests. Finally, we were tremendously humbled by the generosity of our family and friends, many of whom travelled great distances to be with us on our special day.

4. What factors other than photos went into your decision on a wedding photographer? Why did you pick me?

When we were considering the Haw River Ballroom as a potential venue we googled “Haw River Ballroom weddings” and the second link was to one of your shoots. And it was exactly the vision we had for our wedding we instantly loved your style. We knew that working with you we would get more than a bunch of pictures of us in fancy clothes – we knew you’d give us “special” photos that we would treasure forever. And when we met with you, it felt really comfortable and like we were talking with a friend. So it was an easy decision!

5. Your photography package included an engagement session with me. During our initial meeting you both expressed a bit of nervousness in front of the camera. Did the engagement session help break the ice before the big day? Do you have a favorite picture from our session?

The engagement session was a great decision. Neither of us had spent a lot of time in front of a camera before our wedding, so it was great to have that experience. The locale was unique and fun – thank you Courtney for hooking us up with a farm in Hillsborough! It’s impossible to be nervous when you have a cat sitting on your feet and donkeys looking on! There were a lot of great photos from that day, but one of our favorites has the two of us leaning our foreheads together – the light is really beautiful and it’s a sweet moment.

6. What is the first thing you want to do with the images? Wallpaper the hallway? Internet fame?

We’re excited to look through each & every photo and re-live our day. It was a crazy, busy day and honestly it was a bit of a blur. We will select several to be printed for ourselves and our families … then we’ll spam Facebook like nobody’s business.

7. What is next for you as a couple? Any big plans?

We’re going to Iceland in July for our honeymoon! We’re going to drive the ring road which circumnavigates Iceland, stopping along the way for hiking, waterfalls, whale watching, and whatever else we find. We love to travel and so are excited for this next adventure!

8. Anything else you’d like to add?

Just a final THANK YOU to you for being such a talented artist and also a cool, relatable person. We are so grateful to have found you!

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Craig & Rhea, thank you for being such an authentic and fun couple. Your answers above can be said right back at you: thank you for being such cool, relatable people! 🙂 It was a pleasure working with you throughout every step of the photography process, and I am looking forward to seeing you around Durham! Enjoy!