Jo + Jonny tied the knot on July 5, 2014 at Rock Quarry Farm in Chapel Hill, NC. This quaint outdoor venue created an intimate “backyard wedding” ambience for the day, which fit Jo and Jonny’s personalities perfectly. Read more about their wedding experience in the Q&A below!

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1. How did you and Jonny meet and fall in love? I’d love to hear a little bit more of your story.

We met at a mutual friend’s house party. I (Jo here) remember he really captured my attention, I thought he was so handsome and completely insane and he made me laugh. Jonny was immediately attracted to me, he thought I was cute, and he liked my confidence and outgoingness. The first few times we interacted were at house parties and there was rampant flirtation, but I always seemed to be seeing someone else. : ) When I started going to the same church as Jonny a couple months later he didn’t know I was single until we started spending more time together. As soon as he confirmed my single status he decided it was time to make his move. Jonny officially asked me out after a Christmas party on December 21st (2013). Sitting in the car on the way to our first date I had to verbally verify with him that we were indeed on a date, and it turned out that we were. Well we kept going on dates after that, and in about a week we had become absolutely inseparable (and still are). A year later on December 21st, 2014, he went down on one knee in the middle of waltzing at a winter solstice party, and asked me to marry him. : )

2. You planned a fairly non-traditional wedding with square dancing, pizelles, and even a few traditional Filipino elements. What led you to these decisions? 

All the “non-traditional” choices we made were really a no-brainer. I’ve just always thought a wedding should be a reflection of the tastes and interests of the couple getting married. The process was “Okay, we’re throwing a huge party to celebrate with our friends and family, what do we want to include?” rather than “What is our idea of what a wedding should be like?” Dancing has been a huge part of Jonny and my relationship, and what better way to share that than through square dancing where everyone can join in?! : )  My dad’s side of the family is Sicilian, so wedding cookies were a must. Jonny and I LOVE to eat, so it was especially important to us that the food be killer. Jonny’s family hails from Hawaii so we incorporated elements of that here and there like with the hibiscus flower table runners and the chill island music dinner play list. His family also brought a crown and lei made out of folded dollar bills which were so fun to wear! The wedding was sort of our perfect party, with some life-long vows in the mix.

3. What was the favorite part of your wedding day?

For me (Jo here), pretty much the entire wedding/reception was amazing. I’m not kidding, I loved every moment!!  Jonny says the most thrilling part for him was when we were waiting in the house while the guests were arriving, the most surreal part was the ceremony, and he liked dinner time the best.

4. Did you foresee any part of your wedding day being difficult logistically or emotionally? Did I make it easier? If so, how? 

Honestly we had done so much planning ahead of time, and my sister Arielle was coordinating everything, that I knew as soon as things started I would no longer have to deal so much with logistics if there did happen to be any problems. What I totally didn’t foresee was that I would cry like a baby during almost the entire ceremony. Good Lord. But anyways, I loved how much you (Courtney) planned ahead, coordinated with us, and let us know what to expect. The photography was completely stress free for us. I knew exactly when and which photos were happening. It was really clear that you knew what you were doing and knew your way around a wedding.

5. What is the first thing you want to do with the images? 

Probably get a few prints for us and for family – with everything we have going on right now I haven’t had a chance to think about it! So excited!!

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

Yes indeed. Jonny just graduated from UNC with his PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics, and he’s secured a post-doc position at UCSF in San Francisco. We’re moving out September 4th. It’s been a crazy summer – even after Jonny’s thesis defense and the wedding were over, we still had a lot of planning to do! 

7. Anything else you’d like to add about your wedding, your photography experience, or anything else?

If I had really known how much went into planning a wedding we might have just eloped. : D Fortunately I did not know this, because it was totally worth it! The photography experience exceeded my expectations. Picture times fit in really seamlessly with everything else.

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Jo and Jonny, thanks for being so collaborative every step of the way with the wedding photography process! I loved how true to yourselves your wedding was. Thanks for giving me a great first time photographing a wedding with Sicilian & Hawaiian traditions, not to mention a fabulous square dance! I hope you enjoy these pictures for years to come!

To view all of the photos from Jo + Jonny’s wedding and order prints, please visit their gallery on my online print service.

The post Jo + Jonny | Rock Quarry Farm Wedding | Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.

Yemeng + Chris tied the knot on May 17, 2014 at the Rigmor House in Chapel Hill. Since Yemeng and Chris planned not just one but TWO weddings while dating long-distance, I wanted to interview them about their experience and how they planned for the photography aspect of both events. Here are their responses:

1. You actually planned two celebrations: one in North Carolina and one in China. Tell me a little about the experience of planning for both weddings and how you used some of the NC photographs for your big day in China.

The two weddings could not be more different from each other! Chris and I planned every detail of the NC wedding from linens to flowers. Even though it was exhausting, we were able to get exactly what we wanted. But for the China wedding, it was obviously much more difficult to coordinate details. My mother was amazing at handling most things and we talked on Skype to make big decisions together, so everything turned out great!

A major part of the Chinese ceremony was a mini-movie that all the guests watch to get to know the couple, as most of them were my parent’s colleagues. Chris and I made a 15 minute clip filled with pictures from our childhood, traveling and time spent together. We ended up including a lot of the pictures from our engagement shoot with Courtney, and also used the set of wedding pictures that you were able to turn around quickly for us. The guests all really loved them!

2. You planned most of your wedding while living hundreds of miles away from each other. What tips or resources do you have for other long-distance couples planning a wedding?  

It was certainly less fun to be apart during this exciting but stressful time, but we tried to go over all the big decision over the phone, and then divide and conquer the smaller tasks. One of us would work on website/invitations/etc. while the other did decorations/food/tables – and we managed to get through it without too much micromanagement!

Chris also tried to come to NC often and tackle several meetings at a time during each visit (caterers, officiant, etc). We also had wonderful help from a lot of our friends, as well Chris’s family (who all live in NC), and especially from his Mom!

3. What did you enjoy most about your (North Carolina) wedding day?

Definitely the ceremony. It was the perfect North Carolina spring weather and we were surround by all of our favorite people. Reverend Heidi did an amazing job and all of our readers did as well. Seeing the joy and happy tears on everyone’s faces (including ours!) was a really special feeling.

4. After working with me and seeing the results, what in your mind made it the right choice for us to collaborate?

I always knew you had a spark from meeting you many years ago and seeing some of your artwork. I came into the collaboration already pretty excited and was still blown away with how great things turned out. We knew we wanted very candid pictures and documentation of the whole wedding day, while still getting good formal portraits. You did just that and more. Your pictures somehow captured the most beautiful and natural expressions of people’s faces and revealed so much emotion. In addition, you were incredibly professional, organized, and prepared but also very flexible.

5. What is the first thing you want to do with the images? 

Send it to our parents/grandparents! They have been amazingly supportive and should see them first!

6. What is next for you as a couple?

We are both finishing graduate school this year and getting ready to move on to our next big adventure. Getting to finally settle in and live together after years of long distance has been the greatest.

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Yemeng and Chris, thank you for being such a fun, light-hearted couple to work with. Even though you may have been stressed out by all of the planning, at every step of the process you maintained your sense of humor. Your wedding was a true reflection of your jovial spirits, and I hope that these photos capture that!

To view all of the photos and purchase prints from Yemeng + Chris’s wedding, please visit my print service here.

A shout-out to all our fab vendors for making this day possible:

Dress: J Crew Bettina gown

Shoes: Aldo

Bridesmaid dresses: Banana Republic

Ties: Nautica

Florist: Victoria Park Florist

Catering: Belle’s Catering

Invites: Minted

DJ: Ian Stevens from Top Notch Entertainment

Second Photographer: Kallyn Boerner

Venue: Rigmor House

The post Yemeng + Chris | Rigmor House Wedding | Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.

Kelley and Mike tied the knot last month in a classy fall Chapel Hill wedding. They exchanged vows at the United Church of Chapel Hill and partied the night away at the Carolina Club on UNC’s campus. Some of my favorite moments were of Kelley’s nephew Kian, who was a complete ham. He held his own on the dance floor among lawyers and family members. A big thanks to my talented interns Julysa Sosa and Layson Peters for assisting me, as well.

Kelley + Mike, thank you so much for giving me the privilege of photographing your wedding. Your love for justice as well as your compassion for others is so apparent and inspiring. It was a joy documenting your love story, and I hope that these photos preserve that for years to come.

Prints from this wedding AVAILABLE HERE!

A shout-out to all our fab vendors for making this day possible:

Bride’s Hair: Megan Sandy

Dress: Tre Bella Bridal

Shoes: Nina

Bridesmaid dresses: Bridal Mart

Groom’s clothing: Tom James

Ties: Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont

Florist: Tre Bella Flowers

Cake: The Carolina Club

Catering: The Carolina Club

DJ: Stephen Scott Professional Entertainment

Transportation: A Formal Affair LLC

The post Kelley + Mike | Carolina Club Wedding | Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.

The first time I ever photographed Yemeng and Chris was at a fort party hosted by my senior year roommates and I.  (It sounds like what it is: we built a massive fort out of linens in our Townhouse Apartment living room…the one with the graffiti walls). When I first photographed them they were wrestling and teasing each other in our furniture-deficient living room, and five years later they still had that lightheartedness to their relationship (but we all have more furniture). Our shoot was full of laughter and goofiness, and I really love that about this couple.

We spent the first half of our shoot at Merritt’s Pasture, a hidden gem of Chapel Hill that currently requires you to creatively enter via sewage pipe (walking across, not through).  Once you get past the somewhat precarious method of entering, you enter a beautiful field of yellow flowers…it looks like something from another part of the country!  We then trekked to the North Carolina Botanical Garden and finished our shoot at the Old Well and The Pit at Carolina.

Yemeng and Chris, thanks so much for being so fun to photograph! It’s always special for me to photograph college friends, and I’m looking forward to your wedding this spring!

Enjoy!

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