Emily + Carlo tied the knot on September 13, 2014 in downtown Durham, North Carolina. Given Emily’s last name, it was only fitting that they celebrated not only their love for one another but their love for Durham on their wedding day. Read more below to hear directly from the couple about their wedding and photography experience:

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1. What was your favorite moment from the day? 

Wow, so many favorites.  One moment I really loved was at the reception when Emily and I got a chance to stand up at the front of the room and thank everyone for coming, for helping, and for being a part of our lives.  That was also when we got to explain that instead of a cake-cutting, we were going to do an ice cream-scooping because of the important place that ice cream has had in our lives.  It was just amazing to see all the faces of every single person I love in my life all in one place.  And all of us about to stuff ourselves with homemade ice cream!  I hope that’s at least a little bit what heaven is like.

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

For me, it was most important that our wedding do 3 main things: 1) Honor the people who have made our lives so awesome; 2) help get our marriage off to a strong start (as opposed to putting us in debt); and 3) support as many Durham-based businesses as possible.

3. What was the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge was consistently remembering that you can, should, and MUST say “Thanks, but that’s not actually important to me.”  Pressure builds up from lots of places during the planning process.  The pressure makes you imagine that people will judge you or be embarrassed by you if you don’t do certain things for your wedding or don’t have certain things.  The truth is, to have a wedding all you need is $60 for a license and 2 witnesses. So make sure that EVERYTHING else you might do on top of that is something that you are choosing powerfully for yourself because it’s important to you.

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

For photographers I was prioritizing Durham-based folks first.  After that, it was really important that our photographer be excited about working with us, not because we were a “gig” but because he/she genuinely cared about this thing happening in our lives.  Emily and I are both pretty sentimental people so we knew that wedding pictures were going to be something that we looked at a lot over the years.  Photography was actually our biggest splurge but we felt Courtney would do an awesome job.  Zero regrets.

5.  From booking to delivery of images and seeing the results, what in your mind made it the right choice for us to collaborate? Did anything surprise you?

The ONE thing that surprised me the most and will stick MOST with me is this: Across every single solitary part of the wedding planning process (from caterers to flowers to churches), Courtney was the most consistent, clear, responsive, and timely out of EVERYONE.  Honestly, sometimes when we were feeling down about a lack of responsiveness from some other area of wedding planning we’d be like, “Let’s ask Courtney a question!”  Boom.  Super helpful answer the very next day.  Sometimes it wasn’t even about pictures.  Courtney answered our question about where family could get their hair done in town!  Does that normally come with a photo package?  I dunno.  But it did with Courtney!

6.  What’s next for you as a couple?

Investing in each other and investing in Durham.  This is a pretty fantastic place to be with the person you’re supposed to be with in life.

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

Emily’s note here: Initially, screening photographers was on Carlo’s wedding to-do list since I knew he had a track record of cheesy fake smiles for photographers (I didn’t want that on our wedding day!).  His friend recommend a list of NC photographers and I remember Carlo saying that Courtney’s photographs were the only ones that made him laugh out loud with the candid, spontaneous moments she captured.  After both talking with Courtney on the phone and meeting her in person, we knew she was the one to go with!  Thank you so much, Courtney!!

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Emily + Carlo, thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your celebration! Your desire to support local businesses impressed me from the beginning, and I am so honored that you chose me to document your day. Even though your wedding is over, I hope to continue to collaborate with you and celebrate our shared love of Durham.

To view all of the photos from Emily + Carlo’s wedding and order prints, please visit my print service here.

Second Photographer: Alex Boerner

Videography: Kasha Mammone

Reception flowers: Ebb & Flower

Bouquets/Corsages/Boutonnieres: LuAnn Durham

Hair: Caitie Rumbles

Catering: Q-Shack, North Hills Raleigh

Ice Cream: La Monarca Michoacana

Linens/Dance Floor: Best Rent-All

Sound: Steven DeConto

The post Emily + Carlo | Downtown Durham Wedding | Durham Wedding Photographer appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.

Kim + David tied the knot on June 20, 2014 at The Cookery in downtown Durham, North Carolina. Kim and David graciously participated in a Q&A about their wedding day, which is featured below!

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1. Why was it important for you to hire a professional photographer with a documentary approach? What other factors went into your decision to hire me?

We really wanted photographs that could capture the mood, energy, and feelings of the day. Those are things you just can’t get through posed pictures. We had seen some of Courtney’s work and knew that her documentary approach resulted in photos that not only captured the events of the day, but also the special little moments created by fleeting emotions.

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

We thought our pre-ceremony timeline would be difficult to navigate. We got ready in separate buildings, drove to one location for pictures, went to another location for “pre-wedding drinks,” and then went to the final location for the ceremony/reception. A few days in advance, we asked Courtney for her opinion and she was so helpful in estimating time for pictures at each location. On the day of the wedding, she was great at guiding us along our timeline so we didn’t have to stress about it.

3. I loved how you utilized a lot of great local Durham vendors for your wedding. Was this a conscious decision on your part? What were some of the vendors you were most excited about?

Once we chose The Cookery as our location, the rest just kind of fell into place. Durham has so much to offer, we didn’t have to look elsewhere. I’d say we were most excited about The Parlour ice cream truck!

4. You booked an engagement session with your wedding package. What was it like to work with me in this more relaxed setting?

I’m really glad we got to work with Courtney before the wedding! The engagement photos were gorgeous and the photo shoot was just so fun. Having a laid-back photo shoot before the wedding gave us a chance to get to know Courtney which definitely helped us feel more comfortable the day of the wedding.

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

We want to print some photos to send to grandparents that couldn’t make it to the wedding. There is also a spot in our house that is waiting for a picture!

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

Kim just graduated nursing school and got her first job! So our big plans are to enjoy married life and embrace all these new steps in life!

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Kim and David, thank you so much for being such an easy-going couple to work with! I really enjoyed every step of the wedding process with you- from our first dinner at The Tobacco Campus, to all of our various photo sessions up until the wedding day! I hope you cherish these photos for years to come.

To view all of Kim + David’s wedding photos and order prints, please visit their gallery on my print service.

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

Venue: The Cookery

Dress: Maggie Sottero

Shoes: ChristyNg

Bridesmaid dresses: J.Crew

Groom’s clothing: Suitsupply

Ties: The Tie Bar

Florist: University Florist

Second Photographer: Elizabeth Mendoza

Ice Cream: The Parlour

The post Kim + David | Wedding at The Cookery | Durham Wedding Photographer appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.

haven’t shot personal work in awhile, and this seemed like a fun chance to explore my city, considering this took place just 2 miles from my house.  In the name of community, I brought my talented high school intern Layson to shoot this with me.  (Check out her version of the day’s event at her blog!)

haven’t had this much fun shooting for fun in awhile.  It was great to be back in the field, running free on the streets of downtown Durham with my camera.  Can’t wait until next year!

The post Marry Durham 2013 | North Carolina | Personal Work appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.