Tag: Triangle wedding photographer

When I booked Ami+Dave’s wedding back in May, I knew it was going to be the wedding of the year.  I devoted a whole week in September to shooting their fun wedding festivities, which included an intimate shoot in Duke Gardens, multiple henna parties, a small traditional family ceremony on Thursday, their Sangeet party, and then the wedding day itself—which was packed with emotion, beautiful rituals, amazing Indian music and food, and bright colors.  In other words, their wedding was a photographer’s dream wedding!

The breadth and intimacy of Ami+Dave’s wedding week coverage provided a unique wedding coverage experience for me.  I had really great conversations with their family and friends over a series of days, learned a ton about Ami’s family’s culture, and got to witness and photograph some really beautiful moments that I can’t imagine seeing without spending so much time with them.  It was a privilege to feel like I wasn’t just a witness to their family’s celebration—I was a part of it!  I came home from each shoot feeling refreshed, as if I had spent quality time with my own family.  It was life-giving, to say the least, and reminded me of my college days when I would dive into a documentary project.

Ami+Dave, thank you so much for inviting me to document your wedding celebration. You both have such bright spirits and bring joy to everyone you meet—I experienced that first-hand each day I shot with you.  I was truly touched by the toasts at your wedding, which made me cry (and I usually don’t cry at weddings!).  I hope that these photos reflect the light that you bring to all and the love around you. And a big thanks to Justin Cook and Ted Richardson for shooting with me this week.

Enjoy!

Amy + Jason’s colorful backyard wedding exuded love and creativity.  A DIY bride, Amy created so many amazing details for her wedding—bright
quilted signs that exclaimed “Celebrate,” colorful place settings,
purple and green lanterns, and she even thrifted to find vintage china
for their reception. One thing I appreciated about this effervescent Carrboro couple is that they specifically
requested I bring a student shooter with me to cover their wedding.  Both scholars and professors, Amy and Jason wanted their
wedding day to be an extension of their love for teaching. So I brought
my fabulous UNC student intern, Maria Van Aalst,
with me to shoot their wedding.  This was Maria’s second wedding, and
she told me afterwards that the bar had been set high for her.  “Are all
couples this creative and fun?” she asked. This wedding will stand out in both of our minds because of this couple’s fabulous personality.

Some of my favorite weddings to shoot are the ones that aren’t
traditional.  I love seeing couples express their unique relationship in
a setting that is truly their own–whether it be a relaxed wedding in a field at sundown, a beautiful Jewish ceremony
held outside, or something more homely.  Katie and Matt celebrated
their nuptials in a setting I’d never seen before: their neighborhood
cul de sac.

I have never felt so relaxed shooting a wedding, and owe that to the
warm, cozy environment that was my photographic playground for the
afternoon. All the elements of a usual wedding were present, but the
location they took place gave the day a twist for me.  A little girl put
on her dress in the living room downstairs, family members lounged on
the couch before the ceremony, family portraits took place in the
backyard instead of in the front of a church, Katie and Matt said “I do”
on the front porch of their Durham home, guests hula-hooped in the lawn
at the reception.

I’d love to shoot more weddings like this in the future.  The
off-beat nature of everything was really refreshing, making ordinary
wedding moments that I capture all the time seem like something totally
different.  If I could get married again, I’d probably make my wedding
something like this—an intimate gathering of family and friends in my
backyard (since I don’t have a cul de sac)!