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.

I am thrilled to booking more and more Durham clients for 2014. Kim and David live about three miles away from me and Justin and love Durham just as much as we do! Next summer they will say “I do” at The Cookery, one of my favorite downtown Durham venues that also happens to be three miles away.

Kim + David, thank you for being such a fun couple to work with! I didn’t even have to ask you to romp in the leaves; Kim did this on her own accord. Your positive energy is refreshing to be around, and I can’t wait to shoot your wedding next summer.

Prints from this engagement shoot AVAILABLE HERE!

The post Kim + David | West Point on the Eno Engagement Session | Durham Engagement 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.

Kim + Justin, thank you so much for suggesting this spot for our engagement session! I had so much fun shooting in a new location (and being driven around in a golf cart by y’all.) I hope you enjoy these photos, and I am looking forward to shooting your wedding in the spring.

Enjoy!

The post Kim + Justin | Rustic Engagement Session in Apex | Apex Portrait Photographer appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.