Tag: wedding in Durham

Maria and Stephen’s North Carolina June wedding was one that I was
anticipating for several months.  I
became friends with Stephen four years ago when he was a student at Carolina
and a member of my church.  I got to know
Maria last summer when she interned for me (check out her amazing portfolio!).  She spent many hot summer afternoons editing
wedding photos at my kitchen table and shooting alongside me and Justin on the
weekends.  Every now and then I would
pick her up from Stephen’s apartment and find them cuddling on his couch,
watching the Office and being generally cuddly and adorable.

Maria and Stephen got married at the First Baptist Church in
downtown Durham and had a lively outdoor reception at the beautiful JC Raulston
Arboretum in Raleigh.  Their wedding was
a photographer’s dream, filled with a range of emotions.  Reverence throughout the ceremony turned into
slaphappy goofiness with the bridal party afterwards.  A quiet, stolen kiss between Maria and
Stephen went unnoticed by a loud and celebrating crowd.  The contrast was wonderful and kept me on my
toes.

One of my favorite aspects of the day was shooting Maria +
Stephen’s couples portraits after their exit.
Since Maria is a wedding photographer, she really valued having a
variety of photographs of just her and Stephen and scheduled about an hour for
us to focus on that.  It was wonderful to
not have to rush this process!  Some of
my favorite photos from they day are from our time walking through the gardens.

Maria and Stephen, thank you so much for giving me the
opportunity to shoot your wedding.
Maria, it was so fun to see you on this side of the camera for
once.  J  I hope that these wedding photos will remind
you of the joy you experienced together with your loving community on June 15,
2013.    

Enjoy!

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

Dress: David’s Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal and TB Dresses

Catering: LizRen Enterprises

Invites: David’s Bridal

Cake: Teresa Leonarz

Ceremony: First Baptist Church in Durham

Reception: JC Raulston Arboretum

Second Photographer:  Julysa Sosa

Bridal Portraits:  Carolyn Marie Photography

Today was the second anniversary of Marry Durham.  In 2011 the people of Durham said their vows to the city of Durham with a solemn oath to keep the city’s streets clean, cherish diversity, shop locally, and pursue sustainability.

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!

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!

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)!