Read the Q&A with this sweet couple, featured below, to learn more about their wedding inspiration and photography experience! To view all of the photos from their wedding and order prints, please visit their gallery on my online print shop!

—

1. What are some of your favorite things about your partner? How were these attributes expressed using or leading up to your wedding?

We wrote our own vows for the ceremony that included what we loved about each other and what led us to committing to spend the rest of our lives together.

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

Making sure that we stayed true to what we wanted. We wanted it to be a big party for our friends and family and didn’t want to get stuck in doing certain wedding traditions just because it is what everyone else does. We wanted the music, food, and drinks to be unique and out of the ordinary, so we went with a cover band (who rocked!), for beer selection we only chose ones from North Carolina, and the food was definitely not the standard wedding menu (i.e. chicken and waffles on a stick.)

3. Are there any details or moments from your wedding that are particularly special to you? (E.g., you wore your momma’s dress, your partner unexpectedly serenaded you, there was a double rainbow all across the sky…)

Ashley- For me, it was unexpectedly the wedding ceremony. When I had thought about my wedding I never thought the ceremony would end up being my favorite part. Before everyone came I got a chance to go upstairs and see it all decorated. It was so unbelievably beautiful and perfect that I was speechless and couldn’t control my emotions. Every part of our ceremony was truly us from the acoustic songs played to our vows that we each wrote.

Mark- My favorite part was seeing everyone who I care about in the same place. It was great just having all our family and friends in one place. Also our first look was very emotional to me. I’m not really an emotional guy…but when I got to see Ashley in her dress for the first time I teared up a little. Everything right was in that moment.

4. What drew you to my photography style? What was it like to work with me?

Courtney’s photography looks very authentic and truly captures the spirit and emotions of what is happening in the moment. Sometimes wedding photography can appear staged. Of course you need some posed portraits, but some of the best photos I’ve seen from weddings is when the person doesn’t realize they are being photographed. Courtney and her second shooter were great to work with! They rolled with whatever was going on and went along with whatever goofy thing we wanted to do. Courtney knew the venue well, and I like where she put us for “the first look.”

5. What was the silliest moment of your wedding day? The sweetest?

Ashley- Silliest was when our ring-bearer/nephew decided he wanted to play ring around the rosy around our officiant’s legs (officiant is also our nephew’s father) while he tried to conduct the ceremony. Everyone was laughing as family members were trying to hell him to stop and get control of him. It definitely lightened the mood. Sweetest was watching Mark say his vows to me. I could tell how much effort he put into writing and trying to memorize them. Mark doesn’t get emotional very often, and it was so special to see him get that way during our vows.

Mark- Yeah the silliest part was probably my nephew during the ceremony. Another crazy moment was when my groomsmen had me do a keg stand behind the bar while no one was looking. Hopefully my in-laws don’t read this. The sweetest is a tie between Ashely and I exchanging our vows and the Father/Daughter dance. You could see how much that moment meant to Ashley and her dad.

6. What is the first thing you want to do with the images? Wallpaper the hallway? Internet fame?

We are so excited to see the photos! Especially since it goes by so quickly, and it’s really difficult to keep track of what is going on throughout the night. We definitely plan to print many of them and put them throughout our home. Probably create some sort of wall collage. We will also be sending them out as gifts.

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

We have big plans in the works currently! We are searching for a home to buy in Durham and are planning to go on our honeymoon to France some time in May.

—

Ashley + Mark, thank you for being such fun and laid-back clients. I enjoyed every minute with you (and your cute pup!) and hope that these photos memorialize your celebration for years to come!

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

Venue: The Cotton Room

Second Photographer: Bri Brough

Officiant: Jonathan Weber

Bride’s Dress: White by Vera Wang, purchased at David’s Bridal

Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade

Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Sung

Flower Girl Dresses: made by groom’s mother

Groomsmen Clothing: Men’s Wearhouse

Florist: Tre Bella

Dessert: Cinda’s Creative Cakes

Catering: Triangle Catering

Invites: Wedding Paper Divas

Band: The Scarlet Band

The post Ashley + Mark | Cotton Room Wedding | Durham Wedding Photographer appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.

Read the Q&A with this artsy couple, featured below, to learn more about their wedding inspiration and photography experience! To view all of the photos from their wedding and order prints, please visit their gallery on my online print shop!

—

1. What are some of your favorite things about your partner? How were these attributes expressed during or leading up to your wedding?

Marie – Robbie is everything I have ever wanted in a man. He is so much like my Dad: hardworking, smart, silly, sensitive, and extremely supportive. I have needed each and every one of those attributes during the wedding planning process. He helped me design and build all of the decorations for the wedding. Every time I got overly stressed or panicky he would make me laugh and lighten the mood in the situation. We also both have a deep love for the outdoors and he helped me make my dream a reality by bringing a little bit of the wilderness into our ceremony. He is my rock.

Robbie – Marie is the most interesting and special person I have met.  She is kind hearted, caring, smart, ambitious, hard-working, creative, patient, and goofy all piled up in a five-foot package.  She embraces my dreams and comforts me when I am upset.  These attributes all were shown on the wedding day as she danced around the room meeting all my family making them feel as if they had known her all their lives.  The creative side of her absolutely came out for the wedding as she took the reigns for the décor.  I couldn’t be happier.

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

Marie and I wanted a wedding that would bring everyone together. We hadn’t met one another’s extend family yet and we wanted everyone to get to know each other. We decided to make it as hard as possible for people to be in separate groups and force them to get out on the dance floor. It definitely worked. We also didn’t want to get to sucked up into the party itself and let a lot of the aspects of the wedding happen naturally. Neither of us wanted to make ourselves stressed out by trying to perfect every detail. We had a tight budget, so we had a lot of bonding time creating most of the décor used at the wedding. All of those things have now turned our porch into a magical fairytale land full of memories.

3. Are there any details or moments from your wedding that are particularly special to you? (E.g., you wore your momma’s dress, your partner unexpectedly serenaded you, there was a double rainbow all across the sky…).

The first look we had before the wedding was very special because, after 11 months of anticipating that moment when we would first see each other, it was more than we had ever imagined it would be. It was a great time for us to be able to laugh and take each other in and be completely goofy before we had to put our serious faces on and take our vows.

4. What drew you to my photography style? What was it like to work with me?

Robbie said that your tag line says it all. We are unconventional and wild and completely silly people. You seemed like the best person to be able to capture who we really are. You were amazing to work with. It was so awesome to meet someone who was completely true to themselves right off the bat. Neither Robbie nor I like our picture taken, but with you it didn’t feel formal or stiff, but like a friend was taking pictures of us. It was perfect.

5. What was the silliest moment of your wedding day? The sweetest?

There were a lot of silly moments during our day.  We think that it is a toss up between all of our friends doing keg stands, my uncle wearing a tie on his head like Quail Man, and my escape outfit… A star wars onesie. My father and I also had a few funny moments. As we were walking out of the room hand in hand to walk down the aisle I realized I didn’t have my bouquet. I started panicking and we both stopped mid walk, turned around, and ran back to the room giggling like mad men. While he was giving me to Robbie he kissed me on the cheek, and then he had to make a joke and give Robbie and big ol’ smack on the face as well. Some of the sweetest moments included my father and my dance where we had to share a handkerchief.  He is the toughest man I know and this is the first time I have seen him openly cry multiple times in one day. I can’t forget the look on Robbie’s face as I walked down the aisle. He is so much like my father, and to see him tear up and smile at me with that big beautiful smile made my heart melt.

6. What is the first thing you want to do with the images? Wallpaper the hallway? Internet fame? Tattoo your favorite photo on your arm?

Honestly, we want to look through them together. We were pulled in so many directions during the reception that we don’t really remember all that much about it. It would be nice to look through the images and relive our day and see what memories they jog.

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

Well, we just got back from our Dude Ranch Honeymoon, which was awesome. Right now we are kind of nesting. It is nice to create a space that feels like it is both of ours. We are enjoying life as a married couple and maybe thinking about purchasing a house. Yeesh.. I think we are grown ups.

8. Anything else you’d like to add?

It was amazing working with you. Thank you for jumping in and joining our crazy families for our special day. We wouldn’t have changed anything.

—

Marie + Robbie, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to finish wedding season 2015! Thanks for being your authentic selves and choosing me to share in your unconventional celebration. I hope you love your photos as much as I do!

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

Venue: The Rigmor House

Photography Assistant: Kasha Mammone

Coordinator: Beth Boyea

Officiant: Roddy Dinsmore

Bride’s Dress: Allure Bridals

Bridesmaid Dresses: Free People

Groom’s Clothing: Assorted

Florist & Cake: DIY

Catering: AV Gourmet

Invites & Program: Marie Boyea

DJ: Island Sound DJ

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

Sarah and Erik got married at the Rigmor House in Chapel Hill, one of my favorite places to shoot because of all the natural light indoors.  They adorned the tables with festive candles, cranberries, and red roses, which gave the reception a romantic feel. Their friends were extremely fun; I enjoyed watching everyone’s sick dance moves.  I was also pretty amused by the amount of shots consumed in the kitchen in between dances. 

I shot this wedding with my brand new high school intern, Layson Peters.  She did a phenomenal job, and it was so fun to live vicariously through her enthusiasm, since this was her first wedding to shoot ever.  It was nice to realize that my love for wedding photography hasn’t waned over time; every time I create a new picture of a new moment with a new couple, that quiet thrill hits me. It’s the same feeling I had during my first wedding, and I hope that as long as I am in this profession it will continue to shape my work.  And I hope the same for Layson.

Sarah + Erik, thank you so much for sharing your day with us!  Enjoy!

The post Sarah + Erik | Rigmor House Wedding appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.