Leslie and Gabe are from a small town in West Virginia.  They’re teachers there; in fact, they met at the school where they both teach elementary aged kids.  Somehow, when they decided to get married, they chose a tiny beach in southeastern North Carolina.  If memory serves, neither of them had ever been to Sunset Beach before; they just chose it on a whim.  And then they decided to get married on a Wednesday, and invite their closest friends and family to join the celebration.  And, fortunately for us, they decided to make sure that their day was captured beautifully, and they hired us to document it all for them.

We left this wedding rejuvenated.  This was the perfect midyear kick-in-the-ass wedding to get us motivated for the second half of 2012.  There was something so pure and unassuming about this entire day – from Leslie and Gabe and their incredible personalities and presence, to the setting of their wedding, to the lowkey reception and the sweetness of every guest and every child that was there.  It was just a sweet day.  With people who care so much about everyone around them, they didn’t let us leave without a jar of homemade jam (they picked the berries themselves!), a handwritten note, and a tip!  No one tips anymore, it was the most unexpected surprise and so, so appreciated!  The entire drive back home that night, Mike and I gushed about this wedding, the darling people we’d met, the new friends we hoped we’d one day see again, and our futures, which looked so much brighter after being around genuinely good people all day.

Eleven years and counting, and I still love this damn job.

For a slight change of pace (and you’ll thank me for this, I’m sure), I’ve decided to sit back and let the photos do the talking for the next few posts.  See, I’ve got this cold that Mike gave me (yes, he gets all the blame), I’ve got a splitting headache, my nose won’t stop running, and I’ve lost my voice.  But I have GOT to get our blog updated after spending most of the fall barely even touching it.  It’s long overdue.  But rather than bore everyone with 1,200 word essays on each of the next few weddings, I’m gonna post photos, get these online, and then lie down for a Nyquil Nap.

But before I stop typing, let me just tell you that Elizabeth and Dan are two quirky urbanites from Chicago who chose Oak Island for their wedding because their families had vacationed here every summer since they were kids.  This was one of those weddings, and they don’t happen often, where the couple is so involved with their friends that we don’t really get a chance to talk to them much, or learn much about them other than what we observe.  So I can tell you that Elizabeth has the most adorable expressions, and she’s positively giddy whenever Dan is near.  Dan’s a bit aloof, definitely has his mind in a dozen places at once, and had a blast playing iPad DJ for the reception.   According to the toasts, Dan has a heart of gold and would drop anything and everything to help a friend in need.  And Elizabeth is every bit as sweet, caring, charming, and loved as the pictures below imply.  Their families spent almost as much time on the dance floor as the kids did, and the music variety was off-the-charts.  EVERYONE that was there, from the guests to the waitstaff to the passersby, had the time of their lives.  We left exhausted and completely satisfied that we’d just witnessed one of the most fun, well-planned, and beautiful weddings of 2012.

Two more weddings from my three-part retrospective on Bald Head Island

[part one] | [part two]

Becca and Wyatt are already on the blog [wedding] [engagement], but their wedding was so rich with details – and the only ceremony I’ve shot on the grounds of the Harbourside Pavilion – I had to include it here. And Carson and Mike, who were married before I ever started blogging, had an adorable ceremony at the Village Chapel (my favorite chapel ever), and their reception was at the BHI Club.

I’m hard pressed to come up with a “favorite” wedding, or even a Top Ten List. Every wedding I’ve photographed has a special place in my memory, and these two are, of course, no exception. Becca and Wyatt were certainly one of my favorite engagement sessions, mostly because of Wyatt’s challenging “you can’t get a picture of me smiling” personality; Carson and Mike were one of my last film weddings, and one of those times when I really REALLY connected with a couple… as in, these people could have been my closest friends if we’d met under different circumstances.

Let’s just get to the pictures, yeah?

And then there was Carson and Mike’s wedding, which is memorable for so many reasons for me. Carson and Mike are the kind of people, when you meet them you feel like you’ve known them for years. Carson is funny, relaxed, and completely easy to work with. Mike is hilarious and even more laid back than Carson, who is pretty hard to beat in that respect.

They were married in the beautiful chapel on the Island next to Old Baldy, and their reception was in the ballroom of the Club… it was SO much fun to shoot, Carson had such wonderfully simple details throughout the day… some of my all time favorite images came out of this wedding. It helps that I was still shooting about 40% film at the time, and those black and white photos have a special place in my heart.

And, finally… the obligatory Photographers shot… this is me on the right, and Lisa Baker on the left – she was just starting her photography business back when she helped me shoot Carson and Mike’s wedding in the mid-00′s. She was a doll to work with, and I’m so happy to see how successful she is today!

So the first wedding I ever shot on Bald Head was Sunny and Reynolds’ in May of 2003. This wedding actually ended up being printed in the Knot’s North Carolina magazine as a Real Weddings feature later that year. It wasn’t my first trip to the island – I’d assisted a local photographer with a wedding there in 2002-ish – but it was my first solo wedding on BHI. Sunny’s family was originally from Australia; her parents had the best accents and this amazing, modern home on the island. I remember being so impressed by that house… if memory serves, they lived most of the year in some large city… maybe Charlotte or DC? But the Bald Head Island home was their vacation spot, their home away from home.

Sunny got ready at the family home, up in this wing that was accessible only by a series of walkways and steps through the foliage. She was an absolutely stunning bride, and she wore the Romona Keveza “Marilyn Monroe” dress that was so hugely desired that year.

The ceremony was at the Village Chapel, next to Old Baldy. This is and probably always will be one of my favorite chapels in the region. It is so quaint and pretty, the grounds are amazing, the A/C always works perfectly, and something about the light inside the chapel… it’s just magic. Perfect shooting, perfect ambience, perfect everything. I wish every chapel and church had the same quality of light, and the same feel.

The newlyweds!

After a few quick shots around the Lighthouse and Chapel grounds, we headed toward a tiny strip of beachfront near the Harbourside Pavilion where the reception was happening. If you’re thinking about having your reception at the Pavilion: do it. It is a *wonderful* spot for a reception – the views are amazing from every angle, the staff and food are always phenomenal, the amenities are top notch, and the permanent tent structure is *perfect* for good reception lighting. I really love these receptions – and so do the guests.

Allison and Brian were also married in the Village Chapel with their reception at the Harbourside Pavilion, but three years (almost to the day) after Sunny and Reynolds. Where the earlier wedding was built on layers of quiet sophistication, Allison and Brian’s was all about fun and hilarity. I don’t think these two ever stopped laughing long enough to complete a sentence. The day started at a rented beach house where Allison and her bridesmaids were getting ready…

We all made our way to the Village Chapel for the ceremony.

This was an incredibly touching and tender ceremony. I know I got teary-eyed watching Brian’s expressions during the vows.

Right after the ceremony

We took all of these on the grounds around the Harbourside Pavilion.

FUN reception. They had “Chinese yo-yo’s” for their getaway instead of bubbles or sparklers

I’ve been going to Bald Head Island pretty regularly for the last decade… but Memorial Day weekend 2011 was my first trip over there for pleasure.  Ellie, Mike and I spent a day on the island as tourists, soaking in the sun, buying silly souvenirs, and enjoying this incredible place that, until that day, I’d only experienced behind the lens.

I always knew the island was pretty.  It’s a resort, but it’s not overdone at all.  Much of the island – hell, MOST of the island is still in its most natural state, and even the modern conveniences are perfectly nestled along with the island’s shrubbery, flora, and fauna.  Everyone knows that there are no gas powered vehicles allowed on the island (it was the island they were escaping to in Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive movie – how cool is that?!), and the little electric golf carts and bicycles move at such a relaxed pace, it forces you to slow down.  The island encourages you to just BE.  Even when you’re frantically running from location to location, getting every shot on the list and keeping track of all your gear and fighting off mosquitoes and sand fleas and heat exhaustion… you’re still a couple paces slower than you would be on the mainland.  There aren’t a whole lot of places like that in America, you know?  Maui, my home, is one.  Daufuskie Island, off the SC coast near Hilton Head, is another.  And I’d put Corolla NC (in the northern Outer Banks) on that list as well.

I’ve photographed quite a few weddings and portrait sessions on Bald Head Island, and over the years I’ve gotten to know the island pretty well.  The coordination team (which is *incredible* and highly recommended), the best places to eat and grab a cool drink or a coffee, the laid back folks that rent me my golf carts, the ferry staff who amaze me with their speed and strength, the roads, the shortcuts, the best spots for pictures… but I always forget how it feels to be ON the island.  That calm that surrounds you, as though every clock is moving at half speed.  It’s an absolutely wonderful place to bring your family and friends for a wedding, and after that trip a few weeks ago I decided I just HAD to share a bunch of photos and stories from the island.

Let’s start with one of my first BHI weddings: Stephanie and Stephen.

I can’t remember anymore if I met Stephanie and Stephen before their wedding, or if we met for the first time on their wedding day.  It’s been just about 8 years now – they were married in late July of 2003.  I do remember very well that this was a 100% destination wedding for them.  They were from Pennsylvania, but they were beachy, Jimmy Buffet loving types who wanted a small, relaxed, calm and beautiful wedding with only their very closest friends and family.  I think they maybe had 40 people there – and that might be stretching it.

My friend Kim, who I’ve shot many weddings with over the years, traveled down from Milwaukee to shoot this one with me.  She’d never shot a beach or island wedding before, and she was completely enchanted by the idea of this idyllic, barely accessible place where people go to get married.  I think in her head she was thinking it would be a breezy day in the mid-80′s, with a low in the upper 60′s for the (outdoor) reception.  Heh.  I maybe conveniently forgot to tell her that shooting an outdoor wedding in Southeastern NC in late July is a lot like sitting in a rice cooker.  Hot, swampy, sticky, and a little stifling.  Oh, and also bugs.

Poor Kim.  Not only was she in for heat like she hadn’t experienced since she lived in Florida years earlier… but I was pregnant with Miss Bean at the time, and a really dull date when we went out for drinks the night after the wedding.  Oh, and I also forgot to tell her that we were in for an “unlimited” coverage that day… which started in the wee hours of the morning and didn’t end until the last ferry left the island that night.  You know what?  Kim is a REALLY GOOD FRIEND.

Fortunately, Bald Head Island is a visual feast, so Kim delighted in the scenery and photo opportunities while I apologized for the heat and humidity.

Our first stop on the island, after grabbing our golf cart and a quick bite to eat, was the golf course.  Now, I don’t know much about golf (but Mike is steadily teaching me more than I ever figured I’d learn), so I’m not sure if there’s just one course on the island, or if the course they were on was named anything special… I just know they were doing golf things, and it was hot.

After about an hour or so of the golf outing, Kim and I headed to the beach house Steph and Stephen rented for the week. Their ceremony was on the beach, just a short walk from the rental house, and it was the most ridiculously beautiful setting. I remember being so happy that we arrived early – there was so much to shoot just in the details and scenery.

Their ceremony was intimate and natural, and even though it only lasted probably ten minutes, Kim and I managed to shoot *hundreds* of frames. I mean, it was gorgeous out there.

We had lots of time to spend with Steph and Stephen after the ceremony, and we took full advantage of it… not only because wow it was pretty, but also, we just really liked hanging out with those two.

We slowly made our way to the beautiful Bald Head Island Club, where they had a tented reception on the Palms Terrace outside.

They danced ALL NIGHT LONG. There was a conga line for I think forty five minutes. The only downside to the reception, and it’s really just a matter of personal taste… the bride and groom are huge Jimmy Buffet fans. Like, big time all about that man. So they asked the DJ (Tommy Robbins of Shoresound Productions) to play nothing but the Buffet. Hey, everyone has their thing. It just so happens that Kim and I are the opposite of Buffet fans. So, in the midst of all that happiness and joy and drunken dancing – were Kim and me, cringing and trying like crazy to keep Margaritaville from playing over and over in our heads.

Great. Now Margaritaville is playing over and over in my head.

So, there you go – part one of a three-part excursion through some of my favorite Bald Head Island weddings. Stay tuned for part two, which if I’m swift and steady will be up sometime later today!

May 25, 2003. This is a wedding I will never, ever forget – for so many reasons.

I met Jill and Lee a few months earlier for their engagement session. We hit it off instantly, and I already knew their wedding would be awesome – Jill was and is one of those women that you want to hate for being so beautiful, but she’s so damn sweet and awesome that you just end up loving her to death, no matter how jealous you are over her good looks. (She’s also got ridiculous creative talent – more on that later). Lee was adorable – sarcastic and dry, totally fun to be around, and completely in love with Jill. Just like everyone who meets her.

The week leading up to their wedding was insanity. First, that Thursday, I found out I was pregnant with little Miss Bean. Which explained all the nausea and my growing bustline. That Friday, I drove up to Pinehurst to shoot a wedding the next day at The National (awesome location, and I’ll be posting that wedding sometime in the coming weeks). I spent the night in Pinehurst, sick as a dog and totally not looking forward to the drive back to the beach and shooting a wedding on a BOAT. A boat, I mean come on – I was walking morning sickness!

As unlucky as that timing was, I am still one of the luckiest people on earth – a close friend and colleague of mine, Allegra, wouldn’t let me shoot a double header all by myself in my newly discovered delicate condition. She was already booked that Saturday, but she was open on Sunday – and she drove like a maniac from Northern Virginia all the way down to Southeastern NC to second shoot for me that day. She even brought an associate photographer along to make sure we had plenty of coverage. They met up with me right after the ceremony (which was the earliest they could get there), and they had ginger ale, saltines, and crystallized ginger on hand for the boat trip . Really, you couldn’t ask for a more perfect present.

And the presents just kept coming out of this wedding – I let Jill and Lee know about the little bean when I got their proof prints back from the lab, and Jill was so excited for me… so excited, in fact, that she asked if she could paint a mural in our nursery. Are you kidding me? She used the cribset design that we’d picked out as inspiration, and painted the most adorable set of jungle animals in over Ellie’s crib… just because she wanted to.

Today, Jill does this for a living, and if you have even the first bit of a gleam in your eye, you need to look at her website and consider hiring her for some custom artwork – or buying a few of her hand painted prints to hang in your kids’ rooms. Jill is an absolute doll, so much fun to work with, and she does such ridiculously cute work for babies and kids… if I was a little bit crazy, I’d go have another baby just to decorate the nursery with her artwork. I’m only a little bit exaggerating.

Jill and Lee are currently expecting their third little one; I can only imagine what the nursery looks like. So much cute, I can’t stand it!!!

Okay, back to the wedding. Like all of my weddings from the mid-00′s, I was still shooting mainly film, as was Allegra, so a lot of these images are sweet, sweet film scans. Enjoy this look back at this incredibly awesome and unforgettable day in 2003.

I’m a complete sap… these two images make me sooo happy and misty, even eight years later…

Right after the ceremony, they snuck up into the balcony for a moment alone while the guests were ushered out.

The Winner Princess boat!

I loved all of their details

Ceremony: Oak Island Presbyterian Church [website]
Reception: Royal Winner Princess II [website]

images above are copyright Charo Donohue, Allegra’s Studio, and Karen Simmons for Charo Photo.

Amy and Collin got married on an Oak Island beach on one of the prettiest days ever. It was the perfect mix of sun and clouds, beautiful weather all day long.

The trolley transported the wedding party back to Saint James Plantation, where they danced and partied all night. It was such a fun reception, with great music, wonderful food, and a terrifically fun crowd. Congratulations, Amy and Collin!

Locations:

Isn’t she adorable?  Meg and Tallon were married on June 28, 2008 in Darlington, SC.  Their wedding photos will be posted soon!

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Remember Becca and Wyatt from their engagement session? They got married just a couple days after that session, and you know, it was probably one of the *prettiest* weddings I’ve shot in years. Everything was bright and airy, and the details were so well thought out, it was just eye candy, I loved it.

The wedding was on Bald Head Island, at the Harbor Pavilion, a really gorgeous spot for weddings and receptions. Tommy and Teresa of Shoresound Productions provided all of the music, and did an absolutely amazing job. If you want a professional, NON-cheesy, caring, easygoing DJ for your wedding, Tommy is second to none. Becca’s friend did all the flowers, and they were incredible (pictures below).

Wyatt and I sort of played a cat and mouse game all day; when he’d see me with the camera, he’d duck away and make me chase him down…. but it was actually done in fun, he was more than happy to pose for photos when the time came. In fact, he was all smiles, all day long. They both were. They have this real quiet bond that you can sense when you’re with them, it’s nice.

Click here to view the entire collection of wedding images. The collection is password protected; the password is Becca’s maiden name.

Here are a few more images from the wedding!

Jody and Jimmy had the kind of wedding that I would have, if I had to do it over again. I mean, if I absolutely HAD to do it all over again, I’d pretty much have their wedding, only no white dress. And Ellie would be my maid of honor. And I’d totally wear white patent leather platform shoes. And somehow I think I’d need to do it in the wintertime so that I could wear black or dark purple. And I’d incorporate some of my Hawaiian heritage into the vows, and wear a maile lei and haku instead of carrying a bouquet. And it would be on Maui.

Yeah, my wedding would be *nothing* like this. But I still felt completely at home at theirs!

They were married at Jimmy’s brother’s home in Sunset Beach NC, and the reception was at the . Before their wedding, I’d never been to the Isles. What a great restaurant! One of these days I’ll drive down and have dinner that I can sit down and eat with utensils, because it seemed to me that the food was really really yum.

Jody and Jimmy were so completely laid back about EVERYTHING. I know I say that a lot (most of my clients are pretty casual and easygoing), but seriously, they didn’t worry about a thing. Jody’s veil flies off and almost falls into the inlet? Cool! Toddlers are grabbing at her white gown with chocolate hands? They’re so CUTE! It was like that all day. If she wasn’t wearing a dress, you’d never know she was THE BRIDE. Ultracool.

And Jimmy. Jimmy’s an actor. He is about a million feet tall, has the biggest smile ever, and every man in his family looks just like him. If he wasn’t so tall and distinctive, you really could forget that he was THE GROOM because he was so unassuming. Oh, and also because he kept messing with the laptop and downloading new itunes to play at the reception. Where’s Jimmy? At the laptop.

The kids at this wedding really kind of stole the show. They were everywhere, which was awesome. They laughed and played, no one got into trouble, and the reception was completely kid-friendly. A couple of the kids ended up latching on to me for parts of the evening, which I liked a lot because it was like having Ellie with me, only these kids weren’t yelling “I’m not TALKING TO YOU ANYMORE MOMMY!” at me every four minutes. So it was like having my kid around, only somewhat sweeter.

Here are some more images from Jody and Jimmy’s wedding ….

This one is probably my favorite. This is right after the kids were told that the cake needed to be taken away to be cut.