I’ll either do the Hendrix/Cobain/Pike’s Market thing this time, or I’ll do a full-on scenic roadtrip the day after the wedding – depends on whether an old school friend from Maui (who now lives in northern Washington) can make it down on Monday to hang out with me or not.  Either way, expect plenty of photos – wedding *and* sightseeing – sometime next week!

I’ll have access to email the entire time I’m gone, but I may not be very speedy with replies!  I’m officially back in town Tuesday afternoon.

Finally! A wedding in my backyard!!! After all these months of driving no less than four hours for almost every wedding of the year, I finally had one that I could get to in under fifteen minutes! I didn’t know what to do with myself all morning!!

So, you may remember Danielle and Trey from their engagement session and her bridal. I got to spend a lot of time with these guys this year, and I’m really psyched about that, they’re just cool, easygoing, fun people.

After having perfect weather for their engagement, and a beautiful but windy day for the bridal session, OF COURSE the weather turned for the absolute worst on their wedding day. It was like 50 degrees and rainy all day long, just miserable. Naturally, Danielle and Trey weren’t even phased by it. If I remember correctly, Danielle shrugged and said, “so it’s raining. I’m still getting married!” She rocks.

The ceremony was at my all-time favorite Wilmington church, Saint Mary’s Parish in downtown Wilmington. This is one of the most beautiful churches in Wilmington, I wish I could work there at least once a month. It’s so much fun to photograph.

The reception was at the Coastline Convention Center, and was catered and coordinated by Occasions Catering. It was a *crazy* fun reception, tons of dancing (Trey likes to “dance like Beyonce”, which was a treat in itself), drinking, laughing, good food… four hours of straight partying, the way a Wilmington wedding should be!

Danielle and Trey win the Low Maintenance Couple of the Year award, for being so laid back and easygoing about *everything*. They were so easy to work with, and I really loved being able to be around them so much this year.

Blaire and Michael got married at St Mary’s Chapel in Charlotte NC. The chapel is SO cute, I’d never been there before… it’s sort of nestled right in the middle of all these off ramps and traffic, but you forget its urban setting when you’re there… it’s a great spot, I definitely recommend.

The ceremony was uniquely sentimental, with the pastor and his wife translating a beautiful song into ASL (american sign language). The entire service was both spoken and signed, which was a new experience for me. The wedding party was a delightful mix of characters that were clearly very close to the couple, and it was so nice to be a part of this day with them.

The reception was held at Pewter Rose Bistro, which is one of those restaurants you wish was in your town. The decor, the service, the food, everything was impeccable. Blaire and Michael had this lovely dinner party, where their family and friends couldn’t seem to stop toasting them. Their families were experts at making you feel like you really belong… it’s no mystery where Blaire and Michael get their charitable passions from! I wish I could go into more detail, but all I would end up saying, over and over, is that this wedding was truly one of the sweetest, most sentimental, most moving weddings I’ve ever photographed. I’m so glad Blaire found me!

When Dodi and I first talked, she described her vision of this idyllic vineyard location overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, with her closest friends and family there to celebrate her marriage to Larry… she wanted almost no formal shots at all, and just wanted a photographer to capture the essence of the day. I loved her vision, and was so excited that she decided to trust me with bringing it to life!

Sometimes a bride’s vision of the way her day will go doesn’t exactly mesh with reality. Not in Dodi’s case. She described the location and the “feel” of the day *precisely*. It was absolutely stunning – serene and picturesque, with a small group of very close knit family and friends sharing memories and laughs. I had the best time!

Hillsborough Vineyards, in Purcellville VA (north of Tyson’s Corner), is this hidden little vineyard drenched with character and mountainy-goodness. Between the natural scenery, the amazing flowers by Scott Design, Lisa Hazell’s coordination efforts, and Dodi’s natural charm and beauty… the day was amazing. Dodi should have been a model, the way she moved was completely fluid and always perfect for the camera. I could photograph her for DAYS. Larry was an absolute pleasure to be around… actually, the entire group was, I felt like a part of their intimate family, and not a hired vendor. Dodi did such a great job of conveying her ideas for the decor to Scott, who translated her need for drama and elegance into the most unique arrangements I’ve probably ever seen… oh, I can’t say enough about how beautiful it was, and I would recommend any of these vendors in a heartbeat!

Dodi and Larry, thank you SO much for having me there on your big day!

Dodi and her daughter, Tiffany. And no, it isn’t fair that Dodi has a grown daughter and still looks so damn good.

After Genelle and Forrest’s wedding in Corolla, NC, Michael and I drove straight up to Washington DC. Along the way I had a slight freakout over getting gas – remember when there was, like, no gas in North Carolina? Well, on top of the gas shortage, they apparently don’t believe in 24-hour gas stations in the Outer Banks, so it was a little white-knuckley for a little while there. But I got over it, we got gas, and all was good in the world.

Andrea and Pete got married at Saint Mary’s Church in Old Town Alexandria. Oh, it was so pretty… old, and ornate, with fabulous stained glass and traditional decor. Just beautiful.

The reception was at the Hotel Monaco, which is an awesome place for a reception. It’s a beautiful hotel, and the staff really seemed to be on top of everything. During the reception, Andrea’s brother presented this hilarious slideshow he created about how Andrea met Pete. It kept the whole room laughing for a good thirty minutes… and I definitely think you should hire him if you need a satirist, because he’s hilarious.

This was a really sweet wedding; Andrea was adorably happy all night, and Pete was all smiles the whole time. We had a great time working with you and visiting Alexandria! Thank you for having us!

I had never been to the Outer Banks before this wedding. Genelle told me that it was beautiful up there – I had no idea. Driving up to Corolla (at the northern tip of the Outer Banks, almost in Virginia) is like driving to the edge of the world. It’s so remote and wild, untouched… I haven’t been so taken aback by an area’s natural beauty since I went back home to Maui to shoot Cat and Shawn’s elopement. I *definitely* recommend a vacation to the northern Outer Banks… and, bonus, Genelle is a realtor and can hook you up with a beach house for your trip!

I don’t know how to adequately describe this day in words. You almost had to be there. For Michael and me, the day started way too early in the morning, when we headed up the coast from Wilmington. Along the way, we stopped at a NAPA so Michael could change my brakes in the parking lot (they were grinding something awful, and it was making me nervous)! Thirty minutes after changing my brakes, Michael was dressed in his wedding clothes looking all spiffy. I don’t know if I looked spiffy, but probably not. Anyway, we got to the Corolla Chapel and it was just chaos. Bridesmaids running around in heels and towels, unity candle holders breaking and being superglued back together, curling irons and mascara… just chaos. In the middle of it all was Genelle, just as calm and collected as she could be.

So, they got married in the quaint chapel (that my GPS didn’t *actually* know was down a dirt road, so I’m amazed I got there on time!), and they had a FOUR WHEEL DRIVE BEACH BUS waiting to take them to the beach for pictures. Dude, it was a Monster Bus. We got on the monster bus and drove down to the beach. Which is also a state highway. Not kidding – the beach “road” we were on is a state highway, it’s the only way to get to a housing development at the northern tip of the island. I can’t really explain how awesome it was to be on this bus, driving between these enormous dunes and the ocean, wondering what we would see next.

The dunes up there are massive. They go on as far as you can see, it’s nothing like the dunes we have down here in Wilmington. I could have stayed on that beach forever, if the tide wasn’t coming in and if the wedding party didn’t want to get to the reception.

After the portraits, we headed back to the reception which was at the Currituck Country Club. It was as fun as you would imagine – lots of dancing and drinking and picture taking, great food, great band, great weather – everything was perfect. I think it was exactly the wedding Genelle and Forrest had in mind, and I’m so glad that we could be a part of that!

Do you remember Lesley and Jon from their engagement session earlier this year? They got married!!!

Lesley first contacted me about a hundred years ago or so, when she was just starting to look for the perfect venue. We got really close by email, talking about dozens of different possible wedding locations up and down the coast, from the Georgia Coastline up to the Outer Banks. I had recommended a couple of my very favorite locations (Daufuskie Island and Debordieu Colony, SC), and she followed up on both of these – and fell in love with Debordieu. I was so excited… first of all, it’s a great place to shoot. But second, she totally credited me with finding her wedding location! Yay me!

The wedding day was *gorgeous*. It was a bit overcast, since 2008 was apparently the Year of Rain, but that was the worst of it! The only thing that went “wrong” that day was Lesley’s injury. She tried to pin her mom’s corsage on, and the pin sort of went through her thumb. It sounds worse than it was (picture below). :-\ I think the rest of us were more freaked out about it than Lesley… nothing really bothers her, anyway!

Michael and I loved working with you guys! Stay in touch, and call me if you’re ever in Wilmington so we can get a beer!!!

the corsage injury

I try so hard to stay out of pictures, but Michael caught me in this one… and I don’t hate it. So, this is what I look like!

Tamera was such a cute bride. She never stopped smiling! When she saw Jay for the first time, I thought she would explode with happiness. Just so, so cute!!! Their ceremony was on the beach at North Topsail, and the reception was at the Topsail Assembly Building (Missile Museum). Surf City Florist provided the floral arrangements, and Jay’s mom did the catering. Jay’s mom… you rock. That was some of the best wedding food I have ever had!

I’ve had a lot of jumping wedding parties lately, and I’m not totally sure why… but it makes for fun pictures!

This little girl let me take her picture, and then said (very wisely), “Now you’ll have something to remember me by.” She was right, I wont’ forget her!

the wedding party

Remember Meg from her bridal session? Well, she married Tallon on June 28th at a cute little church in Darlington, SC. The day started out HOT, like South Carolina hot, and then it rained… the way it does in the south in the summertime. It didn’t suck, though – their reception was outdoors, but there were little tents and big trees everywhere for people to take cover, and most of the rain was just drizzle anyway. Besides, the beer was flowing, the music was rocking, nobody slipped or drowned… I don’t think anyone really noticed the rain, what with all the singing and dancing and partying they were doing.

Meg was the perfect bride – she smiled and laughed the ENTIRE time, and did what every bride *should* do – she enjoyed the hell out of her day. Check out her pictures; does she not look like the happiest bride ever? She was. Tallon was pretty happy too, he just didn’t dance very much.

Michael Tyrell shot this wedding with me… one of only six that he would shoot with me before moving to Germany. Oh Michael, ya coulda been somebody

Ratha is one of those brides that I love most – too busy to be a bridezilla, a little scattered, and more than happy to let her day go however it may. I’d only ever chatted with Ratha by email in the months leading up to their wedding, but I still felt like we were old friends when I finally met her on her wedding day. She’s just that type of person who makes you feel right at home.

Ryan and Ratha were married at Strong Mansion in Sugarloaf Mountain, outside of Frederick MD. It was an absolutely gorgeous venue, and one of the most emotional ceremonies I’d seen all year. It rained that day, which was a tiny bummer (the ceremony had to be moved indoors), but the rain stopped long enough for outside pictures in the gardens and around the mansion, which made all of us SO HAPPY. The reception was ultra-fun, since the groom was a hardcore rocker from the 80’s. It was nothing but hair bands once the sun went down . Totally Freaking Awesome.

I was lucky enough to have my good friend Bruce Rubenstein from Brooklyn NY along to shoot with me. It’s always so nice to shoot with an old friend. We both had a blast, and you can see from the pictures we weren’t the only ones!