Melissa+Jackson // 214 Martin Street Wedding

Melissa and Jackson are two rain proof kids in both mind and spirit. The forecast was unusually cold for March, but also called for an epic downpour to start riiiiight at the time of their first look. Geoff and I were optimistic – rain almost always get pushed back, and all we needed was for it to hold off an hour. But, because this is how the weather seems to be rolling so far in 2018, the rain started right at the first look, and continued on through their pictures. Then I promised Melissa that there was an alley nearby that had a fish mural. But… the city had painted over it to be a plain yellow. Then they got excited about the weird fruit and vegetable and strange faces mural behind it, but there were cars in every. single. spot. in front of the wall. But then! Thennn!

Because Melissa and Jackson are so badass, they stayed super positive and super wonderful and super friendly despite all of this! And so did their bridal party! And it was cold! And wet! And YET WE MARCHED ON. Equipped with nothing but clear umbrellas and a will of steel, we blocked traffic in City Market and did what we came there to do. We took pictures in that plain yellow alley that used to have the fish! BOOM! Then a car moved and we were able to shoot in front of the weird veggie faces wall! BAM! And Melissa’s dress was absolutely soaked afterward and so were her shoes, so we called in a favor to the wonderful ladies we just photographed at the Design Gallery Salon just recently, and they were so kind as to throw Melissa’s Toms in a dryer for a few minutes while they used several blow dryers on the bottom of her dress. :) TA-DA!

It was a good, good day with good, good people who also like cats. These guys are moving back to North Carolina from Ohio later this year and we’re glad to repopulate the city with more happy-go-lucky people like them. PLUS LOOK HOW CUTE THEY ARE.

– Date: March 24, 2018
– Ceremony + Reception Venue: 214 Martin Street // Raleigh, NC
– First Dance Song: “Carolina in My Mind ” – James Taylor
– Occupations: PhD students, soon to be postdocs
– How You Met: In a math class at UNC
– Interesting Fact: We’re brewery fans. Our favorite thing to do in a new city is check out local beer.
– Honeymoon: Austria

Officiant: Terri Hollingsworth, family friend
DJ: Al Sibille, Epic DJ Entertainment
Florist: Eucca on Etsy
Cake: Groovy Duck Bakery
Caterer: 214 Martin Street
Hair/Makeup: Junction Salon

Katherine+Jon // Merrimon-Wynne House Wedding

Okay, so Katherine promised me that she’d up her enthusiasm game in the future because Jon was clearly practicing, and therefore outdid Katherine in jump height maneuvers repeatedly throughout the day. Although, to be fair, Katherine is very short, and Jon is very tall, so I’m pretty sure Jon will always win the jump height game no matter how hard she practices (sorry, Katherine – this is our burden in life to carry… limited jumping abilities). Jon has also upped the ante in the SUPER EXCITED GROOM department, so future clients take note. He dances! He sings! He jumps! He hugs! And he is very clearly the happiest guy ever whenever he’s around Katherine, and it’s adorable in all sorts of ways. I’m pretty sure that Jon’s excitement was magnified because his car wasn’t present during the wedding day (much to my disappointment as I had predicted it would light the unity candle). So all the energy that he usually splits between adoring Katherine and adoring his car was just 100% magnified onto Katherine (although Katherine did get him rad Monopoly car cufflinks(!) to take the place of his beloved Honda).

These two are so fun. And they are so good hearted! Katherine repeatedly kept asking if she could get us anything, and we kept shooing her away with the shooey hand gestures and all, but she kept returning to keep asking if we needed things because she is a genuinely nice person (No, Katherine! Go to your cocktail hour! Go! Gooo!). They also crack us up as they both employ a hearty sense of humor, and their friends were the same way, so it was a pretty wonderful day. Also, horas. I love horas. And bands who have lead singers who tend to lay down in the middle of crowds. Their wedding was a win. Now we can finally get around to seeing shows with them… and maybe Katherine and I can work on our jumps.

• Date: June 3, 2017
• Ceremony + Reception Venue: Merrimon-Wynne House // Raleigh, NC
• First Dance Song: “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” – Talking Heads
• Katherine’s Occupation: Market Research Analyst
• Jon’s Occupation: Nuclear Power Plant Engineer
• How You Met: Online via OkCupid (we talked, Katherine stopped using the website, then started again, we found each other the second time around, and the rest is history!)
• Interesting Fact: Jon was a DJ at 88.1 WKNC (the NC State college radio station) and Katherine listened to his show and dug the music years before they ever met each other!
• Honeymoon: Thailand, Singapore, and Hawaii!
• Vendor Credits: Officiant – Glenn Leibel (Katherine’s Uncle). Band – Punch. Florist – Dogwood Tree Floral Designs. Donuts – Krispy Kreme. Caterer – Rocky Top. Hair/Makeup – Parlor Raleigh. Coordinator – Sally Oakley Weddings & Events. Ceremony Music – Arioso Strings.

Allison+Daniel // 214 Martin St. Wedding

We are so grateful and happy to have had a wonderful year of weddings! Allison and Daniel are going to be the last wedding on the blog for 2015, but don’t worry, we’ll resume right away again with portraits in January and weddings to follow soon after that! :) 2015’s wedding season went out on a wonderful note for us! For those of you who don’t know, downtown Raleigh (and in particular City Market) opened a new wedding venue called 214 Martin Street (based on, you guessed it, its address). It’s a fantastic new venue right next to the old Cobblestone Hall (now operating under a different name and by different people with a storyline I couldn’t quite follow). But it’s great, and we were happy to end our season shooting at a different place!

We were also super glad to have had great clients to work with. Allison and Daniel braved a very chilly day with incredible grace and lots of laughter. They also were our first clients to have Tuffy (aka Mr. Wuf, the NC State mascot) make an appearance at their reception, much to the delight of everyone there, but particularly me, who went to school in Pennsylvania but just really likes wolves and also mascots. The maid of honor also gifted Allison and Daniel a giant cardboard cutout of their adorable dog and a little kid danced around with it on the dance floor for the entire evening without stopping which might not sound that hilarious, but it really was. We were so happy to end 2015 on a great note with great people! Cheers!

  • Date: December 5, 2015
  • Ceremony + Reception Venue: 214 Martin Street // Raleigh, NC
  • First Dance Song: “Something” – The Beatles
  • Allison’s Occupation: English Instructor
  • Daniel: Production Manager
  • How You Met: We met at a Halloween bar crawl in downtown Raleigh. Daniel was one of the few people who could guess Allison’s costume (she was “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”).
  • Interesting Fact: One of the first things we learned about each other is that we both have/had a dog named Skully. We currently have a golden named Skully who Allison had when they met. Daniel used to have a beagle named Scully. Different spellings, but still weird.
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant –Rev. Barbara Lodge | DJ – Alex Choi of Vox DJ Company | Florist – Teacup Floral | Cake – Once in a Bluemoon Bakery | Caterer – 214 Martin Street | Hair and Makeup – Parlor Dry and Ellen from Atomic Salon | Coordinator – Emily Nunn of Whiskey and White Events | Lighting, Draping, Backdrop, Furniture, Christmas Tree Decor – Showtime Events