Leila and Colin have quickly become two of our favorite people, and they’re so stupidly easy to work with that our job looks/seems/feels like the easiest job ever when we’re with them. They’re giggly and laugh a lot and look really good and also have a dog named Bobby (Mr. B/Chicken Boy). Bobby is from Bulgaria (we had a cat from Russia last month, and now are looking forward to our stint of foreign pets), and also appeared at their wedding in Asheville last year. Bobby wasn’t sure how he felt about Leila at that point. He is very close with Colin, and was, perhaps, somewhat jealous when Leila entered the picture, holding a truly cat-like grudge in a totally benign situation. However, we are proud to announce that since the wedding, Leila and Bobby’s relationship has turned a corner when Colin had to travel for work, leaving Bobby alone with Leila for a week. Bobby then realized that Leila was ALSO nice, and would ALSO feed him and walk him and cuddle with him, and now Bobby has truly accepted both of his parents and is 100% supportive of their marriage (thank goodness). This photo session was a celebration of Leila and Colin’s love for each other and also their enduring and endearing relationship with Bulgarian Bobby. All three of them are moving to Boston shortly, which I think should inspire a new sitcom called Bulgarian Bobby in Boston, which I would surely watch. We’re so glad to have photographed this crew yet again, and glad that Leila hasn’t texted us to tell us that Bobby got sick after eating a chicken bone found on the roof of a garage during the session, so we’re going to assume he’s okay.
We’ve been looking forward to working with Elizabeth and David for some time, and this was amplified when Elizabeth showed up to put her dress on wearing a white jumpsuit similar to painters coveralls and fashionable sunglasses, and it only got more fashiony from there. This means KILTS! This was our first wedding with kilts (which is kind of astonishing that there have been no kilts in our 10 year wedding career!) and we were thrilled. Elizabeth’s family has strong Scottish ties, so they showed up in the tartan pattern of their clan (read: a specific plaid for those who aren’t Scottish) and rocked the kilts. Of course, David’s family is Italian, so they later did what they could to join in the ancestral fashion fun by outfitting David in an cummerbund sporting the colors of the Italian flag and singing “That’s Amore.”
There was so much more to love at this wedding too! Elizabeth sporting a giant bow dress with a V-neckline! BAGPIPES! A fab and super secret rooftop access point with wonderful views of downtown Raleigh! FUN PARTY EARRINGS. A band who played not only Steely Dan, but also complicated Paul Simon songs and U2, all while being named after everyone’s favorite childhood toy! A bunch of people from Erie, Pennsylvania! Also, a kid named Angus who became very obsessed with Geoff’s name. I overheard him repeatedly yelling out, “Geoff! Geoff! Geoffff! Geoff! Geoff! GEOFFGEOFFGEOFF” and later asked Geoff what this was about, only to find out that he had earlier had the conversation where Angus said, “What’s your name?” and Geoff said, “Geoff,” and Angus said, “Wow, cool name.” And Geoff said, “Is that your name?” to which Angus replied, “No, it’s Angus. It’s Scottish beef.” This is why I love weddings. From the bows to the Scottish beef and more. We were so happy to be a part of this lovely celebration with the incredible Elizabeth and David, and all their family history!
Date: April 28, 2018
Ceremony Venue: Duke Chapel // Durham, NC
Reception Venue: CAM // Raleigh, NC
David’s Occupation: Pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Duke
Elizabeth’s Occupation: Recently received a Master’s degree in School Counseling at NCCU
How You Met: Mutual friend & wedding party attendant, Jonathan Folley. David says 2006 at a New Years Eve party (Elizabeth sat next to him at one point). Elizabeth says 2012 at a pre-Thanksgiving party when they chatted it up over PBR’s at Raleigh Times.
Interesting Fact: Ask them your self! …over a beer and tacos from the nearest food truck.
Honeymoon: Seattle & San Juan Islands
Officiant: Reverend Dr. Lisa Hebacker
DJ: Mr. Potato Head
Florist: Bloom Works
Cake:Catering Works
Caterer: Catering Works
Wedding Coordinator: Meghan Hadley
Invitations+Wedding Programs: Alison Haszinski, One+Only Paper
Ceremony Pipe Band: Piobadh na Triantan
Clogs: Bryr Clogs
Make-up: Julie Robbins Makeup
Hair: Steven Paul Norton
Spray Tan: Tansformations
WE NEED MORE ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS WITH CATS. Do you hear me, internet? Cats. More cats. We are not short on adorable doggos, but we are short on cats. That being said, you have to hire us fully prepared that your engagement session is just going to turn into pictures of your cats. Jessica was prepared for that (cat dress, cat blanket, book on how to talk to your cat about guns). RJ did stop us during the session to say something like, “Wait, aren’t these supposed to be pictures of us?” but I’m pretty sure he was joking due to the cat salt & pepper shakers, Jackson Galaxy books, and polaroids of their cats adorning their walls.
These guys have two cats: Lola, a tortie, who gave us several hisses of love while trying to drag away an entire bag of treats with her teeth up the stairs, and Misha, a black and white tripod cow cat from Russia. Yes, literally from Russia. Jessica and RJ adopted him in the states after he was already a tripod. We have been told he was “in a car accident in Russia” when he lost his leg, which brings up several questions for me. The phrasing wasn’t “hit by a car,” which is what it normally would be, but rather that he was “in a car accident,” which to me implies that he might have been driving. So, my conclusion is that Misha is possibly (probably) a Russian spy. His owners claim he’s not smart enough, but he’s literally the only cat I’ve ever know who can do tricks (sit, shake, turn around). Jessica and RJ claim that this is because RJ works from home and has time to train him, but both Geoff and myself work from home, and our cats are untrained in almost every way. So… before I get all the evidence in, I’ll watch what I say around Misha… just in case. Both cats are adorable.
So now that their cats have been covered, I need to move on the second most interesting fact of this session, which is how Jessica and RJ met, because it’s quite possibly the best meeting story we’ve ever heard in our 10 years of doing this. Jessica needed a wedding date “to show up an ex who was a groomsman, [and] naturally, I posted an ad to Craigslist.” Then, bold soul that Jessica is, she met several people who responded in order to conduct interviews as to who would be the most convincing/best date to show up the ex-boyfriend. RJ claimed in an e-mail that he’s taller than he really is (Jessica had a height requirement), but they met, instantly clicked, and Jessica decided she could overlook his lying about his height. I can’t even make this stuff up you guys. Best. meeting. story. ever. In like, one million ways. And it gets even better, because several people asked RJ how he met Jessica while they were at the wedding, and RJ recounted a very emotional fake story. This worked for a while until one of the other guests said, “Isn’t that a Subaru commercial?” (and it was), and his cover was blown. But guys… clearly this couple was tailor made just for us. We love everything about them. We are so excited to shoot their wedding in DC next year… where I can only hope that one of the guests brings a plus one and then steals another Subaru commercial ad to explain how they met.