Michele+David’s Wedding at All Saints Chapel in Raleigh

I loved Michele and David right off the bat for a whole series of reasons: 1. Michele is in vet school and I love people who love animals as much as I do. 2. I don’t think David’s said anything to me in the entire duration of their clienthood that’s involved more that 3 serious, non-sarcastic words in a row. 3. Michele has an awesome yellow sapphire ring and I am a sucker for colored stones. 4. They are totally chill and relaxed in every single way.

And when I mean chill and relaxed, I really mean it. A few of the pictures below look like we posed David in some really GQ way, but in reality that’s just what happens when you point a camera at him. Coincidentally, his daughter Chloe does the exact same thing. I think it must be genetic. Never serious and always messing with everyone within 5 feet of them. David can keep a straight face through his antics most of the time, but I love that Michele can’t… and he keeps her laughing constantly. Michele is so incredibly nice and calm that I remember telling Geoff afterward that it didn’t feel like we had shot a wedding. The whole day was just so ridiculously chill with the closest friends and family. Michele looked gorgeous, David looked handsome, and their daughters Chloe and Arielle were beautiful.  We loved every second with this crew… even if the adults were over a foot taller than me and I was as tall as the ten year old. ;)

A special shout-out and props to Chloe the Salon Dog at Atomic 2 Salon who kept everyone in the best mood all morning because LOOK AT THAT FACE. And Michele, you knew Chloe would be the one opening the blog post, right? ;)

 

First Dance: “Come Away With Me”  – Nora Jones

Bride’s Occupation: Student at NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2015

Groom’s Occupation: Communications

How You Met: Shiki Sushi Restaurant

Interesting Bride Fact: Her family says she’s a professional student

Interesting Groom Fact: He’s a sports trivia guru

Honeymoon Destination: Miami Beach for a week then a 5 day cruise to the Carribean

Date: May 26, 2012

Ceremony and Reception Venue: All Saints Chapel // Raleigh, NC

DJ: Island Sound // Jason Huggins

Florist: Savoir-Faire Event Planning and Management // Elana Walker

Cake: Once in a Blue Moon Bakery

Caterer: We Cook For You // Alvin Cotto

Hair: Atomic 2 Salon // Lynette Martin

Makeup: Makeup Culture // Stephanie Sevilla

Coordinator: Savoir-Faire Event Planning and Management // Elana Walker

Wine: Brandywine Cellars and the Wine Cellar

 

Becky+Jake’s really rad wedding at CAM Raleigh

What makes me so happy with this wedding is how happy Becky looks. Not that she’s not happy or anything like that, but that I remember when we first met Becky and Jake and we basically discussed how bad she hated having her picture taken. According to them, she’d freeze up. The whole deer-in-headlights deal. And I’ve loved seeing how, over time, Becky has been able to completely ignore me. I can see where that wouldn’t be a normal person’s goal… to get someone to ignore you… but it’s awesome when you go from an initial meeting of, “Becky really hates having her picture taken” to Becky running around the city smiling and laughing and not worrying about me jumping out at her from the bushes.

Becky and Jake are those really cool clients that you hope to get but that secretly make you nervous at the same time because they’re really cool and you sometimes feel like maybe your level of cool won’t live up to their standards of cool, you know? I also remember at the first meeting that Jake told me that he didn’t “just want wedding pictures, we want art.” And I thought OKAY WE CAN DO THIS DEEEEEEP BREATTHSSS. And I hope we did. I think we did. To me, the pictures reflect how the two of them are perfectly suited to each other’s quirkiness… and how they not only make a gorgeous couple, but how they’re just so ridiculously right for each other. They’re the type where, if you were friends with Jake, you’d be more than happy to now welcome Becky along to every previously-Jake-only activities and vice versa. They’re kind of infectiously awesome like that. And we like them a whole bunch. I hope these pictures are as cool to you guys as they seem to us. This wedding was rad… and our second time shooting this year and ever at CAM Raleigh where I think I might just set up a tent in the back and live if that’s okay with the staff. Thanks in advance!

So normally I don’t interrupt posts like this, but I thought this was so cool that I had to point it out because it’s tiny so it’s easily missed. But that bird below that flew over the ceremony that Geoff so awesomely caught just happened to be their wedding colors. WEIRD. Thanks, bird!

First Dance: “Take Care” – Beach House

Bride’s Occupation: Lab Manager at NCSU and also part-time doctoral graduate student in Microbiology at NCSU

Groom’s Occupation: Senior Software Architect at IBM

How You Met: The internets! Online dating site called OKCupid.com – we owe them our firstborn :)

Interesting Bride Fact: Is ALWAYS 5 minutes early to everything…

Interesting Groom Fact: Is ALWAYS 5 minutes early to everything… and purposely arrived 5 minutes LATE to their first date – on a Monday, at a restaurant that, as it turns out, is closed on Mondays – leaving Becky wondering if she had been stood up.

Honeymoon Destination: Dominican Republic

Date: April 28, 2012

Ceremony and Reception Venue: CAM Raleigh // Raleigh, NC

Wedding Planner: Grace Leisure Events

Officiant: Jonathan Prinz

DJ: Frank Meldau of Joe Bunn DJ Company

Florist: John Griffin with Themeworks

Cake: Once in a Blue Moon Bakery

Caterer: Posh Nosh

Hair: Dana Hunter at Alter Ego Salon

Makeup: Belle Trachtenberg at Alter Ego Salon