Amy and Dan are a lovely couple who did not let a few tornadoes spoil their outdoor wedding. :) How great is that? Yes, Amy and Dan were to be married in an outdoor ceremony at the Arrowhead Inn in Durham, NC at high noon when the weather channel was predicting, I kid you not, a “100% chance of severe storms.” That’s not a very good percent. :D But we got there and took pictures of Amy getting ready and, miraculously, despite them repeatedly announcing tornado warnings on the radio, it was merely overcast and their wedding was held outside at high noon against all odds. :) We were even able to take family and friend photographs AND the newlywed pictures afterward! It didn’t rain until the reception luncheon (when the lights went out briefly), but that was really all that happened. They were so lucky!

Their venue and their vendors couldn’t have been more wonderful, and neither could Amy and Dan’s fantastic family and friends. Amy’s family traveled in from Japan and they were married by Dan’s brother, a high school principal. It was all very sweet and low-key, just like the beautiful couple themselves. :)

Date: April 16, 2011

Venue: The Arrowhead Inn, Durham NC

Flowers: Special Event Florals, Nancy Dawson

Guitarist: Randy Reed

Officiant: Walter Finnigan

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Amy is the definition of a blushing bride… not only because she is getting married, but because she is pregnant. :) Amy and Dan are expecting a baby girl in August!

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This family is a family of cameras. I think everyone there had a camera, large or small, video or still. Below and to the right is our handsome groom, taking photographs of his lovely soon-to-be wife getting her hair done. :) Amy is a high school music teacher trained in classical singing, but she is hoping to one day become a photographer as well! And we will most certainly welcome her into the ranks because she is a wonderful person. :)

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Amy looked gorgeous! Very beautiful, natural, and happy. :)

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Proof that, even as tornadoes ran rampant through parts of Raleigh, the sun did come out that day (during their first kiss!) for perhaps a few seconds:

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I can’t resist me a willow tree. ;)

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Amy and Dan held a beautiful indoor luncheon for their wedding reception inside the Arrowhead Inn (the innkeepers are lovely and make EXCELLENT food!).

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In conclusion, I had a wonderful day with you, Amy and Dan, and wish you the best of luck in your life and marriage! I do hope that I get to meet that baby girl soon and of course see you again. :) Thank you and congratulations! I’ll leave you all with these wise words of wisdom…

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Yay, Jenna and Josh!! It has been a while since we scheduled this and I had been looking forward to working with them since photographing their furry children, Jack and Lola. And they were troopers. We walked a lot through the woods and on top of locks of rocks with Jenna in uncomfortable shoes and Josh doesn’t like having his picture taken. :) But we conquered both shoe and camera uncomfortableness to have a wonderful session! I love the colors in this one and, considering the awful weather we’d had last week, I was happy to see the sun again for this session.

Jenna and Josh live together in Oxford where Jenna is a pharmacy tech and Josh is a narcotics officer for the Sheriff’s Department. They’re having a backyard wedding in September. :)

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They both have the nicest smiles. It’s like a dentist commercial, really.

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Thanks for being good sports, guys. :) You know I just had to pose them in front of the ridiculous bird silhouettes sign. I’m sure this wasn’t what Jenna was envisioning for her portraits, but you have to stick a few interesting ones in there for amusement. ;)

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Geoff was dragonfly’ed.

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Josh told me that Jenna tends to be picky about pictures of herself, so I hope you can find some that you like, Jenna. ;) I think you look beautiful!!