Crystal+Jason // Anniversary Session

Crystal and Jason seem to be like an adorable rain magnet. And if raining in the form of a hurricane on your wedding day is some sort of good luck, then having it rain againnnn during your anniversary portrait session you drove in from Charlotte to accomplish, then I’d say that they’re neck-deep in luck and need to play the lottery ASAP. 1870 Farm, where they were married, were gracious enough to have us return to shoot their portrait session. I got to pet a goat. It was great. They showed me all the areas that they were supposed to take pictures at had Hurricane Matthew not been an uninvited guest at their wedding. And this was the lake we were going to take pictures at! And this was the tree we were supposed to get married under! The tour was lovely, but interrupted halfway through by a turkey that meant business, and stopped me from spending as much time with the adorable goat as I would’ve preferred. Atlas, Crystal and Jason’s really cute little teddy bear dog, was also hell bent on killing said turkey, although I’m fairly confident he would’ve lost due to his small stature and the look of utter annihilation that the turkey had in its eye, and we moved on. We were supposed to shoot in the evening, but we moved it up to try and shoot in the space between the rain and were mostly successful, but it did start to rain toward the end. They busted out the white wedding umbrellas they used to shield themselves a year ago at their wedding and we continued onward. Rain cannot stop them. We are so glad to have been a part of their rainy wedding and their rainy anniversary shoot and their lives. Now please play the lottery and share some of it with us, thanks.

Sarah+Jason // Winston-Salem Wedding

We had been looking forward to meeting Sarah and Jason in person for so long! We virtually met them a while back for their wedding where they charmed the pants off of us (figuratively, not literally, although we were Skyping so I may have had on pajamas pants secretly, but they would’ve stayed on because I’m always cold and that would’ve been weird). Anyway, we liked them a lot and were super excited to venture out to Winston-Salem to shoot their wedding. It was the first wedding we’ve experienced in eight years that referenced Mad Max: Fury Road several times in the actual ceremony and where the officiant threatened to spray paint them. It was also our first blue dress (which we LOVED!!) and my first bride who got ready to a playlist of music that included a lot of Andrew W.K. (I don’t know where there’s not more Andrew W.K. in everyone’s life).

Also, take a look at those paper bouquets and boutonnieres and say a little blessing for Sarah’s mom’s hands. She made every one of those flowers, and dedicated an hour or two every night starting in January. They were cut out from paper and comic books in layers, folded, and glued together. She is a saint. Did you see the wonderful bouquet stems that are actually lightsabers? Those were very kindly donated to the wedding cause by some younger kids who took apart their toys so they could be used as bouquets. Later in the evening the adults took apart the flowers, reassembled the light sabers, and went to town.

We had an awesome time working with Sarah and Jason. They are hilarious and fun and Sarah is a GREAT wedding dress spinner and I maaaay have requested that she “spin around real quick until you get sick. Keep going! Still keep going! Keep goinnng” and then Sarah almost did get sick but not quite because she is a spinning champion. Congratulations, friends. May you spin and spin and never get sick.

  • Date: October 15, 2016
  • Ceremony Venue: Grace Court Park // Winston-Salem, NC
  • Reception Venue: Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts // Winston-Salem, NC
  • First Dance Song: “I Gotta Have You” – The Weepies
  • Sarah’s Occupation: Digital Advertising
  • Jason’s Occupation: Concierge/Office Manager/Writer/Jack of all Trades
  • How You Met: We met sophomore year of high school. Our first date was Junior Prom.
  • Interesting Fact: Jason has a podcast with our friend Kelsey called “Ruin My Life.” Everyone should check it out! Sarah is the voice of a doll.
  • Honeymoon: Driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in California.
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant –Brad Canning. Emcee – Daniel Dockery. Paper Flowers – Sarah’s Mom, Debbie. Regular Flowers – House of Plants. Cake – Katy’s Cakery. Caterer – The Porch. Hair/Makeup – Heather Foster of Escape Salon. Coordinator – Micaiah Norby of Orangerie Events.

Katherine+Jon // Raleigh Engagement

Katherine and Jon are pretty stellar and I’m not just saying that because we have a creepy amount in common and I’d like to think Geoff and I are cooler than we actually are. We are super excited to shoot their wedding next summer at the Merrimon-Wynne House and also to run into them at weird, random concerts between now and then. Jon is one of two really, really excited clients named Jon/John Rush fans that we’ve had this year and we always appreciate those with a deep love for Geddy Lee. Katherine and Jon also love Brand New, one of Geoff and I’s favorite bands, that we all saw this summer along with several other clients in a big, Brand New love fest.

In an obvious connection upon seeing either one of us, Katherine and I are both very short and Geoff and Jon are normal-people sized, so it was only logical for both her and I to dress up as Eleven from Stranger Things for Halloween this year (me with a shaved head, Katherine with her blonde hair). Jon went as Dr. Martin Brenner and Geoff went as the Demogorgon. Twinning and winning. Or, you know, at least getting candy.

We followed them around Raleigh for their engagement session, a city that they love very much and where they had their first date, and then continued on to NC State where we took a few more pictures of them and then watched as Jon drove his car to a lake and lovingly gazed at it for a long time (Katherine was there too but it was mostly about the car). We’ll keep you updated as to whether or not the car makes an appearance at the wedding. We’d assume it would be the getaway car, but I feel like there’s a fair chance we could see it take part in the lighting of the unity candle or something.