Abby+Rachel // Haw River Ballroom Wedding.

We like to make Abby and Rachel physical uncomfortable by throwing leaves at them or making them sit on logs full of caterpillars and their wedding day was no different. In 90+ degree heat we trekked them into the forest by the river that was full of bugs and mud and water and oddly, teenagers. I think they are used to us taking them into uncomfortable territory by now. When we’re not physically exhausting them, and I’m making sure that Abby can’t get anything done by Facebook messaging her a lot about Prince during work hours. Now that their wedding is done, they’ve been on their honeymoon and we’re knee-deep in wedding season, so we haven’t had the time to bother them quite as much as we’d like, but I’ll find a way sooner or later. In the meantime, there are photos of them at their absolutely lovely wedding in Saxapahaw. Complete with old timey plates. And cardboard cutouts of their dog Clifford.

  • Date: June 26, 2016
  • Ceremony + Reception Venue: Haw River Ballroom // Saxapahaw, NC
  • First Dance Song: “Stars 4-Ever” – Robyn
  • Rachel’s Occupation: Retirement plan consultant in Raleigh.
  • Abby’s Occupation: PhD candidate in English at Duke.
  • How You Met: On the internet! OKCupid. Abby messaged Rachel first because she liked her taste in books, but it quickly turned into a conversation about our shared love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  We then met for a dinner date at Geer Street Garden, went to the Pinhook after, and the rest is history!
  • Interesting Fact: Long before we knew each other, we both used “What Is Love?” by Haddaway as our ringtones circa 2006.  We discovered this on a road trip when that song came on.  We have a nine year old Chowbrador named Clifford who is incredibly anxious and likes to hide under tables.  Rachel was once bitten by a copperhead and lives to tell the tale; Abby did poorly in the 1997 Missouri State geography bee.
  • Honeymoon: We are going to Hawaii’s Big Island shortly after the wedding.  We are going to attempt to learn to surf.  Neither of us think this is going to work very well.
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant – Daniel Picus. DJ – DJ Playplay. Florist – Brides and Bouquets. Cake – Pies from Weaver Street Market. Caterer – Saxapahaw General Store. Coordinator – Patricia Gallivan from Saxapahaw General Store.

Blair+John // Wedding at Saint Anne’s Chapel

We are absolutely in love with small weddings, pixie haircuts, Rush, and silver wedding dresses. This was a good day for us. It was a wedding of 50 people in Saint Anne’s Chapel in Tarboro, NC: an adorable, somewhat-haunted-looking church from the 1920s, located on property that belonged to a Civil War general in the 1800s. I was in love with it from the moment I saw it. It belongs to Blair’s aunt and uncle, who acquired the property some years back and restored the church which was in a bit of disrepair, and moved into the general’s old farm house. It has a big front porch where Geoff and I drank lemonade in some rocking chairs and felt truly southern.

The reception was held right behind the church where their family and friends gathered to support them, and the kids took over the lawn games. All while listening to Rush and Prince. It was so, so good. Blair and John, who are two super outstanding people with now four outstanding children, are very calm and happy people, and so this was a chillaxing event where everyone had fun. I ate a gluten free cheesecake, and it didn’t rain at all, so I feel like it really couldn’t have been a better day. Congratulations, guys!

  • Date: May 21, 2016
  • Ceremony + Reception Venue: Saint Anne’s Chapel and Retreat Center // Tarboro, North Carolina
  • First Dance Song: “The Luckiest” – Ben Folds
  • Blair’s Occupation: Tax accountant (no, that does not mean she knows anything about real estate tax or anything else not related to a foreign bank). She’s also a full time family coordinator, chauffeur, personal shopper, and domestic goddess.
  • John’s Occupation:John is a mechical engineer and has designed some pretty cool helicopter parts in his day, but now he is in business development figuring out parts for the oil industry. He is the resident tinkerer, fixing of things that need fixing, and enjoys making Blair laugh with his nerdy jokes and bizarre mental recollection of 80’s music.
  • How You Met: Match.com – seriously!
  • Interesting Fact: Uh, really not good at answering this question – people seem to find it bizarre that Blair has a masters in accounting but an undergrad in interior design. John will eat pretty much anything from fois gras in Paris to Hillbilly hotdogs in Lesage, WV and he is a total beer nerd.
  • Honeymoon: Grenada!
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant – Pastor Sharon Taylor. Acoustic Guitarist – Matthew Kanon. Wedding Coordinator – Mark Brown. Cakes and Pies – Michele Chavis. Caterer – H.I. Tharringont. Hair/Makeup – Bride.

CSP Class of 2015.

We are so, so grateful for all of our wonderful clients in 2015. The best part of this job is meeting so many new people, and we had some of the best this year. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our small business and our lives. This year we photographed two Rachels, two Carolines, two Matthews, three Saras (some with an h, some without), four Jessicas, three Jennifers, three Johns, two Tims, two Emilys, three Abbys, two Michelles (one with one L, one with two), two Alexes, two Erins, two Erics, and a lot of other people who didn’t have a name twin. We love you all, and cannot wait to meet more of you in 2016. :) Looking forward to going into our 8th year of business. Congratulations to the CSP Class of 2015!