Melissa and Jackson are two rain proof kids in both mind and spirit. The forecast was unusually cold for March, but also called for an epic downpour to start riiiiight at the time of their first look. Geoff and I were optimistic – rain almost always get pushed back, and all we needed was for it to hold off an hour. But, because this is how the weather seems to be rolling so far in 2018, the rain started right at the first look, and continued on through their pictures. Then I promised Melissa that there was an alley nearby that had a fish mural. But… the city had painted over it to be a plain yellow. Then they got excited about the weird fruit and vegetable and strange faces mural behind it, but there were cars in every. single. spot. in front of the wall. But then! Thennn!

Because Melissa and Jackson are so badass, they stayed super positive and super wonderful and super friendly despite all of this! And so did their bridal party! And it was cold! And wet! And YET WE MARCHED ON. Equipped with nothing but clear umbrellas and a will of steel, we blocked traffic in City Market and did what we came there to do. We took pictures in that plain yellow alley that used to have the fish! BOOM! Then a car moved and we were able to shoot in front of the weird veggie faces wall! BAM! And Melissa’s dress was absolutely soaked afterward and so were her shoes, so we called in a favor to the wonderful ladies we just photographed at the Design Gallery Salon just recently, and they were so kind as to throw Melissa’s Toms in a dryer for a few minutes while they used several blow dryers on the bottom of her dress. :) TA-DA!

It was a good, good day with good, good people who also like cats. These guys are moving back to North Carolina from Ohio later this year and we’re glad to repopulate the city with more happy-go-lucky people like them. PLUS LOOK HOW CUTE THEY ARE.

– Date: March 24, 2018
– Ceremony + Reception Venue: 214 Martin Street // Raleigh, NC
– First Dance Song: “Carolina in My Mind ” – James Taylor
– Occupations: PhD students, soon to be postdocs
– How You Met: In a math class at UNC
– Interesting Fact: We’re brewery fans. Our favorite thing to do in a new city is check out local beer.
– Honeymoon: Austria

Officiant: Terri Hollingsworth, family friend
DJ: Al Sibille, Epic DJ Entertainment
Florist: Eucca on Etsy
Cake: Groovy Duck Bakery
Caterer: 214 Martin Street
Hair/Makeup: Junction Salon

Lauren+Nick In The Airport

Lauren and Nick travel a lot. They fly almost every weekend either to go somewhere together or to meet up some place in between. Nick lives in Georgia and Lauren is in North Carolina even though Nick is originally from Connecticut and Lauren is originally from Michigan and then Kansas and then Indiana and then Georgia and then France and then Ohio and then Orlando. Their first “date” was to Argentina. Well, they went there as friends, and came back as a couple. So yeah, they travel a lot. I think you got that part by now.

So what better place to do engagement photos than the airport? Thanks to RDU for giving us permission to do this… we exchanged a few e-mails and met up with the security guards there who offered to photobomb our pictures. Very nice guys. Lauren and Nick spent the time running around the entrance to Terminal 2 and the the parking garage. We were all slightly nervous that we’d be constantly stared at, but everyone was too busy trying to actually get somewhere, so we were left pretty much alone to be goofy, talk about Pearl Jam, and watch as Lauren tried to eat Nick’s face in almost every picture (non-face-eating pictures are below).

**And folks, this is our last official shoot (and hence blog post) of 2012!! What! I’ll be writing a Best of 2012 blog post in early January as well as an Outtakes of 2012 blog post, but until then, this is going to have to tide you over. ;) We wish all of our AMAZING clients and friends a very happy holiday and safe holiday season and New Year! Between blog posts, you can catch up on our rants and occasional meaningless insights on our Facebook Page!**

So we know that cats were mentioned three times in the actual wedding ceremony for Amy and Ben. They were also mentioned several other times throughout the day in speeches and songs, but we eventually lost track. I should probably keep a notebook tally from now on to determine who wins the award. All that mattered to us is that we had decided once and for all decided that we really like Amy and Ben… and we really respect their intense love of cats.

They live in New York City which we’re envious of, but maybe next time we go we can insist on crashing on their floor (maybe, guys?). Amy just graduated as a physical therapist and Ben’s a software engineer whose company, strangely enough, makes a program called Trello which Geoff uses on a daily basis for our website, his game company, and his work. Another creepy client coincidence! Their wedding was held in Raleigh at Amy’s childhood Temple and they had a fantastically wild and awesome reception.

Best part of the day: we’ve never seen two people more thrilled to see each other for the first look. Lots of crying not necessarily because they were getting married, but because they were just so relieved to actually see each other after being kept apart for the few hours that morning. It was pretty adorable and amazing… as was the rest of their wedding. :)

First Dance Song: “Come Away With Me” – Norah Jones
Amy’s Occupation: Physical Therapist
Ben’s Occupation: Software Developer
How You Met: Through our mutual friend Kelsey! Amy visited Kelsey in NYC when she was in college, and Kelsey introduced Amy to Ben, who she went to Duke with.
Interesting Fact About Amy: Once hitchhiked in desperation when lost in Greece
Interesting Fact About Ben: Is listed on IMDB for being in a documentary
Honeymoon Destination: Maui
Date: September 2nd, 2012
Ceremony Venue: Temple Beth Or // Raleigh, NC
Reception Venue: 1705 Prime // Raleigh, NC
Officiant: Rabbi Lucy Dinner
DJ: Randy Bennett // Joe Bunn DJ Company
Florist: North Raleigh Florist
Cake: Ashley Cakes
Caterer: Rocky Top Catering
Hair: Heather Thomas
Makeup: Courtney from MAC
Vidoegrapher: Southern Video Design
Coordinator: Nicole McMillian // Premier Party Planners