Promo: Author Brenda Rufener

This was so exciting, you guys! Brenda Rufener is a young adult author who is having her novel Where I Live published by HarperCollins in 2018. We were kindly asked by her to photograph her book jacket headshot and we said YES because BOOKS. So Brenda’s smiling face will greet you from a Barnes & Noble next year and my name will be next to said smiling face in some otherworldly, Twilight Zone twist of fate. Very exciting. We spent the afternoon making her look very **AUTHOR**. Book jacket headshots are very, very tight headshots for some reason. The industry standard being from the shoulders and above or waist and above (although we did some wider ones for her promo materials as well). So we ran around and zoomed in SUPER CLOSE on Brenda and talked about books and about how REM is one of the best bands of all time. She gets to go on a book tour and have her books in libraries and all sorts of really cool book stuff. We’re so happy to have done these headshots for such an amazing woman, and to have a wonderful author amongst us in Durham! Check out Brenda’s website for more information! http://www.brendarufener.com/

Jessie+Phill // The Pharmacy Museum and Race & Religious. New Orleans, LA.

We feel like if there’s one city in the whole U.S. that really sums up our soullllls, it would be New Orleans (we have bats in our logo for crying out loud). And we also feel like if there’s one group of people in the whole world who we really and truly adore, it would be Australians (there aren’t kangaroos in our logo yet but we’re working on it). And if there’s one country in the world that we may have to move to because of election results, it would be Canada (rebrand idea: bats carrying kangaroos who are holding maple syrup in their pouches?). So when a Canadian (Jessie) and an Australian (Phill) emailed us to shoot their wedding in New Orleans, we said YESSSSsssss and got really ridiculously excited. Here’s our highlight reel.

First: fun accents. There were 85+ people at this wedding, and only 3 Americans. You can assume that the rest had fun accents and were also delightful people. We didn’t ask Phill to say “didgeridoo” during the photos, but we kept that as our secret weapon in our pockets in case we needed to make him smile. Turns out that Jessie makes him smile just fine, so now we can save that trick for our next Aussie.

Second: The Pharmacy Museum. Their reception was at the fabulous Race & Religious (that’s how Jessie found us… through our work for this other Jessie) but we were so excited to get to finally go to the Pharmacy Museum, where their ceremony was held! It was closed last time we were in Nola, but we thought it looked fabulous, and it is! It is basically a museum of old medical stuff that makes you a little woozy if you think about any of it too hard. Leeches! Voodoo! Questionable medical practices! And that last phrase is straight off of their website because they know it’s true.

Third: A SECOND LINE! Words truly can’t describe my excitement for this, and how it actually lived up to my excessive expectations of marching through the French Quarter in New Orleans with a Mint Julep and a very loud brass band. One of the best moments of my career, and in the top 5 of my life. Everyone should experience this in New Orleans, and we’re so glad we did.

Fourth: A cake made entirely out of cheese. I really don’t have to explain this one to you.

It rained, it was cold, plans got all switched around, inside out and upside down. But there was a cake made entirely of cheese and a second line and a museum full of questionable medical practices and more Australians and Canadians than I’ve ever seen in my life all in one room at one time and we were in NEW ORLEANS, YA’LL. A huge international hug to Jessie and Phill, their parents, and our 100% A+ troopers of a wedding party who allowed me to put them in traffic in the rain in 40 degree weather and still managed to be happy. We are so honored and thrilled to have spent this weekend with you and we love you! CONGRATULATIONS!

  • Date: January 6, 2017
  • Ceremony Venue: The Pharmacy Museum // New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Reception Venue: Race & Religious // New Orleans, Louisiana
  • First Dance Song: “Your Song” – Ellie Goulding
  • Jessie’s Occupation: Doctor
  • Phill’s Occupation: Yacht Captain
  • How You Met: In the Galapagos Islands. I was volunteering at a hospital there so she could get a longer permit to stay and play with turtles! Phill’s boat got stuck waiting for a part to ship from Ecuador. We met in the only bar on Santa Cruz when Phill got the chef on his boat to come talk to me for him.
  • Interesting Fact: We worked on a boat together for a year and sailed from New Zealand, through the South Pacific to the Caribbean!
  • Honeymoon: Japan!
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant –Rosalie Mortillaro. Ceremony Harpist – Ashley Toman. Second Line – Kinfolk Brass Band. Reception Band – Nola Dukes Band. Florist – Leaf + Petal. Cake Made Entirely of Cheese Wheels – Joel’s Catering. Caterer – Joel’s Catering. Hair/Makeup – Everett Brannon of Preaux Face. Videographer – Lonely Eskimo Films. Coordinator – Madeline Langlinais of Mint Julep Productions. Photobooth – GoGo PhotoBooth.

Mallory+Ryan // Duke Chapel Wedding

Mallory and Ryan’s wonderful winter wedding closes out our 2016 wedding season! We couldn’t have ended the year with a better couple. Super sweet and wonderful people, they wished every kid on campus good luck with their finals as they walked by during their pictures and thanked us for our patience several times during the day even though there was literally nothing to be patient with because they were so fantastic and cooperative. So we lucked out for last wedding of the year! We also lucked out with the weather. It had been 30 degrees for a couple days prior to this, and the forecast was predicting rain. It did not rain (yay!) and it was in the 60s! Actually, no, it was supposed to be in the 60s but it had to have been colder than that. But the point is that it wasn’t as cold as 30, and we weren’t wet.

This beautiful wedding was held at Duke Chapel and Bay 7 and it was all so, so pretty. Mallory wore a stole that belongs to one of her mother’s friends, and the bridesmaids wore the best shade of green. Their bouquets all had pine in them and so everyone smelled like a Christmas tree. Bay 7 had put up all the lights around campus, and everything was absolutely dreamy. I hear there were animatronic elves displayed somewhere in the hotel where Mallory got ready, but unfortunately we missed those (or fortunately, depending on your opinion of animatronic elves). But there were Santa hats and reindeer ears passed out at the reception, and Geoff delightfully bit off the head of a gingerbread man there as well. This wedding got everyone in the spirit and was just lovely. Thank you, Mallory and Ryan, for sending 2016 off in styyyyle.

  • Date: December 17, 2016
  • Ceremony Venue: Duke Chapel // Durham, NC
  • Reception Venue: Bay 7 // Durham, NC
  • First Dance Song: “How Sweet It Is” – Performed by Affirmative Groove
  • Mallory’s Occupation: International Programs Coordinator at NC State
  • Ryan’s Occupation: Assistant Director of the Duke Parent’s Program
  • How You Met: Ryan and Mallory met a little over 3 years ago after Mallory moved to Minnesota to work at a small liberal arts college. One of their mutual friends introduced them at a young professionals happy hour that the college hosted, and things took off from there!
  • Interesting Fact: Our first date included sushi and a baseball game, and those continue to be two of our favorite things.
  • Honeymoon: German Christmas Markets & Madeira, Portugal.
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant – Rev. Bruce Puckett. Band – Affirmative Groove. Florist – Lyn Graves of Fresh Affairs. Cake – Cinda’s Creative Cakes. Caterer – Angus Barn. Hair – Caroline of Careaux Cartier On Location Wedding|Event Hair & Makeup. Videographer – Jaired Sullivan and Jesse Ashe of Carolina Story Film Co. Coordinator – Karen M. Stone Wedding Consultant and Director, and Jeane Batten. Duke Chapel Director – Blanche Williams. Bay 7 Director – Angel Nicholas.