We received an email from a woman named Teresa a couple of months ago who was attempting to gather information from different photographers for her friend Romey. Romey wasn’t sure they wanted a photographer and Teresa was sleuthing around gathering intel in an attempt to change Romey’s mind. :) Eventually she did just that, and we were kindly invited to photograph an intimate evening ceremony and dinner reception at Death & Taxes in downtown Raleigh. Well, it’s kind of Death & Taxes. They have an upstairs portion called the Bridge Club which is where this was all held, and it’s a lovely room with large windows looking out over downtown. We met them shortly before their ceremony where Joe quickly won us over with his impressive beard and work history in video games, and Romey quickly won me over by wearing 101 Dalmations canvas shoes. I was disappointed when she changed into glitter heels, no matter how lovely, because, come on, 101 Dalmations. They were married in a beautiful and hilarious ceremony under a gorgeous flower arch, and then they fed us a bunch of seriously amazing food. Like, a whole lot of great food. Plates and plates! I think I’ve been dreaming of the twice baked mashed potatoes ever since. We’re thankful Teresa convinced them to hire us because the mashed potatoes were that good. But also because Romey and Joe are pretty amazing themselves. :)

  • Date: February 12, 2016
  • Ceremony + Reception Venue: Death & Taxes 3rd Floor Bridge Club // Raleigh, NC
  • Romey’s Occupation: Accountant
  • Joe’s Occupation: Business Development
  • How You Met: Match.com. Romey “winked” at Joe!
  • Interesting Fact: These questions are the hardest to answer.
  • Honeymoon: Hawaii in March
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant – Chris Donahue | Florist – Fresh Affairs | Cake – Death & Taxes/Bridge Club | Caterer – Death & Taxes/Bridge Club

So happy to kickstart our wedding year season with a fantastic downtown Durham elopement! We hadn’t been to the new courthouse here, and I gotta say, it’s pretty snazzy. Lots of big windows and good light. We met Matthew outside on what had to be one of the coldest days of the winter and waited for Emily. They were so happy to be together that they smiled from the moment they saw each other until the moment we left despite Emily wearing a tea-length dress in temperatures of the low 30s and significant wind. :) They got married, shed a few happy tears, and then donned their gloves and coats to walk around the city with us for pictures. We took off their gloves and coats to significant protest more than a few times but they still didn’t stop smiling even though they were freezing. They are truly adorable and perfect together, whether it’s riding bikes around the city or camping in Virginia (speaking of bikes, thanks to their friends at Seven Stars Cycles for letting us shoot some pictures in the store!). From Florida, they’ve been in Durham for a couple years and just bought a house on several acres. Now that the wedding is over, Matthew’s going to spend his time trying to convince Emily they need a goat. Emily, this video should convince you. You’re welcome, Matthew.

We started doing a lot of promo sessions last year and we absolutely love them! They’re a great chance to try some new things and change up the pace a little bit. It’s also fun to meet new people with interesting careers that need photography for promotion or branding of their business. This week it was an honor to photograph our very first author! Christena Cleveland is the author of Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that Keep Us Apart. Her degree is in social psychology and she specializes in issues of reconciliation and how it relates to the Christian church. She contacted us to do some more casual headshots and promo photos for her speaking engagements and website, and we were happy to oblige. Christena is professional, intelligent, and great to work with – not to mention beautiful and possessing a really great taste in furniture. :) Check out her book on Amazon, her website here, and her promo photos below!