Victoria+Ben // Wedding at The Cookery

Victoria and Ben are the bee’s knees, especially considering they got married on a July day with zero rain in the forecast, and then it POURED for the one hour that we were supposed to take pictures (no rain at all besides that single hour). Not even the kind-of-raining rain, but like, unshootable-levels of rain. Thankfully The Cookery has a badass bridal suite now that we were able to hunker down in for their newlywed shots! No complaints from Victoria or Ben, who had liquor nearby but, most importantly, each other. ;) Victoria reminds me of a brunette version of Taylor Swift, but she also gets told that she looks like a young Neve Campbell and that’s also very true. I think Geoff and I thought of at least three other attractive women she looks like during the evening, so I’d say she has a lot of good celebrity comparisons. She is adorable and spunky and also an upcoming author which I am SO excited about! She has a young adult book coming up next year which is going to kick all the ass and take all the names. And right beside this incredibly intelligent and creative woman is her equally intelligent and creative partner Ben, who’s a doctor who enjoys music and literature alongside Victoria (particularly Russian literature? but also they love Harry Potter? so I think they enjoy a wide variety of genres).

For their wedding, they were surrounded by their lovely family and friends (one of whom was a bridesmaid who I had as another bridesmaid before, and who we also run into at every Star Wars movie premiere). The best part about the bridesmaids is that their skirts contained a lot of tulle, and they enjoyed putting said tulle over their faces to pretend they were ghosts. They were my favorites. They’d also do this on command, as well as fluff out their tulle to protect Victoria anytime you said, “BRIDESMAIDS, ACTIVATE!” I feel like I need each and every one of these ladies in my life to protect me with their tulle anytime I run into someone I don’t want to see, or when someone strikes up a conversation with me in line at the Post Office. Besides having great bridesmaids (and groomsmen!), Victoria and Ben’s wedding had absolutely gorgeous details – from their Harry Potter themed wedding table numbers to their plastic dinosaurs and vintage purses. It was perfectly them, and very cozy. They decided to have their ceremony inside since it was so hot, and with everything indoors in The Cookery’s warm and dark interior, it did remind us a bit of what Harry Potter wedding venues must be like.

Date: July 29, 2018
Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Cookery // Durham, NC
First Dance Song: “Love” – Lana Del Rey
Ben’s Occupation: Internal Medicine Physician
Victoria’s Occupation: Experimental Psychologist and professional novelist
How You Met: OKCupid, over Rachmaninoff! irl? A coffee shop in Iowa City.
Interesting Fact: The first book we read together (for Valentine’s Day!) was the Kruetzer Sonata by Tolstoy, which is about a man who kills his wife because he’s jealous about her relationship with her music teacher.
Honeymoon: Banff National Park in Canada
Officiant: Dr. Garry Crites
DJ: Jess Dilday (DJ PlayPlay)
Florist: Michelle Duncan (Embellished Blooms)
Cake: Cailey (Sugarland Chapel Hill)
Caterer: Jacob Boehm (Snap Pea Catering)
Hair: Gina (Bella Capelli Salon)
Makeup: Sharon Davis Makeup
Coordinator: Sabrina Seymore Events

Lori+Rachel // Wedding at The Cookery.

This wedding was an absolute blast. Lori and Rachel, who have been in incredibly good spirits in every interaction we’ve ever had with them, were having an obviously great time without worry or stress despite high winds (seriously, seriously windy), abnormally cold temperatures (seriously, seriously cold, especially for April), and having to put their wedding under a tent because of the aforementioned things. They just didn’t care. Well, not that they didn’t care, but rather – they were focused on the right thing (each other) instead of worrying about anything else, and they let the wedding day chips fall where they may.

And they fell wonderfully! They laughed and smiled for 98% of the day, and Lori fist pumped and made this expression of complete success for the remaining 2%. Their wedding party was also a delight to work with, and we had encountered their lovely officiant Meg at a previous wedding where she made the cupcakes! Small world. Super happy to have been a part of this wonderful couple’s day, and excited to return to The Cookery for more weddings this year! This was our first time there and we can say with authority that it’s awesome. Check out the awesome below in 5, 4, 3, 2…

  • Date: April 9, 2015
  • Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Cookery // Durham, NC
  • First Dance Song: “The Story” – Brandi Carlile
  • Lori’s Occupation: Burn ICU Registered Nurse at Jaycee Burn Center, UNC Health Care
  • Rachel’s Occupation: Project Manager and Sustainability at Southern Energy Management
  • How You Met: Lori was Rachel’s chemistry tutor at Elon University in 2003… she got a B!
  • Interesting Fact: Lori will rap “Shoop” by Salt & Peppa at any moment…company holiday parties, weddings, or even on the PA system of a tour bus. Rachel is a natural athlete – marathon runner, soccer standout, and an ace with a golf club.
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant –Meg Fanney. DJ – Steve Stowe of Joe Bunn DJ Company. Cake – Guglhuph. Florist – Lori and Rachel’s wedding party. Caterer – Durham Catering. Coordinator – Matthew Lardie.

Emily+Matthew // Durham Elopement

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.