We’ve had a great time getting to know Caroline and Dana… the only couple to ever bring fake mustaches, noses, and glasses disguises with them consistently on every shoot we’ve had together. Dana is a redhead, our most favorite of hair colors, and Caroline almost sounds like Carolyn, so we liked them from the beginning (turns out later that having your name almost sound like the bride’s gets pretty confusing really fast and I did a lot of “fake-out” waving that day to people I thought were calling my name).

They had a stellar crew of vendors, venues, bridesmaids, groomsmen (the best man was the brother of Laura, our bride last year), and everyone pulled together to make it a pretty spectacular day. It was cold but sunny, and despite taking pictures outside where everyone but the guys had exposed shoulders, everyone was a real trooper and a joy to work with. Caroline and Dana are fun. They enjoy bantering with other people, and bantering with each other, and bantering in general. I think they were amused at my horror when Magnolia leaves started getting caught underneath the tulle in Caroline’s dress and she dragged-screeched them across campus (no wedding dress should ever make that noise, and I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, but I was pretty sure that we all might either be in imminent danger from a dragon… or perhaps I was actively breaking Caroline’s dress). When her dress wasn’t screeching (don’t worry, we made it stop before she walked down the aisle), they had a great day. And when I mean “had a great day”, I really mean it. Neither Caroline or Dana seemed stressed or worried once (if they were, they didn’t show it), and literally seemed to be having a fantastic time all day. And it was contagious. Here comes the joy.

Date: January 31, 2015

Ceremony Venue: Duke Chapel // Durham, NC

Reception Venue: Bay 7 // American Tobacco // Durham, NC

Caroline’s Occupation: Lawyer

Dana’s Occupation: Office Manager at NC State University

How You Met: Through our mutual (and awesome) friend Will, who worked in Caroline’s office a few years back. We went from being friends to being more than that over dinner at the Raleigh Times and a concert by the band Schooner at Kings.

Honeymoon: Kauai, Hawaii

Vendor Credits: Officiant – Rev. Christi Dye | Band – Groovetown | Florist – Tre Bella | Cake – Edible Art | Caterer – Angus Barn | Hair/Makeup – Makeup Culture | Coordinator – Kelley Ann Ward with A Southern Soiree | Hotel – Washington Duke Inn | Stationary – Sweetpress Studio

Wendy and Nelson were married at All Saints Chapel the day before Easter, their rings carried in tiny metal eggs. :) And with Wendy’s son Ashton calling Nelson “Dad” for quite some time now already, the day was a long time coming for all of them. It was beautiful to see them all finally unite as a family, very much in love and supportive of each other.

Laura, the matron of honor, gave a speech about how she knew Nelson was the one for Wendy… and while I’m terrible at remembering speeches and quotes, I’ll paraphrase: Nelson loves cars. A lot. He has a 1968 Camaro and brought it over for Wendy to see when they first started dating. Now, it’s pretty well known in their family circle that Nelson really doesn’t let anyone go near his cars (or especially in them), and he rarely lets it out of the garage because it’s kept in pristine condition. But not only did he bring it over for Wendy – he let Ashton climb in the car. :) Now, for those who know Nelson, this was a really big move on his part, and the start of a wonderful commitment to both Wendy and Ashton.

They all threw a killer wedding at All Saints complete with adorable Easter Egg ornaments as favors and the most. popular. candy. bar. ever. At the very end of the post you’ll see what happens when a bunch of children literally wipe the entire candy bar clean in approximately 20 minutes, and the aftermath that ensued after the sugar kicked in about 30 minutes later…

First Dance: “Broken Road” – Rascal Flats

Bride’s Occupation: Head Hunter

Groom’s Occupation: Electrical Design Engineer

How You Met: Introduced

Interesting Bride Fact: “Always seems to have everything under control and well organized, but is actually a total mess… :)”

Interesting Groom Fact: “Is a total germaphobe and control freak!”

Honeymoon Destination: Miami and then onto the Bahamas in June

Date: April 7, 2012

Ceremony and Reception Venue: All Saints Chapel // Raleigh, NC

Officiant: Rev. Robin Renteria

Wedding Coordinator: Sally Oakley – Personalized Wedding Planning

DJ: Black Belt Limousines and Sedans

Florist: Dogwood Tree

Cake: Edible Art

Catering: Unforgettable Food Affairs

Hair: Charisma Salon // Joni

Ceremony Coordinator: Martha Gribble