i’ve happily shot for the downtown raleigh alliance a lot this year and was very excited to document the first day of their shop downtown campaign for them (second one is on the 11th! make sure to check it out). the DRA, partnering with local businesses, brought shoppers downtown to explore the world of free parking, major discounts at the shops and boutiques downtown, christmas carolers, and free tastings from a bunch of the tasty local restaurants. i was excited to get to go inside a bunch of my favorite stores and photograph them, while geoff was happy to come along and pick up the free food. ;) here are some faves of the day (including one i got of mayor meeker shopping in stitch – BONUS POINTS!):

father and sons father and sons holly aiken stitch holly aiken stitch marbles childrens museum raleigh event photographer raleigh event photographer raleigh carolers artspace raleigh christmas decorations shop downtown raleigh father and sons raleigh stores downtown raleigh art downtown raleigh boutique downtown raleigh art

raleigh shopper

sir walter raleigh says "merry christmas"

raleigh

a few weeks ago my dear friend and bridesmaid extraordinaire alaskan kate asked me if i’d like to do a modeling shoot with her wearing some awesome custom gloves, hats, headbands and scarves from the ever amazing amber of raimbow tree and i said, OF COURSE. amber and kate went to high school in alaska and have reunited here in raleigh, nc where kate is teaching and amber makes her awesome crafty goodness and sells it around the triangle and beyond.

you may remember when i photographed some of her stuff at her booth from the designer’s downtown market in march! she works some serious magic with felted wool, fleece, and other beautiful and colorful materials that she custom makes for adults and children alike. if you’re looking for an awesome gift for somebody this holiday season to keep them warm and cute at the same time, check out her etsy store!

so amber wanted a few new pictures on her website and marketing and kate and i, being the nice friends that we are, happily obliged. :) so we headed off to west point on the eno in durham to begin our photo shoot. and nobody makes a more attractive model than our dear kate!!

raleigh portrait photographer raimbow tree

kate got me one of the below headbands with the little flower for my bridal shower and i love it! it doesn’t slip off when i move my head (which always happens with headbands) and adds an extra touch of cuteness to whatever you wear it with.

durham portrait photography

since kate’s from alaska she is not afraid to climb trees, so i put her in one.

west point on the eno photography

she makes really great long, soft scarves. great for cold days that require multiple wrapping!

portrait photography west point on the eno fall portraits raleigh nc portrait photographer portrait photographer

i was in love with this scarf! and west point on the eno’s very eco-friendly look of their park! and alaskan kate’s gorgeousness!! we need to get you into modeling, my friend.

raleigh nc photographer

if you like kate’s awesome accessories, please check out amber’s shop to purchase some great gifts! she makes a lot of other stuff than what’s pictured here and i’m sure she’ll make you whatever you want if you ask. :)

this wedding is total proof that november weddings are awesome and should not be dismissed as cold or dreary! cortney and james, two super nice and wonderful people, met in chiropractic school and are soon opening up their own business in durham. when i first met them to discuss their wedding, cortney and i found out that we grew up and went to school not too far from each other in pittsburgh and that she went to high school with geoff’s best man for our own wedding! small world!  they are two of the sweetest people i’ve ever met and had great families and friends (i was very popular with the pittsburgh side of the family). ;) they had a beautiful wedding day with the temperature in the low 70s and the leaves just starting to change. their vendors were also fabulous! and, to start making things easier to read, i’m going to begin listing the vendors and their links below to make things a little easier on the eyes.

date: november 13, 2010

venue: 1705 prime

hair: citrine salon

hotel: renaissance by marriot, north hills

cake: sweet memories bakery

flowers: julie liles floral and event design

dj: greg ramsey of the joe bunn dj company

officiant: reverend barbara lodge

musician: harpist elizabeth munch

citrine salon chapel hill

geoff, being a good assistant by sitting on the couch in hair salons on his phone. ;)

citrine salon chapel hill citrine salon chapel hill citrine salon chapel hill

gotta have the jimmy john’s!!

renaissance by marriot north hills bride getting ready renaissance by marriot bride getting ready bride makeup bridesmaids getting ready

cortney and james opted to see each other before the ceremony, or have “first look” pictures. their ceremony was late in the day and the sun set directly afterwards, so it was a great choice to get pictures in before the sun set. also, it helps calm the nerves to see each other beforehand and makes for a much more relaxed day!

first look photos wedding photographs first look

hahaha this picture cracks me up every time i see it. cortney’s, “soo, what do you think??” pose. she was GORGEOUS! she wore a flower in her hair taken from her mother’s wedding day hat and had a beautiful dress that fit her style so well. and i can’t compliment the flowers enough… but maybe that’s because i pretty much had the same ones! ;) so beautiful and perfect for their day.

first look wedding photographs

we had a super handsome and sweet group of gentlemen.

raleigh wedding groomsmen

bridesmaids silver shoes

groomsmen socks 1705 prime bridal party

and look at these good looking ladies!!

raleigh wedding bridesmaids

i am so in love with the following series of couple shots that i feel the need to emphasize how awesome november is for weddings.

raleigh wedding photographer raleigh wedding photographers

cortney is so pretty and james is super handsome and together they will make the most attractive team of chiropractors ever!

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1705 prime is one of the best wedding venues in the raleigh area, in my humble opinion. the outside is very southern/old school while the inside is very modern/hip and the food is delicious and wonderful. their staff and wedding coordinator was nothing but fabulous. we have a great time every time we shoot there. we’ll be returning in february for another wedding and i’m definitely looking forward to it.

1705 prime wedding wedding guests

rev. lodge married us in october and we had a nice little reunion. :)

reverend barbara lodge 1705 prime wedding 1705 prime elizabeth munch harpist 1705 prime 1705 prime wedding 1705 prime wedding sweet memories bakery nc 1705 prime first dance

raleigh wedding photographer

the mother of the groom, left, made the fantastic cookies seen on the right for the couple’s cookie table. for those of you who don’t know, it is standard pittsburgh tradition to have a cookie table at your wedding. this doesn’t take the place of the cake, but it’s more like a candy bar sort of thing. if you get married in pittsburgh, you must have cookies. that’s pretty much all i can tell you in terms of history/significance, haha. anyway, the “best cookie ever” was a delicious gluten free cookie that i could actually eat! and it really was the best cookie ever –  i chowed down on these all night!

mother son dance

cortney’s parents moved to raleigh, but her dad still operates his own chiropractor business back in pittsburgh 3 days a week. he was hilarious!! we had a great time talking about the ‘burgh and making fun of geoff for going to valley high school. booo vikings! ;)

father daughter dance 1705 prime reception 1705 prime wedding 1705 prime wedding reception 1705 prime sweet memories bakery 1705 prime wedding reception 1705 prime wedding reception wedding reception

oh hey! it’s just me, your photographer, in your photo booth.

joe bunn dj company photobooth

wedding reception

1705 prime wedding

congratulations and much love to cortney and james for having a beautiful wedding with great friends and family! best of luck in life and your business!