Lexi and Justin are two incredibly sweet people who had a whirlwind rollercoaster ride of a weather forecast leading up to their wedding with either a.) a ton of pollen, b.) a ton of rain, or c.) a ton of both. But, miraculously, the rain totally missed the entire wedding despite a radar that was not looking good at all. They were able to have their ceremony at a beautiful spot outdoors overlooking the hillside and we’re happy to report that none of us turned green from pollen exposure. And it was just lovely! Their family and friends were a ton of fun, and we’re super glad that we got to photograph the hora once again at a wedding! It’s by and large our favorite wedding tradition… especially when they hoist up people who were not expecting to be hoisted up. ;) They had their dog’s faces printed on napkins! And custom wine labels! And a joyful day with each other and people they love (who were very skilled at emergency bustle fixes and ensuring that the Harry Potter guest book was properly signed). We’re so glad that Lexi and Justin were our clients and wish them all the love in the world.

Date: April 13, 2019
Ceremony+Reception Venue: Highgrove Estate // Fuquay-Varina, NC
First Dance Song: Tuyo – Narcos theme song
Honeymoon: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Officiant: Myles Zuckerman – Uncle of the Bride
DJ: Butch Halpin
Cake: Highgrove Estate
Caterer: Highgrove Estate
Hair: Meghan Pirroco
Makeup: Kennedy Shae Makeup Artistry

Lexie and Michael were introduced to us a long time ago by our friends Monica and Graham, whose wedding we shot back in 2012. Well, I guess we knew Lexie first (I spy her in one of their reception photos) and Michael later. Lexie is an identical twin (oddly enough, our third identical twin this season, but our fourth identical twin ever), and for a while we had absolutely no idea how to tell her and her sister Ashley apart. Later someone gave us the pro tip that Ashley has bangs and Lexie doesn’t, and it’s been somewhat easier since then, but if they aren’t standing next to each other it’s still not a fool-proof method and I’m never 100% sure in my answer. But, now that Lexie has been our (wonderful!) client, I think my chances of figuring out who is who will now have a 90% accuracy rate, white dress or not, and I think that’s the best you can really hope for with identical twins. So now that Lexie and Michael are married, it’s going to be Michael’s job to stand next to Lexie all the time so I don’t mess up.

These two were married at the courthouse in Raleigh surrounded by close family and friends, then they had a reception at Watered Garden Florist a few days later (Lexie’s mom is a florist at Watered Garden and did all the flowers for this wedding, which were amaaaaazing!), then a few days after that they had another reception in Chicago with Michael’s side of the family. We happily were able to keep her dress pretty clean throughout the courthouse ceremony and the pictures afterward roaming around the gardens so she could use it at the receptions. Michael studies trees for a living and is really into plants. Lexie rehabs turtles (very jealous of this) and has dogs and is also into plants. Together they are very nature-y and excited to take pictures by some trees and we were excited to take their pictures by trees and everyone was very, very happy. But not as happy as me, who received gluten-free cupcakes care of Monica and Graham from Lexie and Michael’s reception a few days later. ;) Mmm, cupcakes.

We have had so many small and lovely courthouse weddings this year and we love it. This time it was Jessica and Chris, who got married in downtown Raleigh with close family members and one very cute stuffed tiger. They then ran around the city with us taking pictures in weird doorways and dodging the 90+ degree heat and sun while talking about their love for heavy metal and punk rock. We discussed cats! We shopped for records! We had a good time. A big congratulations to Jessica and Chris on their wedding and new house without an HOA to tell them what to garden, dangit.