Julia+Erik // Duke Chapel Wedding

So happy to have worked with the real Julia Roberts and Erik Johnson. Our first celebrity wedding of non-celebrities with celebrity names. They are two incredibly kindhearted people who were so excited to get married and we were so happy we were there. We also got to work alongside friend/college Janice of Big Dog Little Bed Production Company who did the videography, and whose footage we frequently photobombed. The rest of their vendors were equally great, and so was their bridal party! The groomsmen helped Erik to practice the first look with the help of a 21C Museum Hotel penguin (it kind of looks like a scene from Weekend at Bernie’s) and a bridesmaid assisted with amplifying the music from someone’s phone speaker by putting it near her open mouth (which somehow worked). They were a very helpful and endearing bunch.

The ceremony was held at Duke Chapel which is always classic and timeless, and waded through a sea of 99% humidity for their pictures. We laughed, we cried, we gave Erik a hard time about identifying body parts for poses because he’s a doctor. At one point we were warned about “a group of 700 campers” that were approaching the campus and got the heck out of there… although if there’s a great excuse to be late to your ceremony, 700 campers is probably the best one. Their ceremony was lovely, and afterward we all proceeded to The Cotton Room where colorful paper cranes folded by Julia adorned all the plates with their guests’ names. I love paper cranes. I think because they’re happy, but also because I can’t fold them, so they impress me. In addition to their lovely paper cranes, they also had adorable husband+wife bulldog cake toppers. I believe these bulldogs were affiliated with their college but anything related to college mascots gets thrown aside by my mind in exchange for the obvious cuteness of bulldogs in tiny top hats and veils. I can’t even. It was a beautiful summer wedding with two amazing people, and we were so excited to be a part of it!

• Date: June 17, 2017
• Ceremony Venue: Duke Chapel // Durham, NC
• Reception Venue: The Cotton Room // Durham, NC
• First Dance Song: “She’s Got a Way” – Billy Joel
• Julia’s Occupation: Recently minted PhD in Chemistry
• Erik’s Occupation: Ophthalmologist
• How You Met: Summer Physics class. Erik asked Julia to do a problem set with him and the rest is history.
• Interesting Fact: We spent our first Valentine’s Day together in Edinburgh at a restaurant called Angels with Bagpipes.
• Honeymoon: Cozumel, Mexico
• Vendor Credits: Officiant – Father Brad Heckathorne. Band – The Finns. Florist – Bloomin’ Rose Flowers. Cake – Guglhupf. Caterer – The Cotton Room. Hair/Makeup – Abby Lassiter. Videographer – Big Dog Little Bed. Coordinator – Summer McInvaille.

Katherine+Jon // Merrimon-Wynne House Wedding

Okay, so Katherine promised me that she’d up her enthusiasm game in the future because Jon was clearly practicing, and therefore outdid Katherine in jump height maneuvers repeatedly throughout the day. Although, to be fair, Katherine is very short, and Jon is very tall, so I’m pretty sure Jon will always win the jump height game no matter how hard she practices (sorry, Katherine – this is our burden in life to carry… limited jumping abilities). Jon has also upped the ante in the SUPER EXCITED GROOM department, so future clients take note. He dances! He sings! He jumps! He hugs! And he is very clearly the happiest guy ever whenever he’s around Katherine, and it’s adorable in all sorts of ways. I’m pretty sure that Jon’s excitement was magnified because his car wasn’t present during the wedding day (much to my disappointment as I had predicted it would light the unity candle). So all the energy that he usually splits between adoring Katherine and adoring his car was just 100% magnified onto Katherine (although Katherine did get him rad Monopoly car cufflinks(!) to take the place of his beloved Honda).

These two are so fun. And they are so good hearted! Katherine repeatedly kept asking if she could get us anything, and we kept shooing her away with the shooey hand gestures and all, but she kept returning to keep asking if we needed things because she is a genuinely nice person (No, Katherine! Go to your cocktail hour! Go! Gooo!). They also crack us up as they both employ a hearty sense of humor, and their friends were the same way, so it was a pretty wonderful day. Also, horas. I love horas. And bands who have lead singers who tend to lay down in the middle of crowds. Their wedding was a win. Now we can finally get around to seeing shows with them… and maybe Katherine and I can work on our jumps.

• Date: June 3, 2017
• Ceremony + Reception Venue: Merrimon-Wynne House // Raleigh, NC
• First Dance Song: “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” – Talking Heads
• Katherine’s Occupation: Market Research Analyst
• Jon’s Occupation: Nuclear Power Plant Engineer
• How You Met: Online via OkCupid (we talked, Katherine stopped using the website, then started again, we found each other the second time around, and the rest is history!)
• Interesting Fact: Jon was a DJ at 88.1 WKNC (the NC State college radio station) and Katherine listened to his show and dug the music years before they ever met each other!
• Honeymoon: Thailand, Singapore, and Hawaii!
• Vendor Credits: Officiant – Glenn Leibel (Katherine’s Uncle). Band – Punch. Florist – Dogwood Tree Floral Designs. Donuts – Krispy Kreme. Caterer – Rocky Top. Hair/Makeup – Parlor Raleigh. Coordinator – Sally Oakley Weddings & Events. Ceremony Music – Arioso Strings.

Caroline+Dana // Married at Duke Chapel.

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