I joined Laura and Nan for a “January wedding” (my first in the 2010 season) at The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill. Their ceremony wasn’t far from the hotel and was held at the St. Thomas More Church. You may remember this couple from their recent engagement session that we photographed in San Francisco last year?
Even though they’ve relocated to California, Laura must have predicted that all of this cold weather and snow would be leaving North Carolinian’s “feeling blue.” She embraced the idea of a winter themed wedding. I also soon realized that she had requested that all of her wedding guests wear blue as well. This was the first time I had seen this, but I thought it worked out really well!
I was also very impressed with all of the decisions she made in decor and details and although her big day was preceded by 4 straight days of rain, I told her that I would bring some sunshine with me AND WE GOT IT! If you’re an avid reader of this blog you’ll know that this seems to happen to me all the time for some reason… I swear that I need to start selling “a day of wedding sunshine” in my wedding packages, because I seem to be really lucky in that department.
Reflecting back on the day, I can say that one of the things that I love most about the people I work with is that they tend to go with the flow and just let the day unfold in a stress free fashion. While I’ll admit that much of this comes from proper planning, I’m always thankful that my clients really understand that a wedding is about being close to those that you care about (and maybe don’t get to see that often) Now that Laura and Nan are in California I hope that these photographs will provide some extra comfort on those cold winter nights or should I say perfectly seventy degree sunny days to come. Have a wonderful marriage together and I look forward to seeing you again on my next visit!
Here’s a list of the wonderful vendors that I had a chance to work with this time around.
Before entering The Carolina Inn that morning.
I really like how the lighting in this photograph turned out.
Just simply BREATHTAKING!
And here comes “the blue!” Here are the blue shoes that Laura wore.
Check out the floral tops on these!
The girls had a lot of fun tightening Laura’s wedding dress. The whole group almost fell over at one point!
Some of my favorite wedding photographs are of a brides reaction when she puts her veil on for the first time. For many everything suddenly becomes so tangible and REAL.
Nan wore a blue rose for his boutonniere.
The couple decided to meet before the ceremony as their bridal party waited at their side.
Laura was very excited to have a bridal portrait near the Old Well in Chapel Hill.
And here is a semi formal bridal party photograph. The surrounding area was a little brown this time of year but the couples friends and family made up for it with their colorful enthusiasm!
The groom (and groomsmen) wore Adidas Samba soccer shoes.
I arrived a little early at the church and this little girl (named Lilly) was having a blast playing hide and seek with me before the wedding processional. She’s a precious three years old and her father is one of Laura’s first cousins, which makes Lilly and Laura first cousins once-removed.
The bridesmaids looked stunning as they carried in their bouquets that consisted of a mix of white roses and blue hydrangeas.
Regardless of whether or not the couple has a first look before the ceremony, I always love to capture the looks on each of their faces as they for the first time as the bride walks down the aisle.
I can’t remember exactly what the officiant said but it must have made Nan a bit nervous while at the same time launching the rest of the wedding guests into laughter.
Laura’s mom and dad obviously enjoyed the moment too!
You don’t see a lot of hugs given at the wedding altar but I love this perfect and genuine moment that was shared between th recently married couple.
One of my favorite photographs of the day…
nan is welcomed into the family and by the looks of it perhaps given some words of wisdom?
Laura’s mother shared with me the story behind these rings. On the left you can see a cameo ring that Laura’s great grandfather had re-purposed from a tie clip for Laura’s great grandmother. Laura’s mom wore it at her wedding and now it has been passed down to Laura for her wedding. I thought that the sentiment behind it was very touching.
Laura created this winter inspired centerpiece out of brnaches, tufts of feathers with berries attatched and…
…beautiful blue Christmas ornaments. I decided to take a few detail photos of the rings hanging from the branches.
Laura and Nan shared a slide show with their wedding guests.
It warmed my heart just a bit when I saw that they had included some of their photographs from their San Francisco engagement session.
I think that Nan’s father really enjoyed the show. I love this shot of his looking onward and reminiscing.
Nothing says LOVE like a silhouette of a couple kissing as they bask in the warm light of a video projector. :)
Nothing wrong with a little variety! Either he’s really kind to take drink orders for his table OR REALLY thirsty!
Besides the music, one of the “audible highlights” of the evening was when an eager Aunt knocked over a glass near the hot tea station… which knocked over another… which knocked over 5 more… which took out an entire shelf of glasses
Time for wedding cake!
Not so much of a “smashing cake in the face” type of couple? No problem for Laura and Nan! Their style is closer to “a little dab’ll do ya on the nose and lick it off!”
Lynn Loomis from Lynn’s Traditions created a beautiful cake with baby blue frosting. It set the perfect tone for a Chapel Hill wedding in January.
Ken Holmes of DJ Joe Bunn did an excellent job of getting everyone out on the dance floor (especially considering it was an afternoon reception)
Now clap… clap… clap your hands!
Can you go down low? Nan kind of looks like he’s about to hike a football to Laura…
Despite that fact that Nan is “really shay and uncomfortable around girls” he managed to push through and remove the garter off of Laura’s leg BUT…
… his delivery to “all the single guys” didn’t go quite as planned. I’m sorry that nobody wanted you little garter. Someday you’ll find a man that will appreciate you for all of your magical futuristic marriage powers.
I decided to “play” a little bit with some “light painting.” It’s the process where you leave the shutter of the camera open for a longer amount of time than your would normally and then add flash to properly expose (and freeze) your subject. I moved the camera in a twirling motion as Laura’s father twirled her on the dance floor. I liked this one the best.
A wedding sendoff right from the dance floor…
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