Monthly Archives: September 2009

Greensboro Weddings at Hodgin Valley Farm

Hodgin Valley Farm is the perfect location for your wedding ceremony and reception if you’re looking for a rustic and natural environment. It’s a private farm conveniently located in Pleasant Garden, NC in the center of North Carolina. This is great for those interested in Greensboro weddings.

There are several choices available for wedding ceremonies including a lakeside wedding near Polecat Pond or the quaint gazebo located on the back of the property. For wedding receptions there’s a banquet room located inside an authentically rural barn. The entire farm is dotted with various animals and the bride and groom can even take a horse drawn carriage ride if they like.

I truly enjoy photographing at this wedding venue and look forward to going back whenever I can.

View Anna and Adam’s Wedding
View Meghan and Ben’s Wedding

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Crenshaw Hall Weddings and Receptions – Wake Forest, NC

Weddings and receptions at Crenshaw Hall are all about the little details. The Historic Crenshaw Hall is a Greek Revival home that is over 200 years old. It is located in the heart of Wake Forest and is situated upon five acres of beautiful property. It is family owned and operated and the event manager Joyce Bennett is a pleasure to work with.

During your wedding day you and your guest are encouraged to stroll over to Trysting Place which is carved among magnolia trees. We’ll also be able to stop for photographs hand carved Bridal Porch and the grand columned front porch.

View Abbey and Sean’s Engagement Photographs

crenshaw hall wedding wake forest

Here’s a panoramic view that I took of the property.

wedding reception tent outdoors

This is the covered wedding reception area at Crenshaw Hall.

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The outdoor wedding ceremony is a beautiful spot to get married in Wake Forest!

wake forest wedding reception crenshaw hall

You can ring the bell here too!

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Carrboro Century Center Wedding Reception (Jennifer + Grant)

I was up bright and early to photograph Jennifer and Grant’s wedding in Carrboro North Carolina. Their ceremony was at the Church of the Holy Family and their wedding reception was held at Carrboro Century Center near The Weaver Street Market. Upon my arrival I was graciously welcomed with some funny comradery by all seven of Grant’s groomsmen. I could tell this had potential to be a fun day.

But… I’m getting a bit ahead of myself… A little backstory… Jennifer and Grant live in Chicago and she had originally found my website while searching for a church. We spoke on the phone a few times and since she was out of state I was happy to recommend a few places she might want to look. Later when they were in town to visit we met up and really hit it off. I had sent her an email telling her how bummed I was that they lived in Chicago, since I knew that we would become instant friends… They are the type of couple that emits this positive energy to all of those around them. I’m all too lucky when I have people like this that come into my life.

As I began to meet more and more of their friends and family I began to get the feeling that this was going to be a really special group to work with. I truly do love what I do but this was one of those days where I had a huge smile on my face the entire day… except the times I was getting a little choked up during a few emotional moments. I guess I can’t help it sometimes when I see someone sharing a personal moment together. I guess that’s what has driven me to document those moments through photography.

If your a Luster Studios blog stalker you’ve probably noticed that I’ve started to write more underneath the photographs as opposed to huge paragraph at the beginning although this intro is steadily growing. It’s allowed me to connect the viewer with a specific photograph much easier. I hope this shift has been more interesting for everyone? So that being said… let’s check out some photographs from this super excellent wedding! No bouquet toss… No garters… No group reception dancing… but I honestly didn’t think they needed it. The connections and moments I captured are going to be far more meaningful… Sometimes less is more at weddings. Although I will admit that I’m sure this bridal party would have put on an awesome show if needed.

Thanks to everyone for making this event so memorable for me and including me in a special day!

wedding shoes sisters
wedding handkerchief groomsmen

The guys tackle the arduous task of figuring out how to fold their handkerchiefs.

wedding makeup groom

This photo is simply classic! Jennifer’s sister applies touch up makeup to Grant’s face as he works on his “manly macbook pro”… And if that weren’t great enough… his oh-so-helpful buddies take photographs of him with their iphones. Love it!

wedding book journal
applying makeup compact
victorias secret wedding lingerie

A gift from one of the bridesmaids from Victoria’s Secret. They read “I said YES!” Here’s Jennifer showing them off to her girlfriends.

wedding veil long bridal

This is a great “OMG!” moment shared by the bride and one her friends after she had just placed the veil on her head.

bride prayer circle

The ladies share in a prayer circle.

mother crying wedding

And mom got a little choked up. I could tell she had a very special and close bond with her daughters.

wedding veil bottled water

Dad helps Jennifer take a sip of water under her veil. I really like the story behind this one.

father raising brides veil

Dad practices lifting the veil with his daughter… I think this turned out to be an even more special moment than when it actually happened for real at the altar.

father bride wedding ceremony

“Now let’s have a look at you…”

bride hiding wedding day

This was quite possibly my favorite photograph of the day and made me smile from ear to ear! As we were walking into a room to photograph the bride and her bridesmaids shoes, Jennifer took cover behind her sister to hide from anyone that might be outside… She especially didn’t want to be seen by Grant. It’s truly a one of a kind photograph.

bridesmaids dresses bridemaids shoes

And here are the bridesmaid and brides shoes.

groom portrait fun pose

That is one handsome groom. Mom will be proud when she sees this one.

groomsmen pose unique

All the guys had the unique ability to dress it up…

groomsmen jumping photo

… or drop it DOWN! Look out below…

groom father wedding

A nice portrait of Grant and his father.

bridesmaids formal pictures

I had just as much fun with the ladies too and they all looked beautiful…

bridal portrait woods bench

But if I can be honest Jennifer truly stole the spotlight. She looked radiant, natrual, and downright gorgeous!

father bride aisle ceremony

On with the wedding ceremony!

string quartet wedding ceremony
wedding musician orchestral violinist

Some of their best friends played as a wedding quartet. They all were really talented musicians.

father walking bride down aisle
groom sees bride first time

Jennifer just trusted me to document her wedding. I think her only formal request was to capture a great photograph of Grant’s reaction as she walked down the aisle. I thought this one turned out quite nice! He somehow managed to put 5 different emotions into one expression. Man this guy is talented!

wedding vows chapel
church wedding ceremony
wedding videographer friend

I snuck up on their videographer “friend” and captured this candid reaction.

bride groom lighting unity candle

The bride and groom light their unity candle.

bridesmaids jewelry earrings

A detail of the bridesmaids blue earrings.

bride groom wedding communion

A quiet moment before communion. I love the soft placement of Grant’s hand on his wife-to-be’s shoulder.

bride groom just married

Thumbs up means “I’m really excited” in the Grantlish language…

couple just married
marriage certificate signing

It’s official. Another classic look on Grant’s face.

groom groomsmen dancing

And it’s apparently time to do a “happy dance.”

father of bride smile
brother bride crying handkerchief
married couple photography

This is THE BEST photograph overall in my opinion. It really sums up the feel of the day and the palpable love between these two..

bridal party formals

How about some fun bridal party photos?

unique wedding photo poses
bride groom under veil
wedding family mother father

I hope they liked my idea for this shot. I think it could to be a great family heirloom photograph.

wedding portrait fun outside
groom dipping bride kiss

Va-va-VOOM!

bride walking sepia photograph
carrboro century center wedding

On to the reception at The Carborro Century Center!

wedding reception entrance

Their entrance to the wedding reception.

wedding reception first dance

And their first dance as husband and wife.

first dance wedding photograph
black white wedding photo

I don’t know why, but I really like an untold story here…

simple three tier wedding cake
wedding parents toast

During the wedding toasts I positioned myself to photograph the parents who just happened to be standing in a line. I though it was a great unplanned composition.

cut wedding cake

He dove in to try and snag their first piece of cake. I love how his significant other is desperately trying to hold him back!

groom laughing wedding reception
wedding cake women laughing
carborro center wedding reception

high school senior portrait

The Carborro Center had these really nice old school, high school looking curtains. I thought these two wedding guests would look really cool in front of them so I did a little mini portrait session.

bride groom holding hands

Simple… yet very strong…

bride groom grandfather

I nice portrait with a reluctant grandfather. I thought it was important to document though and I think they all look fabulous!

mother son crying

I love this photograph of this shared moment between Grant and his mother at the end of the wedding reception.

wedding bubbles send off

An amazing bubble send off

bride groom wedding send off
wedding send off

Just married! Congratulations…

10 comments

karen bromby - October 7, 2009 - 9:56 pm

Wow! These are wonderful pictures! Thank you, Nancy, for sharing them with me! What a lovely couple!!!

KC - October 3, 2009 - 5:04 am

Hi! I came across your site when I was doing some research on my project and I came across Jennifer+Grant’s album..I love every shot that you’ve posted..you’ve managed to capture every precious moment, which is so amazing! (plan on stalking your site form now on.lol.)

KC

Lia Luisi - September 29, 2009 - 1:28 pm

From quite possibly your biggest blog stalker…once again, fabulous work.

Wendy Allor - September 25, 2009 - 4:36 pm

I am impressed that you captured so well Grant and Jenn’s love for each other and their incredible joy in marrying! Thank you for showing personality in all your photographs, especially Grant’s classic expressions. You are truly a gifted photographer and we were blessed to have you capture the day for us!

Sara Palazzari - September 24, 2009 - 9:04 pm

It brought tears to my eyes seeing all the wonderful pictures! I’ve known Grant since he was a little boy and since we weren’t able to be there it was GREAT seeing them! Thank you!

Nancy Smith - September 24, 2009 - 5:58 pm

Oh my goodness! I am the mother of the bride and I can’t stop looking at these pictures. They are fabulous!

Chuck Allor - September 24, 2009 - 5:28 pm

Thank you so much for capturing this wonderful time in our lives as we gain a daughter and her wonderful family. It is wonderful to relive the moments that are etched in my memory.

Grant Allor - September 24, 2009 - 4:04 pm

OH MY GOSH!!! You are an amazing photographer! WOW! We can’t wait to see all the other shots you took. I just looked through the Blog and are SO excited! Thanks

Lori Miller - September 24, 2009 - 9:50 am

Wow! Big smiles and beautiful moments! Keep up the good work, Craig, these photos are gorgeous.

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