Liz and Victor held their wedding at two of my favorite Durham venues. The Duke University Chapel and The Washington Duke Inn are the perfect combination for anyone looking to tie the knot with a blend of tradition and class. But there is a twist to this particular wedding. As I started getting invited to Halloween parties this year I had to send my RSVP’s with the reply “Sorry, but I’m going to be photographing a wedding this Halloween.”
When Liz and Victor told me that their wedding date was Oct 31st I was a little surprised too, but as the date grew near and they told me about some of their plans I got more and more excited about their “Halloween Wedding.” I knew that they wouldn’t be getting married dressed as a ghost and goblin, but together we were able to capture some photographs that perfectly captured the fall weather and timely holiday. Their choice of blue and orange as their wedding colors and an amazing Halloween candy table made for the perfect wedding details.
As I write this they are jetting off on their “Thanksgiving honeymoon!” I was a little behind in getting this blog post up, so I appreciate everyone’s patience. Liz and Victor are a beautiful couple together and their love for each other is perfectly palpable. If you would like to view their engagement photos please CLICK HERE. Thank you to friends, family, and wedding vendors for making this a very special day!
Wedding Band: John Brown Jazz Band
DJ: Joe Bunn DJ Company – Ken Holmes
Flowers: Ninth Street Flowers
Transportation: Carolina Livery
I arrive at Chapel Drive which leads up to The Duke University Chapel. As you can see it’s very scenice in the fall.
A sign that it was a perfect day for a wedding full of love!
I stitched together this panorama of the front lawn and steps of Duke Chapel.
The bride’s sister and mom help with the final zip up of the wedding gown.
I have yet to meet a bride that wasn’t filled with a mix of emotions in those final moments before walking down the aisle. The best advice for any “bride-to-be” can sometimes come in the form of a t-shirt slogan on a random college student passing by.
I always love to photograph generational photos especially when everyone looks so picture perfect.
A beautiful bridal portrait of Liz. She was a natural in front of the camera!
Ninth Street Flowers did an amazing job with the bouquets and boutineers.
Father and son share a special moment before the ceremony begins.
This poor little guy slipped and fell. Dad helped straighten him up a bit. I felt so sorry for him but he sprang back.
A proud father walking his bride down the aisle.
Some misplaced wedding rings made for some interesting moments and some wonderfully candid photographs.
I actually didn’t know exactly what was happening here but luckily I had brought my “A game” to this wedding and had captured the real ring exchange.
The moment right before their first kiss. I love the anticipation and emotion in this photo.
It was kind of funny but the first words out of the couples mouth after the recessional were “Did you get the second ring exchange?” They both said it at almost exactly the same time. At the time I said “I actually don’t know” but later discovered what they were talking about as I pieced together the timeline.
I think this was my favorite photograph of the “signing of the marriage certificate” ever.
A sweet moment in between some of the family portraits where Liz’s dad gives her a peck on the cheek.
Someone commented on this teaser photo on Facebook. Their quote was “So formal yet SO funny!” I think that describes it best.
I snuck up on the groom’s brother as he was holding the bride’s purse. He caught me and everyone started laughing at my lack of ninja skills. He’s been a great sport about it… Trust me David… We’ve all been there… but I couldn’t resist posting this series.
Gorgeous and classic…
We arrive at The Washington Duke Inn for a few family portraits during the cocktail hour.
I REALLY love this photo.
Wedding guests sign a guestbook that contained photographs from the engagement session that we shot in downtown Durham earlier this year.
Probably my favorite photos of the day. I have some of the best clients! On occasion I ask them to go out of their way to capture something special or try an idea I may have. Thank you Liz and Victor for trusting me and I hope you love this series of photos as much as I do.
I was blown away with this candy table at the reception. Liz’s mom went all out to turn it into something truly special.
They even had a pumpkin carved witht he couples name.
The John Brown Jazz Orchestra sounded stellar. I would recommend them for any event.
The end of the couples first dance.
The mother son dance was a blast to watch.
A fun series of photos from a wedding toast by Victor’s brother.
I love how Liz plants a fingerful of frosting right onto Victor’s nose.
It was my first time working with Ken Holmes from Joe Bunn DJ Company. At this point I’ve worked with almost the entire DJ staff and have never been disappointed in their professionalism and personality.
A Halloween cow costume for this little baby! Is this not one of the cutest kids?
The removal of the garter and was quite fun to witness…
… and so was the bouquet toss…
… but these two children stole the show when they each caught the bouquet and garter.
I had the couple pose with some plastic Halloween spider and skull rings.
I was a Nintendo Mii Photographer for Halloween and asked the couple a few days before if they would mind if I brought my costume to the reception for a few photos at the end of the night. They were actually playing the Nintendo Wii when the got my email and said “HECK YEAH!” This was one of the resulting images taken by Ken Holmes. I’ll have a full blog link soon explaining how I made the costume for anyone interested.
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