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Weddings

noel & michael are married!

By | Weddings | 8 Comments

if i had to choose one word to describe noel & michael it would be ‘genuine.’ they are both so open and sincere about everything- their love for one another, their faith, their dreams- spending the day with them was a treat! noel is truly one of a kind- so interested in everyone around her and naturally encouraging and helpful as she carries on conversations. i was trying to describe her to matt later but i really couldn’t come up with the right combination of words- noel is just passionate about everything, especially the passions of whoever she’s speaking with! it’s almost like it makes her happiest to see others happy but yet, it’s more than that, remember what i said about not being able to find words? this babbling paragraph proves that i guess. ;) we spent the morning chatting about marriage, new homes, the importance of faith and eyelashes, separately. i wanted to include these next images just as a little tribute to noel’s love of lashes- i think she ended up curling hers at three different times throughout the day!

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noel & michael decided to see each other before the ceremony so we would have time for a variety of portraits. not to be redundant, but you know how much we love it when couples make their own portraits a priority! noel had chosen the perfect place for them to privately meet and it was such a sweet moment! before noel got there michael asked matt all the questions he could think of to make sure this moment was exactly as perfect as it could be for noel. these two are just so darn perfect for each other! ;)

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the rain clouds were threatening so we dashed outside to grab a few images before it hit! when it did start, the rain was light and we were able to stretch our time outside just a little bit without getting too wet!

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when we were finally forced back inside we didn’t complain! this awesome room was awaiting us and we couldn’t have been happier with the light. noel & michael were up for some classic indoor shots as well and they worked it like they do this every day!

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then it was time to split back up and rest a bit before the ceremony. the ladies munched on chickfila (another reason i love noel- she works for chickfila corporate, one of my favorite companies ever!) while they touched up one another’s makeup and greeted the guests who came to peek in on the bride before the ceremony. i love this next shot of the minister with his stunning daughter, she looks like a porcelain doll!

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it was finally time for noel and her mom to make their way down the aisle and they both got a little emotional! their matching huge grins and their matching watery eyes did not leave michael’s face as they walked down to meet him. it was so clear how thrilled noel’s mom was to have michael as part of her family!

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then it was time for the reception! noel & michael were introduced as husband and wife and entered down the same staircase they used for their first meeting on their wedding day- such a perfect way to come full circle!

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matt did some exploring and found a awesome empty theatre in the same building as their reception. we mentioned it to noel and she was all about taking some portraits there! they missed just one song as we worked quickly to grab a few dramatic images. noel & michael- you guys are the BEST!

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then it was time for the bouquet and garter toss- i love this next pairing as michael and noel goofed off during the garter removal and noel’s mom and sister reacted to their silliness:

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michael surprised noel by hiring a limo for their exit- she knew there was a surprise but didn’t want to know what so she covered her ears until michael was finished working out the details with one of his groomsmen- i think this series is so cute!

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noel & michael, LOVE you guys! thank you so so much for choosing us to capture your wedding day; it was a joy! we wish you both the very best in your new life together; knowing you two a little bit better now, no doubt you’ll have a blast!

holly & brandon are married!

By | Weddings | 9 Comments

holly & brandon’s wedding day dawned SUNNY AND WARM!!! i could end this post right here because that really describes everything about their day- but i can’t help but expound upon that just a little. ;)  for two med students in residency in new york city, it was beyond perfect! it was sunny and warm- did i mention that? and then when we walked into the salon and were greeted with holly’s shining eyes and brilliant smile i was as ready as anyone to get this lovely day started! i met her best friends- a few of whom i’d met at a previous wedding- and we all talked lightly about what was coming- holly marrying her soul mate, brandon. when everyone’s hair was perfectly set, our little party split and met back up a little later for mimosas and makeup before getting started with portraits.

i love this first image of holly because it’s so natural and sweet. she’d just finished with her makeup and was just looking around at her bridesmaids getting ready just taking everything in- she seems so content:

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holly mentioned her desire to have a few bridal portraits taken as well as some images with her maids- so we all wandered around shooting together- me pulling holly off by herself every once in a while. she is so natural in front of the camera i kept having to remind myself that we were on a time schedule, haha, here are a few of my faves: 26_outdoor_wedding_ideas

meanwhile, the guys arrived at their amazing ceremony site to get started on a few images of their own! i LOVE how matt used the natural shadows in this next image- brandon almost looks spotlighted!

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the ceremony started and there was not a doubt in anyone’s mind that holly & brandon are perfect together! they stared into one another’s eyes, smiling but intense and promised their lives to one another. there were so many sweet moments to capture and cherish…and the sun cooperated quite perfectly!

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after the ceremony holly & brandon had blocked off plenty of alone time for portraits- we couldn’t have been happier! the park (usually used for history events!) was the most perfect setting and holly & brandon worked with whatever we threw at them! their natural comfort around one another combined with their shared desire for amazing pictures created some of my favorite couple portraits EVER!

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we hadn’t been able to work with the sun in SO long we may have gotten a little over excited with these next few, haha:

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the reception flew by in waves of tears and toasts and some serious dancing! the band was beyond amazing– we’d recommend them to anyone who wants their reception to be a huge party! here are a few of our faves from the night:

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holly & brandon, we wish you both the very best! you’re already such an amazing and inspiring couple- so fun loving and passionate about life! we are so thankful to have met you and we hope to see you again!

erica & jeff are married!

By | Weddings | 9 Comments

when we first met erica & jeff i cannot say that we weren’t intimidated. they are both police officers and if there’s anything that can make my heart stop on the way to anywhere, it’s a cruiser. maybe that says something about matt’s driving? anyway, after a few minutes joking around about said heart stopping we were totally at ease! they told us all about their families and the reunion that their wedding was going to be- plenty of out of town guests, family and friends were going to be reconnecting and some even meeting on their wedding day! we were excited to be part of the action!

erica & jeff got married in asheville, north carolina, one of our favorite cities! their wedding was held in the deerpark restaurant at the biltmore estate which meant we were totally excited about the time they’d blocked off for portraits. then came the rain. it was expected, of course, but still, no one was thrilled. the ceremony was moved indoors as was the dance floor and the portraits around the grounds were cut pretty short. BUT! you’d never have known that wasn’t exactly the way things were supposed to be if you looked at erica! she was buoyant, to put it mildly! her smile stretched across her face the whole day and she could NOT get over the fact that she was about to marry her best friend; it was so perfect- just the way things should be!

we got started at the early girl eatery, a little spot in asheville that never disappoints. i was excited to be back in the mountains and it seemed everyone else was in just as good spirits as well! from breakfast we walked over to the salon where we spent most of the afternoon in the flurry of bobbi pins and blush, the exact type of girlishness that erica claims she isn’t used to- but on her wedding day she’d decided to go for it, glittering hair piece and all! she made me laugh when she explained it all; her dimples getting deeper when she talked about the hair piece especially. but enough of my commentary, the pictures!

erica’s little flower girl was the sweetest ever- and her name is stella! of course, i took an immediate liking to her:

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one of my favorite things about shooting with matt is combining our pics in the end and seeing what the guys were up to while the girls were getting ready. in this case the ladies were a bit behind i guess because matt and i took these next two pictures only a couple minutes apart, haha, i love how similar the compositions are! it’s SO FUN to work with my husband!

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i love this next sequence matt captured of jeff- somehow it reminds me of james bond…or alec baldwin…? :)

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the ladies took a bit longer to get ready than the gents so they spent the afternoon hanging out in the beautiful grand bohemian hotel lounge waiting for the ladies and bonding- or whatever guys call it:

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a few portraits in the rain!

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the day started to truly fly by when the ceremony started! everything was a blur of joyous tears, hugs and lots of fun as the reception kicked in and the party started!

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i love how romantic this last image is:

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erica & jeff, thank you guys so much for having us all the way up to asheville to capture your wedding! the rain didn’t dampen your spirits and your wedding was such a celebration! we wish you guys the very best!