MARRIED // HAILEY & BEN // CONCORD, NC

You might remember Hailey and Ben from their engagements earlier this year? Or maybe Hailey's beautiful bridal session at the Ivy Place? I knew from those two times and numerous conversations with Hailey that their day would be beautiful and totally centered around their love and family. I've absolutely loved being able to get to know Hailey as both a friend and fellow photographer (she's a budding one, always had an interest in it and clearly has the eye!).. and seeing her sensitive heart for those around her.

It was absolutely adorable to see how nervous Hailey was the entire time up to the ceremony, and LET ME TELL YOU, I normally prefer the dark and moody light but their ceremony was one of the most beautiful ones I've ever been able to photograph. How gorgeous was that light? We were blessed with beautiful weather for sure. Her nervousness faded away as soon as she saw him and she really started to settle into contentment when we finally did their bride and groom portraits. I knew how important they were to her (as they SHOULD be) and we had a long time set aside to do them. And even when we were faced with a handful of people coming up to us to end their bride/groom session early (because of a cake falling over) - she shook her head and said, "I don't care about the cake! It's there, it's fine. Let's do this!" and that made me so happy.

Huge thank you to my partner in crime, Allison Kuhn for coming alongside and having fun and making some beautiful shots with me. Love you, friend!

SHADOW PLAY

I know I've already posted some sneaks from Jess and Justin's wedding but I loved the shadows on this one.

MARRIED // ANA & BRETT // BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

I was beyond excited when I received Ana's email about shooting her wedding up in Brooklyn back at the end of August. And once she told me her venue was where my best friend was married two years ago, I knew I couldn't pass it up. Frankie's is a gorgeous, romantic restaurant that's converted the back of the space to a wedding venue with a detached stable. It's only fit for 40 guests, so I knew how important the people who were invited to their wedding were to both Ana and Brett. He even said that it wasn't JUST their wedding, it was the "acts of two families coming together forever" - so sentimental. I love it.

Ana's in fashion up in NYC (duh, look at her fantastic dress!) and Brett is in finance. They met on their first day of school in NYC. They're a dynamic duo and all of their friends kept commenting on how they were such a power couple. We started out the day with their bride and groom portraits (which was also the first moment the three of us met and LET ME TELL YOU I thought they were models. Can you believe that they both said how awkward they are in front of the camera? Lies. Brett is also at least 6'3, which is a foot taller than me, so sweet Diane had to run out and grab a stool for me!), which every photographer dreams about. We had a while to just hang out, explore some beautiful streets in Carroll Gardens and have them enjoy the quiet moments before the ceremony and guests arrived.  The night went by so fast in a blur of awesome speeches and laughs in the candlelit space.

You two are absolutely fantastic. Thank you both for your sweet souls and trust in me to do your day justice. I hope you look back on these and remember the night as it was!

Huge thanks to Diane of Spanglish Studios for tagging along with me to this beautiful occasion!

** The coins&rope exchange during the ceremony was a nod to Ana's filipino heritage! The candles signified unity, infinity cord symbolized mutual commitment, and the coins symbolize sharing of wealth, values and life experiences. **

MARRIED // NICOLE & BOBBY // CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

I have legitimately known Nicole for almost 20 years. We used to ride the bus together, hang out after middle school together (in the home that you see in the pictures, she got ready in her childhood home!), she used to drive me home from high school (old blue volvo, anyone?) and lived in the same neighborhood for almost all of our childhood.. so it was both an honor and such a weird feeling when she emailed me and told me she was engaged and wanted to talk to me about shooting her wedding!

WEDDING?! When did we get old enough for this to happen.

They met at Chapel Hill and you'll see in the ceremony decor that they made each table a different place in Chapel Hill that they loved! I thought that personal detail was so cool. And the flowers? To die for.

Anyway, Nicole and Bobby are so incredibly perfect for each other. He's hilarious and loves Nicole so well. She lights up a room with her crazy beautiful smile and wacky sense of humor that just makes you want to be her friend. Neither of them take themselves seriously and spent a majority of the day laughing. At one point, I was with Bobby and asked him how he was doing, to which he replied - "I'm just ready to get out there and marry that girl. And to give her a kiss." I told Nicole that and the glow that crossed her face was unexplainable.

They just love love, love both their friends and family so much.

I'm so happy I could be there to capture all their moments. Especially the span of time that Nicole was walking towards Bobby. I've never in my entire span of shooting weddings seen a groom get so emotional over seeing his bride. Bobby and his best friends just couldn't keep it together and I'm glad they didn't. It was beautiful.

It felt like one giant reunion with all of our old friends coming back again after so long (seriously. My old old friends Jessica&Nicole were in the wedding party, Carlee&Chris were guests and I rode the bus to middle school with a handful of other people) - at one point, during "Don't Stop Believing" I just had to put my camera down and get in the magic. Soon after that, Nicole looked around after realizing that the night was almost over and let me tell you, she was so upset! She got so caught up in the fun that she didn't realize what time it was! THAT shows a good wedding.

Nicole&Bobby: I loveeeee you guys. Thank you for letting me into your moments and trusting me to do your day justice!