Kristin and Ross Marry in The Mountains

A trip to the mountains in August is always a welcome relief in North Carolina.
Kristin and Ross would be married in Highlands, a town that holds a special place in the hearts of Ross' family.
After braving the incredibly curvy road that leads to the town, Betsy and I quickly realized the appeal of this charming town.
The wedding rehearsal took place at the private residence of a family friend Friday night. The beautiful setting was a photographer's dream and I was excited about the visual potential.
Well, much like many other areas in the state, the mountains have been experiencing a severe drought. Things were about to change Saturday.
The rain began to fall early Saturday and decided to stick around throughout the day. Ross, who was reminded numerous times that rain on your wedding day was good luck (including once by me), had to scramble to move the wedding ceremony to the Highlands Falls Country Club, the site of the reception.
Everyone took things in stride and they ended up with a touching, fun ceremony in the area that would later serve as the dance floor.
Kristin and Ross are both incredibly laid-back and that helped make the transition a breeze. They had many siblings and nieces and nephews who turned the ceremony into a wonderful family affair.
The old-school photo booth was a huge hit and Ross brought his pals from the band Hometown Sweethearts in from Wisconsin to rock the house. They had everyone dancing all night long.
General Manager Jason Macaulay and his staff at Highlands Falls Country Club did a fantastic job with all of the food and beverages. As an avid golfer, I was awed by the beauty of the golf course, which features a hole with a waterfall flowing behind the green.
It was a joy working with Kristin, Ross and their wonderful families.
Have a great time and eat lots of lobster in Bar Harbor!

Kristin and Ross

Cute nieces

Kristin and her mom at the rehearsal

Kristin and Ross enjoy the rehearsal

The Highlands Falls Country Club

Kristin gets ready

One of Ross' sisters

Ross' brother escorts their mother to the ceremony

Ross' nieces watch Kristin walk down the aisle

A lighthearted moment during the ceremony

The vows

Just married

There was some beautiful light as a light rain fell

The photo booth was great fun

They made a scrapbook with the photo booth pictures

Ross' cousins tell some tales

The couple enjoys the speeches

Toasting

Waylan Nate Palan, left, and Scott Beardsley of Hometown Sweethearts

Ross' brother rocks "Sweet Caroline"

A bubbly finish

An Amazing Weekend (Clary and Robert's wedding)

I had the great pleasure of photographing a full weekend of activities that were all part of Clary and Robert's amazing wedding.
I wanted to make sure to do the event justice so I'm displaying the images in two separate posts.
We'll start today with photos from the rehearsal dinner, hosted by Robert's parents, at the Duke Mansion and the after party at Belle Acres Golf & Country Club.
Aundrea Hopkins did a great job organizing everything at the Duke Mansion. Haines Barksdale of For Goodness Cakes made a wonderful groom's cake that paid homage to Robert's alma mater - the University of Virginia.
I can't say enough about how gracious Clary, Robert and both of their families were. It was truly a pleasure working with them.
Make sure to check back for the wedding photos in my next post.
(Remember to click on the photos for better viewing and hit the back button to return to the blog).

Clary and Robert during a toast

A nice outdoor setting at the Duke Mansion

The happy couple

The Duke Mansion

Cocktails

Clary chats with Robert's grandfather

Cake by Haines Barksdale of For Goodness Cakes

Robert's dad tells a funny story about his son

Cheers

Clary's mom talks about her close relationship with her daughter

Clary's dad enjoying the evening

Some of the bridesmaids told a few stories too

Clary looking radiant

Belle Acres Golf & Country Club

Clary greets a friend at the after party

Father of the Bride

A recent photo editing session included a few pictures that made me think of the movie "Father of the Bride."
As the father of a daughter, I can relate to many of the issues and emotions that Steve Martin encountered in the humorous take on a father's journey through the wedding process.
I also get a first-hand view of many dads in my job documenting the wedding experience.
Most people are aware that the driving force behind the planning and execution of weddings is the mother-of-the bride and/or the bride.
Much like in the movie, the joke is that the father's role is basically relegated to writing checks and trying to rein in the spending.
It's often a bittersweet moment for fathers. Their little girl is all grown up but they know that their daughter has found love with great hope for the future.
Capturing all of the emotions is part of what makes photographing weddings so rewarding.
It's such an important moment for families. And it's my great pleasure helping them remember this special time.

Jessica dances with her father

Courtney's dad embraces his new son-in-law

Caroline and her father share a laugh and then a quiet moment before walking down the aisle

On another note, we are preparing for some exciting changes in the coming weeks but I'm not quite ready to announce them just yet. So stay tuned!
We are also going to be doing some traveling and then preparing for some incredible weddings in August.

A Dream Wedding

First dance for Stephanie and George

George had an idea.
He would dance with his beautiful new bride under a canopy of stars as all of their friends and family looked on.
Everything was set as he and Stephanie exchanged vows at All Saints Episcopal Church in Concord.
Friend and wedding planner Amy Johnson had things organized at the historic Beaver Dam in Davidson. The tents were arranged with the open-air dance floor in the center, and hanging glass globes with candles would add to the atmosphere.
Sounded like a great visual to me.
While at the church, I was taking pictures from the balcony and I kept hearing a strange sound as the ceremony progressed.
Then it hit me - it was rain, and lots of it.
Precipitation has been a rarity around these parts recently so I figured it would be short-lived. I kept thinking that as I made the trip from Concord to the reception site in Davidson.
But the rain kept coming. It wasn't torrential, but it was steady.
Well, George's dream was going to have to wait. But nobody seemed to worry about it too much and everything went off as planned.
Drinks, dinner and socializing continued and everyone was having a great time.
And then the rain stopped. The floor was mopped, and guests pitched in to dump water and light candles. The stage was set.
And George got his dance.
Although the clouds hid the stars, George and his beautiful new wife moved across the wet floor in front of all of their family and friends.
And they danced on into the night.

All Saints Episcopal Church

A little tie trouble

Stephanie gets help with her new earrings

Karen Wagoner touches up Stephanie's makeup

Stephanie looked radiant

Stephanie smiles at George as her dad walks her down the aisle

A big hug from mom after the ceremony

Entrance in the rain

Guests have some fun

The best man made up a song for his speech

Enjoying the first dance

George and his mom brought everyone to the dance floor as they danced to "Don't Stop Believin' "

Historic Beaver Dam in Davidson