She walked slowly down the tree-path holding onto her dad’s arm. Her beautiful lace-trimmed dress was moving softly in the warm North Carolina summer air. Her groom was waiting at the altar  and as she came around the corner their eyes met: the moment they had both been waiting for. The culmination of years of friendship and love…their wedding day was finally here, and I couldn’t believe I had a front row seat as their wedding photographer capturing it all!

Everything about Katie and Corey’s wedding day was so fun and full of life and energy. From the moment we arrived to photograph their special day, there was  a buzz of excitement mixed with calm anticipation. This sweet couple chose to incorporate two “first looks” into their North Carolina summer wedding: a first look between the bride and her father, and a first look between the bride and groom. The  most outstanding thing to me about the first look between  the bride and her father was the  tenderness of the moment. An expression of awe, joy, love and pride filled his face as her father saw his daughter for the first time in her dress. Then gentle tears, from both of them, began to flow. When it was time for the first look between the bride and groom, you could sense an even greater anticipation. They hadn’t seen each other in more than 24 hours at that point and  the look on their faces when the moment had finally come…it was priceless!

Surrounded by friends and family, they exchanged vows and rings. The multitude of tiny details incorporated from start to finish made the day truly theirs: the music, the shoes that the entire bridal party wore (all in Van’s…the bride even had hers custom designed), the sign displayed at the altar with their wedding date inscribed on it and more. One of my personal favorites was the bride’s bouquet made of fresh cut hydrangeas and pages from the book “Pride and Prejudice.” It was almost as stunning as the bride herself!

Katie and Corey – thank you for the privilege of photographing your beautiful wedding. You all are some of the most genuine people I have ever met, and I loved being able to capture you and all of the details that made your wedding day so unique. I wish you all the very best for a lifetime to come!