I’m catching up on more of my previous weddings with a beautiful Angus Barn wedding. Christi & Brian opted to have both their ceremony & reception at the Angus Barn pavilion, which is just outside the RDU airport in Raleigh. If you aren’t familiar with this location, it’s a beautiful example of a ceremony & reception site all in one. With a world renowned chef, 5 star service and some of the most amazing food you will ever have, the Angus Barn is definitely one of the premiere wedding venues in the area.
Christi opted to get ready at a local hotel close to the ceremony location while Brian got ready at their home. Each of them were surrounded by their bridal party which always makes for some amazing preparation photos. While I love a great portrait of a single person, wedding photograph truly is a storytelling event. Each of them have kids from so being able to include them in the story of the day makes it even more meaningful.
Once we arrived for their Angus Barn Wedding, we went ahead with their first look. On a side note, I love how much you can tell about a person at this point. Some people are stoic, some are overcome by tears and others just react in a way you’d never imagine. Kind of like Brian here.. lol. A look that simply says “oh wow!!!”. We were able to capture all of their family formals right after the first look was over paving the way for a lot of face time with them and their guests at the reception.
Another element which I loved about their wedding is the pre-ceremony cocktail hour. I’ve always felt weddings should not only be celebrations, but gatherings of 2 families (and the creation of a third). Giving everyone the ability to mingle prior to the ceremony really helps set the tone for the rest of the evening.
The officiant is a former wedding client of mine who i’ve kept in touch with thru the years and is good friends with the bride, so the entire day I kept recognizing people (which is really cool as a photographer). The reception.. oh boy. Talk about a party! Now, I’ve never seen a boring Angus Barn wedding but this one just about blew off the roof! Randy with Bunn DJ company took no prisoners the entire night. When he did slow it down, the dancing always had special meaning – even giving the officiant & her husband a chance to have another “first dance”.
I hope you enjoy a few photos from their wedding! As always, if you’d like to know more about this wedding or interested in having me photograph yours, please reach out to me!
Bridal Preparation – Crabtree Valley Marriott
Bridal Gown – Alexia’s Bridal
Bridal Hair & Makeup – Salon Society
DJ – Randy Bennett w/Bunn DJ Company
Cake – Sams Club
Flowers – DIY