It’s been a wonderful year for weddings so far and I’ve been getting to places I have never been before, which I always love! This week I had a Barn at Valhalla wedding in Chapel Hill, NC with Stacey & Jeremy. Having never been here before I was certainly excited when I arrived and I can honestly say, I was not disappointed. The entire complex is very tastefully done and perfect for a rustic wedding. With elevated decks & walkways, a gazebo on the water and a beautiful barn to hold the wedding reception in, the setting really was perfect for a wedding.
The happy couple elected to see each other before the ceremony – something which more of my clients are doing this year. We set Stacey up in an upstairs room at the Barn of Valhalla so Jeremy could come in and see the “unveiling” in relative privacy while I grabbed a few great photographs of the moment. I know this is often a polarizing issue for couples, but hopefully the photos below will show you the advantage of seeing each other beforehand. After they saw each other for the first time, they exchanged cards and had a beautiful moment alone, arm in arm, as they read the cards they had written each other.
Stacey & Jeremy were married on the elevated deck in front of the gigantic fireplace. With 100 family and friends in attendance for the wedding ceremony, the couple exchanged their vows and, I can honestly say gave the best wedding kiss of the year. I know I have written about this before but this year all of my wedding clients seem to be raising the bar for the wedding kiss. After the wedding and receiving line, I went off with the couple to explore the grounds and capture some beautiful portraits of them both using both the beautiful open fields and the decked walkways. The Barn at Valhalla has no shortages of locations to shoot so if you are looking to have a wedding here, I can guarantee your wedding photography will be beautiful!
On to the wedding reception, complete with cupcakes (which you know I love), Mediterranean food, dancing and celebrating (of course) all under Christmas lights strung along the rafters and Japanese lanterns. As the night progressed, some very heartfelt toasts were given and, at the end of the evening, they newly married couple got a great sparkler sendoff.
Stacey & Jeremy – Thank you so much for choosing me as your wedding photographer! I thoroughly enjoyed working with you for your wedding and a very big congratulations to you both!
