As you can probably guess from my last blog post (Monique’s bridal portrait), Monique & Johnny got married! Now, I’ve shot quite a few weddings at the Umstead Hotel before and they are always unbelievably fantastic, but this is definitely one of the most gorgeous ones I have seen. I’ll let you judge for yourself but Monique and Johnny both have tremendous taste and it really shows from everything to her dresses (which she had 3 of them, 1 wedding gown and 2 dresses for after the ceremony), her wedding shoes, her flowers, the wedding venue and, of course, her wedding photographer. :)
When I first met Monique, we immediately hit it off and, what I truly loved about that meeting, was she knew exactly what she wanted and left the planning up to me. Well, partially up to me, of course we had to coordinate everything and we ended up doing her engagement session, her bridal portrait and some family photos all on the gorgeous grounds of the the Umstead Hotel. We ended up shooting her entire wedding day, starting with her and her bridesmaid getting pedicures and manicures. After I left the ladies alone so they could relax and enjoy their time at the Umstead Spa, I headed up to hang out with the guys while they got ready. The girls had everyone getting wedding hair and makeup being done so I had a good amount of time to hang out with the guys while they got their boutonnieres pinned on then did their individual portraits done.
Back in the ladies bridal suite I got a chance to photograph Monique’s gown, shoes, jewelry and everything else that he had carefully chosen to wear on her wedding day. Before you know it, it was time to walk down the aisle. While I love shooting outdoor weddings, there is almost always one concern – rain. Well, I won’t go into it, but 5 minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin, yes, it started raining. Interestingly enough, a funny thing happened. Despite all of the umbrellas, the rain stopped, seriously, as soon as Monique started to walk out the door. We had the beautiful light coming through the clouds and, well, it turned out perfectly! After the ceremony was over, we took a huge group shot of everyone who came to the wedding. Once we completed the formal photographs, we all headed into the reception hall to celebrate their wedding with family & friends!
Now.. the reception hall. Wow! The entire room was decked out with gorgeous flowers, beautiful place settings and, of course, a great gathering of close friends and family waiting for their arrival. After the dances, cake cutting, toasts, flower & garter toss, the party got started and the dance floor did not slow down until the evening was over! Monique & Johnny left that evening through a shower of bubbles and we decided to capture a few couples portraits at the outdoor fireplace. Not a bad way to finish up a truly amazing day! I want to thank Monique, Johnny and their families for allowing me to capture such a special day for them! As always, here are a few photos from their amazing wedding!
