With over 180 weddings over the past 7 years, I find it hard to believe this is the first time I have had a North Raleigh Hilton Wedding Reception. More on that later, of course, let’s talk about my awesome couple, Krystina & Sam! When I first met with them we talked at great length about their wedding day and how it was going to focus on family, friends and, well, fun! Sam & Krystina both live in Durham however has many of their friends and family coming in from out of state, so making sure to capture their big day and all of their guests was even more important.
We started at Windbourne Methodist Church where both Sam & Krystina were getting ready. I had also never been here before but was really impressed with their entire staff and facilities. It’s rare that, as a photographer, we are given no rules or warnings with how to document the wedding ceremony. Ok, there are obviously a couple of rules but they were very excited for us to get great photos of the happy couple. So, as a quick aside to the staff of Windbourne Methodist – thank you!
After some quick photos of the Bride & groom with their respective bridal parties, we headed into the wedding ceremony. With almost 200 guests in attendance, you could really feel how much support and love Krystina & Sam have. The wedding ceremony went off as almost every wedding ceremony should, with an impromptu “Tebow” from the groomsmen in the middle of the ceremony. It certainly was a first for me but made for a great photo opportunity and a very well remembered gesture. After the ceremony and family formals, we headed over to the N. Raleigh Hilton for their wedding reception.
When we arrived at the North Raleigh Hilton, we were greeted by a HUGE VFW (Veteran of Foreign Wars) convention. I believe they had almost every room in the facility taken and this made for a very interesting formals session with my happy couple. As I’ve always said, adversity almost always makes for the best art as there are some of my all time favorite couples formals. After those shots, we all headed inside to a wedding reception with, seriously, 200 screaming people when Krystina & Sam made their entrance. They had a very nice gobo with their names on the wall which made for some beautiful compositions during their wedding reception. We parted ways later that evening and left the happy couple to party on with all of their guests.
I’d like to give both Sam & Krystina my most heartfelt thank you for their graciousness, hospitality and, well, openness in letting us share their most special of days. I hope you enjoy their photos as much as we do!
