I apologize for the slow blogging over the past month or so. It’s been a truly crazy wedding season and while I firmly believe in blogging weddings as soon as I can, my client’s wedding photos come first. I can finally catch up on some of my wedding backlog now so stay tuned for a bunch of Raleigh weddings on my site! For Emily & Patrick, I fulfilled a couple of photography “wishes” this year. One was to photograph a Kirk of Kildaire Wedding (a Church whom I’ve donated some photography services for auctions before) and to shoot a Renaissance Hotel wedding reception at North Hills in Raleigh, NC. There was actually one specific shot I have been trying to get (a Rolls Royce in front of the hotel) for a while but it’s never happened – until now!
Emily and I had coordinated completely over the phone as she lives out of town. So the day of the wedding was the first time we had actually met in person, but having talked with her and her Mom over the preceding months, it really felt like like we had known each other for some time. Emily and Patrick both got ready at the Kirk of Kildaire, in separate areas of course, but it makes getting shots of the both of them during the getting ready pretty easy. We had plenty of time before the ceremony so I could actually play with the dress a bit and use the unique layout of the church to my advantage. We took the guys outside to get their individual and group shots and, during this time, I realized that, well, they came to party! Not at the church mind you, at the reception. :)
After a great moment with Emily and her father seeing each other, we headed into the ceremony area. Now, I am used to walking into churches that are, well, dark, but this was a real treat! Floor to ceiling windows flooded the entire sanctuary with a gorgeous natural light and it made photographing there a real pleasure! The ceremony was gorgeous and the church staff was honestly a real pleasure to work with. After the ceremony and couples formals (including getting a bridal portrait beside a tree her father planted at the church when she was born), we headed over to the Renaissance Hotel for their wedding reception.
Now, the Renaissance Hotel in North Hill is a really gorgeous location and the architecture and art hanging on the walls. So being able to photograph a wedding or reception here is really a treat. The hotel staff is incredible and it seems like every time I have a wedding here, the celebration is, well, epic! That was certainly the case with Emily & Patrick. With the band getting the party started, and keeping it going, I think the entire congregation was on the dance floor. It certainly made for some gorgeous photos and, even though Patrick will probably kill me for this, I had to post the “beer sling” photo. Yes, it was that crazy! After the party was over, I realized it felt like I had been in a full scale workout. There was so much going on that I had shot a crazy amount of photos – almost all of them were spectacular shots also (except for a few shots of my shoes I always seem to get).
Patrick & Emily – thank you both so much for allowing me to capture your wedding day! It’s always an honor for you to allow me into your lives on the first day of your new lives! I had a wonderful time with you and both your families! I hope you enjoy my view on your wedding and, of course, a few select wedding photos!
