Dianna & Todd: Sneak Peek
Things to know about Dianna and Todd: 1) they are adorable; 2) they are getting married in one month; 3) Todd's head makes a great light reflector; 4) a Victory is better than a Harley; and 5) they are madly in love. We can't wait for the wedding on September 26th!
Check out Dianna and Todd's engagement session slideshow
P.S. I finally found a good grassy spot that no one has destroyed yet. :)
Gaby & Andrew: Sneak Peek
Congrats to Gaby and Andrew, who were married on August 15 at the Newman Catholic Student Center in Chapel Hill. The reception followed at the Carolina Inn. I love this shot below of the gorgeous couple framed by the theater doors on the campus of UNC. Check back soon for more from their beautiful wedding and reception. If you're in need of a dose of fabulosity, go check out Gaby's bridal portraits in the Bridal Spotlight gallery on Sweet Life Photography's website -- she will knock your socks off!
Amusez-vous a Paris!
Kendall & Jeremy: Married!
Kendall and Jeremy were married on a gorgeous Saturday in April at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh. What's the old saying: "Happy is the bride the sun shines upon?" I think it goes something like that. We had plenty of blue skies and sunshine for this wedding!
When I first met with Kendall, she told me that when the sales lady at the gown boutique brought out this dress, she was completely unimpressed...
until she put it on.
I think she made the right choice!
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Reading a letter from her soon-to-be husband, Jeremy.
Jeremy is the brother of a former Sweet Life Bride, Mariah (who remains to this day one of my favorite people on the planet.)
Rick Ward covered this wedding with me since Frank was still recovering from surgery on his patellar tendon (happy to say that he's completely better now!). Since I didn't take this shot of Jeremy and his best man, Jay, I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing there's a story there and that maybe it has to do with football??
The groomsmen...too cool for school.
Edenton Street is a lovely old church in downtown Raleigh. Wedding photogs around here classify it as "hard-core" -- meaning, very strict rules about photography during the ceremony and don't even THINK about breaking a single one of them. The church coordinator was lovely to work with and we were sure to let her know we were not there to be a distraction, but to cover the wedding in a way that would make our clients happy. Once Kendall and her dad started down the aisle, those doors closed and I retreated to the balcony where Rick had things well under control. Since there was no way to get a shot of Kendall from the front as she made her way down the aisle, I had the two of them turn around and give me a grin before setting off.
Love this shot of Rick's. He waited until just the right moment when Kendall and her dad stepped into a pool of blue-tinged light from one of the stained glass windows.
Kendall and Jeremy: married!!!
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Beautiful flowers by Kelly Odom.
The light was just right when we went outside for shots of the wedding party after finishing up the family formals inside.
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What a fun group! I love informal group shots. I knew we had the classic stuff taken care of, so we just relaxed and had fun outside.
Love that sweet light!
Soon it was time to make the short and sweet trip to the North Carolina Museum of History for the reception. Best man Jay arranged some first-class transportation from Raleigh Rickshaw. One of the greatest things about having two dedicated photographers to cover your wedding is how it increases your coverage: Rick walked on ahead as I was finishing up with Kendall and Jeremy to just the right spot while I followed behind. Rick's shot is on the left; mine is on the right.
Loved the beautiful white cascading flowers on the cake and the candles on the grand staircase.
Kendall and Jeremy are fortunate to have a close circle of family and friends, including two of my favorite people, Mariah and Robert. Frank and I shot their wedding in November 2007. They are just so adorable! One of the things I love best about my job is getting to know the couples we work with and adding them to our circle of friends.
Time to cut the cake!
Thanks to DJ Steve Stowe with Bunn DJ Company for providing the tunes to raise the roof off the History Museum. Jeremy's grandmother lead the charge to the dance floor.
I love this sequence of Jeremy removing Kendall's garter!
Success!
All too soon, it was time for the last dance.
A quiet moment on the staircase before their grand departure, sparkler-style.
Kendall and Jeremy, thanks so much for allowing Sweet Life to share your wedding day! We wish you a future full of happiness and adventure!
Cameron: the Music Man
In just a few days, Cameron will be off to Western Carolina to study Musical Theatre. I was fortunate to be able to spend some time with him and his mom (along with assistants extraordinaire Kat and Peter) in downtown Raleigh before he heads off.
Cameron hadn't yet turned 18 yet when I photographed him, but when I asked him to lay down beside the "17" in the parking lot, he suggested the "18" instead, "because I'll get to use it longer." Ah, youth...always wanting to be older than you are! This is one of my favorites (and you were right, Cameron).
Cameron's been in three musicals and three plays, including The Music Man. He lists Barefoot in the Park and Macbeth among his favorites.
If you managed to get his iPod away from him, you'd hear Jason Mraz and Jamie Cullum (one of my favorites too) mixing it up with plenty of acoustic guitar and jazz and naturally, lots of "Broadway stuff."
When I asked Cameron to tell me about his career plans (one of those lame questions adults love to ask) he said simply,
"I want to perform. I want to be happy. I want to be on Broadway." I have no doubt he will succeed!
To quote from one of Cameron's favorite plays (and one of my favorite authors):
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more, is none.
Macbeth, Act 1, scene vii
Good luck, Cameron!
Testimonials
"Sweet Life Photography does an amazing job! Our pictures are absolutely wonderful. We had such a relaxed and enjoyable day much in part because of Elizabeth's personality and professional desire along with flexibility to make our wedding pictures perfect and customized for us. We highly recommend working with Sweet Life for any photography needs. You will surely acquire pictures telling a story and lasting a lifetime as well as have a lot of fun throughout the process!"
Kim & Tim Royal
Kim and Tim's Engagement Session
"Right from the start, Elizabeth seemed like a member of our family. She made us feel like the most important people she was working with and the pictures...wow. She's amazing!"
Joanna Green and Andrew Hody
Joanna & Andrew's Engagement Shoot
"After seeing pictures from a friend's wedding, I knew I had to have Sweet Life Photography photograph my wedding! Elizabeth does an amazing job and I love looking at her work! She's wonderful to get along with and her pictures are simply beautiful! I would definitely recommend Sweet Life Photography to others!"
Emily & Jonathan Nichols
Emily and Jonathan's Engagement Slideshow
"Sweet Life Photography is no doubt the best decision we made for our wedding! I have had so many compliments on Engagement Pictures, Bridal Portraits and I anticipate just as many after the Wedding. Elizabeth is such a great person to work with. She is very laid back and very much "go with the flow". When i saw my Bridal Portraits i didn't even recognize myself. Elizabeth does amazing things with the camera. She knows just the right amount of light to use and exactly the right location for a picture. I can never say thank you enough for everything she has done for Ken and I. She is not only an AMAZING photographer but an AMAZING person as well. She really cares about her clients. In fact I feel more like she's family than a photographer. So yes, Ken and I would highly recommend Sweet Life Photography to anyone who needs a photographer."
Kimberly & Ken Smith
Kimberly & Ken's Engagement session
"Sweet Life Photography has provided us with more than we expected with our pictures (and we haven't even gotten to the wedding day yet). Elizabeth amazes me with her talent and professionalism, and I'm more than happy to recommend Sweet Life Photography to any Bride to be!!!"
Kristina and Wesley Dulaney
Kristina & Wesley's Engagement session
I LOVED Sweet Life Photography! Elizabeth was wonderful with us and our pictures turned out better than I could have dreamed! We could not have asked for a better photographer on the most important day of our lives together! Thank you Sweet Life Photography!
Jaime and Craig Melton
Jaime & Craig's Engagement session
"I loved working with Sweet Life Photography for my wedding and engagement pictures!! Elizabeth is so personable, but yet professional, and great at what she does. She really has gone above and beyond her role as a photographer throughout my wedding process. I couldn't thank her enough!"
Ashley Rice
"Sweet Life Photography was the best decision that I made for my wedding besides my groom!"
Mariah Bridges
"Elizabeth and Frank of Sweet Life Photography were by far the best vendors that my husband and I worked with when planning our wedding. Not only are they great photographers and very professional workers, but they are the nicest people in the world. We have great memories with them and will always think of them when we look at our beautiful pictures!"
Jackie Smith
Jackie & Brett's Engagement Slideshow
"Deciding to work with Sweet Life Photography was one of the best decisions we made during wedding planning as well as one of the first. We knew Sweet Life was a perfect fit from the beginning. Elizabeth and Frank captured the most precious moments to help us remember our wedding day. The beauty of their photography style is that it is natural."
Andrew and Lauren Heath
Lauren & Andrew's Engagement
Lauren's bridal portrait slide show
Lauren and Andrew's Wedding
Lauren and Andrew's Fearless Bridal
"Hey Elizabeth, I'm in the process of composing a thank you email to all of our vendors but I wanted to send you and Frank one individually. You two were amazing and if you want to use me as a reference feel free to do so. We have had tons of compliments on the way you two conducted yourselves the entire day and on the slideshow… Anyhow, you two are wonderful and I wanted you to know that we appreciate you both. Val told me that you jumped right in and helped while she was dressing also. You are the bomb."
Dr. Lionel Nelson
Lionel and Valerie's Wedding slide show
"Ok...I just want you to know that I cried through the whole thing!!! They are beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I'm so thankful for you, because you have just made this even more amazing. Very talented!! Ok...so of course this is a very difficult decision b/c they're all great. I started out with a list of about 25 out of the 60 of ones that were possible!! But I have narrowed it down to three. .. This is so hard, b/c I actually equally love all three of these pictures. I hate to say one is my favorite! I'm really ok with having any one of them as my portrait, so whatever you have to do is fine!! Just let me know what you can do! And again, thank you so much. I couldn't be more pleased. I'm so glad I found you!"
Kristen McClanahan Kuenzi
"Hi Elizabeth! The pictures are GREAT! We love them! You really did catch some great moments! (and a lot of my crazy face expressions-which I love!!!) Thanks so much!"
Meghan Pataky Corder
Preston and Meghan's Wedding slide show
"...And by the way I LOVE them all!!!! They are fantastic! I can't tell you how glad we are that we had such a wonderful photographer (by the way, I have had a ton of compliments on the slide show!)."
Stephanie Byrd
Stephanie and Dave's engagement slide show
Stephanie and Dave's Wedding slide show
Washington Duke Inn: Emily & James: Part II
As promised, here are more images from Emily & James' fabulous Washington Duke Inn wedding!
Emily & James, God bless 'em, decided to see each other before the wedding, proving once and for all how hip they are. As West Coast photographer Jasmine Star says, "all the cool kids are doing it." I'm happy to report that their First Look session didn't trigger any bad luck and the wedding and reception went off without a hitch. The couple remain healthy and happy to this day. Tradition, be damned! :)
Many brides say they don't want their grooms to see them before the wedding so that they can have "That Moment": the moment when he sees you for the first time in your wedding gown. Doing a First Look on your wedding day doesn't mean you can't have that moment; you can, in PRIVATE, without 200+ guests watching. I know it's traditional for the groom not to see the bride before the wedding. But did you also know that, strictly speaking, the groom is supposed to stand at the end of the aisle with his back turned, not looking at the bride until she's right beside him? Why don't we still do that? It's also tradition for the groom to buy the bride's bouquet. Let's start a new tradition: the bride and groom agree to meet in a private location at a certain time. The groom has the bride's bouquet and presents it to her when she arrives. Then the photographer gets to have all the time she needs to get amazing pictures without the giant clock in her head ticking! And no one in the family or bridal party gets restless or ticked-off as we work through a long formals shot list after the wedding when all they really want is to go to the party! And the bride and groom get to go to the cocktail hour and spend more time with their friends! And maybe you save money by not having to have a cocktail hour (which we all know is just busy time for the guests while pictures get taken) at all!
Whew. I'm alright. I'm back now from fantasy land. Let's move on, shall we?
James sees his bride for the first time. Priceless expressions, up close and personal.
Their "posterity" portrait. It's great to have artsy images, but each couple should also have a well-posed, beautifully-lit portrait from their wedding day.
After completing all of the formals, it was time for the ketubah ceremony. In Jewish weddings, the ketubah is the wedding contract between the bride and groom. It is considered a high honor to be invited to the ketubah ceremony. The contract is read and then signed by the couple, the rabbi and two witnesses. Here, the rabbi signs the ketubah, while the maid of honor, the best man and Emily and James look on.
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The candlelight ceremony begins. Emily & James' wedding was held in the round with the huppah in the center. Both the bride and groom are escorted by their parents and circle the guests before processing down the main aisle to the huppah.
In traditional Jewish ceremonies, the bride circles the groom 3 to 7 times to symbolize her commitment to the groom: she creates a circle of love and protection as she walks. Circling as a tradition declined in the recent past with the growth of feminism; some saw the act as a statement of subservience. Circling is making a comeback with modern couples, just with a twist; now the groom circles the bride as well.
Lighting the candle together.
Emily and James: married!
The guest-book table featured wedding shots of family members and the signing book created with images from James & Emily's engagement session.
Greeting their guests during cocktail hour.
I loved the orchids and curly willow on the tables. All of the floral design was done by Kelly Odom.
The first dance to "Shake a Tail Feather" sooo fit Emily and James' personalities.
A picture-perfect big finish:
Emily and her dad after their Father/Daughter dance.
James and his mom. I love the look on her face.
The toasts were funny and sweet. The toasters were full of personality.
Mark grabbed Julia's reading glasses to read his toast. I love it!
Then it was time to party. No, make that, time to par-tay. First, the horah.
I don't think you've truly danced at a wedding reception until you've danced the horah. Everybody should do it at least once in their lifetime. As a matter of fact, if we all danced the horah more often, it might facilitate world peace. Everybody would be too happy and exhausted to fight. Just a suggestion.
Then the band took over, but they didn't get the stage to themselves for long. James and the fellas serenade the ladies with "My Girl."
Then it was the ladies' turn to wow the crowd with their rendition of "Dancing Queen."
A break to cut the cake:
Emily re-takes the stage:
More riotous dancing ensues.
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Ok, I'll admit it: I'm proud of this bouquet-catching shot. I don't know if it is mine or Frank's but it is suh-weet.
Oh, you two: how adorable can one couple be?
The end of the night and a kiss to cap off one helluva wedding, pardon my French. (Don't you just love MOB Julia's expression?)
Emily & James, we are so thrilled, awed, humbled and just plain gob-smacked to have been able to share this day with you, your friends and your families. We wish you loads and loads of love, laughter, luck and lots of dancing in the future!
