Prestonwood Country Club Wedding :: LaToya and Byron: Part I

There is so much fabulousness (is that even a word?) to LaToya and Byron's July wedding at Prestonwood Country Club that I have to break this blog post up into two parts. There's just so much to show you! And it was so magnificent it's best to take it slowly and spread it out. (Kinda like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or Twilight, Parts I and II...if one movie is good, two must be better, right? And that's the last pop culture reference you'll get today, promise.) The wedding was planned and coordinated by one of my favorite wedding professionals, Tracy Adams of Adams and Events.

LaToya and Byron met while they were both students at UNC-Chapel Hill. To say basketball is a shared passion is to put it mildly. Born and raised in Mississippi, Byron was named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year before playing for the Tarheels. Carolina fans will recognize him as a member of the 2005 National Championship team. Byron is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. He currently plays for the Lugano Tigers in Switzerland, the Swiss league champions in 2011. LaToya was born in Germany while her parents served in the US military.  She also played four years at UNC from 2004-2008 and was the 13th pick in the 2008 WNBA draft, going to the Phoenix Mercury. She is currently playing for the LA Sparks in the WNBA and in the Turkish Professional Leagues. That's right: Byron plays for Switzerland. LaToya plays for Turkey. When we met for their engagement session, we talked a little bit about what it was like to be apart for a good chunk of the year. Needless to say, it's tough. It's also a challenge for LaToya to live in a country so unlike her own. But she said that going to visit Byron in Switzerland helped to make up for it, especially since she would fly into the Milan airport and spend at least part of each trip shopping in the fashion capital of the world! Byron and LaToya are the kind of people you'd love to hang out with. Imagine the stories they could tell.  We didn't get to spend nearly enough time with them!

On to the photographs! I'm just going to get the hyperbole out of the way now: Magnificent. Opulent. Warm. Emotional. Funny. Real. That pretty much sums it up!

Byron and his groomsmen. Have you seen a sharper-looking bunch of guys? Oh, to be a red rose boutonniere. :)

I could have photographed LaToya all day. Side-view, profile, up-close, far away, looking up, looking down: beautiful from every angle! Her hair and make-up was expertly done by Theresa Williams, who is, no question about it, one of my favorite make-up artists working in the Triangle. If you'd like her contact info, leave a comment or send me an email. Theresa, you are a true pro!

The three cymbidium orchids in LaToya's bouquet by Greg Warren Flowers were in memory of much-loved family members not in attendance, but close by in memory. Tears weren't far from the surface, especially when LaToya's father saw her in her gown for the first time. But there was plenty of happiness and laughter, especially when Byron's on-the-spot groomsman helped him out with a little breath pick-me-up before the big kiss!

Stay tuned...Part II is coming up tomorrow!