I've said it many times before and I'll keep saying it: I love First Looks! Anyone who believes that you'll miss out on "that special moment" when he sees you in the your dress: call me, please! You get to have that moment -- you just get to have it in private, away from the eyes of your nosy aunt and your future husband's boss. (I'm kidding, I'm kidding. No, I'm not. First Looks are awesome!) I love how Joe looks a tad bit nervous in the first photo, but when he turns around to see his bride, he's all smiles afterward!

"You don't marry one person; you marry three:
the person you think they are,
the person they are, and
the person they are going to become
as a result of being married to you."
Richard Needham

Welcome to the party! Wow, do Lauren and Joe's friends and family know how to have a good time! Jason with Island Sound kept everyone on their feet all night. It was everything a wedding celebration should be. Lauren and Joe, thanks for letting us be a part of it!

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...that's AMORE!"

Enjoy more of our favorite images from Lauren and Joe's wedding in their slide show:

The following fabulous vendors helped make Lauren and Joe's day one to remember:

Venue/Wedding: The Newman Catholic Center and Parish in Chapel Hill, NC

Venue/Reception: The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC

Floral Design: Tre Bella

DJ: Jason Huggins with Island Sound

Wedding Cake: Simply Cakes

In true Carolina Girl fashion, Stephanie choose the perfect shade of blue for her eight bridesmaids' dresses.

What would a wedding be without giggly flower girls...

...and a reluctant ring bearer?

Love these two shots of the couple with their grandmothers.

Quite the color-coordinated (and good-looking) wedding party, right?

Rachel Hamm and her team at Bliss by Sam did a great job of coordinating the ceremony. Here's the wedding party lined up, ready to go.

I think we were all holding our breath, hoping that the rain that was threatening to pour would hold off.

It did.  :)

Best. Recessional. Ever.  I couldn't pick a favorite.

We had just enough time for a few couple portraits and the wedding party shots before the rain poured down.

A sampling of all the Carolina Blue and orange-accented details, featuring another edible work of art by the always-amazing Lorie at Simply Cakes.

Jason at Island Sound did a great job keeping everyone on their feet all night.

Stephanie and Scott welcomed quite a few kids to the reception. I think they had as much fun as the adults did. Who doesn't love the Casper Slide (Part 2)?

Ah...so inspiring to see the older generation passing along dance tips to the whipper-snappers.

I think he's got it.

So does the flower girl...

until a nap calls.

Last dance.

Whether it's walking down an aisle or making their grand exit from the reception, Stephanie and Scott are one couple who really know how to make an exit!

Stephanie and Scott, thanks for letting us share your amazing wedding day!

If you follow this blog, you've probably realized that I rarely blog my weddings in order. So while I'm behind on blogging my Spring weddings, here's one that's hot off the presses: Gaby & Andrew's August 15 wedding in Chapel Hill. I'm so thankful that we were able to share in their wedding day. Here are some of my favorites. Part II: The Reception will follow soon!

The ladies got dressed in a lovely suite at one of my favorite wedding venues, the Carolina Inn. Gaby's column dress was called the Calla Lilly.  At our pre-wedding meeting with the event coordinator extraordinaire Tracy Adams of Adams and Events and Mel Manning of Joe Bunn DJ Company, Gaby was going over the songs for the reception with Mel (think Rat Pack and Frank Sinatra) and suddenly made the comment, "I think I was born in the wrong decade." I love her vintage-style veil. Perfection.

Gaby is crazy for Andrew...and their alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill. Check out her Carolina Blue shoes!

Gaby and her mom Marianne. They share a close bond that was wonderful to witness. Plus, isn't Marianne simply gorgeous? If it's true that as we ladies get older, we look more and more like our mothers, Gaby is going to be beautiful her entire life!

I love these next two...the light in the room was just amazing.

Hint: impromptu dance parties help to calm pre-wedding nerves!

A gorgeous bride, the loveliest bridesmaids, luscious flowers...yep, it's a wedding.

Gaby and her maid of honor, her cousin Emily.

You GLOW, girl! (Yes that was corny, but I mean, come on -- she's gorgeous!)

Just in case you're thinking I've forgotten one very important component of this wedding day, here he is, the Man of the Hour: Andrew. I really think he wins the prize for the longest uninterrupted smile maintained by a groom in history.

(Don't worry...he's just giving his face a little rest in this one. The smile comes back at full power soon.)

One of my favorite parts of the pre-wedding festivities is the exchange of gifts between the bride and groom. Here's Andrew reading a card from his wife-to-be and opening his gift.

Andrew gave Gaby what has to be one of the most romantic gifts I've ever seen. Can you guess what it is? And no, it's not an iPhone.

Yep, rocking chairs for their front porch. So they can rock away the hours together when they're old and gray. Seriously, I die.

Gaby did, too.

When I look at this image, the song "Going to the Chapel" just starts up in my head. Gaby and her dad head out of the inn to walk across the street to the Newman Student Catholic Center for the wedding.

Gaby's brother Vincent performed the ceremony.

Almost time...

I love the sense of anticipation in this image. Just before walking down the aisle.

Here's a great example of why it pays to have two photographers covering your wedding. I love little moments like this. During the liturgy, Gaby and Andrew whispered back and forth several times. Here's Frank's view (and I must say one of my favorite images ever):

And mine, as Andrew reacts to his bride's whispered words.

Father Vincent blesses the couple right before the kiss.

It's official...

Gaby and Andrew are married!

Off to the Old Well for wedding party shots. We were blessed with a very generous shooting schedule. Lots of time for photography = awesomeness!

I asked for some celebrating and celebrating is what I got.

Love this shot of Frank's of Andrew and the bridesmaids. Really, have you seen a prettier bunch of bridesmaids lately?

I can't be sure, but I'm thinking someone said something scandalous.

Gaby and Andrew, thank you for being so adorable, so sweet, and so generous with your time on your wedding day. Oh, and for being so in love. You guys rock.

New favorite.

Off to the reception in the Old Well Wing at the Carolina Inn.

Coming soon: Part Two -- Gaby and Andrew and One Heck of a Party!

Amusez-vous a Paris!

When I photographed Jackie and Brett for their e-session, I remember looking at the images and thinking Jackie looked like she stepped out of a Kennedy family portrait. She has such lovely, classic features -- what they would call "patrician" up North. The dress she chose was actually called the Jackie Onassis! It was absolutely stunning on her, so obviously my Kennedy comparison was right on target. And of course, my blog readers will remember Brett as my Ashton Kutcher look-alike, so really, how could their wedding images be anything but gorgeous?!?

Looking at their ceremony pictures makes me wish I had that same freedom to move around during church ceremonies. I think it is so sad that most churches require wedding photographers to stay in the very back of the church. Now, I know there are some obnoxious wedding photographers out there who get way too close, but there's a way to capture the ceremony from different vantage points without being distracting and in-your-face. I love that Jackie and Brett's outdoor ceremony (and the couple themselves) gave me the freedom to get some angles that I don't usually get inside a church -- like shots of the couple's parents' faces as their grown-up children said their vows and formed a new family. To see what I mean, click here to view Jackie and Brett's slideshow. Now, I'll climb down off my soap-box...

We had to race to finish photography ahead of the quickly fading Fall light, then it was off to the reception in the Old Well Room. Frank got some amazing shots of the couple during their first dance and I love the images from the individual dances the couple had with their parents. There's always a moment in every wedding when I find myself getting all emotional and it's usually when the bride dances with her father and the groom with his mother. I don't know how that tradition began (I'm gonna Google it) but it never fails to make me go all mushy!