Coffee Table Books on Sale!
Starting Friday, October 14, we're offering a 25% discount on press-printed coffee table books for one week only!
These are professionally printed, hardcover books with fully customized designs. Because the pages lay flat when opened, with no seam between the pages, these books are a great way to showcase your images. We can create books that would make great holiday gifts for the extra-special people in your life — parents, grandparents, spouses, kids, best friends and of course YOU yourself! And there are lots of interesting options for these books: glossy pages, matte pages, leather covers, cover images that wrap around the spine, etc. The discount works on pre-orders as well. Shoot me a message and I’d be happy to give you all the details: Elizabeth@sweetlifephoto.com.

Brier Creek Country Club :: Lauren and Bryan are married!
If you find yourself craving hand-squeezed lemonade or an ice-cold lime rickey after feasting on this blog post, you're not alone -- and it's not just the 100+ temperatures! It's the fresh, modern, delicious combination of lemon yellow and lime green that transformed Brier Creek Country club for Lauren and Bryan's June wedding. Feast your eyes on some of the gorgeous details!
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Lauren and Bryan have been together a long time, so the excitement was running high before the ceremony. Lauren's bridesmaids were so much fun. They kept me laughing the whole time!
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Brier Creek's Jasmine Court has to be one of my favorite outdoor ceremony venues in the area. It's sited beautifully and just check out the magic that floral designer Greg Warren worked on the arbor. Wedding coordinator extraordinaire Tracy Adams worked her own brand of magic, making sure everything flowed like melted butter in the warm summer sunshine!
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A few stolen moments alone...with me. :)
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Lauren and Bryan kicked off their fabulous reception with a very stylish first dance!
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This fun crowd didn't need any encouragement to get busy on the dance floor! While Frank was shooting the enthusiastic action, I happened to look outside and see an interesting sky taking shape. I love summer thunderstorms at weddings, provided they happen long after we need to be outside taking pictures, of course! The dramatic skies that grace us afterward create great photo opportunities. Thankfully, the couple was willing to sneak off for a few shots on the golf course!
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To see more images from Lauren and Bryan's wedding, check out their slide show below:
The following fabulous vendors helped to make Lauren and Bryan's wedding a huge success:
Event Coordination and Planning: Tracy Adams, Adams and Events
Venue: Brier Creek Country Club
Floral Design: Greg Warren Flowers
DJ/Entertainment: Ron K. Smith Productions
Cake Artist: Cinda's Creative Cakes
Lauren and Michael are engaged!
We met Lauren and Michael last October when we were at Highgrove to photograph Kristin and Amin's wedding. Lauren and Michael are going to be married in September and we're really excited to experience shooting in Highgrove's brand new building. Luckily, we didn't have to wait that long to get to hang out with this out-going, happy couple (and wow, adorable much?). Lauren and Michael met in 2004 in English class. They had an assignment called "Getting to Know Your Classmates." Obviously, they made an "A" on that assignment and have been together ever since. Lauren loved this location when she saw it in Bryan and Lauren's engagement session last year and the owners graciously allowed us to shoot there a second time. The couple brought the rest of their energetic family along for the second half of the shoot. Maggie and Millie were well-behaved and as full of personality and life as Michael and Lauren. Personally, I think the dogs should be members of the wedding party, complete with flower collars and white leashes, but I'm not sure I'm going to get my way. Oh well...maybe we can pet sit sometime!
If you regularly follow the blog you'll notice that this is the third post in a row featuring a bride named Lauren. And guess which wedding is coming up next? That's right...Lauren and Bryan. I have no explanation for the surplus of brides named Lauren, but we feel really lucky!
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Lauren and Michael, we can't wait to see you in September. Give Maggie and Millie a treat from us and enjoy your slideshow!
Duke Gardens Bridal Portrait :: Lauren
When I met Lauren and her mom Kelly at Duke Gardens for her bridal portrait session, I gasped when I walked into the room and the bride-to-be turned around. She literally took my breath away! Her white satin gown had the most gorgeous asymmetrical pleating on the bodice. So one-of-a-kind, just like Lauren. She has a truly infectious laugh and her smile has a life of its own! I quickly learned that this was one bride who would not be giving me any of the angsty-fashionista pouts that seem to be so common these days in bridal portraits -- she was going to smile and smile big. I think the third photo down is one of my all-time favorites. I just love a bride who's so happy she can't help laughing!
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Newman Center and Carolina Inn :: Lauren and Joe are married!
Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows how much we love Carolina Inn weddings! I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that Frank and I got married there just a few years ago. :) Whenever we're there, everything seems to go flawlessly. The same was true for Lauren and Joe's May wedding. I love the window light in the portrait of Lauren below. There's beautiful light every where you look at the Carolina Inn.
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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!
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"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
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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!
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"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...that's AMORE!"
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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
Duke Gardens :: Elizabeth and Trey are engaged!
Elizabeth and Trey are just one of the many awesome couples we had the pleasure to meet at the Southern Bridal Show and Expo in April. These two lovebirds met while both were attending UNC at Chapel Hill and took the most sensible route of being friends before they started dating. Spend even a little time with them and their love for each other is crystal clear: it's in their eyes when they look at each other, in the way Trey can make the more reserved Elizabeth laugh, how he wraps her up in his long arms and she looks completely serene and peaceful when he's near. We are so excited about their Old Salem wedding next April. Until then, here are just a few of my favorites from their engagement session at Duke Gardens a few weeks ago.

Enjoy Elizabeth and Trey's slideshow:
All Saints Chapel and Cardinal Club: Cameron and Dannel are married!
We're excited to feature Cameron & Dannel's wedding day slide show on the blog! The couple were married on a beautiful January day at All Saints Chapel here in Raleigh. The ever-wonderful Erin McLean coordinated the wedding and reception that followed at the Cardinal Club downtown. Enjoy these highlights and check back soon for more from Cameron and Dannel's wedding day!
Wedding: All Saints Chapel
Reception: The Cardinal Club
Wedding Planning and Coordination: Erin McLean Events
Floral Design: The English Garden
Wedding Cake: Sweet Memories
Entertainment: The Risse Band
Heather and Jason :: Church of the Good Shepherd and NC Museum of History
Confession time: I have a major case of Writer's Block. I just don't know what to say to describe Heather and Jason and our experience working with them throughout the year and a half leading up to their December 4, 2010 wedding. I could say I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves, but that wouldn't be enough. We met the couple at the August 2009 wedding show and they booked us for their wedding photography shortly thereafter. Yep, they booked us almost a year and a half before their wedding. That in itself speaks to the level of connection that we felt with them and, I'm guessing, they with us. We just clicked right away. We got to know them over the course of 4 mini-engagement sessions, one each in Fall (at the fair), Winter (downtown with Christmas lights), Spring (on UNC's campus, where Heather graduated) and Summer (at NC State, Jason's alma mater). I wish I had the time to do multiple mini-sessions with all of our couples rather than just one. Over the course of that time spent together, I came to have such affection for them and appreciation for their devotion and love for each other. Plus, we had so much fun! But because I'm rather behind on blogging weddings, I'm going to focus on their December 4 ceremony and reception for now. The Four Seasons post will come soon, I promise!
If you follow Pixel Dust regularly, you'll have guessed by now that I don't blog our weddings in consecutive order. Being an artist, I guess I have to feel inspired before I blog each wedding and my levels of inspiration are affected by many things, but none more than the workload in the studio. Blogging takes a back seat to editing, designing, fulfilling orders and taking good care of our clients. We're so fortunate to be busy. This is such a tough time in the photographic industry that I thank my lucky stars every day that we get to do what we do. But that's a post for another day. On to Heather and Jason's fabulous wedding!
I met Heather in her suite at the Sheraton in downtown Raleigh (love them -- what a fantastic staff!). The day was cold and dreary, with snow in the forecast, threatening to derail our plans for the First Look and fun shots downtown. But the mood in the room was nothing but celebratory, especially with Heather's Tarheels trouncing the Kentucky Wildcats in basketball. I love this shot of Heather's mom and her bridesmaids cheering on their team while Heather gets her make-up done!
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I just love photographing a bride getting into her gown, surrounded by her best girlfriends, her mom, her aunt...there's something really sweet about it.
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The process was a bit simpler down in the boys' room.
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Heather's dad was waiting for her downstairs right when she stepped off the elevator.

While Heather and Jason were getting ready, it started to snow. This meant a major reconfiguring of plans for the First Look and pre-wedding portraits,
but that's the nature of weddings: things don't always go as planned. It's good to have a Plan B. Ours was having the couple see each other upstairs
at the NC Museum of History, overlooking the expansive space where their reception would later be held.
Even wet snow can't dampen Heather's excitement!

Jason, waiting with Heather's bouquet.

Heather, rounding the corner and seeing Jason for the First Time.


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Heather, you're beautiful!

Downtown Raleigh is blessed with a handful of old historic churches that are absolutely stunning inside and The Church of the Good Shepherd is no exception.
Heather serves on the Wedding Guild and helps out with directing weddings at the church. This was our first time shooting at the church and
it couldn't have gone better. While the snow/sleet came down outside, it was warm, cozy and beautiful inside the church.
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The moments immediately following the ceremony are inevitably some of my favorites of the entire day. Everyone is so happy and there's always
lots of hugging, high-five-ing and happy tears.


The stairs leading up to the balcony gave me a great vantage point for a casual portrait of the wedding party and both
sets of parents. This is the one I'd have framed and hanging in my house!
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Time to celebrate! Jason and Heather's wedding was centered around the great state of North Carolina, so it made sense that the reception was held
at one of our favorite venues, the North Carolina Museum of History. There are so many reasons we love shooting here, from the sweeping staircase, shiny marble
columns (great to bounce light off), the replica of the Wright Brothers' plane (even better to bounce light off), to the friendly, professional staff.
And at Christmastime, there's a soaring, beautifully decorated tree that I couldn't even begin to guess the height of. Definitely a great place for a reception!
I love the couple's enthusiasm as they make their grand entrance!

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Love, love, love this shot of Heather's mom Jackie watching the Father/Daughter dance.
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I tell my daughter that you can learn a lot about a guy by the way he treats his mother. Jason loves his mom, Brenda. Jason, my friend: you're the best.
And you made me cry!

The couple put tons of time and effort into the details of their wedding day, much of it hand-made. Here are some of my faves. The gorgeous floral design
is by the genius that is Lyn Graves of Fresh Affairs. All of the stationery, including save-the-dates, invitations, place cards and menu cards were
hand-made by the couple. What else would this North Carolina-loving couple give their guests but oak trees, ready for planting.
(Raleigh is known as the City of Oaks.) I loved it!

The cake was crafted by Cinda's Creative Cakes. It tasted as fabulous as it looked!
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Favorite dancing shot of the year, coming right up. (Courtesy of the talents of DJ extraordinaire, Joe Bunn.)

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Family and friends gather around during the last dance.

For their departure, the couple gave their guests miniature North Carolina flags. Even though it had stopped snowing, it was still extremely cold and slippery
outside, so the guests formed a tunnel on the dance floor for Heather and Jason to race through.


Suddenly, there's a lump in my throat and my writer's block has returned. So I'll just say Heather and Jason: thanks. And normally, I don't recommend rushing
to have kids, but hurry up, willya? I miss you already.
Venues: Church of the Good Shepherd and North Carolina Museum of History
Catering: Premiere Catering
Floral Design: Fresh Affairs
DJ: Joe Bunn
Cake: Cinda's Creative Cakes
Raleigh Wedding Photography :: Lauren and Bryan
Say hello to Lauren and Bryan, one of our May 2011 couples. We're so excited about their Brier Creek Country Club wedding, not only because they're a wonderful couple, but because it means we get to work with event planner-extraordinaire Tracy Adams of Adams and Events again. We had to reschedule our first engagement session due to torrential rains, but on our make-up day, the sun was so bright we had to work in the shade waiting for it to drop behind the tree cover. Lauren and Bryan scouted this location near their home for us and it couldn't have been more perfect. Here are a few of my favorites.

I'm going to have to carefully space out these shots of Lauren or she just might short-circuit the Internet. Can you say gorgeous???








Bryan is no slouch in the Looks Department either...and I'd be willing to bet our ancestors dug turf out of some boggy
Scottish (or Irish) glen a few hundred years ago. Aye, Bryan?
(Doesn't he look a little bit like...George W. Bush? A younger, much more ruggedly handsome W?)
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Sigh...I get to photograph this loveliness in a wedding gown. Nice work if you can get it, right? Lucky me. :)

The couple have two dogs, each about the same age and with the same energy level as your typical two-year-old toddler who doesn't want to be at a photo shoot!

Love a silhouette against the sunset to end a great session!

Lauren and Bryan, we can't wait for your wedding. It will be here before you know it!
Devils Ridge Wedding: Jennifer and John
Jennifer and John are exactly the kind of couple we love to work with: fun, relaxed and able to see the Big Picture. As in, as long as we're married by the end of the night and get to have a big party with our closest friends and family, then it's a good day. No stressing about colors being perfect or the typeface in the programs. Rain? No biggie. Which was a good thing -- because it poured about 10 minutes after they said "I do," ruining our plans for fun portraits out on their favorite golf course. Thank goodness for satellite weather forecasts available online. Jennifer's dad could see a huge line of thunderstorms headed straight for the outdoor ceremony, so at about five minutes until Go Time, Jennifer was able to look out on the crowd, confirm that all guests were present and give the word to start the ceremony EARLY. How often does that happen? Luckily, they planned a super-short ceremony that was seriously over in a bout six minutes. It was the fastest wedding we've ever shot. But it was still all the things great weddings are -- sweet, emotional, heart-felt. Here are some of my favorites from the day.
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Seriously. Fastest wedding ever!





I love that John couldn't resist giving his bride a kiss, even in the middle of formals with storms bearing down on us!

Then it was off to start one heckuva celebration.




John's brother and best man, Dan, gave a great toast.


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What a party! I can't remember such enthusiastic dancing in a loooonnnng time.





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The night ended with everyone gathered around the bride and groom singing, "New York, New York."

Jennifer and John, when we left your party, our faces hurt from smiling so much. You are so lucky to have such a great group of family and friends! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!
Venue & Catering: Devil's Ridge Golf Club, Holly Springs, NC
Officiant: Rev. Ervene Boyd
Flowers: A Ming Rose
Cake: Sweet Memories Bakery
Duke Gardens Weddings: Heather and Dave are married!
I'm so excited to feature Heather and Dave's wedding on the blog. Heather did an amazing job with all the details and I loved her color scheme -- pink and orange. If there is a happier color combination, I don't know what it is. It was absolutely perfect for a May wedding at Duke Gardens on Mother's Day.

The day began in my favorite suite at the Washington Duke Inn. The light is always beautiful in the bedroom -- perfect for showing off Heather's gorgeous gown.

The ribbon detailing and beading-encrusted back-bodice on Heather's gown was so lovely and unique.

Love the body language -- maybe just a tad nervous? Who isn't on their wedding day?


Heather checks her make-up and jewelry one last time.

All that fuss was worth it, Heather -- you were breath-taking.

While Heather was getting ready upstairs, Frank was working with Dave downstairs.
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I love this shot of Dave with his mom.
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No wedding would be complete without a little drama. Heather and Dave's came in the form of major over-crowding at the gardens. Apparently, everyone in the Triangle wants to take their mom to Duke Gardens on Mother's Day -- especially if it's a gorgeous day. I have never in all my years shooting at the gardens seen anything like this. It was crazy. Mother's Day Madness. All the parking lots were completely full and a security guard was turning away everyone -- even wedding guests. I had to leave the inn early to make sure I could get to the gardens, find a parking spot and haul my equipment to the Doris Duke Center in time for the wedding. Luckily, Frank was already there, so I knew we would be covered if I had to park blocks and blocks away, but it was nerve-wracking for everyone involved. Eventually, everyone made it in, but word to the wise -- if you're getting married on Mother's Day in Duke Gardens, make sure to plan for a little parking-lot mayhem.
Heather arrived at the gardens with about 10 minutes to spare. I still have no idea where her mom parked the truck!


Dave walks in with Rev. Kayelily Middleton -- one of my favorite people on the planet -- to begin the ceremony.




Heather and Dave chose each other's sibling to be their only attendant. Here's Heather's brother, Tommy, Dave's best man.

And Dave's sister, Lisa, Heather's maid of honor.

I love the amphitheater behind the Doris Duke Center. It may be the most private place in a public garden to get married. But when you're in the amphitheater on a bright sunny day in the late afternoon, you're getting hit by some serious sun. When you're a guy in a dark suit getting married, you get a tad sweaty. Here Kayelily does her part to keep Dave looking his best. Plus, I think he'd just finished his vows at this point. :)



Married!!





A few of my favorite details, beginning with Heather's gorgeous bouquet by Tre Bella.
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The cake was by Guglhupf Bakery in Durham.

You could tell Heather and Dave had worked hard on mastering the steps of their first dance -- they were flawless.



Great jazz music by the John Brown Band set the mood for the evening.



The getaway car.


The getaway!

Heather and Dave, it was an honor to photograph your beautiful wedding. We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!
Venue
Officiant
Hair and Make-Up
Floral Design
Catering
Cake
Guglhupf Bakery, Durham NC
Music
Sneak Peek: John and Becky are married!
Congratulations to John and Becky, who were married yesterday in Becky's home church in Wendell, NC. When I was breezing through the files looking for a sneak peek photo, I found tons I could have used from their First Look (which was so amazing and emotional) to their portraits, but it was this shot taken during the first dance that really tugged on my heart strings. I think it captures so well the atmosphere of total joy that they radiated to everyone and especially, to each other, on their wedding day.

John and Becky, enjoy your honeymoon cruise! It was such an honor to be your wedding photographers. We'll see you when you get back!
Amanda and Marshall are engaged! Raleigh Wedding Photography
Amanda and Marshall are such troupers. When their first session date was canceled due to torrential rains, we rescheduled for what had to be one of the hottest days of the summer. You'd never know it from looking at their pictures! We are so excited about their October wedding, not only because they are awesome people, but because Marshall is the brother of Jonathan, whose wedding to Emily we photographed last June. Their reception was at one of our favorite venues, Hinnant Family Vineyards. Sadly, their images have yet to make it up onto the blog...I have quite a "back-blog" of weddings waited to be posted. Maybe we'll do a double wedding blog post after Amanda and Marshall's wedding. :)
Here are a few of my favorites from the session. Amanda and Marshall, thanks for toughing it out in the good ol' NC heat. We can't wait for the wedding this Fall when it will (hopefully) be much cooler!
(Amanda has the most beautiful eyes! Marshall's are pretty amazing, too. I'm willing to bet their kids' eyes are going to have hypnotic powers.)
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Canvas Sale!
If you've seen the yummy canvases we love to display in our studio and at the bridal shows, great news:
all canvases are 30% off now through January 31st!

(Just 'cause we love our clients!)
Happy 2010!
Jen & Adam: Fearless
Well, this is a first: Jen and Adam's Fearless Bridal session is up before their wedding post! When my "summer vacation" starts in January, the number one item on my To Do list is to catch up on blogging, so expect a tidal wave of posts this winter. Here are a few of my favorites from our session in early November.
Love the yummy golden colors of the field and the light. I pumped up the warmth to accentuate those colors that grace us each Fall in North Carolina.



Jen, you are so gorgeous...check out those eyes! Her make-up was done by Kristin Patkunas at Tanas in Cary. I'm excited to say Kristin will be a Sweet Life bride herself next October when she marries Amin at Highgrove.




I think it was Adam's idea to throw the leaves. It took repeated tries, but we finally got the leaves falling and great expressions all at once.


When I say "Fearless Bridal" I literally mean fearless. Jen gamely tromped up a hill covered in crunchy late Fall foliage (thorns, stickers, etc.) to get these next shots. Thank you, Jen...you're officially bonafide. We shot in November and something about these next two shots made me think of winter, so I processed them to bring out the blues and lend a wintry feel.

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Yep, favorite.




Thank you to Jen and Adam for bringing a sense of adventure along with loads of affection and stunning good looks!
Check back for their wedding post soon...


