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.

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!

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!

A few stolen moments alone...with me. :)

Lauren and Bryan kicked off their fabulous reception with a very stylish first dance!

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!

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

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!

Lauren and Michael, we can't wait to see you in September. Give Maggie and Millie a treat from us and enjoy your slideshow!

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

Enjoy Elizabeth and Trey's slideshow:

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

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!

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.

The process was a bit simpler down in the boys' room.

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.

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.

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!

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!

Love, love, love this shot of Heather's mom Jackie watching the Father/Daughter dance.

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!

Favorite dancing shot of the year, coming right up. (Courtesy of the talents of DJ extraordinaire, Joe Bunn.)

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

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?)

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!

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.

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

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

DJ: Joe Bunn DJ Company