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!

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!!!

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.

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!