Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern | Ashley & Nathan's Vow Reaffirmation | A Raleigh, NC Wedding Photographer

Ashley and Nathan have a beautiful story! After they got engaged, Ashley was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer. Instead of planning a large wedding, they decided to get married quickly and have a small ceremony. Over the next year and a half of their marriage, Ashley went through radiation, chemotherapy, and a liver transplant. Thankfully, Ashley successfully made it through her treatment and transplant! So, Ashley and Nathan decided to plan a larger vow reaffirmation and they re-committed themselves to one another on 6/4/16. 

During their ceremony, the pastor said that their marriage is a picture of Christ's steadfast love towards us. I thought that was a beautiful way to explain how they have steadfastly loved one another through the trials they've faced just as Christ loves his children steadfastly and continually. I was so blessed to hear a small part of their story and to see them have the opportunity to reaffirm their vows and celebrate their marriage after a period of intense hardship. I was honor to photograph!

The Vendors Who Made this Day Possible:
Ceremony Venue: Edenton Street United Methodist Church
Reception Venue: Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern
Photography: DiPrima Photography
Wedding Dress: Tre Bella
Florist: Carlton's Flowers
Cake: Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern
Invitation: Minted

7 Tips for Surviving A Double Header Wedding Weekend

I have a "double header" wedding weekend (i.e. two weddings in one weekend) coming up this weekend and so it got me thinking about advice I would give to photographers who are considering or who have a double header weekend. I have shot a few double header weddings weekends before and have certainly learned from them! I actually like shooting double headers! It typically means that you're "all in" for work one weekend, but that you may have another weekend in the month completely free. Here's a few tips of advice:

1. Book Weddings that are Close
Whenever I've booked two weddings in one weekend, I've only done it if both weddings are within fairly close proximity to each other. I would not want to have to drive more than an hour to shoot each wedding if I'm doing them back to back. The idea of driving through the night after a wedding to get to a second wedding in another destination sounds dangerous, exhausting, and unwise to me! 

2. Prepare Well
Communicate well with your clients and make sure you have timelines and wedding details figured out well before the weekend so you're not stressing about making plans for 2 weddings. Also, make sure you lay out all of your equipment in advance, clear memory cards, etc. I would also recommend making sure you have enough cards to shoot both weddings. Even though I always download images from weddings the night of or the morning after the wedding, I like knowing I have enough spare cards for 2 in case something happens with the images or I can get them downloaded for some reason.

3. Get Sleep
Do your best to get plenty of sleep before the weekend! You'll definitely want to be well rested since shooting two weddings back to back is exhausting and tough on your body!

4. Drink Water
Make sure you stay hydrated! It's easy to forget to drink water in the midst of a hectic wedding schedule, but it's important that you get enough water. You especially want to make sure you stay hydrated since you will have to go straight into another wedding the next day. I always carry my Swell bottle with me to weddings and sip on it throughout the day.

5. Give Both Days Your All
Remember that each wedding day you're photographing is an VERY significant day in the life of each couple! Each couple has a unique love story and deserves to receive your best work. Remember the importance of the day and the value of my clients memories keeps me motivated to work hard and push through exhaustion!

6. Wear Comfortable Shoes
Make sure you wear comfortable shoes or your feet will NOT be happy at the end of day 2. I always struggle with wanting to look professional and stylish, but also knowing I need comfort. For outdoor weddings, I typically wear crocs flats. Crocs flats are certainly not the most stylish thing, but they handle grass, mud, and rain so well and they are super comfortable and supportive! For indoor or dressier weddings, I usually wear my Sam Edelman flats, lace up flats, or Old Navy flats (surprisingly comfortable for being so cheap!) For winter weddings, I LOVE wearing my Naturalizer boots!

Here's a few shoe options:
Crocs Flats
Naturalizer Boots
Old Navy Flats
Tieks (I don't personally have these but I would LOVE to have them! I hear amazing things and my mother-in-law just got a pair and I tried hers on and was amazed at how supportive they are! I love the brown, poppy, pink, and red).
Sam Edelman Flats
Yosi Flats
Tory Burch Flats

7. Plan for a Day Off
Definitely plan to take the day after your 2 weddings off! Don't schedule any meetings or anything and plan to sleep in and get some much needed rest. Trust me, you'll be glad you did!!

5 Tips for Hiring the Right Wedding Photographer

Choosing a wedding photographer is SO important! I've found that many people base their decision on who to hire solely on cost. While I completely understand working within a budget, I also think there's a lot more involved in deciding on a wedding photographer than money! After all, you're with your wedding photographer more than most other people on your wedding day and you're entrusting your photographer with the important task of capturing one of the most memorable days of your life! I learned a lot when I was searching for a photographer for my own wedding, as well as from conversations with couples who are inquiring about my services. Here's a few tips I've picked up along the way:

1. Determine Your Style
There are so many different styles out there and to me, that is one of the beautiful aspects about photography! Photography is art and its subjective so everyone has different preferences and styles. First determine if you want a photographer who has a documentary style and who captures candid pictures of people and action, or a portraiture style photographer that spends more time posing people and objects. In addition, do you want a fine art photographer whose pictures look like film and are more grainy, airy, and muted, or a photographer with a crisp, clear, and bright style, or a photographer with a vintage, dark, and heavily edited style? If you're having trouble determining your style, I encourage you to look through numerous wedding photography websites and write down the things you do and don't like about the pictures you're seeing. Then choose a photographer whose pictures have the qualities you like.

2. Ask the Right Questions
I encourage you to either meet your prospective photographer in person, on the phone, or at least over email to get to know them better and to ask questions. Here's a few questions I would encourage you to ask:

• How much experience do you have and how long have you been shooting weddings?
• What type of equipment do you shoot with?
• How would you describe your style?

3. Get to Know Their Personality
The personality of your photographer is very important! You want to make sure that you hire someone you feel comfortable with and who you feel that you can be yourself with in front of the camera. In addition, you want to hire someone who is responsible, professional, and a hard worker. You may not be able to determine all of these things right away, but I think you can find out a lot about your prospective photographer by reading their blog, social media, and talking with them in person, on the phone, or at least over email. Personally, when I was looking for a photographer, it was most important to me that my photographer was professional, laid back but also punctual and able to keep a schedule (really important on a busy wedding day!), kind, and enjoyable to be around.

4. See a Full Gallery
I encourage you to ask to see a full online wedding gallery. It is easy to present just a few great images online, but you want to see a full and accurate picture of the types of images you'll be getting. A few things you should look for are consistency in their style and editing, a variety in the types of images they capture (for example: some detail pictures, some posed, some candid, etc.), and the overall quality of all of their pictures.

5. Compare Packages and Pricing
If you haven't done so already, sit down and think through your wedding budget and approximately how much you have to spend on wedding photography. As a wedding photographer I do feel the need to encourage you to seriously consider prioritizing wedding photography in your budget as one of your top expenses. I truly think wedding photography is one of the most important things you can spend money on because it is one of the only tangible reminders you'll have of your wedding day that will last for years and years to come. I also understand that most brides are on a budget and that money is a big factor in planning a wedding. As you compare packages and pricing, make sure that the photographer and package you are considering can meet your needs within your budget. Make sure you're aware of the specifics of whats offered in a package (like, do you get all of the edited digital images or is their an additional fee per image once the wedding is over, etc.). Keep in mind that if a photographer is more expensive its because of their level of experience, equipment, and the quality of their work. 

I hope you found this post helpful. If you are searching for a wedding photographer and feel that my style may be a good fit for you, I'd love to hear from you! 2016 & 2017 are filling up quickly but I do still have available dates so please contact me and we can talk more about your wedding day photography needs!

Best of 2015 Engagement Pictures

It was tough to narrow down pictures for this post! Today I want to share with you a few of my favorite engagement pictures from 2015. Engagement sessions are one of my favorite parts of my job and I think they're very important! Doing an engagement session with your photographer gives you the opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera and comfortable with your photographer. It also gives you beautiful pictures together in something other than your wedding dress! I cherish the engagement pictures that my husband and I took together and we have them displayed all over our house! Here's a few of my favorites from 2015:

McKenzie & Lou's Wedding | A New Hill, NC Wedding Photographer

McKenzie and Lou had a beautiful wedding on McKenzie's parent's farm! It rained the entire day before their wedding and the morning of their wedding but amazingly, it stopped right when I got there and stayed clear for the rest of the day! I was so thankful! McKenzie and her mom did an amazing job decorating for the wedding and every detail was so beautiful (not to mention their farm has stunning scenery)! McKenzie and Lou were so fun and laid back to work with and I really enjoyed capturing their day. McKenzie and Lou, thank you for giving me the privilege of photographing your big day!!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Family Farm in New Hill, NC
Catering: Prime Barbeque
Florist: Basket Tree Florist
Tent Rental: Grand Rental Station
Tables and Linens: CE Rentals
DJ: Cool Receptions
Wedding Cake: Simply Cakes
Wedding Dress: Alexia's Bridal Boutique