JC Raulston Arboretum | Taylor & Josiah's Engagement Pictures | A Raleigh, NC Wedding Photographer

I'm so thankful Taylor and Josiah hired me as their wedding photographer! Josiah's family goes to my church in Mebane (Grace) and I have really enjoyed getting to know Taylor and Josiah better during this exciting time in their lives! Taylor just graduated from UNC and Josiah will be graduating from NC State next year and they'll be getting married next June! I can't wait to shoot their wedding!

We had a great time taking their pictures at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. There was so many beautiful flowers blooming and it was so fun to walk around with Taylor and Josiah. We had to reschedule due to all this crazy rain we've been getting but the day we ended up taking their pictures was beautiful and sunny and we were able to get some great golden hour pictures during sunset! Here's a few of my favorites:

Eno River State Park Kathryn & David's Engagement Pictures | A Durham, NC Wedding Photographer

As I sat down with Kathyrn a few weeks ago over coffee to discuss her wedding photography, I immediately felt like I had a connection with her and that we had quite a lot in common! I had so much fun getting to know her and her fiance David a little better while hiking through Eno State Park (and yes we did end up pretty much hiking...I'm glad they're adventurous!). I'm really looking forward to taking Kathyrn's bridal portraits and to their wedding in December!! Here's a few of my favorites from their engagement session:

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!!

10 Pool & Beach Essentials

1) A Great Bathing Suit & Cute Cover Up
I'm currently on the hunt for a new one piece for the summer. I'm really leaning towards buying this one (it's an extra 20% of the sale price with code CLEAR20 and so it's only $28!!). If I was going to splurge, I'd definitely get this ADORABLE suit! See a bunch of other options below! Also, I love this lace, off the shoulder cover up.

2) Sunglasses
It's really important to protect your eyes! My "go to" sunglasses are Ray Ban aviators. However, I love these fun round, oversized sunglasses (only $12)!

3) A Pool Float
You have to get this one because...duh, it's a donut!

4) A Straw Bag
I love this $35 tassel bag! (EXTRA 30% OFF WITH MEMDAY30 making it $27!!!). I think this straw bag is the cutest thing ever and I would definitely get it if I was going to splurge!

5) Cute Sandals
I love these cute sandals (25% off) and these palm print ones (33% off).

6) A Straw Hat
I have this $14 hat and love it! For more of a splurge, I LOVE this adorable hat!

7) Sea Salt/Texturizing Spray
I love the messy, sea salt look that the ocean gives my hair but I am always dying to wash my hair after spending the day at the beach! A solution that has worked well for me is this super cheap sea salt spray (and it smells amazing!). I have also heard that this texture spray is amazing (more of a splurge).

8) Sunless Tanner
I've become a big fan of sunless tanner because I want a great tan without all the wrinkles (ugh, I never used to worry about wrinkles...definitely a sign I'm getting older!). I've been happy with this one and I've also heard this one is good.

9) Clarifying Shampoo
Because after all of that sun and salt, your hair needs a good cleaning! I actually really love this $2 shampoo and use it once a week and I've also heard this one is really good.

10) SPF Lip Balm & Sunscreen
This one has SPF, tint, AND it exfoliates your lips! Also, I'm prone to acne and so I've used this face sunscreen for years and never had any problem with it breaking me out!

Ward Family Pictures | Burlington, NC

I had the pleasure of first meeting and taking pictures for the Ward family last fall when I offered mini sessions. Since then, they've had a sweet baby boy and so I was very excited when Chelsea asked me to come back and do a family session for them a few months after his birth! Here's a few of my favorites: