Merritt's Pasture | Lisa & Joe's Engagement Pictures | A Chapel Hill, NC Wedding Photographer

Lisa and Joe were a joy to photograph! We had a great time hiking around Merritt's Pasture and we were able to catch an AMAZING sunset at the top of a hill in the pasture. Seriously, it was gorgeous! See a few of my favorite below:

The Cloth Mill at Eno River | Taylor & Josiah | A Hillsborough, NC Wedding Photographer

It was an honor to photograph Taylor & Josiah's wedding day on Saturday! Josiah grew up in the church Alex & I attended in Mebane and I have really enjoyed getting to know Taylor and Josiah over the past year throughout their engagement. Their wedding day was stunning, Christ-centered, and full of loving family and friends. You can also check out their engagement pictures here and Taylor's bridal portraits here.

The Vendors Who Made This Day Possible:
Venue: The Cloth Mill at Eno River
Photography: DiPrima Photography
Dress: Elegant Bridal
Design: Simply Lovely
Cake: Sweet Stuff by Meredith
Catering: Visions Catering
DJ & Photo Booth: DJ Paradime
Florist: Gallery Florist and Gifts, Inc.

Ayr Mount House | Taylor's Bridals | A Hillsborough, NC Wedding Photographer

I am so excited to share Taylor's bridals with you today. Taylor was absolutely stunning and I am obsessed with her dress! I also loved taking her pictures at the Ayr Mount house. You can check out Taylor & Josiah's engagement pictures here and I can't wait to share their wedding pictures soon!

Why Hire a Professional Hair + Makeup Team

Hair by WINK Hair + Makeup

I am very excited to feature a guest post by Kristi Martinson from WINK Hair + Makeup on my blog today! I have had the pleasure of working with Kristi and the WINK team many times and I HIGHLY recommend them! I think getting your hair and makeup professional done is a very important part of getting the best pictures possible and so I am excited to share some of Kristi's wisdom with you today:

Your wedding day is without a doubt one of the most memorable and special days of your life.  Chances are you have been dreaming about this day before you even met your hunky hubby-to-be.  On a day when all eyes will be on you, you want to look and feel your absolute most beautiful. If you are on the fence about hiring professional hair and makeup artists to glam you up, here are a few reasons that may help make your decision a little easier.

Top 5 reasons to hire a professional hair and makeup team for your wedding day.

1.)   Be stress-free on your wedding day.  This may be the most beneficial of all reasons to hire a professional for your wedding day. The last thing you want to worry about on your wedding day is if your winged liner is even or if your red lipstick is perfectly defined. Scheduling a trial before your wedding will give you peace of mind that your artist knows exactly how you like your hair and makeup and what to do to make you feel your most beautiful. It’s also a great time to make sure your personalities mesh well and that they will be a calming presence on your wedding day.

2.)   High-quality, professional grade product. There is definitely a difference between drug-store brand products and high-end products (and I don’t just mean the price tag). Don’t get me wrong, there are some drugstore products that can be perfectly fine for everyday, but they just aren’t the best quality when you want your makeup to last from 9a-midnight. A professional hairstylist knows which products layer best to create a style that will stay put and a makeup artist has a full kit of expensive and waterproof products that withstand humidity, heat, happy tears, and anything else that could possibly happen on your day.

3.)   Extensive training to help you flaunt your best bits. Education and experience are key. Professional artists have extensive training and years of experience in their chose field (hair or makeup). They keep up with current trends and techniques by going to multiple training courses throughout the year. This helps you because it means we are able to work with multiple hair types (long, short, thick, thin, textured, curly, fine…you name it!), face shapes, skin tones, and ages! We train to know which looks will enhance every person’s natural beauty as well as how to camouflage features you aren’t too keen on. No matter what, you are going to be a goddess, so just sit back, relax, and trust your beauty team to work their magic.

4.)   Photogenic. The average babe doesn’t know which products photograph the best or which ingredients to avoid in order to make sure your face doesn’t look 5 shades lighter than your body. Have you ever you’re your makeup and loved it so much, but then you see a picture of yourself and it looks nothing like it did in person? Everyday makeup is completely different than makeup for photography. Professional makeup artists study endlessly to find the perfect products that photograph beautifully. It takes an artful eye to see the beauty and potential of each face and where to place specific products to bring out those gorgeous features.

Kristi from WINK Hair + Makeup

5.)   Timing. We work with your wedding day planner/coordinator and your photographer to put together a hair and makeup timeline that ensures you and your bride tribe are picture perfect and ready on time.

I hope this has been helpful in making your decision on whether or not to take the plunge and hire a professional hair and makeup team or do it yourself. Either way, you will be a knock out. Happy wedding planning!

It's a...

BOY!!

We are so excited to announce that we will be welcoming a baby boy into the world in October! Here's a few updates on my pregnancy (you can also read my first pregnancy post here):

How far along are you?
I am 18 weeks and due October 27.

How are you feeling?
I feel great! Since I've gotten out of the first trimester I have much more energy and thankfully no more nausea. 

What gender did you think the baby would be?
I thought it would be a boy (I promise I'm not just saying that now!). I thought was a boy because I didn't have very bad morning sickness (which they say is a sign of a boy) and ask I got into my second trimester I started to feel a lot of little kicks (which I figured meant I have an active baby and possibly a boy). 

What have been some of your favorite pregnancy products so far?
So far the the belly band has been a life saver! I pretty much stopped being able to button my jeans at 10 weeks and so for the last 2 months I have used a belly band in order to fit into my regular jeans. I'm just getting to the point now where I can't fit in my regular jeans with a belly band. I'll let you know in my next update post what good maternity jeans I find (the struggle is real, it is so hard to find good maternity clothes!). A few things I loved in the first trimester when I had morning sickness were: Gin Gins, Preggie Pops, and No Morning Sickness Tea. 

What clothes are you wearing?
As mentioned above, I am still wearing normal jeans with a belly band. I have also been wearing a lot of maxi dresses and I purchased a few maternity dresses from target. So far I have found the best places to shop for maternity are Old Navy, Gap, Target, H&M, Asos, and Pink Blush.

What have you done to prepare for the baby?
So far we have painted the nursery (Sherwin Williams Repose Gray at 50% strength) and I have registered for a birth class for us to take at the hospital. I have also been reading this book (thanks to my sweet friend Lauren who gifted it to me!). We have also started going through some baby name apps and making a list of potential names.

What are you looking forward to?
I am looking forward to beginning to register for baby items (although I also overwhelmed by all the stroller, car seat, etc. options!). I am also VERY excited to begin decorating the nursery. I will share some update pictures as I begin doing setting things up!

Please let me know if you have other questions! I'm hoping to post a pregnancy update every few months.