In her wedding photography planning form Martha Rundles said of her fiancee, Steve Palmer, “Steve and I have been searching for each other for a long time.” That in a nut shell was the theme of this June 13, 2009 wedding at Duke Chapel with a reception at the Hope Valley Country Club.

I had heard during the reception toasts and just from listening to friends and family throughout the day that both sides of this couple are wonderful individuals with rich lives that include close families and friends. But that neither of them was willing to settle on just anyone. They knew what they wanted and when they met in New York in October of 2007 they quickly become a solid couple.

You can see a SLIDESHOW of their wedding story set to their first dance song, It Had to be You.
You may also view a GALLERY of their images from which you can purchase prints and other products.

The ladies got ready at Martha’s mother’s house. Margo Rundles has three cats who were in many photos. This cat in particular had been stalking the dress for days, hoping to get a chance to check it out. But Margo had wisely kept the bedroom door closed, thus thwarting his intentions. Well, during the chaos of getting ready he snuck in and we found him just as Martha was about to put her dress on.

Steve and Martha decided to do all of their formal portraits before the ceremony. This was the moment they saw each other the first time on their wedding day. I have been noticing that more and more couples are choosing to get all of their formal portraits out of the way prior to the ceremony so that they can have even more time at their reception. Perhaps this is a new trend?

This image is one of my panoramas. Basically I take 10 to 20 photos in quick succession and then sew them together in photoshop. It is a great way to capture the grandeur of Duke Chapel!

After sending out the slideshow to Martha, Steve and Margo I heard this back:

WOW!!! They are incredible!! I am so impressed! I couldn’t be more thrilled. We got back yesterday from Greece and have been a little sad today thinking that our wedding is behind us, so looking at these is such a boost! I have already looked at the whole show twice and plan to do it many more times tonight and over the next few days. Thank you so very much. You were a delight to work with and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the results of your hard work! We will be forever indebted to you for this incredible gift. Thank you.

From Martha’s mom, Margo:

Wow from Margo. I think they are fantastic and they capture so much of the wedding feeling. I love them. I was away all day today so I’ve only had one crack at them, but I will play them over and over again. Kristin, I’ve now had a chance to look at these 100 times and they are such fabulous photographs. They captured the emotions we were feeling through that afternoon and evening. I love them all. Margo

List of Vendors:
Wedding Coordinator: Chad Pisaneschi at Hope Valley
Officiate: Gray Southern
Floral Design: Waterd Garden Florist (Katrina Allen-Evens, Steve Taris)
Cake Design: Sweet Memories Cake Design
Gown: Monique Lhuillier, Mark Ingram, NYC