Three Weddings and a Ballroom

This past fall we had three weddings in a row with receptions in the beautiful and versatile President’s Ballroom at The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina. You will not believe how different one ballroom could look! This blog post is testament to the fact that every wedding is unique and has its own story to tell.

First was the LaFiura/ Misuraca wedding. The colors were deep chocolate brown and the ballroom had two sitting areas for guests to lounge as the party went on.




Next was the Lacy/ Gialanella wedding. The colors were yellow and soft, muted tones. This couple, Anne and Matt, had an intimate ceremony on the terrace with close family and friends. Then extended family and friends came for the evening celebration in the ballroom. You will see that even the sunset cooperated with their color scheme!




Finally we had the Flynn/ McClure wedding. Think pink! The bride, Elissa, had a vision for pink and white and the team at the Washington Duke along with Kate Foster Productions, carried it out beautifully.

Want to see more about these three weddings? See their blog post which contains a SLIDESHOW that tells the WHOLE story:

http://www.kpophoto.com/2009/10/two-bagpipers-and-a-chapel/
http://www.kpophoto.com/2009/09/cameron-crazies/
http://www.kpophoto.com/2009/09/sunset-at-the-washington-duke/

Ten Years

Katy Geil and Garrett Smyth met by chance ten years ago at a Thanksgiving dinner. Katy was in her early 20’s, just beginning her working life and Garrett was working as a golf pro. They didn’t hit it off in a romantic way at the time.

Looking back, Katy can see now that she needed ten years to find her place in the world and to be ready for this love. As luck would have it, last year Garrett happened upon Katy on Facebook. They began corresponding and ended up quickly falling in love. Early on in their budding relationship, Garrett knew that she was the one.

A decade after first meeting they were wed in wonderful ceremony on January 16, 2010 at White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. They held a reception immediately following at The Carolina Country Club. I think their story is told best in the slideshow below. All of their wedding images are located in their GALLERY.

All the ladies got ready at Katy’s mother’s house. On the left is Holly Blanton’s dog, Percy, who probably thought that ten women getting ready for a wedding was a bit chaotic. On the far right is the wall in the laundry room where many family and friends had marked their growth in this beautiful, family friendly house.

On the left is Katy’s something blue. The church was beautiful as guests arrived at the wedding.

Katy and Garrett’s niece ran up to join her mom at the end of the ceremony. This was definitely a kid-friendly wedding, which I loved!

PINK!!!

The wedding party loved the Ravenscroft Bus. Katy’s friends decorated it complete with Diet Coke cans dangling off the back.

LIST OF WEDDING DAY VENDORS:

Floral Design: Kelly Odom
Wedding Coordinator: Nancy Congleton
Cake: Sweet Memories
Reception Musicians: TLC
Recetion Venue: The Carolina Country Club

Katy had this to say about her photos, “Kristin! Everything looks wonderful! You did the most amazing job. Thank you SO MUCH. The pictures are WONDERFUL. We are were so lucky to have you with us!”

And her mom, Holly said, “Yeah, I love it Kristin . You are the best!”

Stay in touch with KPO Photo by becoming a FAN on FACEBOOK.

Our Last Wedding of 2009

We had a wonderful last wedding of the year on Halloween. Fearrington Village was in full Halloween mode, the weather was warm and even the moon was in rare form to celebrate the wedding of Margo Ginsberg to Sam Straus. Some people refer to this couple as high school sweethearts, but that’s not accurate. They did know each other in high school through mutual friends, mainly Nick (their Best Man). They sat at the same lunch table (”The Table”) for two years along with much of their wedding party. Many of their friends from East Chapel Hill High School were in attendance at the wedding.

But it wasn’t until after high school that Sam and Margo fell in love. In January 2002, Sam visited Margo at Salem College where they watched a video in a dorm room. That night, she walked him out to his car and they had their first kiss and the rest, as they say, is history.

You can get the full story of their lovely wedding/ masquerade ball in the SLIDESHOW below. Congratulations, you two! Thanks for helping us finish up our wedding season in style! We have also created a GALLERY of all their images where you can buy prints and other products.

The Devil is in the Details

Lauren Murphy and Eric Dixon had each been at Duke for more than 3 years before they were introduced. Perhaps Eric had stood behind her in line at Chick-fil-A, maybe Lauren had sat across from him on the East-West bus, but who can know if such coincidental encounters ever occurred? It seems the fates were taking their time to draw the two together.

But on a chilly Halloween night in 2003 Eric and Lauren found each other. Lauren, dressed as a stunning Genie, and Eric, in a less-than-fearsome child-sized Gladiator costume, were both invited to the same Halloween gathering. In their remaining semester at Duke, Lauren and Eric were inseparable. They enjoyed every minute of each other’s company, and they did all they could to make up for both the years it had taken them to meet and the short time they had remaining. Shortly after they graduated, they reluctantly parted ways.

Lauren returned to Washington DC to begin her career at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and later made the move to New York City to work with the Whitney Museum of American Art. Eric returned to California to ski and toy with the idea of writing, and later spent time in Europe working with the Center for International Environmental Law. While geographical distance kept them apart, they never stayed out of touch for long, and each always remained in the other’s thoughts.

After Eric was admitted to UCLA School of Law, the two decided that 3000 miles wasn’t enough to keep them apart. Through the constant connection of cell phones, and flexible sharing of travel duties, Lauren and Eric nurtured the bi-costal romance that still thrives today.

On October 10, 2009 they made their union official. They were married at 6 p.m. at The Duke Chapel followed by a beautiful reception at The Carolina Inn. I think their story is told best in the SLIDESHOW below. We have also posted a larger selection of their wedding photos in their GALLERY. It is from this gallery that you can purchase prints and other products.

Here is what Lauren had to say about her photos, “Everyone LOVES the slideshow and just thinks the images are stunning. There are SO many to choose from but I think my favorite is the kiss on Chapel Drive. It turned out perfectly!!”

Wedding Vendors:
Floral Design: Fresh Affairs
Reception Venue: The Carolina Inn
Reception Musicians: Deanna Jones Orchestra
Cake Design: Sweet Memories
Videographer: Reel Life

Two Bagpipers and a Chapel

The wedding of Elissa Flynn to Sean McClure had sooo many extraordinary things about it. Their wedding day, September 19, 2009, was a beautiful, sunny day. They had scheduled a bagpiper to usher in the guests to The Duke Chapel. But, through some sort of miscommunication, two showed up and both happily played. Elissa swooped in at the last moment prior to the ceremony, entourage in tow. Usually when a bride is late she is flustered and apologetic. But with this lovely lady, she brought a sense of happiness and relaxation as if she arrived just at the perfect time, which of course she did! The full mass went off without a hitch and then the couple enjoyed the afternoon with a stroll through Duke Gardens and some down time at The Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club.

Then came the evening reception. Wow! Kate Foster, Beth Pendergrass and their teams did an incredible job! They took the Washington Duke President’s Ballroom and completely transformed it to exactly what Elissa had envisioned. The whole room was sheathed in white with an elaborate lighting scheme. The cake was beyond description. I think all the guests really enjoyed the atmosphere as they ate well, drank well and danced until midnight. The SLIDESHOW below tells their wedding story best. Enjoy! You can also see ALL their wedding images and even purchase prints in their GALLERY.

List of Wedding Vendors:
Wedding Coordinator: Kate Foster Productions
Reception Venue: The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club
Floral Design: Floral Dimensions
DJ: Joe Bunn
Cake Design: The Art of Cake

Jenny and Jimmy

Jenny and Jimmy met through mutual friends in New York and knew each other for a while as friends. About three and a half years ago, they started seeing each other after a spending a day watching Carolina basketball at a sports bar in New York. I love how Carolina drew them together, all the way up in NYC!

They are both from North Carolina – Jimmy from Charlotte, Jenny from Raleigh. Jimmy has been in New York for ten years and is an analyst at Barclays Capital. Jenny has been in New York for five years and work as an account manager for InCircle Entrée magazine. They both love New York City and living up here was always a dream for both of them. They bought an apartment in the West Village last year and love their neighborhood. They also have a dog who is featured in the beginning of the slideshow. He is a cavalier King Charles spaniel/Toy Poodle, or a “cavapoo” named Jefferson, who is pretty much at the center of their universe!

We have created a GALLERY of their images, which will be up until November 15th. You can see their wedding story in the folder called, “Wedding Best.” We also posted the best from Jenny’s bridal portrait and a large edit of the wedding images divided up into categories for easy navigation. Their wedding story is below. Just click to begin!

Wedding Vendors:

Floral Design: Kelly Odom
Reception Musicians: Bobby and the Aristocrats
Cake Design: Blue Moon Bakery
Reception Venue: Carolina Country Club
Gown Provider: Alexia’s Bridal Boutique
Formal Wear Provider: Taylors, Richards & Conger

This is what Jenny had to say, “So many people have told me how much they love the slideshow, pictures, etc…everyone just thought you were wonderful!! I can’t tell you how many times I have watched the slides show – it just makes me smile and remember how much fun we had. You really did a phenomenal job of getting the whole “vibe” of the place and I can’t thank you enough for all of the amazing pictures you took of my grandfather…you were sweet to put up with him!!”

Love at Duke Chapel

Christi King and Michael Mason were wed on September 12, 2009 at Duke Chapel. On the morning of the wedding, as family and friends entered the regal church, there was a crescent moon still showing above the tower. This must be a good omen! But superstitions aside, this couple is a wonderful match. They are both educated, good-looking professionals who love to spend time together.

Michael is a partner of a law firm in Atlanta which just celebrated its first anniversary. Three of his groomsmen were also partners in the firm. Christi is currently pursuing an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Three of her bridesmaids were her siblings. So this was a close-knit group. There were even two sets of twins in the bridal party! Put all together this was a happy, intelligent group who were all thrilled to be a part of this union.

I think their story is best told in the SLIDESHOW below. You can also view a GALLERY of their images from which you can purchase prints, should you so choose.

LIST OF WEDDING VENDORS:
Floral Design: Tre Bella
Cake Design: Sweet Memories
Venue: The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club