The Luckiest | A Wedding Story

Elizabeth White and Dan Vallero were married on a gorgeous Saturday in April at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. This couple was so relaxed and fun to be with that both Sarah and I commented on how lucky we felt to be there witnessing their union. They held their reception at The Carolina Inn, which had a vintage garden feel. You can see their WEDDING STORY by clicking on the image below. Or, for the WHOLE STORY visit their gallery by clicking HERE.




Elizabeth made her own jewelry as well as jewelry for all the bridesmaids. Amazing!

What a beautiful way to make an entrance!

Dan was greeting guests as they arrived while Elizabeth and the ladies were hiding in the garden.

I just love to see the expressions on people’s faces when they see their betrothed for the first time on their wedding day! Above is Elizabeth and below is Dan.


As they walked out they wandered through the garden and had a little quiet time. They were both beaming!


I can’t think of a prettier place to take portraits!

I just loved how Elizabeth’s bridal portrait turned out. She is such a natural beauty which I think really comes through! This framed print now lives in her parent’s house.

Their reception was in the Old Well room at The Carolina Inn. Even while surrounded by 150 people they were still very much focused on each other.

Elizabeth’s father made the piece that held their wedding cupcakes. There were so many wonderful details at this wedding and nearly all of them were created by friends and family.

I had to levitate to get this photo!


Towards the end of the night I noticed that Elizabeth and Dan had been missing from the reception for a bit. I found them here, enjoying the front porch of The Carolina Inn.

The End!

Carolina Inn Bridal Bridal Showcase

On Sunday, January 30, 2011 KPO Photo will participate in the Bridal Showcase at The Carolina Inn. If you are only going to attend one wedding show, make it this one as it really is very unique and always well run. You can REGISTER HERE.

To see recent KPO Photo weddings at the Inn, visit our Carolina Inn Weddings page.


This was the view in the Chancellor’s Ballroom at last year’s event. See you there!

Another Mr. and Mrs. Doctor | Wedding Story

Lara Mamikonian and Mitchell Block met in Rochester, New York where they were both working as medical doctors. Lucky for me, they made a move to North Carolina and decided to plan their wedding here. They heard about me from Libby Dodds and Tim Ashley, friends from Rochester whose wedding I had photographed back in 2002. Thanks, Libby and Tim!

On their wedding day, they were blessed with a beautiful fall day. Their ceremony combined both of their backgrounds beautifully- Mitchell is Jewish and Lara is Russian Orthodox Christian. They held their ceremony in the Anne Hill Courtyard at The Carolina Inn and had their reception in the Hill Ballroom. I loved the fall colors they chose for the flowers and attire. Thank you all so much for choosing KPO Photo!

To see their WEDDING STORY just click on the image below. To see the WHOLE STORY visit their wedding gallery. It is from this gallery that you can purchase prints and other products.

WEDDING VENDORS
Wedding Coordinator: Devon Schwartz at The Carolina Inn and Becky Sansbury
Officiates: Rabbi Andrew Ettin and Reverend Ed Sansbury
Floral Design: University Florist
Ceremony Musicians: Arioso Strings
Reception Musicians: Sound Nation

Cake Design: Cinda’s Creative Cakes
After I sent the WEDDING STORY to Lara, I heard this back, “I DO love it!! I have watched it once and I just want to watch it over and over again.”

And from her parents, Steve and Marie, I heard, “Thank you, Kristin!
We will be at the Blocks for Thanksgiving and are looking forward to viewing the Wedding Story together.
Today is Lara and Mitchell’s one month anniversary!
Marie joins me in thanking you for the wonderful, high-quality photography you and your colleague executed at The Carolina Inn. Every shot exhibits the subject’s mood and personality.”

Purple Feather Boa

Here is the wedding story of Briana Corke and Matt Pelton. They were wed in a courtyard in front of the Carolina Inn on an unusually temperate, summer day. Briana and Matt really enjoy outdoors activities and as such wanted to be married outside. During the hours that led up to the ceremony there was a steady drizzle and many nervous glances outside. But the timing worked out perfectly as the rain stopped in time for the ceremony. You can find out how a purple, feather boa enters into the story by clicking on the SLIDESHOW below. You can see the whole story in their GALLERY.

I heard this from the happy couple, “We LOVE our wedding story. We are so excited about some of the amazing shots that you took. My dad’s comment was, “Wow, she is really an artist!” Thank you so much.”

Snow White

I am writing this blog post while it is still Spring but it will not go live until we are deep into the heat of summer. Briana Corke, a fourth grade teacher at Carrboro Elementary School came in for her bridal portrait while the azaleas were in full bloom. We photographed her inside the studio as well as outside. My cat, Eve, who normally doesn’t care for many human beings, loooooved Briana. Her dress, combined with her beautiful complexion, dark hair and relaxed manner made her a pleasure to take photos of. When this posts she will be married! Congratulations!

Here is an update, post-wedding. They ended up with a temperate July day, which nearly never happens. There was a little rain but they were prepared with a tent. Here is what they ended up having at the wedding, in terms of bridal and engagement portraits. I just love to see how clients incorporate their KPO photos into their celebration! I will have their wedding story up at the end of this week. Thank you SOOO much, Matt and Briana, for making us a part of your wedding!

KPO Photo at the Carolina Inn Bridal Fair

This past Sunday I spent the day at the Carolina Inn catching up with some of my favorite wedding professionals and meeting with a lot of folks with wedding fever. The Carolina Inn Bridal Fair is the only show we do each year because it is truly a site to behold. The already stunning hotel is decorated to the hilt and top wedding professionals in the area bring their best work to inspire people who are planning a wedding for 2010 or 2011. Here are some of my favorite images from the show.

On the left is the Old Well Ballroom and on the right is a stunning table designed by La Fete Weddings.

After the forced postponement due to the snow storm, it was great to see the show so busy! This was the view from the Chancellor’s Ballroom.

On the left are flowers from Tre Bella and on the right is a table by An Elegant Affair. I saw a lot of kelly green, black and white and fun lighting. So different from the brown and blue craze of the past few years!

On the left is a floral design that mimics a wedding cake by Purple Puddle. On the right is a tea table designed by Floral Dimensions.

And, finally the KPO Photo table at the show. See you again next year! Thanks to Bea Miller of Floral Dimensions for the flowers. And a HUGE thanks to Julie McCay and Ashleigh Collins and their team at The Carolina Inn who do an incredible job year after year!

Want to stay in touch? Become a FAN of KPO PHOTO on FACEBOOK.

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!!”

We then completed the KPO Signature Album Lauren and Eric chose to be a part of their package. This is what she had to say when it arrived in their California home, “The album arrived! It looks so beautiful and we are thrilled with the final result. It perfectly tells the story of the day and it will be treasured! Now we just have to find the perfect place to display it. Thank you so much for capturing these wonderful moments for us and creating such a gorgeous album filled with wonderful memories.”

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

Listen to the Music

This blog post is about the May 30th, 2009 wedding of Laura Lengowski to David Olson. I ask my clients to fill out a planning form so that we can record their wedding story as fully informed storytellers. The form covers everything from the schedule to the wedding party to my favorite section called, “Details About You.” Laura said of her relationship with David, “David and I share a love of music, art and food. Our Midwest upbringings are also something that makes us similar. We value honest and genuine interactions with people….I really feel I am marrying my best friend, one who helps me to be my best and I do the same for him. We are a great match.” Congratulations to Laura and David!
See their GALLERY to view images and purchase prints.
See a SLIDESHOW of the best images set to music.

Laura is a professional musician. After she got her dress on she was very interested in listening to the string quartet in the sanctuary. I love the look on her face as she truly enjoys the moment and the music.


Sometimes the best “portraits” of a couple take place when they aren’t looking.

Laura and David spent a lot of time preparing for their first dance. They absolutely wowed the crowd as they danced to the song Exactly Like You. Thieir dance instructor’s name is Richard Badu. According to Laura, “He’s just downright fabulous and I’d love for other people to know about him too.”


List of Vendors:
Ceremony Venue: St. Thomas More Church
Flowers: Tre Bella
Reception Music: Travis Sullivan and Jazz Quartet
Cake: Sugarland
Reception Venue: The Carolina Inn
Dress: Victorian Rose Bridal
Wedding Planner: Kate Foster Productions

After Laura and David saw the photos Laura was kind enough to write. She said:

Hi Kristin,

The pictures are just fabulous! Thank you so much! I showed them to my dad and he joked, in his wry way, that we could find 2 or 3 good ones and then laughed heartily. He said it will be hard to find a “best of” in this collection. Very pleased.

David saw some of them, and will see more when he wakes up from mono. Poor thing. He smiled upon seeing them.

I had this feeling that night that things were moving along so fast, and a small pin prick of anxiety that I didn’t have enough time for all those conversation, hugs, and pictures with people that I may want, but anesthetized myself with the fact that I must remain in the moment and let things unfold as they would. Going through these pictures not only gives me a longterm memory of things I was present for, but reaches far beyond to groups of people I didn’t really see or talk to, seeing their smiling faces as they met, talked, and danced. Thank you for this gift to me.