Christmas Wedding | Wedding Story

Becky and Matt chose December 23, 2012 as their wedding date for an intimate ceremony at a country estate. Fearrington Village is beautiful all year round but I especially love the quiet of the winter. When you see these photos I think you will agree. Robin Renteria officiated beautifully. Congratulations to Becky and Matt Sidden! I loved being part of your wedding. You may see the WHOLE STORY here in their wedding gallery.

A Winter Engagement | A Wedding Story

Who said it is too cold out for a portrait? Even though most of the leaves are down and the countryside lies dormant, January is still a beautiful time for an engagement portrait. Many of the couples I meet become engaged around the holidays. Then the planning begins! A good photo of themselves as a couple is a must. Christa and Jonathan are both busy doctors at Duke Hospital. She is a neurologist and he is an orthopedic surgeon. They are planning a December 2012 wedding at Fearrington Village.

They wanted their photos to be simple, classic and real. The trick is to get past the fact that you are posing for a photographer to find some real moments. I tend to just let the couples interact with each other with light direction. This way their real personalities come through and moments abound. I always try to do some verticals as well as horizontals so they have lots of options for save the dates. Thanks for a fun afternoon, Jonathan and Christa!

Let There Be Love | Wedding Story

Margo and Brad are both tall, slim and good-looking. They have an easy way with each other that will serve them well in their marriage. I had photographed their engagement portrait on the UNC campus (Go Heels! That’s for you, Brad) and then also photographed Margo’s bridal portrait at Fearrington. I have really enjoyed getting to know them very much! They were married at University United Methodist Church, which is the church Brad grew up in. They had their reception at Fearrington because Margo loved the cows. I can’t think of a better reason!

You can see their WEDDING STORY by clicking on the photo below. To see the WHOLE story visit their WEDDING GALLERY.

From Chicago with Love | Wedding Story

On August 6, 2011 Kathryn Colahan and Erik Schmidt tied the knot at their alma mater, Duke University, surrounded by their wonderful group of friends and family. They met at Duke but now live in the the windy city of Chicago, Illinois. This couple has so much in common. They describe themselves as relatively low key people who love to laugh. At the core of their relationship is a wonderful, close friendship that will serve them well in their marriage. We were so glad to be asked to photograph their wedding. Congratulations to Kathryn and Erik!

You can see their WEDDING STORY by clicking on the photo below.
Or, you can see the WHOLE STORY by visiting their wedding gallery. It is also from this gallery that you may purchase prints.

Here are some of my absolute favorite images from Kathryn and Erik’s wedding:

WEDDING VENDORS
Officiate: Reverend Meghan Feldmeyer
Floral Design: Mary Stevens of Fearrington
Ceremony Musicians: Brian Coggins
Reception Musicians: Hipshack
Cake Design: Jill Leckey of Fearrington
Reception Venue: Fearrington
Gown Provider: Priscilla of Boston
Formal Wear Provider: Men’s Wearhouse

Wilson Wedding

On October 16th Anne and Rob were wed at Fearrington Village. I had gotten to know this couple and their families well as I was lucky enough to photograph their engagement portrait, Anne’s bridal portrait, as well as a couple of pre-wedding festivities. I will miss them! Anne laughs often and Rob is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. You can see their beautiful WEDDING STORY below. You can see the whole story in their WEDDING GALLERY.

I Will Go With You | Wedding Story

Priti and Tyler met through mutual friends while they were both students at the UNC Medical School. Quickly they began spending more and more time together. On September 18, 2010 Priti Rao and Tyler Elkins-Williams they made their union official when they were married at Fearrington Village. Tyler’s father, Reverend Stephen Elkins-Williams welcomed them into the institution of marriage with a wonderful sermon. The theme of this sermon was, “I will go with you.” In a nutshell that sums up the core value of a healthy marriage, a willingness to always accompany your partner both literally and metaphorically.

You can see the beautiful beginning of their marriage by viewing their WEDDING STORY below.

See the WHOLE STORY HERE in their Web gallery.

WEDDING VENDORS:

Wedding Coordinator: Gilda McDaniel at Fearrington
Floral Design: Mary Stevens at Fearrington
Ceremony Musicians: Musica
Reception Musicians: Design, the Band
Cake Design: Jill Leckey at Fearrington
Gown Provider: Alexia’s Bridal Boutique
Formal Wear Provider: Bernard’s Formal Wear

Baby Bird

Celia Pyle and Ben Whited are both accountants, which means they have a lot in common. Now they have even more in common as on the weekend of June 12th, 2010 they were wed at Fearrington Village while surrounded by family and friends. They had planned a garden ceremony but the weather had other plans for them. One of the wonderful things about Fearrington is that even their rain site, the garden terrace, is gorgeous. Of course, right after the ceremony the sun came out so we were able to do their portraits with the rolling hills and cows in the background.

You will see an obvious bird theme to this wedding as Celia’s childhood nickname is baby bird. How great that their reception site is home to many families of barn swallows? You can see their wedding story by clicking on the image below. To see the WHOLE STORY visit their gallery.

Dark clouds were rolling in as we arrived at Fearrington. The cows didn’t seem to mind.

Ben adjusting his bow tie, was quiet and pensive beforehand. Celia was giddy.

The wedding took place in front of the large, stone fireplace in the garden terrace. How nice that even though it is raining all the guests had a dry, comfortable place to sit and the ceremony still took place amid the lush greenery.

It stopped drizzling right after the ceremony. Everyone was in a jubilant mood as the sun came out.

The two Pyle sisters and their husbands.

The sun had just set as Celia and Ben entered the barn for their first dance. You can tell they love to dance together!

Baby birds as cake toppers. This was the most beautiful cake I have ever seen at Fearrington! You can see more photos of it in the wedding story above.

And some real, live baby birds nesting in the barn entryway.

Celia’s dad had the idea of stringing up even more lights on the barn ceiling. Paired with the incredible flowers it was a gorgeous reception.

The happy couple had many moves which thrilled their guests.

This was the first time I have seen a groom carry his bride all the way out of the reception for their farewell. Congratulations, Ben and Celia!!!

I heard back from Celia about her wedding story. This is what she had to say, “The pictures are fabulous!! You captured all of the funny and fun moments I remembered (and the ones I didn’t get to see!) I cannot thank you enough for all that you did on that rainy Saturday ”

And her mother, Sue, said, “You hit it out of the park, Kristin! You captured the emotion of the day. We’re delighted!”

Mr. and Mrs. Doctor

Two doctors marry. They are blessed with three beautiful children, a girl and two boys. Their daughter grows up playing soccer and then attends Duke University. She also becomes a doctor. Then, on May 30, 2010, she marries another doctor. Thus the cycle begins again!

John and Lauren tied the knot in a shady grove at Fearrington Village. Lauren’s bridesmaids wore purple and John’s groomsmen were in the classic- tuxedos with a black tie. The ceremony was followed by a cocktail hour in front of the barn and a reception inside with music by The Maxx, a wonderful band I have seen several times. I don’t think the band had ever witnessed such a crazy, fun group of dancers!

To see their WEDDING STORY just click on the slideshow below. You can scroll down further to see some the highlights. If you want the WHOLE STORY visit their WEB GALLERY.

Sarah got this great shot of the engraved rings with her macro lens.

Lauren was one of the most relaxed, smiley brides I have ever worked with. But right before she walked down the aisle she took a moment.

This is my favorite area in Fearrington for ceremonies. It is quiet and shady and accommodates many guests.

The stately crew.

Their friends insisted on a special entry to the barn.

After their first dance folks were seated to eat. I saw that the sun was beginning to set so I asked Lauren and John to come out to grab a few quick photos. Earlier in the day the cows had been out of site and now they were back. Everyone wants photos with those cool cows!

Spontaneous crowd surfing!

I heard back from Lauren about the photos. Here is what she had to say, “The pictures are AMAZING!!! Completely negated all hopes of productivity these past two days Thanks so much, for everything!”