after the ceremony

you may kiss the bride!

i love this shot of samantha & paul in front of the church so much i had to post it twice!

the newlyweds with their super cute flower girl!


a few romantic shots of the happy couple.

After the ceremony Jen and I took the opportunity to take a few quick shots of the wedding party, family and of course Samantha and Paul. It was really important to this couple to be able to spend as much time as possible with their guests. Samantha and Paul made it super easy to get the shoot done quickly as they needed absolutely no prompting when it came to smiling for the camera or being romantic with each other...they were just so elated that they were finally married and so in love!

There is just nothing better to photograph than two people in love!

ready to say, "I do!"

Samantha eagerly awaited her turn to walk down the aisle!
Her energy and excitement was infectious...everyone else was excited too!



The girls all walked aisle barefoot...a personal touch for this special event (they each painted their toes a pale pink to match their super cute dresses).
A father gives his daughter to be married.



Holding hands with wedding rings for the first time!

A quick walk back up the aisle and...
Mr. & Mrs. Paul and Samantha Raye!

As photographers we get to spend a lot of time with the bride before her walk down the aisle toward her future husband...and we have yet to see a bride as excited as Samantha. Watching her peek through the window at the cars arriving, and trying o sneak a peek of Paul in the church was as endearing as it gets. Samantha put a lot of personal energy, planning and preparation into this event, and along with the help of her mom and some close family friends, they were able to pull it all off without a hitch! It was so great to see all of their plans fall into place at one time. 

Samantha and Paul had a very sweet ceremony that included the people most important in their lives. As with the rest of the event, it fit perfectly with the couple.  We were so happy to see Samantha's face light up after that walk back up the aisle, when it began to sink in that she was finally married and ready to enjoy the party she had been planning for so long as "Mrs. Raye."

Stay tuned for pics from the reception soon!

ladies in the garden

Shelley and her mother look amazing in front of the gorgeous, vivid green.

Spend a little time with these ladies and it is clear they have a few things in common...a witty sense of humor, with a smile and a laugh to match! Not to mention their undeniable beauty (I can see Shelley and Megan rolling their eyes at me now)!

Megan and her grandma.
Cracking up again!

Megan supposedly doesn't like being hugged...but I think she looks pretty happy here!

Last weekend Jen and I met up with Shelley, her mother Mimi, and daughter Megan at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens for a mini-session that included the 3 generations of women in their family. Mimi was in town for Megan's high school graduation, and Shelley took the opportunity to get a few shots with her mother. She said they had never had their photograph taken together!  Jen and I were honored to be the people they chose to take this special picture. 

Hanging around with these three women is nothing if not fun...watching the three of them together it became apparent where Shelley and Megan get their hilarious sense of humor. Mimi teased her grandson Tray (who was camera shy for the day) throughout the shoot, and she kept us all smiling even in the 100 plus degree weather. 

We were grateful that they stuck it out through the heat...the results were great and we had a fabulous time despite sweating our brains out!

we also took the opportunity to get a few last shots of megan before her big day...
making megan laugh is one of our favorite things to do!
CONGRATS MEGAN CLASS OF 2008!

Just had to make a side note to congratulate Megan on becoming a high school graduate this week!!! Megan has been with us from the start, and we LOVE her...not to mention that she is super fun to hang out with, very photogenic and and all around great girl! We are proud of you Megan and can't wait to see what you will be up to next...NC State is a lucky to have you : )

before the wedding...

we love the way natural light looks!
peeking out the door before the ceremony


we loved samantha's dress!

the bridal party

funny moment between samantha and her too-cute flower girl
i love this shot!
samantha's brothers...how cute are they???
now, the bride can't have all the fun.  brooks and i got some shots of the groom and his guys before the ceremony.  they were a lot of fun to photograph.

paul and his mom, sheri
paul and his dad, tony :)

Samantha and Paul stuck to tradition (which I think is so romantic!) and decided not to see one another before the ceremony.  Because of that, Samantha decided to do her bridal portraits before the wedding, since we would save the "couple" shots for afterwards.  Samantha was the picture of perfection and absolutely lit up when she put on her dress.  You could see the emotion on her face when she looked in the mirror and saw herself standing there in a beautiful wedding dress.  Brooks and I feel honored that we can be there to capture those amazing moments that only happen once in your life.  The yard adjacent to the church was the perfect backdrop for a bridal session and some shots of the guys.  We didn't want Paul to feel left out, so we got some shots of him hanging out with his groomsmen. :)  Even though it was almost 100 degrees (yikes!!!) that afternoon, everyone was in good spirits and nobody melted!! :)