This wedding was very personal to me, it was my best friends wedding. Katie and I have been friends since we were 4 years old.  Chris asked her to marry him in May and when Katie told me they set the wedding date for August 25th (that's when the venue was available) I couldn't believe it. But she pulled it off beautifully with the help of family and friends. It was a new experience for me to photograph a wedding where I knew at least 40% of the people there.  One bonus was my family was there :)  My Father is a minister and he married them, My mother went through the process of wedding dress shopping with Katie, my sister was a fabulous dress carrier and my husband did some second shooting for me.  It was so special to be able to capture the pure joy I saw in Katie eye's that day.  I loved every minute of it.

Katie and her Dad have a close relationship and he hadn't seen her in her wedding dress so I suggested a first look with Dad. It was so sweet and emotional. If you have a close relationship with your Dad this is a nice thing to add into your day. I did a first look with dad on my wedding day as well and while I messed up my make up a little bit it was a sweet moment Ill never forget.

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Location: Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Florist: Greg Warren Flowers (the florist I used for my wedding, he is fantastic)

Makeup: S.Davis Makeup Artistry

DJ: All around Raleigh DJ Company

Cake: Vegan cake made by the groom's brother

And of course I had to get a picture with the Bride and Groom!

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