Holliday-Rhoden Wedding

This weekend, I was thrilled to be a part of the wedding of John Rhoden and Julia Holliday. I really felt close to this couple by the end of the weekend. I even got a little teary at the end of the night--yes, I'm not a rock! It happens! The weekend was packed full of events and every bit of it was full of hugs, smiles, and good times! 

I was able to meet John and Julia before the wedding for their engagement portrait session, and then Julia again for her bridal portraits. John and Julia met at the NC School of Math and Science in Durham in 2003 and John proposed at the Boston Harbor. The couple currently lives in Boston together where Julia is in law school and John is studying chemistry at MIT. 

The weekend started with the wedding rehearsal on Friday at Cullowhee United Methodist Church.

John and Julia's dog, Bryson (also the ring bearer) was the STAR! (below)

After the rehearsal, the crew headed to the Chef's Table in Waynesville, NC for dinner (below)

Julia's junior bridesmaid, Madeline, gives her a homemade card that I thought was incredibly cute--" wow time is here", the card declares! (above)

After dinner, everyone heads over to the Maggie Valley Club for a pool party and more good times (below)

The wedding day started in the morning at Tressence Hair Salon in Sylva, NC where Julia and the other women of the wedding party got their hair done. 

"Lots of Curls" was the request from cute-as-a-button flower girl, Olivia Connell (below)

Julia's mother, Mary, applies her make up at home before they head over to the church (below). 

Mother of the groom, Donna, pins on John's boutonniere (below)

Donna wore John's Eagle Scout pin on her ribbon (below)

The girls toast before the wedding (below)

Olivia  paves the way for Julia with flowers (above)

Julia and her father, Mark, share a hug before they walk down the aisle (below)

The Kiss of The Year! (below) Seriously, though, this was a fantastic first kiss! Full of passion! 

The Wedding Party!

After the ceremony, John and Julia and I headed over to picturesque Lake Junaluska for some  portraits before the reception (below)

We also took a few photos at the Maggie Valley Club, where the reception was held (below)

John and Julia had a bride and groom rubber duck centerpiece at the head table (above) and John put the bride duck on Julia's chair (below) to save her spot when she got out of her seat. 

John puts his game face on for this cake cutting session! (above)

Maid of Honor, Ellen, Toasts the couple (above). Toasts were also made by John's brother, David and Julia's father, Mark. 

Blazin Sounds DJ Service gets the party started (below)

There was something magical about this last dance (below). I'm not quite sure what it was!! I don't get teary very often at weddings, but there were a few tears behind the viewfinder tonight. Maybe is was the sweet older couple next to the fresh young couple, both of whom seems so genuinely in love with eachother. Maybe the DJ played just the right song--it was "I don't want to miss a thing", Aerosmith's love song from the movie, Armageddon. Whatever it was, I felt it. (and hopefully I was able to capture it)

John and Julia make their grand exit (below) and head off to Jamaica where they are currently honeymooning! Thanks so much for letting me be a part of all the festivities!! 

Holebrooks-Amos Wedding

It was a gorgeous weekend here in Asheville, NC and I was privileged to spent it with Justin and Misty Holebrooks and their family and friends. It was definitely a tarheel blue weekend for these UNC graduates, both of whom received both graduate and undergraduate degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill (my alma mater also, I might add!).  Chapel Hill has been a big part of Misty and Justin's relationship, so it seems appropriate that it played a big role in the wedding weekend as well. Justin and Misty's first date included a walk through campus. He re-created this first date the night that he proposed to Misty on the Davie Poplar Bench. There is a legend about the Davie Poplar Bench that states that you shouldn't sit on it with anyone unless you want to spend the rest of your life with that person! This rang true for Misty and Justin! This true blue couple is currently honeymooning in Hawaii! Thanks for letting me spend your wedding weekend with you guys! Below are a few highlights from this weekend. Prior to shooting the wedding this weekend, I photographed Misty and Justin's engagement portraits in Chapel Hill and Misty's bridal portraits here in Asheville. A special thanks to Geidre for helping out on Saturday! 

The weekend started with the Bridesmaids Luncheon on the Sunset Terrace at the Grove Park Inn. What a great way to start a fabulous weekend--the view on the terrace here is gorgeous and everyone had a great time. 

Misty showed her guests with gifts! (below)

After lunch, Misty and her bridesmaids headed over to Suraj Spa and Salon for some pampering!

The Sangria was a hit! (below)

After the pampering, all the crew gathered at Acton United Methodist Church for a run through of the ceremony (below)

The rehearsal dinner followed at the Grand Bohemian Hotel's Kessler Ballroom. What a beautiful venue! (below)

The groom's cake (below)

Entertainment was provided by Cynthia Moore Brown, a longtime friend of Justin and his family (below)

Justin and Misty were roasted properly!  (yes I meant to say roasted, this is not a typo!)

At the end of the evening, Justin gives his sincere thanks to his friends and family for joining him for this special weekend. Then, he invites them all to the after party in his hotel room!! (below)

Everyone remained in excellent spirits on Saturday and Justin started off the day with lunch and some card playing with his groomsmen (below)

After the cards, the group decides they should go ahead and get ready for the big event (below) 

The two fathers  (Father of the Bride (left), Don, and Father of the Groom (right), Danny) help each other get ready (below).

It takes a lot more help to get the bride ready! Misty's bridesmaids help her put on her dress (below)

Mother of the Bride, Kay, watches with pride as Misty gets ready! (below)

Misty's shoes are not only her something blue, but also fit nicely with the Carolina blue theme of her and Justin's wedding (below)

The final touches! (I promise, that's not going into her eye...it just looks that way)

"Ready, Set, Get Married!" (below)

Justin waits at the front of the church for his bride (below)

Justin sees Misty for the first time today (below)

Justin gives Misty a kiss before helping her into the car. Also note that Misty is carrying a notebook, filled with wedding planning information and phone numbers! Misty did a fabulous job planning this weekend! (below)

On Patton Ave, on our way to the Crest Center for the reception (below)

Don't worry, we were at a stop light! I wasn't photographing and driving at the same time!

Misty and Justin stop for a drink and a few photo ops before entering their reception. 

Check out that fabulous light coming in through the clouds (below).

Misty and Justin enter the reception at the Crest Center (below)

And have their first dance as husband and wife! 

Misty and her Dad (below)

All the reception decorations were appropriately Carolina blue. The cake topper (above) was even shaped after the Old Well. 

More importantly, check out all those UNC alumni (below) that made their way to Asheville to celebrate Misty and Justin's union! 

Misty and Justin had a fabulous idea for favors: They gave their guests cards with four tokens that they could place in the jar of their charity of choice. Each token represented an amount of money that Misty and Justin and their families would donate to the charity in their guest's honor. (below)

More toasts for the happy couple!

Justin's Father, Danny, speaks with guests (below)

Misty and Justin cut their cake (above). Justin decided to get a little messy while feeding Misty her cake (below). 

Misty with her Phi Mu sorority sisters (below)

Love was all around!

The dancing got really fun by the end of the night! Bethany, from All the Right Grooves served as DJ for the night and did a FANTASTIC job (as always!). 

Misty and Justin make their exit with Carolina blue pom poms sending them off! (above)