Emily & Andy: THE WEDDING

I met her on the first day of school. It was 7^th period acting class—I was a bucket of nerves, and she was a bucket of smiles. Emily has a gift of making anyone feel at ease. She has a magnetic vibe, she draws people in…she really listens. She really cares.
Hearing Andy’s friends recount the first date he had with Emily, it was obvious that Andy, too, was drawn to her immediately. Emily was none too sure about him at first, but Andy’s charm, smarts, and good looks won her over in the end. I remember Emily calling me just giddy about Andy, and I knew a wedding would be in store.

I was even more thrilled when she asked me to photograph the big day! Emily & Andy married in a quaint chapel on Topsail Island, and danced the night away at her parent’s home on the sound. To see Andy and Emily together, you just know that they’re a great match.

Thank you for having us be a part of your beautiful, beautiful wedding. I’m not just saying that. I’ve got proof:

Here’s to the best LOVE TRAIN I have ever seen. EVER.

Check out more by watching their SLIDESHOW.

Emily & Andy: A Preview!

What a wonderful day it was!! This is just a sneak peek… more to come later!

A Miracle.

This story is truly a miracle.

Our dear friends Stephanie and Noah, which you may remember from the blog post I wrote about their little guy, Shepherd, who is now home from UNC Children’s Hospital and recovering well, are a part of another amazing story of God’s grace. I met Noah’s mom, Peg, long before I met Noah. She was a wonderful woman who asked us youth to pray for her son, Noah. A couple years later, Noah was baptized as a believer in Christ, and a couple years after that, he married my college best friend. Their wedding had an impact on bringing Noah’s brother, Merle back to the Lord, and also impacted Noah’s dad, Wayne. Four and a half years later, Wayne began to reconnect with Peg, from whom he had been divorced for twenty years. Noah said, ” I have seen my mom get up early to enjoy spending time with my Dad, talking for hours. And my mom doesn’t get up early. And my dad doesn’t talk.”

After a couple decades of marriage, and then a couple decades of being divorced, Wayne & Peg Joyner remarried on Saturday. There was not a dry eye in the house at their wedding ceremony. It was such an honor to be able to capture some of the images of the reuniting of this wonderful family. My friend Miranda was asked to take pictures at the wedding, and being that this was to be her first wedding, she asked if I would join her, and needless to say, I jumped at the chance.

The Jacksons, Part Two

Now that Randy & Jenny are back from St. Lucia and loving the normal life, I have a few more photos to share! These are some of my favorites with a twist… and you can see a slideshow HERE.

An Americana portrait of sorts…

I love this one. So intimate and sweet.

Randy & Jenny had four “fruits of the Spirit” cakes, and boy, were they delicious. Well, at least the chocolate piece I had was! (No, I didn’t eat all four. Even though some might doubt that.)

So there are quite a few from this series, but I just picked these to show how Randy is giving Jenny the, “Don’t you even think about it” glare… and she’s thinking about it alright!

“Oh yeah? I will eat it and your hand so you can’t do it!”

“That’s what you think!” she says.

Then Comes Marriage: Randy + Jenny

I knew when I woke up it was going to be a gorgeous day. The air was crisp and light. Not the typical humid-North Carolina- summer-I-don’t-want-to-be-outside-breathing-in-this-thick-heat air. The sky was blue with a few white puffy clouds, the breeze was nice, and the shade was cool. Ooh. I love shooting weddings in this weather.

We were so thrilled to be a part of the throng that came to celebrate this day with Randy & Jenny. Or as they were introduced to their reception, with Jackson 5 music playing, “The Jacksons!”

When we arrived at Binkley Chapel, Jenny was in the lobby hair all done, smile from ear-to-ear. I followed her upstairs as she finished getting ready.

Randy was patiently waiting in his dressing room. ALREADY DRESSED! Man, this guy was ready to marry the love of his life! And it wasn’t more than an hour later we got to watch this lovely couple exchange their first glances at each other on their wedding day– and it was this that was, in my opinion, the most memorable part of their big day. Not the weather, nor the crowds, or the details, or even the reception… it was the excitement of a radiant bride waiting to meet her groom and a groom awaiting his bride.“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD.” I remember saying these words to Randy Jackson as he awaited his bride’s arrival. His smile could not be wiped off for anything…except a little anxiousness maybe?

“Is she here?” he asked me. ” Not yet.” Not two minutes later, as he heard some rustling at the back of the church, “Is that her?”

Enjoy the sneak peek. More to come!