happy happy new year friends! to say that i am blessed beyond belief is truly an understatement. from an awesome family, wonderful friends, and totally fantastic clients, God has blessed me with immeasurable gifts. so to ring in the new year, i wanted to share some of my favorite photos from this past year. peruse, enjoy, and contemplate what 2012 has in store for all of us. i feel like it’s going to be a great new year…xoxo…t

see…i knew you’d come back…ha! you just couldn’t resist huh? i told ya…much eye candy…so…on with the show…

i love love love it when a groom sees his soon to be wife walking down the aisle for the first time. but do you know what i love even more than that? when the groom has his face covered and his bride is on the other side of the veil…then the veil drops and they see each other for the first time…yes sir. it was PRE-T awesome. the rest of the ceremony was just the same…

during the vidai was a super emotional moment. melissa‘s family truly love her. so during this portion of the ceremony, her parents say “goodbye” to her, in turn, giving her to biren. many many tears were shed.

their ceremony was some kind of party!!! biren‘s side of the family did a flippin‘ awesome job during a musical tribute to him…it was hilarious! and then the dancing! the music was fantastic…a mixture between indian, pop, and a little disco…loved it!!!

so as you can tell…i pretty much loved the entire experience of my first hindu wedding. it was everything and more that i thought it would be. so…to melissa and biren…a super heartfelt thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your wedding weekend. it was unreal and so much fun! many hugs and kisses to you both!!! a huge shout out to my second shooter for this wedding, beka. you were a trooper!!! thank you bunches!

here’s a list of vendors from this fab wedding:

venue: rock barn golf & spa
caterer: bombay grille
music: dj don
videography: crown alley films - alan daly you are da bomb!

i feel truly honored to be a part of a staple of wedding goodness!!!  when the knot north carolina contacted me about featuring brittany and gray’s wedding (in case you missed their wedding check it out here)  in their spring/summer 2012 issue, i was thrilled.   their wedding was undeniably sensational and soooooo pretty!  now tons of brides can get beau-coups of inspiration from their wedding too!  congrats brittany and gray on getting published, i’m so happy i could help make it happen!  xoxo…t

***brides to be: this issue is on newstands today!  go buy a copy and support our NC magazines! 

when melissa first contacted me to document her and biren’s hindu wedding ceremony, i was ECSTATIC!!! it has always been a photography dream of mine to photograph an indian wedding. they are so steeped with old traditions, beautiful colors, intricate details. my dream was realized, but what i also happily encountered, was 2 families of lovely, open armed people, who wanted to include me in all of their festivities. i fell in love with melissa & biren’s families to be sure…

mel & b are from d.c. their first real date was a movie to see slumdog millionaire…friends if you haven’t seen this movie…GO WATCH IT NOW. it is phenomenal to be sure. since melissa’s parents live in hickory, it was a natural decision to have the wedding there locally. melissa’s vidhi was held at her parent’s home. wow…i was in for a real treat during this tradition. the maharaj, the hindu priest who presided over the ceremony was just a peach!!! he was so sweet and funny, plus he really took the time to translate alot of the ceremony from sanskrit to english, so others who were not hindu could really understand everything that was being said. one of my favorite parts of the vidhi was when all of melissa’s bridesmaids walked up to the house with colorful indian pots held on top of their heads. they were all so gorgeous in their different colored gowns. melissa had a wonderful set of girls who supported her during the whole weekend. after the vidhi, melissa’s parents hosted a reception for friends and family to enjoy some indian cuisine and fellowship. the food was incredible…i especially loved the…well i loved it ALL!!! hahaha!

we started off preparing at 730am…yes you read that CORRECT…730!!! in the morning. hahaha…it was definitely a first for me getting started that early for a wedding…no worries though…it was WELL worth the extra time. melissa’s bridal gown & jewelry were to die for. seriously…i think my heart stopped beating a few beats when i was photographing them. simply gorgeous. and when melissa finished preparing, we took a few photos of her before leaving for the ceremony. i kept telling her she looked like an indian princess…and she reallllllly did. melissa you are seriously so beautiful. inside and out i must say.

the ceremony and reception was held at the beautiful rock barn golf and spa in hickory. it was my first time documenting a wedding at this venue, so i was like a kid in a candy store. lots of great nooks and crannies for photos. this leads us up to the barat. the barat is a part of the hindu wedding ceremony where biren showed up on horseback, with drums sounding, surrounded by his friends and family, all dancing and singing. it was spectacular!!! i loved documenting all the different dances that his friends did…and man they could realllly dance. it was so much fun to experience!!! once biren was whisked away towards to mandap (the alter), it was then melissa’s time to shine…to see these photos you will have to return for tomorrow’s conclusion of this delicious hindu wedding. til then, sit back, and enjoy all of this hindu wedding eye candy!!!

xoxo…t

melissa & her parent’s hands…a favorite of mine to be sure.

wow!  i am extremely honored to have one of my weddings featured in the insanely gorgeous smitten magazine.  in smitten’s 3rd edition, you will find the lovely vintage inspired wedding of kim & michael.  this adorable couple chose daniel stowe botanical gardens as their venue of choice.  along with wedding planner’s - blush wedding & events, floral designers – the place for flowers, caterers – best impressions, cake designer - for goodness cakes, make-up & hair designer – lindsey regan thorne, plus a SLEW of others, this couple’s vendors created a wedding that kim & michael will be able to relive forever.  take a look see at this little snippet!!!  congrats kim & michael!!!