When I first met Marianna & Brian to talk about their Raleigh, NC Wedding Photography, the wedding date was still under discussion because of Brian’s service in the military. The wedding was originally scheduled for February of 2010 but got pushed back to January 30th, 2010 because of Brian’s deployment. It feels like forever since I first met with them but, then again, it also feels like I blinked and the time passed! An interesting sidenote – I shot either one or both of them a total of 4 times and the average temperature was 31 degrees. Both their e-session and bridal portraits was shot on a very cold December evenings (with more wind then you’d hope for when its below freezing). So when their wedding day came around, it was only fitting we got 5-6″ of snow and with the Capital City Club reception in downtown Raleigh, it couldn’t of made for a more fitting setting.
I don’t mind driving in the snow, but my confidence in others and the road clearing ability of the city of Raleigh is a bit on the low side. I ended up grabbing a hotel the night before and after the wedding day to insure I would have no problems making it their ceremony and reception. It’s a good time to mention that I have always wanted to photograph a wedding in the snow, because, let’s face it, Raleigh, NC Wedding Photography and snow just don;t come into contact with each other very often. At the ceremony, I was thrilled to see how many people braved the elements to come out and celebrate Marianna & Brian’s wedding. After a wedding sparkler sendoff we all piled into the vans and rode back to downtown Raleigh for the wedding reception in the Capital City Club. Before heading back up, I just *had* to get some photos of my happy couple in the snow. With no traffic to speak of, we had free reign of Fayetteville St and, despite Marianna having open toed shoes on, she was a real trooper and let me work a little magic with them!
Both of them are swing dancers so the Casablanca Orchestra fired it up and everyone at the reception danced it up to a wonderful performance of swing music. After cutting the wedding cake with a saber, a few Captain Morgan poses, a whole lot of laughing and dancing, the night started to wrap up. I will make one notable exception here and mention that I was asked to dance, and graciously accepted, by Kelly. Thanks Kelly!
The last photograph below is as I was leaving Capital City Club and walking back to my hotel. Even though I had been photographing for about 9 hours straight at this point, this shot was too beautiful to pass up. I do believe I may frame this one for myself.
Marianna & Brian – thank you both so much for all of your warmth & hospitality and choosing me as your photographer! I truly enjoyed working (and freezing) with you both over the past 18 months and I want to give you my most heartfelt congratulations!!!!
Church: North Raleigh UMC – Raleigh, NC
Wedding Reception: Capital City Club – Raleigh, NC
Flowers: Ninth Street Flowers – Raleigh, NC
Cake: Edible Art – Raleigh, NC
Band: Casablanca Orchestra – Raleigh, NC
Invitations: Carlson Craft
Dress: Enchanting Moments
Transportation: White Horse Transportation – Raleigh, NC
Now on to a few photos!
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by Brian Mullins
79 comments
Lara - Stunning,incredible shots. Loved all the shots and particularly the last shot on the page- the snow covered street at night, great choice. Weddings are very difficult to shoot and you have captured the essence of each wedding. Wonder what format you are shooting with.
Thank you for providing this special important service to the Raleigh area.
Lara
AWOL Kent Wedding photographer - Lovely images, absolute favourite is the bridesmaid in the ailse, stunning
James - Those are some amazing pictures.
Very classy.
Brian Mullins - Raleigh Wedding Photographer - Wow guys! 75 comments is awesome!!! Thanks to everyone for such wonderful comments about my work! It’s easy when I have such wonderful clients to work with! Marianna & Brian have won a 16×20 print of their choosing thanks to you!
Justine - The snow pictures are gorgeous…congratulations!
Bethany Wagemann - The pictures are beautiful! Congrats!
Tracy Deckman - Beautiful pictures!! It looks like it turned out to be a perfect day!! Congrats!!
Vicki Carlson - LOVED, LOVED the pictures! Thank you so much. Your chronicle of events made the occasion even more spectacular than it was and it was pretty spectacular to begin with. The snow shots were especially wonderful!
Thank you for a job well-done and done beautifully.
Vicki Carlson
Mother of the Groom
Stephanie - The pictures are beyond stunning. I love the one with the sparklers.
You did a fabulous job of capturing their special day.
Tori Norman - GORGEOUS! im glad you guys were finally able to get married! we love you guys!
Nancy Dickson - Marianna and Brian:
I was honored to be able to witness such a beautiful wedding! No one would know how totally cold it was as you walked beneath the sparklers, or how slippery the ice and snow were! I am so happy for you both, and enjoyed seeing them, and reliving the memories!
God’s blessings on you both!
Love,
Nancy Dickson
Brian Mullins - Hahah.. Hey Moira! Of COURSE I would travel to West point. That would be an awesome wedding to shoot and, seriously, I would love to talk with you about it!
Laura - What amazing photos! Marianna and Brian look so happy.
Lauren Pickering - Wow! The bride looks beautiful and the location looks like a fairytale. Great job of capturing such a breathtaking event!
Margaret O'Hara - These pictures are so beautiful, it brings tears to my eyes. I’m so sorry I missed this lovely couple getting married. Best wishes always Margaret O’Hara
Nolan - Awesome…
Celina - Absolutely STUNNING! Marianna, I have enjoyed photo stalking you two over the years haha
Your wedding turned out fabulous and you and Brian will have a life full of happiness!!!
Moira Lanz - Wow! These are some of the BEST photos I have ever seen! Would you want to travel to West Point, NY for my wedding?! haha Congrats to the beautiful couple!
Morgan Oliviero - I cannot tell you how disappointed I am that the job kept me from being there. At leas the snow was Canuck-style! Take care of each other until I see you again!
Angela Kloiber - LOVE the photos! The candid quality was really lovely.
Quinton Oliviero - I love the one with Brian standing at the altar and grinning like a little kid. Congratulations guys!
Laura McCabe - Great photos!!!! You both looked great!!! I wish I could have been there, but with such great photos I feel like I was.
franny - the snow made for awesome pictures!! (not that the rest of the pics aren’t awesome lol)
Taylor Minton - Congratulations! Great photos, you two look so happy together. Makes me impatient for my own wedding.
krista - Everything is beautiful! The pictures are the best I’ve seen!! Good Job!
Mandy Pickering - these are absolutely beautiful! gorgeous!
Amelia Hardin - Beautiful black and white of the bride and groom with an amazing snowy city backdrop! Loved them all!
Darren Affleck - Winnipeg Wedding Photographer - Absolutely gorgeous wedding photography! I love the ceremony photos. Beautiful!
Mo - Awesome job on the photos sir. Definitely best wedding ever.
norah - dreamy ! they look so happy and your lighting is beautiful !
Bob D - NC Wedding Photographer - Great wedding coverage as always, Brian. Excellent timing to capture the decisive moment, wonderful use of light and I especially like that you and the couple braved the cold for some very striking urban-scape portraiture. Very nice.
Nick Bombich - This wedding was amazing. Nice work. Keep
it up.
Felicia Ferreira - I must say.. “BEST WEDDING PICS I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!”
Majoraca - The pictures are beautiful!
Meg - beautiful wedding, and amazing pictures! well done!
Teresa Fulton - The wedding was absolutely beautiful and so were both of you! The pictures are amazing! Congratulations!!
Reema - Amazing photos for an amazing wedding! Can’t wait to see more!
Heather Bryan - These are so beautiful! You did a great job catching the love and joy that Marianna and Brian have together.
Brittany Moss - These pictures are incredible! I love what you did with the snow – the contrast in them is unreal! I love them and I am sure Marianna does too!
Katelyn - The photographs are so captivating. Even though I couldn’t be there, the magical moments come alive through the photos. I wish the best of luck to Brian and Marianna (although they won’t need it because they’re perfect for each other) and they will always have your photographs to cherish and keep the memories of their special day alive.
Julia Filiberti - Already ordered my pics and arrived already. Got one of the gorgeous ones of you two in the street. It turned out as expected… Beautiful. Congrats CUZ!
Brandi Carreon - Gorgeous pictures! Congrats, Marianna and Brain! I wish you both a wonderful life together.
Jen - Fabulous! The pictures are stunning and you truly managed to capture both the spirit of the venues and the participants themselves. Congrats Marianna and Brian! Such a beautiful ceremony and reception.
Amie Fulton - Great photos – lovely white wedding! You looked so beautiful and happy Marianne. Lots of love oxoxo
Danielle Triplett - You look beautiful!! The pictures are wonderful sweetie! Congrats, I am so happy for you the both of you.
Brittany - Beautiful bride, handsome groom- fabulous pics!
Brian Eshleman - The shots are great. It doesn’t even look like it is cold outside. I had a great time and the photos do a great job of capturing the night.
Michael Giffin - WOW! Great pictures, your very talented and can apparently work under any conditions. Both inside and outside your pictures are perfect. Congrats M + B you guys must have had a blast!
renee - Brian Mullins!…Amazing! ….the photos captured every part of the night and more! You have an amazing talent that is passioned by every detail displayed in your photos. You have a way of endearing yourself to your clients and becoming part of the family. It was a pleasure having you in our family for a short time, but we will have the pictures forever, thank you. Enjoyed the beach and the Oceanic…what an adventure all of this became….weather challenges, acts of God, wonderful family and friends that surpised us with their presence and help! We thank you for being such a big part of it and leaving such beautiful photos that certainly touch our soul. renee
Kirk Nichols - it was obvious with the time and the work you put into the wedding, you love taking photos. they came out amazing! definately an amazing part of the wedding experiance will be having the photos forever! absolutely an amazing wedding!
joel - Photos are really impressive!
Lauren Ginocchio - Congratulations Marianna and Brian! The pictures came out wonderful and the wedding was a blast!
Kate - The bride, the wedding, the photography – all so stunning! I love how these photos are clear, crisp, and vibrant, and capture some amazing emotions. Brian and Marianna look so happy and the whole event looks so fun.
Aileen Peguero - The photos are amazing. I’m glad to see that the pictures captured Marianna and Brian’s playful and loveable side! Congrats guys on such great pictures and beautiful wedding.
David Wright - Congrats guys, looks like a fairy tale wedding to me, I only wish I got to witness it in person. You two are an inspiration to many of us, keep living it up!!
Lauren Willis - Congratulations, the pictures are beautiful!
Christie Posner - OMG Marianna! The pictures look amazing! And you made such a beautiful bride! Have fun with married life! Congrats to both of you!
Kaylee - These photos look amazing! You can really tell that everyone involved had such a great time. Congrats to the newlyweds!
Auntie Marsha - My dearest Brian and Marianna,
The photos are beautiful, and I can’t tell you how much being there meant to me. Marianna,you were elegant and Brian, you were gracious and quite the gentelman. I am truly happy for you and I love you both. Auntie Marsha
Heidi Graff - The pictures are amazing, due mainly to the beautiful bride! Makes me feel like I actually got to attend. There are so many amazing shots in this album!
Trey - The pictures look great, congrats!
Christy Riley - The pictures are beautiful! Really capturing the beauty & elegance of the evening.
Carolyn Milan - Great photos!!! You did a wonderful job. The wedding was fabulous even with the weather. All of us who were there loved it. The snow made a beautiful back drop for photos. I especially love your photo you took at the end in the street.
Marianna and Brian are a beautiful couple.
Love,
Carolyn
Jim Sharvin - Fabulous wedding! The weather only added to the excitement. These photos are all so expressive, they make me want to get married all over again…to my Valentine, of course! Congrats to you two!
Nicholas Ballew - Beautiful photos; I think that the black and white pictures look incredible!
Annie - These photos are incredibly brilliant! The lighting, color, and clarity is unbelievable. These pictures are absolutely the best wedding photos I’ve ever seen! Congratulations Marianna & Brian!!
Jamie Ambros - Marianna,
You’re pictures are beautiful! Congrats to the both of you! =]
Kira - Hi Brian & Marianna
Your pictures were so beautiful for my family and I to see, especially since we couldn’t be there for your special day! It was wonderful seeing through all of them!
<3
Kira
robert tabacco - This was such a beautiful wedding and it really was the best I have been to. I am going through the photos and I am amazed at how stunning they all are.
Jared Siebrecht - Wonderful job on the pictures. Captured Marianna and Brian so well. Loved the black and whites photos.
Liz Upton - These photos are fabulous! I love especially the picture of Brian as he sees Marianna coming down the aisle. Marianna, you look absolutely stunning in every one.
Kaitlyn - The pictures are amazing! Really wish I could have made it to the wedding but these pictures helped me to see how wonderful the wedding was:)
Maddi - I loved all the shots that capture the personalities of Marianna and Brian. They are beautiful!!
Diana Carlson & Lourdes Cruz - Dear Brian & Marianna,
What beautiful pictures! These pictures will be a part of your lives forever to look back on and relive the most important day in your lives. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Lots of Love, Diana & Lourdes
Carol Adams - These are beautiful pictures. Brian, you are amazing the way you able to capture emotions! The engagement and portrait photos are awesome too! Congratulations Brian and Marianna!
Carson Fuller - Gorgeous! Wow, what elegant photos.
amanda - You did a great job with their wedding…I looked through the whole album and was amazed that I think you caught everything at the wedding…every person, every moment…your work is creative and beautiful…great job!
Brian - It was a pleasure working with you and I’m so happy my wife had such wonderful taste in wedding photographers! Thanks for all your hard work, we really appreciate it!
Brian Carlson
Marianna - Brian,
We had such a wonderful time working with you. The photos are beautiful and I am so glad I had such a wonderful photographer who was willing to brave the snow and help so much with everything!
Marianna