As we arrived back at the hotel, I get the feeling my Washington Duke Inn weddings are cursed as mother nature decided we should have a beautiful indoor affair instead of the outdoor ceremony.  Seems like the wedding day theme, so far, was all about change.  Gladly no other surprises were thrown our way so I went up to the bride & groom’s room to get a few shots of them getting dressed and meet the families & bridal parties.  I do want to mention that I ended up riding down in the elevator with Kimberly and her father.  Having a young daughter myself, these moments really get to me and I am so thankful I have the opportunity to understand how precious those last few moments with a bride and her father are.  The really great thing about Washington Duke Inn weddings are the hotel affords many small nook areas that you can have a nice moment alone like this.

Kimberly & Jacob had two officiants at their ceremony which was pretty cool.  Last time I shot a Washington Duke Inn Wedding, it was two ceremonies and two officiants (separate occasions) so it looks like my string of two’s is still running.  With it raining outside, we managed to get a quick shot without trashing the dress but opted to stay indoors the majority of the time for the formals.  Having just given a lighting class on “guerrilla lighting”, I was pretty excited to go have some fun with unusual and beautiful lighting techniques.

We headed back into the reception hall where their ban, the Party Nuts, got the wedding reception going with thei first dances.  Everyone had a chance to relax and enjoy a fabulous meal from the Washington Duke Inn while live music was going on in the background.  After the Bride & Groom walked around to greet everyone, they enjoyed a great toast from their best man and maid of honor.  Then to the cake cutting that was surprisingly nice (I lost a bet with myself that a smash would occur) then everyone partied down with the band.  Kimberly and Jacob exited the Washington Duke Inn with an array of rose petals tossed in the air (and a few into their faces).  From start to finish, the entire wedding was a beautiful event and their friends had flown in from as far as Russia (Moscow) to attend.

It was a pleasure meeting everyone and congratulations to you both!  Please enjoy a few of the photos from their Washington Duke Inn Wedding.

The day started off with Carly getting ready in the reception hall just behind the church.  I had never been inside this building before so it was nice to get a first hand look at the hall before the festivities started.  As Carly was getting her hair & makeup done, after a few photos of course, I headed up to the sanctuary where James and his brothers/best men were getting dressed.  The sanctuary was built in 1856 and added onto over the years.  This makes the interior a pretty cool place with lots of neat features that are very historic in creation literally beside cutting edge technology.  My one favorite was the old art deco door with a round glass cutout (never did walk thru that door though).  In my opinion, Raleigh Wedding Photographers really have the best of both worlds with both urban and rural churches within an easy commute.

The bride came up shortly after and, well, we had a wedding!  This church just recently allowed wedding photographers back into the sanctuary after, well, let’s just call it an incident with a not-so-professional wedding photographer.  This was exciting news for me as the interior is gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to photograph the ceremony.  After the ceremony and formals, we opted to go straight into the reception as the thermometer was still showing “broil” outside.  We had 3 great dances and a few tears, of course, to start off the reception.  Food was in plentiful supply and the cake cutting started off a “smashing” affair. 

Carly and James chose a bubble wedding exit and with no wind, it made it perfect to photograph them coming out of the reception hall.  We met in downtown Fuquay-Varina to catch up on the portraits we missed due to the heat.  It was still hot outside but with the sun going down, it was bearable and made for some lovely light to work in.

I’d like to thank Carly, James & their parents for their hospitality and graciousness!  Congratulations to you all and I hope you enjoy the photos!

We started off at the Renaissance hotel where Meri was getting ready.  After a little bridal preparation and family photography, Meri hopped into a Rolls Royce and rode to Duke Chapel with her father.  Interestingly enough, generally when I have an idea for a shot, something always seems to throw a wrench into the place but, fortunately,this day the stars aligned and I was able to get the shot I had visualized.  When you have a limo, classic car, etc, they will park directly in the center of the driveway.  Fortunately, there were no other cars around so I was able to get the shot I wanted with the Rolls Royce in front of the hotel without it being congested by other vehicles.  The shot of the Rolls Royce in front of the Renaissance Hotel was one I had always wanted.  I’ve shot a quite a few Duke Chapel Weddings, so I wanted to photograph the Rolls Royce again in front of the chapel but, as you can see from the photos, it was a great thing I got it in front of the hotel as time was limited after the ceremony.

The day was, well, a little warm (95f) so we limited what we were doing outside to a few quick portraits.  Besides, with Duke Chapel weddings, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a great spot for photography.  After the grooms & bride’s portraits, we headed inside the chapel for the ceremony.  On the way out, as it tends to happen in North Carolina, the heat had built up and summer thunderstorms were rolling in quick.  While a little nervous we were going to get soaked, I managed to get a couple of quick shots in front of the chapel with some beautifully menacing skies in the background.   As we left the chapel, it poured… when I say poured, I mean dogs and cats were stuck on my windshield wipers.

We had planned more photographs at a gazebo and headed in that direction hoping to outrun the rain.  As an aside, Wade sings in the Duke Choir for other Duke Chapel Weddings and events so I think he had an arrangement with someone to hold off the rain as we arrived at the Gazebo, it was dry with still more beautiful skies.  We, quite literally, just got back into our cars before more huge & juicy raindrops fell.  At the Renaissance hotel, the food was hot, drinks were cold and the halls were packed full of wedding guests.  After everyone entered into the wedding reception, Wade and Meri shared a lovely choreographed first dance as the dance floor was surrounded by their family and friends.  As the evening continued, it was obvious how happy every person was for Wade & Meri – cheering at every kiss and clinking their glasses at every opportunity!

Wade & Meri – Thank you so much for having me as your wedding photographer.  It was such a pleasure working with you both!

So, as you can imagine, it was the day of the wedding when I finally met Nick. We got to know each other a bit while I was busy with the wedding photography and, while talking, I tried to hide my amazement that somehow, almost every groomsman he had was taller then I was (and I’m 6’5″).

The wedding took place in downtown Raleigh NC at the 1st Presbyterian church and the reception was held at the Crabtree Marriott in Raleigh. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and Amber made for a breathtaking bride! I really enjoyed working with the both of them and their families through the day (and night) and I look forward to their return from the honeymoon to show off some of the amazing wedding photos we were able to capture on their joyous occasion.

Before I start getting into everything, I will say it was 95 degrees outside and both the ceremony and reception were, you guessed it, outside.  Despite the heat, both the bride & the groom looked awesome and we were lucky enough to be in a chauffeured golf cart to do couples shots around the museum of life & science complex.  I think we probably covered two miles in the cart so I would like to send a special thanks out to Rachel, our driver and venue coordinator for helping us!  In the end, we drove thru every part of the museum and got some absolutely wonderful photographs from around the complex including the lake, dinosaurs, rock climbing and we tried for the wolves but they stayed inside where it was cool!

As the ceremony started, the sun gave us a break and went behind the clouds to give beautiful lighting and a beautiful blue sky.  There ceremony was mostly traditional with a few Jewish elements thrown in.  The mothers planted a flower as part of the ceremony and Erika & Corey watered it as a symbol of the marriage.  I haven’t seen this done before so I definitely thought it was pretty cool.  After the ceremony, and a few high fives, we all hopped on a train and took a few turns around the track.  I was lucky enough to be able to ride on the locomotive and get some great, great shots while dodging the occasional tree branch.

Back at the reception, after some really heartfelt toasts, dances and, of course, an awesome dinner, the party got started with some champagne and great music!  Before we knew it the night had slipped by and it was time to leave for the evening.  Even after going all day, the party was still hopping and I heard alot of plans to continue it in downtown Durham somewhere.

Congratulations to you both Corey & Erika!  Thank you so much for having me capture your day!  It was a lovely wedding and I hope you love your photos!

On Saturday, I met the bride at the Washington Duke Inn for their wedding ceremonies.  The Hindu ceremony was first and as all the ladies prepared, I felt like I was in the middle of a tornado!  Don’t get me wrong, I am used to being in the middle of a flurry of activity, but with the beautiful and vibrant colors, around 12 people in the room and all the ceremonial accoutrement with a Hindu Wedding, I almost went into photography overload.  So many wonderful photographs to be taken.  Anyway, before I digress, with the ladies in their final stages of wedding preparations,  I headed over to the groom’s room where Twix bars and jokes were the orders of the day.  In stark contrast to teh flurry of activity in the Bride’s room, David and the guys were relaxing and David only looked slightly nervous about his upcoming ride on a horse for the Barat.

We all headed downstairs and into the Washington Duke Inn parking lot for the Barat (Hindu wedding element where the groom rides a horse to meet the brides family surrounded by his family and friends).  As we made our way thru the parking lot, everyone was singing, dancing and, well, just making great photography moments for me!  Of course it wasn’t for me, but I certainly took advantage of it.  Once David had dismounted and gone inside, more traditions followed.  I will have to let the images speak for themselves on this because I don’t want to get the names and meanings wrong.  Either way, it was a beautiful entrance and from here everyone entered into the ceremony room.  After the exchanging of wreaths, everyone sat under a beautiful Mandap (Made by JW Walton) and the ceremony began.  The bride’s parents are very involved in Hindu ceremonies so they also sat in with Gita & David while coconuts, flower petals and other items were exchanged.  After the Hindu ceremony ended, we got a few quick formals then back up to the room to change for the Jewish ceremony.

Back downstairs for the Jewish ceremony, the couple signed the Ketubah (a marriage agreement of sorts) and then started the Jewish wedding ceremony.  With the exchange of the rings, the smashing of the glass and, of course, a big “Mavel Tov” from everyone at the wedding, we ran outside for more formals and some one-on-one time with the now twice married couple while their guests enjoyed their cocktail hour.

Once into the wedding reception (which if you haven’t been to a Washington Duke Inn Wedding, is something everyone should experience), things got started immediately by a dancing entrance by the wedding party then into the first dance.  For being a big guy, I think I blended in pretty well because I got some of my favorite candids during Gita & David’s first dance.  I want to talk more about the reception food but first, I would need a dictionary and, second, I could write another two pages.  Let’s just say it was fantastic!  After the toasts, cake cutting and bouquet toss, I think every wedding guest was out on the dance floor helping the happy couple celebrate their wedding.  Even though it felt like it could go on until the morning, the evening eventually came to a close and the lovely couple exited to a flower toss (of which I had to include two photos – as one is just hilarious) and the evening came to a close.

Gita & David – It has been a real honor to work with you and I hope you enjoy your wedding photos!

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Having never shot a Rock Barn Wedding, I really had no idea what to expect.  So I started my day really early and went with my wife, Ginger Mullins, to do the bride and bridesmaids wedding day makeup.  When we pulled into the “neighborhood”, it hit me that the Rock Barn Golf & Spa really was a destination and all of the outlying areas (condos & homes) were vacation property and available to rent.  Kristin did exactly that getting a beautiful 4 bedroom condo for her and her bridesmaids to sleep in and prepare for her wedding.  As Ginger worked on the makeup, Lynette (from Douglas Carroll Salon in Raleigh) worked on the hair.  I, being the helpful wedding photographer that I am, didn’t get in the way.  Of course, I shot a few photos of everyone getting their hair & makeup done but as we had 4½ until we had to leave, I tried to spare everyone the obnoxiousness of a camera constantly going off.  Little did I know I’d have plenty of chances to get more makeup shots soon. 

As we got to the church and everyone started getting ready I ran into Shawn Schindler, a very talented wedding planner in Raleigh making sure all the details were in place and helping the bride & groom with whatever they needed.  These moments before the wedding really are my favorites as the emotions are really showing and so many months of planning come to fruition.  As Kristin opened a card from Todd, the tears started flowing and well, it was just a great moment.  During the ceremony, I could see huge smiles on both of their faces even from the church balcony.  I’ve had a great run of awesome kisses and this was no exception!  I think I counted 3 of them and a hug for good measure.  After the church formals, we headed over to their parents house to get a shot of them with their longtime friend, a beautiful boxer named Dallas.  Unfortunately their dog has cancer so this was a very important photo for them.

At the Rock Barn, the couple was introduced to 150 of their friends and family and shared a beautiful first dance.  After a great dinner, we headed outside to get some portrait work with just the two of them under the most glorious storm clouds I have seen this year.  To say I am happy with the results is an understatement…  back inside to the parents dances where the father of the bride had a nice surprise – slipping in Bubba teeth during their dance.  If you aren’t familiar with Bubba teeth, please see the photo below.  This pretty much summed up the entire day.  So much emotion, laughter, joy & tears.  What a great wedding and they happy couple left to a sparkler send off back to their condo.

Kristin & Todd, thank you so much for allowing me to capture your wedding.  I truly enjoyed getting to know you and your entire family & friends.  I hope you enjoy the photos below!

I believe in this premise so strongly that I actually took the time to bring a video crew out with me to a bridal shoot in an old warehouse near downtown Raleigh to show how I work with my clients. My bride, Joanna, is an actual client who, at the time we shot this video, has not had her wedding yet. So everything you see on this video is as a real life shoot would happen.

Video of a Wedding Photographer in Raleigh from Brian Mullins on Vimeo.

I hope you enjoyed the video and I would love to hear from you regarding your need for a Raleigh Photographer whether its for your wedding, bridal photography or family portrait session. Click here to leave Brian a message.

When you have an Umstead Hotel Wedding on their lawn, it’s a wonderful piece of mind knowing there is an interior room for backup, just in case.  Today is was definitely not needed though.  With the gorgoues afternoon sun setting on the trees behind them, the wedding ceremony was perfect and the winds that had been blowing most of the day subsided just enough to make the weather and setting perfect for a wedding.  After the ceremony, we all headed down to the lake behind the Umstead Hotel for wedding day portraits for Ryan & Renee. A beautiful sunset provided a wealth of opportunities for great photos and, with it being a more intimate wedding, we had plenty of time to get some of my favorites shots of the year!

For the wedding reception, the Umstead hotel, again, just did a beautiful job.  With 12 people, they set it as one large “dining” room table which immediately reminded me of the super long & very formal dining room tables you see in the movies.  It was probably 25′ long with one of the prettiest floral centerpieces I have ever seen (from the Watered Garden).  Ryan had brought in some special wine for the wedding reception from where he had proposed to Renee.  WIth a sole piano playing the room, everyone enjoyed a great evening and even an impromptu dance from the happily married couple.

I want to thank you both for choosing me to capture your wedding day!  It was a real pleasure getting to know you both and I hope you love the wedding photos we captured!

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Nick & Elizabeth, first of all, have been such a joy to work with throughout the planning stages of their wedding photography.The  last consult before their wedding involved some rather exotic beverages and a wonderful dinner down the street from my photography office. With a lead up like that, you know this was going to be an awesome wedding! I can honestly say, wow! When I first arrived and met Elizabeth in her room at the Washington Duke Inn, I was floored at what a lovely bride she was! I don’t think I was in the room for more then 5 seconds before I immediately began shooting. As I moved around the room, I noticed that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, was embroidered, stitched, labeled or otherwise notated with Elizabeth & Nick’s names, initial or monograms. Wedding cookies, water bottle, tote bags.. you name it, there was their names on it! I was waiting to see their name on the Duke Chapel but, apparently, they didn’t get that far.  I headed from the brides room into the grooms suite and caught the guys getting ready. Nick presented me with a wonderful present from both him and his lovely bride – a bottle of imported Rum (which I am waiting for your guys return to crack it open – so hurry up! ) – thank you so much!!!

We headed over to the Duke Chapel wedding ceremony where Elizabeth put on her dress and got ready to walk down the aisle. I want to give a special thank you to the officiant who had Nick & Elizabeth turn around during the ceremony to look at everyone in attendance – allowing me to capture some wonderful photographs during their ceremony! Just before they walked down the aisle as man and wife, the train on the dress was adjusted, as well as the groom’s tux getting brushed off (which had me laughing), we ran off for family formals and a little alone time with the newly married couple before we went back to the Washington Duke Inn.

At the hotel, I was, well, floored when I saw the room setup. Absolutely gorgeous!!!! We had discussed this photo idea beforehand so we got into the room before anyone else, and my happy couple shared a dance, alone, in the middle of the dance floor. I love this photograph and I am so glad we made all the arrangements to make it happen! After the reception was over and the happy couple exited the hotel in a shower of rose petals, a horse & carriage awaited them. As they rode off, I ran after them, hopped in, and we took a quick stroll around campus while I was photographing their ride. Of course, I hopped out after a bit and got a few great shots of them on the Duke Campus, at night, in a horse & carriage.

So, to Elizabeth & Nick – congratulations to you both! Thank you so much for having me capture your wedding and I cannot wait for you to see all the photos!!! Now, on to a few of them!

Cake: Sweet Memories – Apex, NC
Flowers: Watered Garden Florist – Raleigh, NC
Videographer: Barton Creek Weddings – Raleigh, NC
Carriage: Triangle Carriage Company – 919-542-7810
Band: TBA

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The happy couple elected to see each other before the ceremony – something which more of my clients are doing this year.  We set Stacey up in an upstairs room at the Barn of Valhalla so Jeremy could come in and see the “unveiling” in relative privacy while I grabbed a few great photographs of the moment.  I know this is often a polarizing issue for couples, but hopefully the photos below will show you the advantage of seeing each other beforehand.  After they saw each other for the first time, they exchanged cards and had a beautiful moment alone, arm in arm, as they read the cards they had written each other.

Stacey & Jeremy were married on the elevated deck in front of the gigantic fireplace.  With 100 family and friends in attendance for the wedding ceremony, the couple exchanged their vows and, I can honestly say gave the best wedding kiss of the year.  I know I have written about this before but this year all of my wedding clients seem to be raising the bar for the wedding kiss.  After the wedding and receiving line, I went off with the couple to explore the grounds and capture some beautiful portraits of them both using both the beautiful open fields and the decked walkways.  The Barn at Valhalla has no shortages of locations to shoot so if you are looking to have a wedding here, I can guarantee your wedding photography will be beautiful!

On to the wedding reception, complete with cupcakes (which you know I love), Mediterranean food, dancing and celebrating (of course) all under Christmas lights strung along the rafters and Japanese lanterns.  As the night progressed, some very heartfelt toasts were given and, at the end of the evening, they newly married couple got a great sparkler sendoff.

Stacey & Jeremy – Thank you so much for choosing me as your wedding photographer!  I thoroughly enjoyed working with you for your wedding and a very big congratulations to you both!

The wedding day started out beautifully with both my wonderful clients getting ready at the Umstead  Hotel.  Ginger Mullins was working on the bridal hair & makeup for Christy in the Governors suite while the guys were out golfing.  After getting some awesome preparation photography, I turned my attention to photographing both of Christy’s beautiful wedding dresses.  As the Umstead Hotel rooms are gorgeous, I had no shortage of places to hang the dresses to get some great shots.  As the guys returned and got ready, I headed up to their room just as they were were getting ready to pay tribute to Charles father by cracking a few cans of his dad’s favorite bear, Pearl.  I know not everyone may get that, but it was a very touching moment and I was certainly touched to be part of it.

As we get ready to head out to the Umstead Hotel Lawn for the wedding, the skies were, well, not wanting to cooperate.  A light mist was coming down and while the guests were seated outside, we looked at the weather forecast and it was, well, not good.  Christy really wanted to married outside so Charles, being the awesome guy he is, made the call and said “Let’s do it”!  I think someone cashed in some Karma points as the very light rain stopped as soon as the ceremony began.  Even though the radar showed we should of been getting poured on, the skies remained sealed for the duration of the ceremony.

After the ceremony and couples portraits, we headed into the Umstead Hotel for the reception.  The Stone Age Romeo’s were brought in to get the reception jumping and right after the parent dances, they did just that!  This was the first time I had heard them play and I will definitely make time to go see them again!  As the reception wore on, Christy changed into her 2nd wedding dress and, well, let’s just say Charles was impressed.  As the wedding reception wore down, many of their close friends and family headed over to the Umstead bar to finish off the evening.  I am happy I was able to join them, sans camera, to help send them off in style!

Congratulations to you both!  Thank you so much for having me as your wedding photographer and I hope you enjoy this small sampling of photos from your wedding!

Mark & Christine chose this house specifically because of its charm and me, I think, because of my charm as well.  So as we all charmed each other, I was happy as a clam using the beautiful natural light streaming through the old home to capture some absolutely gorgeous wedding photography.  I don’t think I can explain why exactly, but there is something about the quality of light in older homes that you really just cannot find in newer construction.  The light absolutely sparkles when is hits my bride and groom so, yes, I was a very happy photographer.  Not to mention that Christine brought me cupcakes!!!  Yum!  Cara from a Southern Soiree guarded my cupcakes while I was working – thank you so much and you truly are an awesome wedding planner!

You really could not have have asked for a nicer day for a wedding.  The Preston Woodall house has a beautiful ceremonial area in the back that is beautifully landscaped and the florals from Lyn Graves at Fresh Affairs adorned the covered ceremony area.  It was a little windy so the candle lighting ceremony was, well, fun, but Christine & Mark got it lit and then moved on to the best part – the wedding kiss!

After going through the formal wedding photography, we moved on to a few of just the bride & groom in front of the Preston Woodall house then moved inside for the wedding dances.  It was time to party down after the dances and dinner…  to be honest, the reception absolutely flew by for me and I know that is a huge sign of having a really good time.  Mark & Christine has a beautiful sparkler send off to leave for the evening.

Mark & Christine – Thank you so much for your graciousness, hospitality and true warmth on your wedding day.  I was so very honored to be a part of it!  Now, on to some photos – my favorite one being first. 

I’ve been working with Sarah & Troy for a quite a few months doing their engagement session and Sarah’s bridal portrait so it was lovely to see everyone all excited for the wedding day.  Fearrington Village weddings are, how can I say, just beautiful.  Their grounds are immaculate and the entire complex just oozes class and elegance.  The wysteria was in full bloom which added a sweet smell to the air which just added another dimension of beauty to this already classy wedding.

At the start of the wedding, the sun was just over the horizon giving off a beautiful golden light onto the wedding ceremony held on the grass just outside the Fearrington Gardens.  A beautiful ceremony soon commenced and I would like to thank the wedding officiant for turning around Sarah & Troy to see the congregation whicht allowed me a few wonderful photos on their faces bathed in golden light..  yum!  After the ceremony and formals, Sarah, Troy and I headed out to the pasture to play in the setting sun.  I’m doing things a little differently this year to make my wedding photography even cleaner and, I think you’ll see the difference.  I am thrilled.. no, THRILLED with the photos from all day but especially this wedding portrait session just after the ceremony.

We headed into the wedding reception at the Fearrington Barn where the band was heating things up and the bartenders were cooling everyone down.  Now Sarah & Troy are total clowns so I was laughing quite a few times during their first dance as they would stop and pose for me.  The reception stayed jumping the rest of the evening and Sarah & Troy left to a sparkler send-off.  I thought about following them but, to be honest, they must of RUN wherever they were going because they were gone by the time I got around the corner.

I want to thank you both and your families for your graciousness and hospitality.  It has been a true pleasure getting to know all of you and I cannot wait for you to see the photos!