Hotel Accommodations: Siena Hotel, Chapel Hill, NC
Wedding Ceremony: Community Church of Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Wedding Reception: Weathervane at Southern Season, Chapel Hill, NC
Cake: Ann Erteschik
Florist: Jennifer Wood at Whole Foods Market, Chapel Hill, NC
Hair: Carmen! Carmen! Prestige Salon e Spa at Belk the Streets, Southpoint Mall, Durham, NC
Where to begin? This was such a fantastic day for me to photograph that it’s been tough to go back and choose just a few images to show the story of the day. It pretty much ticked all the boxes for great wedding photography in Chapel Hill in terms of a lovely couple with an interesting backstory, an international angle with Akiko being from Japan, brilliant venues with a lot of visual interest to shoot in and amazing autumn weather! What more could I ask for?
I started the day with Akiko, her mum and her bridesmaids in her room at the Siena Hotel. It was really interesting to walk into the room and just listen to the hush as Akiko got ready. Every wedding is different, and this was the first one I have been to where the bride’s room is so silent. Akiko is a piano teacher, so it was not something I was expecting at all. It was almost like she was meditating to get in the right frame of mind for the huge step she was taking in her life. As a guy, I always enjoy being involved in that part of day and it was a really lovely scene to observe and document. Watching Akiko’s mum, moving so delicately in her traditional Japanese kimono and geta, quietly helping her daughter get dressed and made-up, was a definite highlight of the year for me so far.
From the Siena, we headed over to the church for final preparations and the ceremony itself. It was my first time shooting at the Community Church and it is a very colourful place indeed! After the ceremony we headed over to the Gene Strowd Community Rose Garden where we managed to wring out the last few rays of sunlight in order to make some fantastic images of the bride, groom and bridal party. Thanks to the guys for being such good sports!
The last few hours of a very enjoyable day were spent across the road from the rose garden at Southern Seasons’ Weathervane restaurant. We ate, drank and made merry to a backdrop of fab jazz music provided by friends of the bride and groom. I need to give a shout out to Sarah and the team at the Weathervane for looking after me so well. You guys were great to work with!
Thanks again to Akiko and Jordan for having me along as part of their special day. They are a very sweet couple indeed and I wish them all the very best for a long and happy future together!
Enough blather; on with the pics…
