Ceremony & Reception: 21c Museum Hotel, Durham, NC
Dresses: Bellisima Bridal Boutique, Winston-Salem, NC
Hair: Amaka’s International Hair, Durham, NC
Make-Up: Tiwa Lawrence, Raleigh, NC
Catering: 21c Museum Hotel, Durham, NC
Planner: Tunisia Muhammed, Durham, NC
DJ: DJ Ern, Raleigh, NC
Cake: Edible Art, Raleigh, NC
At Durham’s 21c Museum Hotel wedding photography is literally on show everywhere you look. Its current exhibition, entitled “Off-Spring” features amazing works from photographers such as Colombia’s Adriana Duque and Germany’s Loretta Lux, amongst many others. The work on show is inspiring in its beauty and provides an amazing backdrop for weddings and events.
And so it was that, last month, I joined up with Raine and Chasity for their amazing wedding ceremony and reception at the hotel. This was my first time shooting there and so I’d been over to check out the space a few weeks prior. Raine and Chasity wanted to spend a good amount of time taking pictures around the hotel, so I wanted to get a feel of what the venue offered ahead of time. The building was originally designed and built as a bank and the vault in the basement is a really cool spot to visit and shoot in. We used that location for a “faux” first look and for some portraits before and after the ceremony. We also shot some cool images incorporating the art and lighting around the art exhibitions. With so much art on show, though, the challenge is really how to incorporate it into the imagery without forcing the situation or it becoming overpowering. You almost have to force yourself to quieten down the visual noise surrounding you from all sides.
Of course, the vast majority of the day was spent observing and documenting the day in a photojournalistic style. There was a lot of emotion on show and Raine and Chasity’s friends and family, especially the kids, provided a lot of subject matter! That emotion and those moments make up the bulk of the images. Here are just a few of my favourites from the day:
Big thanks to Raine and Chasity for being such great people to work with. You guys were brilliant! All the best for a long and happy marriage!
