howard memorial church & blount-bridgers house wedding

August 3, 2021

howard memorial church & blount-bridgers house wedding – julianne & john

As I catch up on my blogging after a seriously busy spring, it's time to share some images from Julianne & John's beautiful Howard Memorial Church & Blount-Bridgers House wedding over in Tarboro, NC.

If you're following along on my blog, you may remember Julianne's bridal session at Rose Hill Estate from a few months back. That was a lot of fun, so if you haven't seen it yet, you really need to check it out; it's not often you end a bridal session in a cemetery!

Anyway, I knew what fun characters Julianne and her family are and we'd bonded pretty well at the bridal session. Add to that the fact I would be shooting at beautiful venues I'd never photographed in, and you can guess I was very much looking forward to these high school sweethearts' big day.

How the day unfolded:

So, I started off at Julianne's parents' house where Julianne and her bridesmaids were getting ready. It's always great photographing in places with character and a story. If there is an emotional attachment it just adds to the vibe of the day. It definitely hels the bride relax too. As Julianne's childhood home, there was no shortage of memories on display in the form of photos, etc, and the natural light coming through the large windows was lovely to work with.

One of the good things about having the chance to bond over the bridal session was that Julianne trusted me implicitly. So when I recommended she get in her dress in the hallway of her home while I shot down from the top of the stairs, she was totally up for it. The result was some of my favourite images of a bride getting in her dress ever.

From there, we headed over to the church which is also the same church Julianne's parents got married at 35 years ago. It's a beautiful church, but one with rather strict policies on where photographers can work from: Erin and I were limited to shooting from the narthex doorway, which was a fun challenge for us both.

On the way to the reception, we stopped by the historic Town Commons for a photo by the Wyatt Memorial Fountain. Julianne & John really only had this sole request so I was more than happy to do so. The golden hour light was amazing and so we took a few extra photos in just a couple of minutes before getting back on the bus to the Blount Bridgers House. It was a gorgeous summer evening and everyone had a really great time chatting, eating, drinking and dancing the night away.

Why did you choose Joe Payne Photography?

"Joe's creativity and use of light."

And how was your experience?

"First of all, I would love to give more than 5 stars to Joe. He is all around AMAZING to work with and very detail-oriented with his photos and lighting. My bridal session photos and wedding photos came out so beautiful and stunning that they made me tear up. He is very sweet and responds to emails and messages quickly! I highly recommend going with Joe!!"

So, having said all that, let's see some pics. Here are just some of my faves from Julianne & John's day: