North Carolina Wedding on the Farm: Aaron & Darah

When two of your best friends tie the knot, it's hard to not have a million favorite pictures from their big day!  So get ready for picture overload!!! 

I met Aaron in high school.  He and my husband/high school sweetheart, Daniel, have always been best friends.  Years later, he brought Darah to a welcome home party we had for Daniel's graduation from USMC bootcamp.  I could immediately tell why Aaron had fallen for her.  Surrounded by our group of friends that had known each other for a decade or longer, she fit right in.  (I remember telling Aaron not long after that he better not mess this up, because he couldn't do better than her!  And I meant it!)  I am so thankful he put a ring on it, because not only are they perfect for each other, but Darah has also quickly become one of the best friends I could ever ask for.

This past May, over Memorial Day weekend, I was honored and thrilled to photograph their wedding day from start to finish.  When they first asked me to photograph their wedding I was incredibly nervous.  Good nervous, but my anxiety kicked in!  I never want to disappoint anyone, let alone two of my best friends.  There are no do-overs for wedding days!  We sat down and talked and I told them that I wanted to do an engagement session for them before they made their decision.  When they got their photos back, they absolutely LOVED them!  Their compliments and obvious excitement made my nerves melt away.  (See Aaron & Darah's engagement session here!)  

I am so so happy that I played this role on their big day!  I couldn't be happier with how these memories turned out.  Wishing both of my buddies the happily every after they deserve.

Cheers to the Andersons!

There's my hubby, the Best Man! <3

Aaron gave Darah her grandmother's stone reset into a pendant necklace.  She arrived at the perfect moment on wedding day, right as Darah was opening her gift.

Beautiful moment between mother and bride.  From tears one minute to laughter the next.

The mother of the groom wanted to take a photo with the shotgun.  The facial expressions in the photo below are 100% genuine!  One of my favorite shots from the day!! No pun intended.  :)

The best man (belonging to yours truly!) & Darah's sister-in-law sang a beautiful duet of Blake Shelton's "God Gave Me You" for Darah to walk down the aisle to.  Tear!!

Their guests released butterflies as they kissed, something Darah has always wanted for her wedding day.  We saved two of them for Aaron & Darah to release together.  This one decided to stick around!

Having a groomsman wear the Go-Pro throughout the reception.  Always a good idea!

Decorating the getaway car while no one is looking!

Venue: Rolling Hill Farms
Flowers: Chelish Moore Flowers
Invitations: Sweetest Beginnings
DJ: Crackerjack Sound Decisions
Cake: Megan Elizabeth Cakes

Couples Session Giveaway: Addie & Caleb

Here's round two of my May giveaway!  

I had the hardest time picking between all of the local couples who contacted me and couldn't settle on just one.  I'm so glad I met these two!

My husband and I are high school sweethearts, so finding other couples who are makes me do a little jump for joy on the inside!  Addie & Caleb are both from Charleston, SC and met in the 5th grade.  They have literally grown up together.  How sweet is that?!  I got so excited talking to the two of them.  It's hard to put into words how finding someone so similar to yourself can feel in a town where almost everyone is away from home.  Caleb and my husband share an infantry MOS, and turns out they love dogs too!  I already want to have a Labrador play date!

The love these two have for each other is rare.  I don't think I even captured it well enough in my pictures!  Caleb is scheduled to deploy this summer which made this session all the more special.  They are both so genuine and sweet, and I hope our paths cross again very soon!!

Enjoy this glimpse into their seaside session!

xoxo, Elizabeth

Couples Session Giveaway: Jessica & Michael

Meet Jessica & Michael, one of the couples selected for my free session giveaway!

A few weeks ago I drove around to scope out the piers on base.  After finding this one, I had the urge to photograph a couple there ASAP!  I posted a model call on a local Facebook site asking for people to post a picture of themselves and their significant other and got an overwhelming response!  Over 75 people commented and messaged me about the session.  It was so hard to choose!  Instead of picking just one couple, I picked two!  (Stay tuned for Addie & Caleb's blog!)

These two are so sweet.  She's from Alabama and he's from Florida, and they ended up in North Carolina stationed at Camp Lejeune.  I, a native North Carolinian, learned that Florida is not considered to be in "the South," but still think they are an adorable Southern couple!!  We did this shoot at two locations on base, and I am so glad I was able to get him in his dessert cammies.