Last fall I got to hang out with Rachel and Patrick on their wedding day. Their Shady Wagon Farm wedding in New Hill, NC was an excellent fit with Patrick and Rachel’s easy going personalities. They had their wedding ceremony by the farm’s pond and the reception and dinner happened in and around the barn. While Rachel and Patrick are local to Cary, much of their families traveled down from Boston and New York to celebrate their day with them and were greeted with a perfect North Carolina fall day.

The details at the wedding were very well thought out and did a lot to add a some vintage elegance to the rustic farm wedding. I don’t say this often, but I loved Rachel’s flowers. I have no idea what they are called, but there are photos below and they were put together by Jill Swartz of Preston Flowers in Cary. Rachel’s dad built this cool rack out of wood and string so that the name cards could be hung with clothespins and the couple invited their guests to complete adlibs about them at the sign in table. My favorite details however were the pie favors… little, personal pecan and pumpkin (my all-time favorite) pies in craft paper boxes made by Nancy at Once in a Blue Moon Bakery. Besides being really tasty pies, they were there as an homage to Rachel’s grandmother and some of her favorite memories.

Of course we made some pictures as well. It wasn’t all pie and flowers… Rachel and Patrick wanted to do a “first look” before the wedding. So we arranged for them to see each other before the ceremony out near the farm’s “country store”. One thing I really love about my clients is that their bridal parties are almost always open to what I like to refer to as “adventures in portraiture.” Which brings us to the cornfield. As a child of the ’80s, cornfields are by their very nature a bit creepy. Fields of dried out corn stalks, courtesy of a drought, are a bit more spooky. Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised when my idea to do a group portrait in the dead corn field behind the “country store” was met with a little skepticism. Thankfully, peer pressure won out and everyone climbed out into the corn field to have their picture taken :) Except for me that is… ’cause corn fields give me the willies. After the group shots were done, the rest of the bridal party headed back to join the rest of the guests while I took Rachel and Patrick to a cool spot I found earlier in the day when scouting the grounds. The shot of them on the forest path with the sun flare is one of my favorite photos and all I had to do was find good light for them to stand in and let them be themselves.

Another personal touch that really set Patrick and Rachel’s wedding apart was choosing to hire blues band, The Mike Zinna Trio to provide the evening’s entertainment. Mike and the gang were fantastic and really kept the energy up and the dance floor packed with lots of great classic rock, jazz standards and rhythm and blues. These guys are really talented musicians who know how to put on a great show. Great celebrations tend to have great food and this one was no exception. Catering by Design did a great job of providing the food and drink service and were all around great to work with. Finally, Jeff Eisenhuth kept everything moving along smoothly as their wedding coordinator, plus he made sure I got to eat for which I am eternally grateful. (sometimes I forget)

Most of all, I loved being there to witness the marriage of these two great people whom I’d spent a lot of time with over the preceding 6 months. I got to see Rachel dance with her father, and joke around with her sisters and friends. I got to see Patrick spend time with his grandmother and relax with his dad. Rachel’s parents sang for the guests after the ceremony and along with Patrick’s parents were incredibly gracious hosts. I can’t say enough nice things about these wonderful people who let me into their tight family for a little while or put into words the immense amount of love that filled this day. So I’ll stop and show it in pictures.

Rachel + Patrick | Shady Wagon Farm Wedding in New Hill, NC is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer

Jen and Kevin (a.k.a. Bert) were married back in October on Sunset Beach, North Carolina.  Beach front weddings are wonderful and romantic, but they bring with them their own set of challenges.  The first challenge is getting there. Now, for Jen and Kevin, “getting there” involved a road-trip from their home in Ontario, Canada.  Luckily, they didn’t have to make the trip alone.  You see, Jen and Kevin are very much loved by their friends and family. So much so that about (pronounced “a-boot”) 100 of them made the trip to North Carolina to witness, celebrate and bless their new marriage.

Jennifer wore an Alfred Angelo designed, Disney princess inspired wedding dress which looked beautiful on wind swept Sunset Beach as well as on the dance floor at Brunswick Plantation in Calabash, NC.  The staff at Brunswick Plantation was very friendly and accommodating and represented “Southern Hospitality” very well.

After all was said and done, I was moved the most by just how much Jen and Kevin were loved by the people in their lives.  Well, that and witnessing them show just as much love in return.  I want to thank them all for letting me and my family into theirs for that very special weekend.  Without further ado, here are some pictures from their day.

Jen + Kevin | Sunset Beach Wedding is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer

The relaxed elegance of Sarah and Dustin’s wedding fit their personalities perfectly. Their families were an absolute joy to be around and I have to thank them all for allowing me into their lives for a day. I also can’t say enough about how professional and accommodating Ami Wheeler and the entire staff of The Umstead Hotel and Spa were to us. Finally, I’m grateful to fellow photographer Michelle Gunton, for coming out with me and helping document Sarah and Dustin’s big day. She delivered some of my personal favorite images of the day and a few are featured below.

So without further ado, here are some pictures from Sarah and Dustin’s big day.

Sarah and Dustin | a Wedding at The Umstead is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer

Rachel and Patrick are gettin’ hitched in October at the Shady Wagon Farm in New Hill, NC. We had a lot of fun on this engagement shoot which began in their apartment and ended up in and around downtown Carrboro, NC. We’re all just a bunch of low-key, relaxed lovers of beer and pie, makin’ some pictures and havin’ a good time. Rachel, Patrick and I have a lot in common, I’m am extremely excited about their wedding. They’re so cool they let me shoot them just about anywhere. So far we’ve shot in their apartment, at Total Wine, in a Harris Teeter, on railroad tracks and in an alley behind a bar. I love these guys and hope you’ll enjoy these pictures from our day.

Rachel + Patrick | Engaged is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer

Vanessa and John are getting married (yay!) next March in Florida. We got together in July for a little engagement adventure in Lake Eola park in Orlando. If you’re not familiar with Orlando, Lake Eola is a scenic oasis in the heart of downtown. There’s a playground and a band shell and a lake with swans… giant Shaquille O’Neal sized swans that could also play center for Orlando Magic.

Needless to say we had a great time. Vanessa and John are very much in love, you see. They’re also awesome people and fun to hang out with. John plays guitar, which is apparently becoming a trend with my grooms, and Vanessa loves to listen to John’s guitar playing. See how they’re perfect for each other? Anyway, back to the angry birds…

So, it would seem that the giant swans of Lake Eola don’t like humans having picnics on their turf. There was this one swan, whom I shall call Shaq, who kept coming over to intimidate us. Needless to say it worked and as you can see from the pictures, we did our thing and after a quick wardrobe change, went to the library. Seeing as how all three of us are library lovers, it worked out perfectly. The birds got rid of us and we took refuge from the Florida summer in air conditioning, surrounded by books.

I’d like to thank Vanessa and John for following me on this adventure and braving Angry Birds, 100% humidity and the streets of O-town to make these pictures. Without further ado, here are some photos from our day.

Angry Birds | Vanessa and John’s Orlando engagement is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer

Sometimes the stars just align. Rodney and Ashley got married in Asheville, North Carolina last month and I was there to photograph it. With a little help from the Universe, and a whole lot of help from their families and many, many friends, Rod and Ash put on a wedding that I think can best be described simply as “very Asheville.”

The most important things in Ashley and Rod’s world took center stage on their wedding day. Their five children, their parents and families, their friends and the city of Asheville itself were embraced and entertained by the bride and groom in what they referred to simply as “the festivities.” Comedians, a clown, a gypsy jazz band and fire dancers made for an incredible day which I was honored to chronicle.

So, without further ado, here are some pictures from their day…

Rod and Ash – One Show Only: an Asheville Wedding is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer

Coming Soon – Rod and Ash: an Asheville Wedding is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer

I had the honor of photographing the wedding of Nathalie and Corey last fall and working alongside Tim Sayer of Sayer Photography.  Nathalie and Corey were well taken care of by the event staff at Chateau Bellevie, a lovely bed and breakfast in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.

Nathalie and Corey’s wedding had everything I could ask for as a photographer.  A beautiful venue, two diverse families with lots of character, wonderful details and awesome dancing.  As great as all those things were, the best I witnessed were the stolen glances between Nathalie and Corey.  The way those two looked at each other when they thought no one else was looking reminded me of why I chose to focus on weddings.

I want to again thank Tim Sayer again for inviting me to cover this wedding with him and Nathalie and Corey and their family for being so warm and welcoming.  Here are some pictures from their day…

Nathalie and Corey’s Chateau Bellevie Wedding is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer

I built a Facebook page for my photography business recently and am still in the process of posting all the photos I need to it. While I was figuring out which images to post on Facebook, I realized that some deeper thoughts needed to be had and that I needed to answer some questions for myself. For instance, how am I going to use social media? What’s in it for my friends, colleagues, clients and fans? Writing a blog post to answer my own questions just seemed like a good idea at the time. So here’s what I’m thinking…

I want to use my blog, Facebook pages and twitter presence to put different information out to those who are interested. I acknowledge that not everyone is interested in the work that I do outside of weddings and portraits. I also realize that maybe my musings on camera equipment and where I’m taking my family on vacation might not appeal to everyone who might want to try one of my Fearless Bridal sessions (shoot at the zoo anyone? I’m serious.) In the end, I decided to break down my online presence as follows:

Blog – My blog is the center of my business. I use it as a way of sharing my professional work to potential clients and getting feedback from past clients. Pretty much every post featured on my blog will be wedding or portrait photography related. You can subscribe to this blog via email or an RSS feed (like Google Reader) if you’d like to be notified when there’s a new post.

Facebook Fan Page – This page is new to me, but what I intend to do is share a lot of work with anyone who is interested. Not just wedding related, but personal projects, and test shoots with models as well. I’ll post sneak peeks of weddings and portrait shoots and also casting calls for people to serve as models when I need someone to experiment on with new equipment or techniques. If you “Like” the page, you’ll also see insider specials and invitations to events that won’t be announced anywhere else… except maybe

Twitter: I’ll admit that I haven’t been the best tweeter in the past. I’m warming up to the notion of some sort of stream of electronic consciousness broadcasting my selfish thoughts to the world. I know I sometimes have a tendancy to think snarkiness is funny and frankly I’m a little worried that I will come off as unprofessional if I use Twitter too much. That said, what I love about Twitter is the ability to ask questions to hundreds or thousands of people at once and get instant feedback. Follow me on Twitter if you want to know what’s going on in my head. There, you’ve been warned.

I also have a personal Facebook page which I use to stay in touch with my family and colleagues. Please don’t take offense if I don’t immediately accept friend requests to my personal page as I’m still figuring out how private I’m going to be with it.

Finally, I also have content available on Flickr and Model Mayhem. I’ll admit that my best work does not live there. Instead I use them to network with other photographers and industry professionals and also to show images from events that I attend or photos that are trying to illustrate particular techniques. In other words, “don’t judge.” ;)

Please feel free to comment on this post. I’d love to hear what you all think of the new Facebook page and what sort of content you would like to see me post. Also, if you’re interested in seeing more frequent updates and a wider array of photos than just what’s on my blog, please take a moment to “Like” my Facebook page while you’re there. Right now, there are some images from this past week’s trip to Las Vegas, including a Las Vegas elopement that I haven’t blogged yet. Enjoy, and I’ll see you on Facebook!

P.S. Here are a couple of images from my Las Vegas trip. Check out my Facebook page if you want to see more.

How I use social media is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer

When Sara volunteered to star in my first “Fearless Bridal” photo shoot, I will admit, I was very excited. I had been planning this shoot in my mind for over a year and was just waiting for the right person to come along and help me make it happen. Sara didn’t hesitate at all when I described a shoot that would involve travelling to a state park and hiking up a mountain early in the morning to stand on a cliff and take bridal portraits. If anything, she seemed as excited as I was, and thus, high expectations were set.

The word “epic” isn’t something I just throw around casually, but it does describe what I was going for. To me, “Fearless Bridals” are about going on an adventure and taking some risks to make unforgettable images. I want my clients to look at my work and remember the thrill of making it. The journey is just as important as the destination. It’s not about “trashing” the dress, although we certainly take risks that we wouldn’t think of taking prior to the wedding.

Sara was the epitome of a fearless bride. She braved shear cliffs, freezing water and giant spiders to make the photos below, all while showing poise and enthusiasm for the art we were making. Thank you Sara, for trusting me. I’d also like to publicly thank Sara’s husband Ben and Rocky the wonder dog for helping make the shoot possible. Thanks also goes to Chris Goette for lending me a studio strobe without exactly knowing what I was going to do with it ; )

Last but certainly far from least, a special thank you goes to David Asher of Graham, NC for assisting me on the shoot. David more than carried his weight, quite literally, on this shoot and was an excellent lighting assistant. When he’s not lugging studio lighting gear up mountains, Dave is a good photographer in his own right. Please take a moment to check out his work here.

And so, without further ado, here are some pictures from our day:

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Sara’s Fearless Bridal Shoot is a post from: luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer