Where my photography bootcamp class is for the mid-level amateur to beginning professional, the lighting bootcamp is aimed at the very advanced amateur to professional photographer.  We’ll be covering a slew of techniques, equipment and “scenarios” of lighting and, probably most importantly, giving you the vocabulary and “process” to follow when making decisions on how to light.  Just a few of the things we’ll be covering:

On camera flash (it’s not the devil)
Bounce flash
Off camera flash
Triggering systems
Lighting Modifiers
Lighting Equipment
Mixing light
Direction of light
Camera Mechanics

There is a lot more information including how to sign up for the class on the below link.  We will be having this class in Myrtle Beach, SC so come a day early, enjoy the beach then come ready to have your brain exploded with lighting techniques that will take your photography to another level and give you the confidence to shoot in any situation!

Click here to register:  Lighting Bootcamp – Myrtle Beach, SC

I attached a few photos to help demonstrate many of the techniques we’ll be discussing.  Look forward to seeing you there!

Having never been to Mt Bethel Presbyterian Church in the past, we arrived really early to scope the place out and meet everyone.  We  met up with David & Christina as they arrived and had a wonderful opportunity to chat with them and their families while they got ready.  After the ceremony, the happy couple walked out to their friends & family who were waiting to send them off in their beautiful custom car.  They had plans to have the hard top off but, well, it was a bit too cold for that so they drove off with the heat on and top attached.

We arrived at the Carolina Inn to a gorgeously decorated old well room.  With fabric banners stringing from the main chandelier to the others, gorgeous flowers and, of course, a wonderful plated meal, the guests were all buzzing with excitement at the arrival of our bride & groom.  Much of the family had traveled in for the wedding so it was great to see the couple had elected to have a early afternoon reception so they could spend more time during the day & evening with everyone.  Afternoon receptions tend to not have as much dancing but, well, that was not the case with David & Christina.

After the reception ended, we all walked about the gorgeous grounds of the Carolina Inn to photograph some wedding day portraits of the newlyweds.  There are so many gorgeous areas around the hotel that I literally had to cut myself off or we would of kept going well into the evening.

I’d like to give my warmest congratulations to David & Christina!  I wish you both  a wonderful life together!  As always, I hope you enjoy a few photos from David & Christina’s Carolina Inn Wedding.

Shawn of Your Special Day Events was heading up the organization and planning of the event which included a pretty extensive fashion show which featured both gorgeous dresses for both brides and bridesmaids by Victorian Rose Bridals, breathtaking jewelry by Anfesa’s Jewelers and many of the areas top vendors.

We met with some amazing brides and vendors during our time there but the star of the show was really the runway fashion event.  I lost count of how many beautiful gowns, dresses and tuxedos came down the runway but, needless to say, I got a wealth of great photos!

I’d like to thank all the wonderful vendors who participated and, of course, show you a few photos below.  Enjoy!

I’ve gotten to know a few of the folks at FJWestcott and was thrilled when we worked out an opportunity for me to speak at their booth about their lighting equipment.  Specifically, I was demonstrating their Spiderlight TD6′s which I use both in my studio and in the field.  Westcott provided a great model, a mic and a videographer to document the talk.  It was only 30 minutes so I could only discuss 2 different lighting setups but had a blast with it!  It was the last day of the trade show so alot of people were “talked oiut” but I still managed to get a small crowd going.

I’d like to thank Christobal Perez for taking a couple of photos while I was speaking and our lovely model for, well, being lovely!  The first two shots are from Christobal, the third is of our model and the last is Christobal (LOL) getting in on some of the action.

Just in case you wanted to see what all the fuss is about, I’ve posted the two collages below and, of course, a photo of the award (which is on a heirloom Bavarian China plate from the 1940′s).  The wedding I selected was Britni & Orry’s Charleston Wedding I shot at Lowndes Grove last year.  If you have never been, it is an amazing venue nestled on the banks of the Ashley river.  I joked that all you had to do was point the camera somewhere and click the button – the venue really is that amazing!  I hop you enjoy the photos below.

Thanks to everyone – my clients, vendors & venues who have supported my business and I really look forward to producing more awesome work for you in 2013!

I arrived in Charleston, SC on Friday evening and met up with everyone at their rehearsal dinner which was held at the Historic Rice Mill Building.  This incredible facility is set on the Ashley River just down from the Charleston Yacht Club.  With the sun setting over the Horizon, there are gorgeous sailboats as far as the eye could see in one direction and a tall bridge on the other.  The Rice Mill was built in 1861 and is a beautiful location for any wedding related event.  When Britni & Orry arrived, it was great to actually meet them in person and chat a bit about their wedding.  Both of them have traveled extensively and almost everyone in the wedding was coming from out of town.  It was really lovely to have this time to talk with them, their family and friends and learn where many of them traveled in from.  A professional comedian from Los Angeles, Michigan, New York, Tel Aviv, etc.  As the night went on I witnessed one of the top 3 toasts/roasts I have personally seen – all done with candy bar wrappers (“she went out one evening looking for a little whatchamacalit”) and, well, I’ll leave it at that.

The next day we headed over to Lowndes Grove were everyone was getting their hair & makeup done.  I lost count but I think at some point there were 3 hairdressers/makeup artists in the brides room working on the ladies.  Despite the buzz of activity, the day had a distinctly relaxed feel to it with everyone chatting and enjoying their time together.  Once the guys arrived, we setup a time for Britni and Orry to see each other before the ceremony without anyone else around.  Lowndes Grove has an amazing “foyer” area at the front of the house that was perfect for this moment.  As they were having a Jewish wedding ceremony, the went from this into the signing of the Ketubah (Jewish wedding contract).

The wedding ceremony took place under the willow trees in front of the Ashley river.  Britni & Orry had a gorgeous wooden Chuppah built on site and the guests had seats in the shade on the lawn just on the other side of the Lowndes Grove patio.  You could not have asked for a more perfect location, couple or day for their wedding.  After the ceremony was over, he got a chance to photograph some incredible wedding portraits around the grounds.   One of my favorites was taken as they were walking back to the house along a very, very long pier (showing the house and guests in the background).

The wedding reception which was held outside Lowndes Grove under a tent frame wrapped with light bulbs, farm style long tables, wonderfully themed table decorations and candles hanging from the trees with white satin ribbon.  It had taken most of the day to setup and I can honestly say all the work was totally worth it.  So many great ideas from the centerpieces to the seating charts (written on windows).  After the dinner and toasts were over, the DJ got the party started and before you know it, the dance floor was swarming with everyone dancing and there were even a few pushups and piggy back rides.  As the night ended Britni & Orry boarded a trolley with their guests under a shower of wedding sparklers.

I’d like to give my sincerest thank you to Britni, Orry and their families for making me feel like a part of their own family.  I hope you enjoy the photos from their wedding and I look forward to that 10 year reunion party!  :)

Charleston on Dwellable

Make sure you check out their article about the Britni & Orry’s wedding on their Charleston SC destination wedding website page then visit my site on January 14th to read my writeup about the two incredible days we spent with them!

Of course, here is a teaser photo.  :)

We came up on Friday afternoon, which is customary as I don’t want to drive on the wedding day (in case I get caught in traffic, break down, accident, etc) in time for the rehearsal dinner.  The dinner took place at the Biltmore Lake Clubhouse (On Biltmore Lake) which has a STUNNING view over the water.  It was late fall so most of the leaves had fallen but there was still enough color to make the scenery gorgeous.  I should mention this was the first time I had ever met either Steve or Kristin so it was great to finally shake their hands in person.  I stole the happy couple away for a few moments to grab a couple of portraits before the dinner, speeches, toasts/roasts and (really great) slideshow.  After the dinner, their friends setup a wonderful bonfire to keep the chill away while they enjoyed a rare but great gathering of longtime friends and their family.

The next day, we drove up the mountain (yes, all the way to the top) to the Grand Highlands at Bearwallow Mountain clubhouse.  I simply cannot describe in words how gorgeous the view from the clubhouse is.  The clubhouse itself is a beautiful example of high country construction with raw wood & stone.  While Kristin was getting her hair & makeup done, I met up with the guys and shot a few individual and group portraits of them.  After a few close encounters with a hungry horse (apparently their jackets tasted great), we headed back inside where Kristin was finishing up with her makeup and getting ready to get dressed.  This really is my favorite part of that day as you can really see the excitement, nerves and anticipation on everyone’s faces.  After we shot their portraits, Steve & Kristin has agreed to see each other before the ceremony so we set them up away from everyone else and had a great few minutes alone with them.

The ceremony location was, well, one from a storybook.  At the ridge of a mountaintop, overlooking a valley with the late falls colors all around them – simply stunning.  There was a long walk from the Clubhouse which provided some gorgeous scenic views of the processional (I’ll be honest, wedding photographers in Asheville have it made with the scenery here.) as the ceremony began.   I actually shot a little 4×4 medium format film during the ceremony which came out pretty darn cool.  After a really beautiful ceremony with tears & laughter and the formals (with the occasional golf cart in the photo), we headed back inside for the cocktail reception & dinner.  I really cannot say enough about how visually stunning it was to be in a mountain cabin overlooking the valley with Kristin, Steve and their friends and family.

The reception was, well, absolutely a blast!  Dancing, celebrating and some awesome tunes…  it actually got so rambunctious we had to cool the amps on the DJ rig down – now THAT was a good party!  Kristin and Steve left that evening as their friends held up sparklers for them to run under.  It was, honestly, a very fitting end to and incredible day and I honestly felt like one of their family after it was all over.  As always, I am very proud to share a few choice photos with you from Kristin & Steve’s Asheville Wedding!

Asheville on Dwellable

Brett’s Bar Mitzvah ceremony took place at Beth Meyer, a synagogue in Raleigh, NC and the reception was held at Vaughn Towers – the building overlooking the NC State football field.  Beth Meyer didn’t allow for photos to be taken at the ceremony, so we captured the rehearsal session the day before.  This actually works out very well as I am not constrained in where I could go unlike the actual ceremony.  We ended up with some great photos from the rehearsal and got to prepare for the reception on Saturday.

Now, calling this a reception just does not do it justice.  This was two floors, 300+ guests complete with a 3d video on the jumbotron, 15+ games, a money grab station, Mr. & Mrs. Wuf, a Pinata, 15 professional dancers and so much more that it’s difficult to give more details.  Needless to say, this was a huge celebration and something I am very, very proud to have been a part of.

The night started out upstairs with the cocktail hour, the pinata and numerous other games like a putt putt hole, a “fear factor” challenge to drink a disgusting, um, cocktail, fake snow and huge banner to write a few notes to Brett on.  After the cocktail hour ended, we moved downstairs for Brett to make his entrance.  Of course, this could be no “regular’ entrance so Brett, our man of the hour, busted through a white paper barrier which was showing a video of him with the NC State football team.  Wearing an authentic helmet and Jersey from the Wolfpack, he charged through the paper to greet all of his guests.  That’s when the festivities really got started and rest of the events were open to the guests.

At the risk of leaving out some important things, I’ll just hit the highlights here – dome hockey, “guess the flavor” of the jelly beans, free throw basketball, pop-noggins, the money booth, and so much more.  As the reception got going, we moved everyone outside into the stadium seats to watch a 3D video created just for Brett on the Jumbotron.  I ended up sprinting about a ¼ mile to and from the opposite side of the stadium so I could get a photo of just how massive this Mitzvah was.  As the night ended, I can assure you every single person in attendance left knowing THIS is how you throw a mitzvah.

I wanted to mention two vendors who, without them, this night would simply not have been the same:

Amazing Video Creations
Split Second Sound

I remain proud, humbled and honored to have been part of such an amazing event.  Of course, you can see a choice selection of photos below!

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves but I do hope you enjoy the layout and, if you are newly engaged and looking for a great planning, vendor and instructional resource, I highly recommend picking up a copy of the 2013 Southern Bride & Groom magazine.  If you can’t locate one give me a shout, I’ll be happy to get you a copy!

Now, on to the spreads!

Based on all the questions I was getting before the Holiday on “what camera” you shoudl buy, I thought it was a great idea toconduct a “photography 101” class at my studio in downtown Apex, NC on December 30th.  This class focuses on learning the basic controls of your camera for the first portion then we move into getting better results out of your dSLR .  There are only 6 seats available (with 2 instructors) to maximize each person’s one on one time with an instructor and to guarantee your understanding of each concept.

Each class takes it’s own shape but, at a minimum, we shoot 3 different times for about 30-45 minutes each, in 3 different scenarios, using natural light and flash.  As soon as the class starts we’ll get your camera in hand and switch it to manual mode.  By the time the class ends, you’ll be shooting comfortably in full manual mode and making your adjustments quickly, accurately and understand why your exposure is right or not.

We’ll also be using flash, if you have one, to work  on your on-camera flash techniques, how to make it look like it’s off-camera, bounce flash, and even how to make your direct flash look “better”.  In other words, the class will give you all of the tools you need to be a better photographer, regardless of the lighting situation.

These are just a few of the things we discuss.  Lens selection, composition, different shooting scenarios, etc. To sign up, simply click on the below link to read more about the class and sign up!  I look forward to seeing you here!

As you probably have surmised by now, this is no “basic” photography class.  My students in the past have ranged from those who just got their dSLR camera to professional photographers looking to learn more about their craft.  No matter what skill level you are currently, I can guarantee you will learn from this class and become a better photographer.

Apex Photography 101 Class

Look forward to seeing you there!

Logan and Andrew, as well as their families, all came in from out of town for their Duke Chapel Wedding Ceremony. Both of them got ready at the gorgeous Washington Duke Inn hotel, just down the street from the Chapel.  One thing I really love about the hotel is how gorgeous their rooms are.  Plenty of places to get beautiful photos of the wedding gown, shoes, bouquet, jewelry, etc.  Once Logan got ready, we took her downstairs as her & Andrew wanted to see each other before the ceremony.  We carved out a little space in the hotel so they could have a private moment – well, almost private as we were, of course, photographing it.  We gave them a moment afterwards though.  :)

After the happy couple spent a few minutes with each other, we all headed over to Duke Gardens to capture some gorgeous photos of both them and their bridal party.  I finally got to do a shot I had always wanted to – from across the water.  After we finished up, we headed back to Duke Chapel and, before you know it, Logan was walking down the aisle!   It was a gorgeous ceremony that ended right at sunset.  To be honest, sunset at Duke Chapel is my favorite time in the world.  As we were leaving, I got a couple of incredible photos with Duke Chapel with a twilight sky behind it that I just have to show you.

After the wedding was over, we all headed over to the Washington Duke Inn for their reception.  With a live band, close to 200 people (including a very pleasant VIP) and so many close family & friends, the wedding reception was definitely one to remember!  Once you throw in the worm, the soul train boogie lane and all the happy people, you could not describe this as anything else but one might fine wedding reception!

I’d like to thank Logan, Andrew and both of their families for their warmth, hospitality and graciousness to us here at Brian Mullins Photography.  We had an absolutely wonderful time capturing your wedding day and wish you both a lifetime of happiness!  As always, here are a few photos from Logan & Andrew’s wedding day!

You must book your wedding photography before January 15th,2013.
Your wedding must take place on or before August 31st, 2013.
You will receive a $1000 credit good for either products or package discounts with Brian Mullins Photography.

To take us up on this offer, just give us a shout at contact@brianmullinsphotography.com, use the above contact button or call us at 919.414.0869.  We’ll schedule an in-studio consult (or phone consult if you are out of town) and find out more about your wedding, go over the packages and, if everything sounds good, sign you up!  That’s it!

We look forward to hearing from you and, of course, I had to throw a few photos in here to show you just how happy you’ll be!

I hope you enjoy!

EARLY BIRD HOLIDAY MINI-SESSION

In the month of November, I am offering holiday “mini-sessions” at a greatly reduced fee. You can use this for your Holiday cards, a Christmas Present for the wife or FINALLY get that family photo you’ve been putting off.  It’s a 30 minute session, on-location for $99. It can be of an individual, family or just a group of friends. From this you’ll be able to order Christmas cards, prints (large or small), album or anything else you can think of.  With the overwhelming amount of shoots this has generated in the past, I will only be able to shoot on certain days, but am flexible in setting up additional days & times should the need arise.

To book your session, email us and make sure and mention you want a “holiday mini-session”!

We started at Windbourne Methodist Church where both Sam & Krystina were getting ready.  I had also never been here before but was really impressed with their entire staff and facilities.  It’s rare that, as a photographer, we are given no rules or warnings with how to document the wedding ceremony.   Ok, there are obviously a couple of rules but they were very excited for us to get great photos of the happy couple.  So, as a quick aside to the staff of Windbourne Methodist – thank you!

After some quick photos of the Bride & groom with their respective bridal parties, we headed into the wedding ceremony.  With almost 200 guests in attendance, you could really feel how much support and love Krystina & Sam have.  The wedding ceremony went off as almost every wedding ceremony should, with an impromptu “Tebow” from the groomsmen in the middle of the ceremony.  It certainly was a first for me but made for a great photo opportunity and a very well remembered gesture.  After the ceremony and family formals, we headed over to the N. Raleigh Hilton for their wedding reception.

When we arrived at the North Raleigh Hilton, we were greeted by a HUGE VFW (Veteran of Foreign Wars) convention.  I believe they had almost every room in the facility taken and this made for a very interesting formals session with my happy couple.  As I’ve always said, adversity almost always makes for the best art as there are some of my all time favorite couples formals.   After those shots, we all headed inside to a wedding reception with, seriously, 200 screaming people when Krystina & Sam made their entrance.  They had a very nice gobo with their names on the wall which made for some beautiful compositions during their wedding reception.  We parted ways later that evening and left the happy couple to party on with all of their guests.

I’d like to give both Sam & Krystina my most heartfelt thank you for their graciousness, hospitality and, well, openness in letting us share their most special of days.  I hope you enjoy their photos as much as we do!

Each class takes it’s own shape but, at a minimum, we shoot 3 different times for about 30-45 minutes each, in 3 different scenarios, using natural light and flash.  As soon as the class starts we’ll get your camera in hand and switch it to manual mode.  By the time the class ends, you’ll be shooting comfortably in full manual mode and making your adjustments quickly, accurately and understand why your exposure is right or not.

We’ll also be using flash, if you have one, to work on using on-camera flash, how to make it look like it’s off-camera, bounce flash, and even how to make your direct flash look “better”.  In other words, the class will give you all of the tools you need to be a better photographer, regardless of the lighting situation.

These are just a few of the things we discuss.  Lens selection, composition, different shooting scenarios, etc. To sign up, simply click on the below link to read more about the class and sign up!  I look forward to seeing you here!  All but one class has completely sold out so if you’d like to come out, make sure and sign up early!

As you probably have surmised by now, this is no “basic” photography class.  My students in the past have ranged from those who just got their dSLR camera to professional photographers looking to learn more about their craft.  No matter what skill level you are currently, I can guarantee you will learn from this class and become a better photographer.

Apex Photography 101 Class

I’ve included a few shots from previous classes below.

While many people know me for my wedding work, I also am quite busy with a lot of commercial photography projects. Things like food, headshots, architecture and event work.  My friends over at the University Club and I got together and discussed a huge project which involved photographing their entire facility, food and staff.  The resulting shoot ended up being 3 days, 4 separate shoots and a handful of amazing vendors!

I’ll cut all the details short but with the help of Shawn @ the University Club and our fantastic vendors, it was truly a sight to behold.  Sugarland provided two beautiful wedding cakes, Floral Dimensions brought gorgeous floral arrangements, American Party Rentals provided some gorgeous linens and Brian McGuire from McSound productions made the space come to life with his uplighting.  We honestly could not have made this possible without their ideas and talents!

So after 3 loooong days where Jenn & I tweaked almost every aspect of the shoot, we came away with some of the most gorgeous commercial photos I have taken in a wedding venue.  After you take a look below, I think you’ll agree!  After our experience here, both Jenn and I go back every chance we can to enjoy dinner and just sit with the staff that were so wonderfully gracious, generous and talented.  I hope you enjoy the below photos and can make it out to the University Club to experience it for yourself!

Both Jessica & Will got ready in the Highgrove estate mansion, in opposite sides of the house of course and, as many times as I write about it, I do truly love seeing the different energies each room takes on.  Now I don’t talk about the dress very often on my blog, but this is a pretty cool story so bear with me.  I’ve seen a long standing trend where many brides will take a piece of their mothers wedding dress and somehow incorporate it into their wedding day (on the bouquet, garter, etc).  Jessica, however, has her mother’s dress entirely remade so she could wear it on her wedding day. After some extensive seamstress work, she made sure only her and her mother had seen it so it was a big surprise to not only Will, but to all of her bridesmaids as well.

The Highgrove Estate Wedding ceremony was simple, elegant and, well, a perfect fit for both Jessica & Will.   As it happens with many outdoor weddings in the summer or early fall, Will’s finger “grew” just a little making for a few pretty funny moments as the ring wouldn’t fit.  After the wedding and the formal photos we did around the Highgrove Campus, we all headed inside the newly renovated reception hall.  If you haven’t been by the Highgrove since construction was completed on their reception area, you really are missing out.  The new hall is really gorgeous and still maintains the quaint southern feel the Highgrove is known for.

After an awesome reception filled with dancing, laughing, cornhole (which Jessica & Will custom made with their initials) and all the trademarks of a wonderful day, Jessica & Will exited in a convertible BMW M3 (for those that don’t know it, I am a huge BMW fan) after running thru a sparkler exit and drove off into the evening.

I’d like to sincerely thank Jessica & Will for allowing me to witness, capture and (for lack of a better term) participate in one of the most special days in their life.  It’s always an honor to be invited to your wedding and we truly enjoyed the time we spent getting to know you and your families.  One one last sidenote, I don’t think i’ll ever have another opportunity to photograph a wedding with two sets of twins but I’d love another chance as, honestly, that was just a ton of fun!

As always, here are a few of my favorite photos from Jessica & Will’s Highgrove Estate Wedding.

Wedding Venue – Highgrove Estates
DJ – Island Sound/Jason Huggins
Florist – Flowers on Broad Street
Wedding Cake – Cinda’s Creative Cakes

As the day arrived for their wedding, both Tiffany & Tim got ready at the Carolina Inn so it was really easy to go back and forth between their rooms.  I say this a lot, but it is indeed so cool to see both sides of the bridal party getting ready and to capture that story.  From the guys chilling out and watching football to the bustling activity in the ladies suite with hair & makeup, it paints a really wonderful dichotomy on the differences of the getting ready process for both of them.

Their wedding ceremony was outdoors in the Anne Hill courtyard and attended by 150 of their close family & friends. With a DJ playing music during the processional, Tiffany walked up and we caught a great moment of Tim holding back a few tears.  As the ceremony ended, Tiffany & Tim exited thru a shower of bubbles and to the back of the Carolina Inn where they enjoyed champagne and a few fruits while their guests headed over to cocktail hour.  We photographed their family formals then walked around the property with Tiffany & Tim photographing wedding portraits of just the two of them including one of my favorites from the day in the Old Well room.

As Tiffany & Tim entered their wedding reception, the room, quite literally, erupted as everyone welcomed the newly married couple!  After the first dances, a few of the groomsmen grabbed the chalkboards that were meant for the photo booth and wrote quite a few, well, colorful comments. The rest of the evening was filled with laughing, a few tears and a whole LOT of people having a great time celebrating Tiffany & Tim’s wedding!

I’d like to give a very heartfelt congratulations to Tiffany, Tim and their incredible families.  We truly enjoyed the sort amount of time we spent with everyone and are thrilled with the photos we captured from your gorgeous Carolina Inn Wedding.  As always, here are a few select photos from your day!

Wedding Vendors:

Officiant – Barbara Lodge
Hair & Makeup – Ginger Mullins
Flowers – The Watered Garden
Cake – Miel Bon Bons
DJ – Jeff Simpson
Photo Booth – Red Carpet Photo Booth

I was not only thrilled to finally photograph an outdoor wedding at the Washington Duke Inn, it was also another opportunity I got to work with the awesome ladies at La Fete who planned the wedding.  With both the happy bride & groom getting ready at the hotel, it was an easy hop, skip and jump from one room to the other as they both prepared for the big day ahead.  With plenty of time to spare once the guys were ready, and Ginger Mullins finished up Jessica’s hair & makeup, we got to photograph the guys and girls in the wedding party separately before the beginning of the ceremony.

Jessica & Jonathan’s wedding ceremony took place on the patio outside the main ballroom, which gave Jessica a great “sneak peek” of all the guests arriving thru the ballroom windows.  It’s something I rarely get to do (hang out with the bride right before she walks down the aisle) so it was a great opportunity to have a little fun with a tattoo sleeve.  Of course, we were there for a wedding so just a minute or two later, the processional began and the happy couple was getting married under their chuppah which had been gorgeously decorated (as well as the rest of the wedding) by the fine ladies at Tre Bella Florist.

After the ceremony and photo sessions, Jessica & Jonathan headed into their wedding reception in the main ballroom of the Washington Duke Inn and celebrate with their family and friends!  The night was filled with dancing, laughing, quite a bit of singing and a whole lot of fun thanks to Randy Bennett from Bunn DJ Company.  The night was capped off with a homemade pom pom exit which was the longest exit line of folks I have seen in some time.

I’d like to give my most heartfelt congratulations to both Jessica & Jonathan.  Thank you both so much for letting me capture such a special day for you both!  As always, here are a few wedding photographs from their Washington Duke Inn wedding!

Erin & Graham chose to see each other before the wedding ceremony at Jones Chapel.  I always talk to my clients about this and the real benefit is we can take care of alot of the “formal” photos before hand leaving us a little more time to work one on one with the bride and groom afterwards as well as get them to the reception quickly. We found a nice quiet spot on the Meredith college campus for their “first look”.  I tried to get Erin to sneak up on Graham but, well, you just can’t do that wearing a long wedding dress. After we had a few minutes together (and yes, I left them alone for a few minutes as well), we headed down to the water for group photos.

The wedding ceremony inside Jones Chapel went perfectly and was quite a lovely service.  We ended up photographing a few mire family members who arrived after our first wedding portrait session and then headed over to Vaughn Towers for their wedding reception.  Vaughn towers has 3 floors, with the 1st floor being the open area for wedding receptions and the 3rd floor houses the chancellors suite and many other private suites.  Being a big NCSU football fan, I am stoked every time I get a chance to photograph here.  The venue as, of course, a gorgeous view of the football field and it’s layout is perfect for a wedding reception (being a large open space).

Ryan from Spin got the party going and, let me say, wow.  Once the initial dances were over the dance floor remained packed the entire evening!  Even during the breaks in the action for the cake cutting and bouquet/garter toss, everyone just stayed on the dance floor to get a great spot for when the music started.

I’d like to thank Erin & Graham for being, well, such an awesome couple!  I hope you enjoy a small selection of photos from their wedding day!

The day of the wedding, I met up with both Kate & Wes at the Sheraton Hotel in Chapel Hill were both of them were getting ready.  Kate was in the process of getting her hair & makeup done while Wes seemed to be trading professions and was a watch repairman (he was adjusting the bands on his groomsmen gifts).  As with all outdoor wedding ceremonies, the fear of bad weather was certainly on everyone’s minds and with clouds rolling in and some rain coming down, we of course were just a tad bit worried.  As we left for the short drive to Coker Arboretum though, the clouds had broken up and the sun was coming out.  I never really write about it but it honestly seems at almost every outdoor wedding, the rain always seems to hold off long enough to let the wedding day plans proceed without interruption.

During the rehearsal, we had scoped out the arboretum for the best spot to setup chairs and to hold the wedding ceremony.  This turned out to be a real advantage as with the spotty cloud cover, we ended up with some amazing photos from the ceremony as we had placed them in the one spot with great lighting while the majority of the guests were in shade.  After the ceremony, we opted to shoot all of of formal photos at the Arboretum.  The last shots we did involved Kate jumping on Wes’s back (this was their idea).  I think maybe the soft ground, the nerves of the day and perhaps a little over exuberance got the best of them as Kate proceeded to pull Wes almost flat on his back.  LOL.  It was very fitting as both Kate & Wes are simply delightful clients and we all laughed quite a bit about it.

Once we arrived at Bay 7 for their wedding reception, Kate had a little food & champagne in the car before their entrance courtesy of the Durham Catering Company.  After they arrived and had their first dance, parents dances and ate, Randy Pulley got the party started.  The rest of the evening was full of dancing, celebrating and quite a few funny signs (courtesy of chalk boards from the photo booth).  This was indeed one of the most fun filled receptions I have had the pleasure of attending/photographing and I’d really like to extend my sincerest congratulations and thank you to Wes, Kate & their families for allowing me to capture such a wonderful event and the first day as a married couple.

As always, I hope you enjoy a few select photos from their wedding day.

Brian Mullins Photography Studio
108-b N. Salem St
Suite 202
Apex, NC 27502

919.414.0869
contact@brianmullinsphotography.com

Of course I have to show you a few photos.   I hope you enjoy and, more importantly, I hope to see you in my studios soon!