The last wedding of 2009. It’s been a great year and my wife and I have had the opportunity to work with such amazing couples. What better way to end the year than featuring one of the hottest couples we have photographed. Sarah and Ahmd are both friends of ours and we were delighted when they came to us for their wedding. I don’t think I have ever come across a couple this excited to be in love – they were both gleaming in “their moment” and the smiles lasted all day.

Azab and Sarah decided to have a “first look” and see each other before the wedding ceremony. This was one of my favorite parts of the day as a photographer due to the moment being so naturally amazing. Another awesome thing about the day was the weather. The light outside was absolutely gorgeous and we decided to take advantage of it for as long as we could.

I was introduced to Faiza and Nadeem through a mutual friend and was given the wonderful opportunity to work with them on their multi-day wedding. I quickly noticed that from their families to their friends, everyone loved them whole heartedly. They are one of the warmest and nicest couples with whom I have had pleasure of working. Nadeem comes from a prominent family in Augusta, GA and met Faiza – a Triangle native – on one of his medical school rotations. Quickly, the two hit it off and shortly thereafter, decided to get married.

Their wedding consisted of three days – mehndi (the bride’s henna ceremony), shadi (main wedding hosted by the bride’s family) , and valima (reception event hosted by the groom’s family). The first two days of the wedding were held here in the Triangle while the third day was held in Augusta. I also had the award winning Nashville wedding photographer Evan Baines as my second shooter for this wedding, so be sure to check out his work also.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the shadi coverage and couple’s session from the valima. As per the request of the couple and their families, the more intimate compositions have been kept private:

A gorgeous day, a beautiful couple, and an amazing wedding are just some of the things I was busy with this past weekend. Leanne and Mike got married at Atlantic Beach, NC this Saturday – bringing two wonderful families together as one. Mike’s father is a pastor and was the officiant at the wedding – proudly welcoming his new daughter-in-law with nothing but the highest degree of affection. The reception was held at the tented backyard of the Beaufort Grocery Restaurant – an awesome gourmet restaurant near the beach – and the bridals were taken at various locations in Wilmington, NC about a month ago on another gorgeous day.

Most of this wedding was shot by ambient light. Being outdoors and at the beach, I wanted to give a very organic feeling to the whole series and thought that by utilizing only available light, the images feel more natural. The light during the midday ceremony was brutal, so rather than fighting against it, I decided to use all the brightness to my benefit.